Hello, hello, hello! Onward and upwards with the story. This time, off to the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament!
Also, to everyone telling me about how OP Gine and Kakarot are and how it would ruin the tension of the upcoming Saiyan Saga: don't fret, for I have a wrench to throw into whatever sense of invincibility our characters would have by then. You'll just have to wait and see ;) I also thought last chapter would have been a good place to introduce the HTC instead of it being mentioned out of nowhere in the Android Saga like in the original story.
Based on MasakoX's What If series "What if Gine went with Goku to Earth?", but a retcon with some changes of my own on how I think the story would have went down had Goku's mother escaped planet Vegeta with him.
DISCLAIMER: The following is a fan-based work of fiction. Dragonball Minus, Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball Super, and Dragonball GT are all owned by FUNimation, Toei Animation, and Akira Toriyama.
Please support the official release!
Also, read and review!
CHAPTER 23: THE 23rd TENKAICHI BUDOKAI
Gohan stood out on the grass in front of the hut, looking up towards the western sky of Mount Paozu.
He felt two ki signatures moving towards him, they were far away but closing in extremely fast. He was sure anyone sensitive to energy sensing could feel the presence of those two powers. The energy coming from them was so ludicrously powerful that he would have been terrified to his core if he did not know who those auras belonged to.
The crack of twin sonic booms thundered across the land, scaring flocks of birds out of the surrounding trees. Before long, Gohan saw two contrails flying overhead, then arching downwards and descending from the air quickly. An ecstatic smile widened under his bushy mustache when he laid eyes on the two figures touching down in front of him.
"Grandpa!" Kakarot sprinted towards Gohan faster than he could react and swept him up in a powerful hug, laughing happily. "I missed you so much!"
The old man was as surprised by the dramatic increase of speed and strength as he was to see how much taller the young Saiyan boy had grown. "Kakarot! I've missed you too my boy!" He struggled to breathe under Kakarot's grip, hoping he wasn't about to get crushed. Gine stood back and giggled at watching the happy reunion.
Kakarot set Grandpa Gohan down and the old man took a good look at his adopted grandson.
"My word, look at you! You're a grown man now!" Gohan beamed up at him. "And it looks like you've gotten so much stronger too! I could sense you coming here from a thousand miles away!"
The young Saiyan chuckled, "Yep, that's right! Mom and I just finished our training at Kami's Lookout."
Gohan's jaw nearly fell to the ground. "What?! You mean the Guardian of the Earth?!"
"Uh-huh. That's him alright." Confirmed Kakarot by pointing to the emblem on his shirt. "We were up there for the last three years. He taught us a lot of new techniques and we both got so much stronger than we thought we could."
Many questions flew through Gohan's mind, but one he asked was, "But, how did you get this strong? It's unlike anything I've ever seen!"
"We got to train in this special room that was extremely harsh to cope with, did most of our sparring in there after Kami trained Mom and I how to meditate properly, and..."
Kakarot answered rapid fire about all the peculiarities of the Lookout and the techniques the Guardian had shared. But the elder martial artist just starred at Kakarot and over to Gine in awe. He had seen and heard a lot of things in his days, but he never suspected that the Guardian was more than a legend. But to see his two closest companions standing here far stronger than what he thought was physically possible, that was something making him rethink that idea.
Gohan took a good look at Gine too. She physically looked the same, yet was barely recognizable to him. The Gine standing there had a serenity to her as clam as the soft breeze. Hardly any trace of the emotional turmoil that had always haunted her, not looking as on edge or as sad as he remembered her. Most striking of all, Gohan could also see something in her eyes that told him that she was not the same woman who left three years earlier. In those eyes, she had the very same zeal that Kakarot had in his.
Now that was incredible, Gohan thought. What had she gone through up there?
"...And I finally beat Mom in a fight! Would you believe it?" Kakarot added.
The shock wore off from the earthshattering revelation of Kami's existence at hearing that. "Really? Is that so?" Gohan asked, looking over to Gine.
"It's true. My little boy has finally surpassed me. But he shouldn't let it go to his head that he'll be on top forever."
Kakarot scratched the back of his head. "Hehe. That's true I guess. Our fights have gotten so much more fun now that I'm taller than she is. So who knows, she might catch up to me again."
Gohan raised an eyebrow. "You two got some competition going on between you?"
"Oh yeah. Mom has been training harder than I have, so I better watch it if I don't want to her to kick my butt again." Kakarot joked.
Gine also scratched the back of her head, and Gohan couldn't be more amazed. It was a happy enough sight to see her and Kakarot return, but it was truly something else to see how much Gine had changed since Gohan last spoke to her. To think that this woman whom he thought of as a daughter had been someone so riddled with doubt and put herself down so much that she wouldn't bother with the type of training Kakarot always sought out.
"You certainly should, my boy. To key to pushing yourself is to always keep up a healthy contest." Gohan quipped as Gine walked up to him. She embraced him gently and held him for a long time.
"It's so good to see you again, my dear." Said Gohan as they parted, smiling at her warmly.
"Likewise." Gine said happily, "You have no idea how homesick I've been, and how much I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me? For what?" Gohan asked.
"For believing in me when I didn't..." She said quietly, her eyes almost glistening. "...I learned so much up there, but most of all I finally understand what you've been telling me all along."
Gohan felt his heart grow warm. Gine didn't need to elaborate what she meant, thinking back to the last conversation they had back on Roshi's island. He had been trying all these years to help her see that she was more than a weakling. That her kind nature was not a curse, and that she was far more powerful than she realized if she applied herself. Now, here she was, having embraced it so well and having pushed herself so far that she seemed like a completely different person.
"Well, I'm glad I helped however I could." Was all Gohan had to say, and Gine smiled back in gratitude.
Breaking the moment, Kakarot asked. "So, Grandpa, been enjoying having the place to yourself again?"
Gine at first didn't think anything of the question, but for some reason felt a sense of worry emerge from deep within her mind. It had been years since she thought of the silent agreement between her and Gohan about them asking of staying in what was by all rights his home. Since the day they arrived on Earth, it was implied that she and her son would stay only long enough until they were comfortable with life on this planet. But that was years ago, and both she and Kakarot had long since adjusted to being Earthlings. Would he ask them to leave or find their own home?
Gohan chuckled. "Well, sort of. The solitude was nice in a way, but I was hoping you two would come back eventually."
"Really?" Gine asked, unable to help herself.
"Mhm." Gohan nodded. "Truth be told, I sorely missed you both. After all the company you two had given me over the years, the place sure felt a lot less lively without you two around. The isolation I used to seek out didn't seem all that inviting with just myself out here. With no one to talk to, no one to have such exciting fights with, and definitely with no one to help with the chores around here." He chuckled at that last part.
The worries Gine felt immediately vanished, feeling touched. She never realized how fond Gohan had grown of her and Kakarot, and always assumed he secretly wanted them gone. But now she felt guilty for thinking of those things.
Gohan seemed to sense what Gine was feeling and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm very happy both of you are back, I just wish I could've prepared you a welcome home feast for the occasion."
Gine let her shoulders relax, feeling a long clung-to worry evaporate now that the silent agreement was no longer an issue.
For the second time, he walked up to Gohan and hugged him.
"Thank you, again." She said quietly.
"No need to thank me, dear. It's the right thing to do." He replied, thinking of that fateful day both of them entered his life. They truly changed it for the better and he didn't want them to leave.
After the happy reunion, they walked around the homestead that Gine and Kakarot had missed for three years. Nothing much had changed, and Gohan had tended to Gine's garden very well. He had watched her enough times over the years to pick up on how to care for growing all kinds of vegetables. So she picked out a few while Kakarot went out and brought back a mountain lion to skin and cook for a large dinner for them all.
Gine had the meat chopped up and was sautéing it in the citrus-rich stew. She sipped her tea, getting lost in the bliss of the flavor she missed so dearly and letting her mind drift, looking out the window and taking all of Mount Paozu in. Gohan saw this when he was helping slicing potatoes.
"Off to some far away place again?" Gohan quipped, snapping Gine out of her thoughts.
"Not at all." She gave a small smile. "I just find it a little difficult to imagine how I just got home from the last tournament... three years ago!"
Gohan chuckled. "My, my, that must have been quite a detour to find your way back here."
That made Gine laugh, "Heh, yeah I guess. But, for what should have been a simple gathering turned into...the whole fiasco with Piccolo... and taken in by the Guardian of the Earth..."
"Funny how things work out sometimes, and how life would happily wreck any idea of what one had for the future." Gohan finished for her, tossing the sliced potatoes in the stew and getting another batch ready.
"Speaking of the future, Kakarot's a grown man now. Hard to believe he was the little baby you carried when you first showed up."
"I know..." Gine said wistfully, taking a glance over to her son preparing the table outside of earshot from their conversation.
"Have been thinking of the future a lot too. Now that's he's passed his growth spurt, he should be on his own now. But..."
"But what?" Gohan asked softly.
Gine tried to find the words, "I dunno. it's just... we spent so much time together up on the Lookout, and I cherish him with all my heart. But I want him to be able to leave on his own accord, I don't to force him to leave like I originally planned."
"Ah, I see." Gohan smiled. "You two had quite a bonding experience up there, and now you're afraid to break his heart?"
Gine nodded, "I suppose... I want what's best for him. I don't him to hate me or-"
"You want to go see the tournament the day after tomorrow, Grandpa?" Kakarot suddenly spoke up from the table.
Grandpa Gohan perked up at that. "The next tournament is in two days? That's news to me."
"Yep. I'm hoping to go and see if Master Roshi, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and everyone else will be there. I'd like to see how much stronger they got too!"
Gine was stirring up the vegetable and meat stew, but she tensed up. She had hoped that her son would have forgotten about going to the tournament after he asked Kami about it, for after everything they went through the competition would be nothing but child's play to them. Not to mention the mentally draining ordeal she had gone through dealing with so many people. How could he bring up going back to the tournament just as they were settling back into their home?
"Ah, that should be fun to see your old friends again. You think you could win with all the training you went through?" Gohan asked.
Gine looked over to Gohan incredulously. How could he be for this too?!
Kakarot smiled. "I think so. But hey, you never know! There might be someone stronger out there who might show up. Would be interesting to see if there is."
"I very much doubt it, son." Said Gine while she brought the finished stew to the family table. "You and I have gone though trials that most humans would never survive. The tournament would be too easy for you."
Her son laughed to himself lightly, "Maybe so, but it would still be good to see everyone for old times sake." Kakarot then perked up his head in that way he did when he had an idea.
"Say, why don't you fight in the tournament too, Mom?"
Gine nearly dropped her bowl, "What? Why should I?!"
"Well, I don't want things to be too easy if we really did get so strong. Fighting against you is always so fun, and it should make the tournament a lot more interesting. We can register tomorrow when-"
"Wait, we? I didn't agree to fight in the tournament, Kakarot. And I don't intend to." She said flatly.
"Aw, c'mon, Mom!" Kakarot whined. "Please? I would really like it if you did."
"I said no, Kakarot. You know better than to push me to-"
Gohan coughed, getting their attention. "Um, may I just interject for a moment, dear?"
Mother and son turned to Gohan as he asked, "Kakarot, how much is the prize money?"
"Oh, uh, quite a lot. Let's see..." Kakarot scratched his head in thought. Even at eighteen he still struggled with numbers. "Last time I think it was like half of a million zeni."
Gohan looked impressed. "My, that's quite a lot to win."
Gine looked at Gohan confused, where was he going with this?
"Yeah, I guess it is." Kakarot agreed.
"I mean, with it, you could buy anything you want. Say, maybe you're own home?" Gohan said as he gave Gine a knowing glance.
"Hm, I could do that. But... why would I want my own house?" Kakarot asked.
"Well, you might want to have one. Since you can't always live here forever."
Kakarot looked puzzled, then alarmed. "What? What'd you mean I can't stay here forever?"
It all fell into place at once for Gine, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Was Gohan really going to bring this up now?
"Now that you are an adult, you could live on you're own now. So what I'm saying is that if you win the tournament, you'll have the means to... make that happen." Gohan tried to say gently, but Kakarot looked scared and hurt.
He looked to Gine wide-eyed. "Mom? What's going on?"
This could end very badly, and Gine's mind raced to think of how to calm her son down.
When she didn't answer, Kakarot looked shriller. "What's going on?! Am I being kicked out?!"
"No!" Gine stepped quickly to Kakarot to shush him, placing her hands on his shoulder. "No, no, no, sweetie. You are not getting kicked out." She said, knowing that was a sort-of lie if they were about to bring up what she had in mind for years. She found it ironic how she was fretting the Gohan would do the exact same thing after they had returned.
"Then what did Grandpa mean?" He asked her like a frightened child.
Gine felt her heart tear itself in half, how could she have this conversation that needed to happen with her son?
Without an answer, she went on. "What Grandpa means is that... you are ready to live on your own, son. You are a grownup now, and as a grownup like me and Grandpa Gohan, you should have your own place that you call home."
"But... I don't understand. You don't like me living here with you?" He asked, his eyes watering.
"That is absolutely not true, sweetheart." Gine said with as much conviction as she could muster. She loved her son with every once of her being, and would give her life for him. But he really needed to get out into the world on his own for good.
"It's just a part of being an adult is all. We all have to do it, and it's time that you did too." She said gently, Kakarot looked away with a mix of emotions Gine couldn't decipher.
"I'm not asking you to go away right now, or to stay gone forever. I'm just asking that you find a place that you could build a dwelling of your own. You don't have to be far away from us at all, and can visit whenever you want. And I'm not against you going to the tournament, heck, I'd say go for it. For with that money you could start your own life. However you want."
The room was silent for a long time as Kakarot stood there in front of his mother in contemplation, the sound of the crickets after nightfall and Gine's heartbeat in her ears breaking that silence.
"Okay." Kakarot nodded with a sad smile. "I'll leave."
Gine smiled widely up at her son, and hugged him tightly. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."
She glanced at Gohan and gave him an appreciative wink for making an old plan come to fruition.
"But..." Kakarot started to say, and Gine's hopes to ending this conversation quickly faded with whatever protest Kakarot was about to say.
"... I have one request." Kakarot said.
That was a surprise to her. "Oh? And what's that?" Gine asked.
"That you fight in the tournament with me!" Said Kakarot with a smile.
Gine's face paled. "What?!"
It was bad enough that Kakarot wanted to take her back to the tournament, but at least she would have been content enough to not participate and have all eyes on her. But this...
"Why? You know I don't like crowds!"
"I know." Her son replied with a smile that did not show at all that he appreciated her feelings. "But you were right that it would be too easy if I was the only strong guy there. I want a challenge at least. It would mean a lot for you to fight me there after all the training we went through with Kami."
"But-" Gine tried to protest.
"Plus we would double our chances of winning the prize money!" Kakarot said with his finger pointed in the air.
Gine did not have an answer to that. He was right, by the off chance that someone was strong (or clever enough) to at least cheat Kakarot out of the ring, it would make getting him out of the hut a lot more difficult. If she wanted to make that dream come true...
Her resolve to stay out of the tournament waned, and Gine let out a long sigh.
"Fine, I'll do it."
"Alright!" Kakarot jumped up in excitement like he always did.
"Well done my boy! I'll be cheering you both on!" Said Gohan from the table.
Gine thought of all the ways she could thank and curse Gohan under her breath. But the teachings of patience that Kami and Mr. Popo had literally beaten into her over the last three years kept her from doing so. Plus she wouldn't say no to a good fight with her son.
"Could be fun." She mumbled in resignation, trying her best to ignore the sense of Deja vu at uttering those same words like she did last time.
It was a downpour when they got to Papaya Island two days later. Despite the weather, people had come far and wide for the Twenty-third World Martial Arts Tournament.
"You see them yet?" Gine asked her son as they walked down the wet road.
Kakarot perked his head up higher to look at the crowd gathering in front of the tournament ground's entrance. He wore a blue rain coat over his orange fighting gi. "Mmm, nope. Not yet."
"They are up ahead for sure." Said Gohan, walking besides Gine. He didn't see them, but could sense their distinct energies among the crowd.
Gohan also found it humorously ironic that the two most powerful beings on the planet couldn't distinguish the lowly ki of their friends among the other Earthlings. He could sense them, albeit barely, as the energy signatures of his adoptive daughter and grandson beside him were nearly overwhelming as he tried to pick out Master Roshi, Bulma, and the others. It was like trying to find faint stars in the full glare of daylight.
Gine walked with an umbrella in her hand, her dress gi partially soaked and a neutral expression on her face. She still wasn't entirely thrilled to be here, especially after the heated talk she gave to Gohan the night before about how he forced the issue of Kakarot as well as dragging her to the tournament. But in the end she thanked him for making what she wanted for her son easier to happen by just doing it. She figured her directness had rubbed off on Gohan.
To replace her reservations, she reminded herself how they were going to see their old friends again for the first time in three years. She was at least a little excited about that.
"There they are!" Said Kakarot suddenly, pointing ahead.
He picked up the pace while Gine and Grandpa Gohan followed behind, threading through the crowd towards the tournament ground's entrance. Gine scanned the faces of the people, and spotted the unmistakable blue haired young girl that stumbled upon their home so many years ago. She was wearing a short dark dress, looked slightly taller than before, but her features hadn't aged at all.
"Kakarot! Gine!" The familiar voice of an old martial arts master called out from ahead. Gine then spotted Master Roshi, clad in his fine suit. He somehow seemed to know that they were approaching and pointed at them. Gine also spotted Launch in a red dress, her dark hair indicating her benign state, as well as spotting Puar and Oolong. Their eyes lit up in recognition when they saw Gine and waved.
"Hey, Bulma! Hey Master Roshi!" Kakarot greeted happily as he walked up to the gang. "How've you all been?"
The entire gang gasped in shock when they saw Kakarot stop in front of them, Gine and Gohan behind him.
"N-no way!" Bulma stuttered in disbelief. "You can't be Kakarot!"
"Huh?" Kakarot looked at her confused. "What are you talking about, Bulma? I am Kakarot. Who else would I be?"
The blue haired young woman looked him up and down. "But how did you get so tall?!"
"Yeah! You were a pint-sized kid the last time we saw you!" Oolong quipped.
Kakarot laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "Heh, I dunno. I guess I just woke up one day and realized Mom and Grandpa were a lot shorter than me. But it's still me. Besides who else has the crazy hair I have anyway?" He jokingly pointed towards his wild palm-tree black hair, then unfurled and waved his tail for good measure.
"Huh... I guess so." Bulma said in awe, everyone else just as amazed that the little boy they knew had grown so much.
Kakarot leaned close to Bulma, looking concerned and pointing to her face. "Uh... Bulma, are your lips bleeding?"
She swatted his hand away indignantly, "No, you moron! It's called lipstick!"
Gine was unfamiliar with the custom of human females decorating their faces with red paint or other kinds of powders. But she still shook her head that her son would be oblivious to such things after spending so much time with the Earthlings.
Then Bulma's eyes widened, she knew for sure now. "That... really is Kakarot." she said back to the gang.
"My son, alright." Gine half-joked.
Bulma looked over and recognized his mother and grandfather.
"Gine! Oh my Kami, it's so good to see you!"" She walked over and gave Gine a welcoming hug.
"It's good to see you too, Bulma." Gine greeted back as Bulma hugged Gohan as well, while Kakarot got reacquainted with Roshi and the others.
Gine looked around, noticing that there were some absentees to the gang.
"Where's Yamcha?" She asked.
Bulma's face grimaced. "That jerk took off. As soon as his leg fully healed he went with Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu on some trip into the desert wastelands to do some training for the next tournament. But he hasn't called in three years!"
Sounds familiar. Gine thought.
"But you know what? Good riddance. I don't need some guy in my life who'll just leave like that!" Bulma huffed angrily, crossing her arms.
Despite the young lady's justifiable frustration, Gine could tell Bulma still longed for Yamcha. The anger was just her lashing out, and Gine just smiled sympathetically.
She reached out with her senses. Despite how small and dim the ki of all Earthlings were around them, Gine was able to notice four, no, five signatures were quickly heading towards their location. Far faster than any Earthling should. Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu will be there soon. But who was the fifth one?
Gine sniffed the air, and her spirits lifted a little. "Ah. The rain is about to let up."
Sure enough, the torrent stopped and sunlight broke through the clouds. With the increasing sunshine, Gine felt herself feeling more relaxed and happy at getting reacquainted with her old friends.
"Ox-King?!" Gohan suddenly called out.
Gine and Kakarot looked out to the crowd to see a giant figure lumbering through the crowds toward them.
"Gohan! Is that you?!"
"It is, my friend! How good to see you!" Both the eldest students of Master Roshi shook hands. Gine smiled to herself at the sight of Gohan looking so happy.
"You too!" Ox-King then turned to her. "Gine! Kakarot! Roshi!"
"Hello, Ox-King." Gine answered back with everyone.
"Gine, I never got the chance to thank you for saving me and my kingdom from that horrible goon of King Piccolo."
Gine shook her head. "There's no need. I'm just glad you and everyone you care about are safe."
Ox-King smiled gratefully. "Well... Thank you anyway."
Kakarot looked around and asked, "Hey Ox-King, where's Chi-chi?"
"She'll be here. I heard she went with Yamcha and the others to go training."
"Really?!" Kakarot exclaimed. Gine herself was impressed by the news, was she the fifth energy signature she felt?
"Huh? I didn't know Chi-chi did that." Said Bulma.
"That's right." Roshi spoke, everyone turned to him.
"She had become quite determined to get stronger after the whole incident with Piccolo. So I trained her the same way you and Krillin were, Kakarot." He said, turning to Ox-king. "You have quite a determined daughter."
"Oh wow!" Kakarot was amazed too to hear that Chi-chi had put herself through the same trials as he did. "I can't wait to see how much stronger she got. Everyone else too!"
Not by a whole lot, Gine thought, but kept it to herself.
"I hope so too, I also hope they get here in time. I haven't had a chance to remind them." Roshi said worryingly.
"Don't fret, Master Roshi. I'm sure they wouldn't forget a thing like this." Launch assured him.
"They'll be here." Gine echoed. She could sense them approaching from a few hundred miles away. At this rate they'll be here soon enough.
"We got a whole lot stronger too!" Kakarot boasted.
"I know that for sure." Said Roshi. "I could have felt your power from the other side of the world. You've both gotten so strong it's unbelievable!
Master Roshi looked to Gine with a smile, thinking about how he too shared the sentiment with Gohan about her hidden strength.
"Yeah, well, Mom and I did a lot of training together up at Kami's Lookout." Kakarot grinned.
"What?! At Kami's Lookout?!" Roshi exclaimed, as shocked as Gohan was.
Kakarot nodded, and pointed to Kami's emblem on his gi as if it was trivial information. "That's right. The Guardian of the Earth."
Everyone gasped in utter shock.
"You mean... that Guardians are real?!" Ox-King asked reluctantly. Even Master Roshi looked perturbed as he did when he learned King Piccolo had returned.
Gine frowned. She wasn't keen on Kakarot blurting out the truth of Kami's existence and their tutelage under him. But the "cat" was out of the bag, as Earthlings would say.
"Yep." Kakarot nodded earnestly. "He gave me and Mom special training as a reward for defeating King Piccolo!"
"Ehem." Now Gine wouldn't let this slip off the record. "We all defeated King Piccolo. He gave Kakarot the training and dragged me along with him."
"Yeah, you're right. Don't be too hard on yourself though." Kakarot half-heartedly joked, remembering the guilt of almost letting Piccolo nearly winning that anguished her.
Roshi walked up to Gine, his shades removed and looking into her eyes.
"You seemed to have changed a bit since I last saw you in other ways too, it seems. I knew you had a great potential within you..." Roshi said happily. He didn't need to finish it. Gine knew what he meant.
She nodded gently. "Yep. I guess I'm not a weakling afterall."
Roshi smiled. "I'm glad you were able to discover something that would bring you peace of mind and strength, Gine. I just wish it didn't take the whole Piccolo-incident to realize that."
Gine shrugged. "We need to face our fears sometimes." Something Kami had taught. Roshi hummed to himself in satisfaction. Gine had proven herself before to be a leader, now she had acquired a great amount of wisdom as well. The makings of a martial arts master.
A loud speaker broke the moment. "ATTENTION! REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE IN ONE HOUR! ALL FIGHTERS WISHING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TOURNAMENT MUST HAVE THEIR FORMS COMPLETED BEFORE FIVE O'CLOCK PM TODAY! THOSE WHO MISS THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARTAKE IN TOMORROW'S PRELIMINARY ROUNDS. THANK YOU!"
"Oh, hey, Mom! We better go sign ourselves in!" Kakarot pointed to the entrance.
Gine sighed. "Alright, alright."
She followed her son towards the registration desk. As Gine walked past Bulma, she overheard the blue-haired woman whispering to Launch while they starred after Kakarot. "Who ever would have thought he would've grown up to be so handsome?"
Both women blushed and giggled, while Puar glared angrily at Bulma.
"You just wait! I'm sure Yamcha will look even better!"
Gine rolled her eyes at overhearing the exchange.
She filled out the registration form, using her adoptive Son name. Gine thought her nervousness would prevent her from doing so, but the act of signing her name was so easy as to be feeling inconsequential. But now people will know her name, that she was someone about to partake in a major global event. That meant many eyes and minds will be on her in the coming days, but Gine tried not to think about it.
Afterwards, they hung out by the entrance to wait for Yamcha, Krillin, Chi-chi, Tien, and Chiaotzu. They chit-chatted to pass the time, but slowly got nervous as the deadline drew closer. Minutes went by painfully slow, checking every person that came within sight or every taxi or car that stopped in front of them. The wait became tedious, and eventually daylight started to give out.
"LAST CALL FOR APPLICATIONS! I REPEAT, THE APPLICATION BOOTH WILL BE CLOSING IN FIVE MINUTES! FOR THOSE THAT HAVE NOT SIGNED IN, PLEASE HURRY!" The announcer stated.
Tien, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Krillin, and Chi-chi were still not there yet.
"How could they be this late? They only had three years to get here!" Bulma muttered.
"They'll be here." Reassured Kakarot. He could feel their energies getting closer too. As much confidence the group had in Gine's and her son's new abilities, the tension was palpable.
Roshi couldn't take it any more and tried to negotiate signing in their missing friends for them. But the clerk refused, citing that it would be a violation of the rules even if one of the missing applicants was defending champion Tien Shinhan.
At the one minute mark, they were desperate enough to consider Oolong and Puar transforming into some while the others posed as the rest. But Gine broke that up.
"Wait!" She said, drawing their attention.
"They should be here right...aboooout...now!"
On que, a blur of colors and a rush of wind blew past the group. Shapes appeared before the stunned registration clerk, and morphed into five figures the group immediately recognized.
"They made it!" Launch laughed as they all broke out into cheers.
The quintet looked road-weary, but were smiling triumphantly for reaching the tournament on time to sign in and at seeing the faces of their friends. Tien and Chiaotzu haven't changed, clad in their old Crane hermit outfits but with the emblems replaced by that of the Turtle School. Yamcha sported a ponytail and wore a long blue gi with shoulder pads, while Krillin wore an orange motorcycle jacket, jeans and a black ball cap. The last member of the group...
"KAKAROT!" Chi-chi leapt out towards her once long time travel companion.
"Chi-chi! You made it!" Kakarot exclaimed as he caught Chi-chi in a tight embrace of laughter. She wore a blue dress gi not unlike Gine's, with orange trousers and dark boots along with it. And over her left breast and on the back of her dress, was the kanji of the Turtle Hermit school as well. Her skin was flawlessly smooth but toned with more refined muscle than before, as well as tanned. Her long black hair coated in dirt from whatever long journey she shared with the others on the road.
Gine couldn't believe that the girl was indeed the same Chi-chi she knew from before. Now a full grown and beautiful woman. She looked filthy but still retained her elegant and delicate features befitting that of a princess.
Kakarot set Chi-chi down from their embrace as their laughter died down. She suddenly slapped him across the face. There was no serious strength in it, but it was enough to startle him.
"Where the hell have you been?! I haven't heard from you in three years?!" She yelled.
Ah, Gine thought. There was the Chi-chi she knew.
"Do you know how much I missed you?! Not one phone call or post card or anything about where you were gonna go? And having to learn from Korin how you got to train with the Guardian of the Earth without telling ME?!" Chi-chi berated, her Saiyan-like obsidian eyes alight in fury.
Gine felt herself back away slightly, the young girl's anger almost unnerving. She wasn't entirely surprised to learn how Chi-chi managed to climb Korin's tower or how she figured out what they've been up to, but noticed how Kakarot said nothing. He couldn't take his eyes off of Chi-chi. Almost as if he was enchanted with her.
Gine immediately knew that look, one that Bardock had given her only once or twice before...
Chi-chi looked angrier when Kakarot stayed silent. "Answer me, you idiot! How could you-"
Kakarot cupped Chi-chi's face and kissed her. The young woman's eyes widened to dinner plates in shock.
Everyone stood there agape at the display, and Gine nearly dropped the folded umbrella she carried.
He withdrew from the kiss, holding a stunned Chi-chi in his grasp with her cheeks as red as a tomato.
"I missed you too, Chi-chi." He said to her softly.
Chi-chi's anger evaporated instantly. Her eyes flooded with tears, squealing in joy as she rushed Kakarot again in a vise-grip embrace that he happily returned.
Gine knew everything about her son and his behavior down to a tee, even his unconscious choice in Chi-chi as a mate. But never in a million years did she imagine that Kakarot would do something as bold and affectionate like that. By planet Vegeta's standards, this was by far the gentlest and most "romantic" a Saiyan would ever treat a partner instead of just cold indifference and giving into their carnal desires like it was business as usual. Not even Bardock displayed such excitement at seeing her again.
Chi-chi kissed Kakarot back, more passionately this time. Ox-king watched the scene unfold between his daughter and Gine's son, as flabbergasted as she was.
"Sheesh! Get a room you two!" Krillin jokingly said not without a hint of jealousy, breaking up the moment.
"Eh, what do you mean?" Kakarot asked innocently. Chi-chi blushed even redder than red in embarrasment. Oolong chuckled deviously.
Krillin shook his head. "Never mind. But still, hard to believe it's been a long time, hey, Kakarot?"
"That's right! You changed a lot too Krillin!"
"Yep! I've grown quite a bit too since you saw me last!" Krillin bragged triumphantly.
Gine snickered to herself. The bald young man hadn't changed a lot, he was still shorter than her. But he certainly had an air of civility that he didn't have when he was a child. Not to mentions she was happy to see him alive and well after everything that happened last time.
Kakarot turned to Chi-chi "So, how've ya been! You been training too?" He asked her.
Chi-chi nodded, her eyes filled with stars. "Uh-huh. I thought of seeing you again every day since you and your Mom beat Piccolo. So after you left, I trained with Master Roshi, Krillin, and Yamcha. I wanted to see if I could get strong enough to fight like you did, and prepare for the next tournament since I knew you were gonna be here anyway." She pointed to the front of her dress where the Turtle Hermit emblem was.
"That's right, Kakarot!" Krillin continued. "Chi-chi here trained really hard to beat the rest of us. You should have seen her climb the stairs we did for our milk runs with a one-hundred pound shell."
"And all the fields I plowed. I made the biggest garden in the world out of them!" Chi-chi joked before Krillin continued.
"We even climbed Korin's Tower together, all five of us."
"Really? Did you get to see Yajirobe too?" Asked Kakarot, more amazed by his companion's stories by the word.
"That's right! Got to train with him and after that we all went our separate ways to train on our own for a while. We meet up again as we ran to get here on time. You should see how strong she has gotten!"
"I know! I'm excited to find out!" Kakarot exclaimed, laughing with his friends. Gine looked over to see Bulma fawning over Yamcha's ponytail, she having forgotten her anger towards him and he with an arm around her.
"I can't believe that's your son." Said Tien from behind Gine as he walked up.
"Sometimes I can't believe it either." She quipped.
"His power had grown as well...I can almost feel it." He said in quiet awe, then looked to Gine. "And you too!"
Gine nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Guess so? Before, you were unbelievably strong. Now, it's like you and Kakarot must be invincible!"
You're not too far off, Gine almost said.
"Well, I trained harder than ever before after the last time we saw each other too. And I would be most honored to fight you and Kakarot in the tournament." Said Tien.
Gine felt a little uncomfortable, knowing the power gap between them was most unfair. She almost considered dropping out so as to give them a fighting chance at winning, even if Kakarot was still participating. But she had already entered to humor her son, and hoped that they could space their positions apart far before meeting each other in the finals.
"I look forward to it." Was all she said.
Tien grinned. "Me too. This should be an interesting tournament."
A rumbling sound echoed out of Kakarot's gut, surprising everyone within earshot.
Gine nodded to herself, she knew what time it was now.
"I've made hotel reservations for all of us. How about we grab dinner first, we can talk all about our travels and save your energy for tomorrow." Declared Roshi.
"Great, thanks Master Roshi!" They all answered.
And so they did. With the entire gang reunited, they celebrated with a giant feast. Kakarot and Gine recounted their training with Kami over dinner, detailing how it was as difficult as they heard it was from Korin, with Chi-chi not once leaving Kakarot's side and unwilling to unhook herself from his arm. She gazed at him star-struck from his tales of training with this mother.
Even when they got to their hotel, Chi-chi tearfully had to remove herself from Kakarot, grumbling that she would "have to wait until they were married". By whatever that meant. Gohan had to explain to Gine that in some Earth cultures, it was practice to wait until after the social bond ceremony until they could share a bed together. Normally, Saiyans would have jumped at each other, cultural norms be damned, but she digressed. The girl showed great resolve to that custom.
It started raining again when they got to their rooms. Kakarot shared one with Krillin while Gine shared one with Gohan, and they turned in for the night. Gine found it a lot easier to sleep in a hotel this time, the sounds of the rainfall battering against the window soothing her into dreamlessness...
The next morning, they headed for the tournament grounds. The crowds were gathered for the initial fireworks show, but Gine paid it no mind. They were all well rested, and ready. She had her traditional green gi ironed that morning along with Kakarot's. Though she was pleasantly surprised when she found that Yamcha, Krillin, and Chi-chi shared the similar orange uniforms of the Turtle School, Chi-chi having traded her blue dress gi for slim orange overalls and a dark undershirt.
"Looks like we all know the same tailor." Yamcha joked.
Krillin frowned. "Great, next thing you know, you all will be shaving your heads."
"THE PRELIMINARY ROUNDS ARE ABOUT TO BEGIN. WILL ALL CONTESTANTS PLEASE REPORT TO THE FIGHTING ARENA AT THIS TIME?" Came the PA announcement.
They all filed into the building, with Bulma, Roshi, Gohan, Launch and the others cheering them on before finding their way to the grandstands.
As they approached the building, the gathering of so many humans and other species of Earthlings in one place thickened. Soon they threaded their way around, the place was alive with activity, fighters huddled around the white practice rings doing warmups or conversing. A sea of people talking, arguing, or shouting. Children outside screaming, jumping and splashing in the rain puddles from the night before, laughing, or crying. Overlapping sounds and overpowering smells flooded Gine's senses. She went onwards as if the cacophony of civilization didn't bother her.
Gine was busy scanning the faces of everyone around them, but was self-conscious enough to notice how she wasn't trembling. No looming sense of fear or nervousness, and the rowdiness of the crowd didn't bother her. For a brief moment, Gine felt slight amazement. She thought of how she used to react to all of this activity around her the last time she was here. This would've set her anxiety off and kept her on a knife's edge. But now, she felt so much calmer, and paid no mind to anything.
She had even forgotten her anger towards Kakarot and Gohan for coaxing her to come to the tournament, feeling happy at seeing everyone and about to spend time with them in such a fun way. Mentally, she thanked Kami for the umpteenth time for everything he taught her.
"Uh, ladies and gentlemen!" A referee from up the elevated platform spoke into a microphone. "Sorry to keep you waiting. We will now begin the preliminary round. Please gather at the center of the room."
They did so, and the referee was replaced by an older looking man.
"I'd like to thank you all for your support of the Martial Arts Society. As you know, the World Martial Arts Tournament is held once every three years. This year, the number of participants is seventy-two, much lower than the record numbers enjoyed last time. Unfortunately, recent events have thinned out our roster. I am also aware that the difficult and dangerous reputation carried by this event may have scared many would-be participants away. Therefore, it is safe to say that the seventy-two warriors standing before me are of the highest caliber. With that in mind, it pains me to say that after the Twenty-Third World Martial Arts Tournament, the Twenty-Forth one will not be held for another nine years..."
There was a surprised murmur that went through the crowd. Gine wondered with mild curiosity about why such a policy was being considered.
"...it comes as a necessary measure given the low volume of participants following the events of fighters dying off in strange circumstances..."
Oh, because of Piccolo, she remembered.
"...With not many fighters wanting to risk life and limb for the tournament, the Martial Arts Society must do what it takes to keep the sport alive. I hope you all will understand and will continue your support. Let it be known again just how much we thank you for it."
The man stepped down before the referee came back up.
"Alright, then! It's time for the lottery. Fighters will be paired in accordance to the numbers drawn. So lets form a line and get started!"
The room full of participants gathered at the line to the box containing the draw numbers. Butterflies churned in Gine's stomach when she reached in and grabbed a sheet of paper. With that done, they gathered before the billboard showing the four fighting blocks.
"I got number two!" Kakarot cheered. "Looks like I'll be in the first match of block one."
"I'm in block two. How about you, Krillin?" Asked Yamcha.
"The last half of block one."
Tien grinned. "I'll be in the last half of block two."
"Fifty-nine. I got the last half of the first block!" Cheered Chi-chi, looking over to Kakarot devilishly. "I'll get to fight you in no time!"
Krillin looked over to Chiaotzu. "Wow! Chiaotzu isn't going to fight until the last half of block three."
Kakarot looked over to Gine. "What about you, Mom?"
She looked down at the piece of paper she pulled out of the box.
"Number seven of..." She looked up at the board, and sighed in relief. "Block four!"
"Whoa! Isn't this great? We won't have to fight each other until the finals! What a coincidence!" Said Krillin.
"Yeah... that is." Gine said suspiciously. Unbeknownst to her, Chiaotzu gave Tien a knowing wink.
"The preliminaries are about to begin! Of the seventy-two competitors, only eight will advance to the next round!"
They all made their way to the elevated square arena of block one. The overweight referee cleared his throat.
"First up will be the matches in block one. Remember the rules of conduct: If you fall off the stage, pass out, or surrender, you lose. Weapons, armor, and killing your opponent are not permitted in this event. Violators will be expelled, no exceptions. Be careful, and fight well! At this time, number two and three please come up to the stage."
"That's me!" Said Kakarot as he hopped into the ring enthusiastically, his opponent, a tall and well-built looking dark-skinned man in religious attire, stepped up too.
"Let's see if all of his training paid off." Said Krillin to the group except Gine.
"I think we're in for a good show." Said Yamcha.
But she already knew, and leaned her head on her hand, hoping Kakarot will make it quick. Or else this was going to be a long day before-
Chi-chi cried out in alarm. "WHAT'S HE DOING HERE?!"
That startled Gine nearly into a heart attack, and she looked in the direction of where Chi-chi was pointing.
Her eyes sharpened, and narrowed down on the face of a man... no, half a man? half machine? His eyes were binocular red-lenses, and he wore a pink fighting gi. Her tail frayed upon recognizing the Crane Hermit school kanji on it.
"Who is he, Chi-chi?" Gine asked, not taking her eyes off the cyborg.
The young woman muttered in a terrified and enraged whisper, "Mercenary Tao."
A/N: Kakarot may seem OOC with how he kissed Chi-chi, but with how he didn't bump his head in this timeline and how he had better reproductive education, who knows how he would be towards her.
This time I promise I will keep this tournament arc short. See you in the next update!