Review Responses:
To Terkoish: To answer some of your questions, Cash is the guy who hosted the Intergalactic Tournament in Bojack Unbound. And as for Bojack himself, he existed during the era of Lord Chilled as a rival to him due to Bojack being a powerful space pirate. But he eventually was killed by Lord Chilled and his crew was assimilated into Chilled's forces. When the Herans found out about this and the traitors, they relocated to another planet to inhabit, which is where Planet Hera comes from. For more information, go re-read Cooler's backstory. However, the crew that you see in Bojack Unbound is alive and has never met Bojack, as he was born much earlier in the timeline.
Short answer, no, Bojack won't make an appearance.
As for Vegeta's path, he'll be going the same route as Goku. There's no reason as to why not.
To SuperSaiyanFever: I cannot tell you Videl and Sharpner's progression, but I will show you in the upcoming chapters. Just give me some time.
Last time on Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL, the Dragon Team arrived on Battle Island to watch as Gohan, Videl, Sharpner, and Barry Khan participate in the heavily anticipated Dai-Yōsō-Ken Būdokai. And now that they have arrived, Gohan and Videl are making their way to the holding stadium where all fighters could dwell before the first round could begin. And so, the journey to rise to the top begins now!
Kami's Lookout, Heavenly Realm, Age 774
Dende, the new Guardian of the Earth, stood in the place where Kami had previously overseen the planet. And much like his predecessor, worry had slowly begun to seep into his heart.
The young watcher did not know who it was or where it came from. But somewhere, on Earth, there was a power that was constantly growing daily.
And then it would vanish for long periods of time.
This period of this energy spiking, then fading almost immediately would often leave Dende in a state of constant paranoia, yet he never sought help. He felt obligated to figure out this problem. After all, he was the Earth's Guardian, the new Kami or Guru.
…Yet, the stress and worry began to eat away at his resolve.
So much so that even Mr. Popo began to pick up on his new guardian's lack of youthful hopefulness as it was nearing the dreadful and cynicism of Kami.
Mr. Popo walked up to Dende, asking the poor Namekian, "Dende, are you alright? You seem to be plagued about something?"
"Hm…" Dende grumbled, with small beads of sweat visibly appearing on his bald head.
"Perhaps you are in a need to quench your thirst. Would you like a glass of drinking water?" Mr. Popo offered.
Dende gripped the wooden staff of Kami tight to where his hand and the staff shook, then wearily sighed before turning to Mr. Popo.
"...Yes, Mr. Popo. I would very much appreciate that."
Smiling, Mr. Popo nodded and went to go to a nearby room in order to give Dende a glass of fresh spring water.
Dende looked at his staff saying aloud, "What kind of guardian am I supposed to be if I can't find one person on this planet? It's bad enough that I wasn't able to find Gohan on my own, now there's a person whose power is nearing the likes of Frieza that is a complete stranger to me who I can't figure out or identify. It's like their power just up and vanished."
"This job is a lot more daunting than I realized." Dende sighed again.
All of a sudden, a pillar of light appeared behind him, causing Dende to quickly turn around while Mr. Popo walked back with the glass.
"Oh, my word!" Mr. Popo gasped, nearly dropping the glass of water.
The light faded, revealing the Supreme Kai and his own attendant to be the visitors of Kami's Lookout.
"W-What in the world!?" Dende stuttered, taken aback at the power that Kibito and especially Shin possessed.
It was clearly stronger than Cell, but not quite on the same scale as Piccolo, Gohan, or Vegeta, he can detect the divine presence coming from both of them given that he assumed the role of Kami.
Both Shin and Kibito bowed in respect to Dende.
"Greetings, Young Guardian. It's a pleasure to meet you." Shin greeted him politely.
"Who are you? Where did you come from, and how did you get to this place?" Dende questioned, not knowing what was happening and was concerned.
"Peace, young one. We mean no harm to you." Kibito explained, putting Dende's mind at ease for now. "We're allies if anything."
Turning to Mr. Popo, Shin nodded in acknowledgment, saying, "It's been some time since we've seen each other, Popo."
Mr. Popo, noticing the Shin and Kibito, humbly bowed to the two in great respect on his knees.
"Lord Shin, Lord Kibito! It's been far too long, but thank you for blessing this sacred sanctuary with your presence!" Mr. Popo worshiped.
Dende's jaw dropped in utter shock at what he was witnessing.
'I've never seen Mr. Popo act so humble before. He's usually calm and casual. These two must be a big deal.'
Shin turned to Dende, saying, "I'm sure that you have your suspicions about us, but I assure you that we are on your side. I assume that you are vaguely aware of what a Kai is, yes?"
Dende gave Shin a nod, saying, "Yes. I am aware of King Kai. He is a god that is higher than my position here on Earth."
"That is correct," Kibito added, joining the conversation. "What you are most likely unaware of is that there is a larger hierarchy at play in the celestial realm with deities varied based on power and their position. While the Kai you're describing is of your galaxy, there are other various Kai in the hierarchy of many gods. I am an attendant Kai, and Lord Shin stands above the other gods in this universe as the Supreme Kai."
"S-Supreme Kai?" Dende echoed nervously while he looked at Shin. "You're the Supreme Kai?
"Indeed," Shin nodded. "Though, I'd be more inclined to fear my destructive counterpart. He is my only equal, as we keep the balance of creation and destruction in this universe."
While Dende remained speechless, Mr. Popo got up from the ground as he asked, "What brings you here, milords? It is unlike you to reveal yourselves to anybody after…that happened."
"I am well aware, Popo," Shin responded evenly. "Even still, we found it very important that certain people are in the loop about my existence. Besides, why wouldn't I find interest in my disciple's comrades? Especially if he is Earth's Guardian?"
"You found a disciple, Lord Shin?" Popo questioned with hope in his eyes. "That's fantastic news! Who is this person?"
"He's quite special, for a mortal. One of the most powerful yet benevolent beings. He was so impressive, I even let him set foot on the Sacred Realm of the Kai to train." Shin explained as he smirked.
"Sacred Realm?" Dende parroted.
"Yes," Kibito confirmed with a firm nod. "The realm that I'm referring to is a place beyond the mortal plane and Other World, so somebody like you despite your position wouldn't be able to sense a person's energy if they were in the realm. Normally, only Shinjin such as myself and Lord Shin could travel and dwell there. But lately, the boy has been training with us in our home."
That's when it clicked.
"Gohan!" Dende gasped, as everything became clear.
Mr. Popo spoke, "Gohan? As in Goku's son? Are you implying that milord has chosen—"
"–That's correct, Young Guardian. I was the reason you and your allies haven't been able to detect Son Gohan from time to time. I apologize for the worry, but you must understand that there are forces beyond your comprehension at play. Forces that could threaten everything that creation ordained. I do not know if there are people that will be against me or may try to use me. So, I must keep myself hidden until the time is right." Shin expressed.
"I see… I suppose I can empathize with your predicament." Dende related, recalling the darker days of his childhood when Frieza was alive. "...How do you know Mr. Popo anyway?"
"Popo was created roughly after the death of my brethren," Shin revealed. "Upon his learning of morality and ethics, the former being of chaos named Majin Buu learned how to successfully purge himself of his more evil desires thanks to the teachings of my late teacher, Nehan, or the Grand Supreme Kai. As his newest disciple, Buu took it upon himself to help the mortals. One of the things we did together was help establish order on a newly formed planet. The Guardian position was a role I started on Earth millions of years ago to help safeguard the planet. But, I realized that the guardian would need an eternal keeper. Buu took a piece of his purified essence and it took on a shape, color, and personality of its own."
"And I've been serving this planet ever since," Popo concluded.
"Wait, if you created the role, then can you help me with duty?" Dende questioned. "I haven't been a Guardian for that long and I'm having trouble growing accustomed to the position."
"...Like?" Shin inquired.
"I've been sensing a power on the rise for the past month," Dende confessed. "But it keeps evading my field of sensibility and I'm not sure if that's Gohan or his family or Vegeta. I have a hunch that it's not…I'm not getting a good feeling about it at all."
"Oh, that's not good." Popo frowned.
Kibito and Shin stared into each other's eyes, then nodded to themselves as they faced Dende and Popo.
"There is something that you should know. But that would require you to step into the Pendulum Room."
A stunned Dende gazed at the god, asking, "What for, Lord Shin?"
"Because, Young Guardian, in order to know what you're truly dealing with, we must know the source of it. We need to look into the history of the man named Mark."
VIP Tower, Battle Island I, Age 774
Cocoa and Dr. Yanagi were walking along the hallway, with the girl in front of the scientist. On his wrists was a device that had a peripheral of a few buttons while a light continued to flash green every ten seconds, indicating that it worked.
Cocoa looked at the open window of the hallway, taking the view that she couldn't help being mesmerized. The beautiful sunny day paired with the scenery of the coast which was the setting of the tournament.
But barely knowing that her father was planning something big, Cocoa couldn't help but sigh in sadness.
"Enjoying the view, Alpha?" Dr. Yanagi questioned evenly as he began to walk beside his creation.
"Y-Yes, father. It's nice." The girl nodded, keeping her replies short.
"I'm glad you think so. You can thank Mr. Cash for his generous offer that I even have the luxury to work on this project. It cost a tremendous amount to renovate." Dr. Yanagi explained.
"R-Right."
"You know, Alpha, the VIP room that we're going to has four screens. So, you'll get to see your friends fight in high definition and sixty frames per second. I figured that I'd reward you for following my instructions."
A forced smile formed on Cocoa's face as she said, "Thank you, Father. I am honored."
"You should be." Dr. Yanagi casually said, peering into his metallic band. "You were born a failure. A flawed error. A mistake. You don't even possess any traits of the enhancements that you were supposed to have when I designed you. But that doesn't mean that you cannot be useful to me."
Cocoa's heart sank to the bottom of her chest, hurt at her father's words. But, she kept a straight face for the sake of not angering the man.
Suddenly, Dr. Yanagi's phone rang, prompting the new Saiyan hybrid to look at the caller ID as he took it out of his lab coat. Smiling, Dr. Yanagi turned to his creation and instructed, "Go into the VIP room and don't wait up. I have to take this call."
Grateful for this instruction, Cocoa immediately speed-walked to her destination with a few tears leaving her face.
Answering the call, James said, "You rang, Tao?"
(Indeed I have, Wheelo. I'm just letting you know that I've made my arrival.)
"Excellent. The matches are about to begin shortly. Meet me at the VIP room and keep yourself hidden until it's time."
(Of course. Is that traitor participating?)
Shaking his head, Wheel answered. "No, he's spectating this year. Though, my son provided me with some intriguing information that may interest you."
(Oh? Try me.)
"Your former student took on a student of his own. That child is participating in this tournament." Dr. Yanagi smirked.
(You know, it's funny that you mentioned a new student. I recently sent a young pupil on her way.)
"...I see! Well, let's see how this all plays out in Battle Island II."
(Agreed. I'll see you in a moment.)
Hanging up and putting his phone away, Dr. Wheelo looked at his handiwork in the distance.
'All according to plan.'
Stadium, East Coast, Battle Island I, Age 774
Videl and Gohan made their way to the stadium, finding themselves among two hundred competitors that were polishing their skills and speaking to one another before the preliminaries began.
Gohan looked around some more, catching the sights of the buildings.
He then commented in an impressed tone, "I still can't get over the appeal of this place's aesthetics. Even the stadium is nothing to scoff about. This entire place looks like a giant futuristic castle. I can only imagine the amount of fortune the doctor and X.S. Cash had to pay in order to construct it all."
"What did you expect?" Videl questioned. "Look how many people are gunning to win this. They needed to build a stadium that was large enough to hold two hundred fighters. It's a damn shame that it looks like a circus show. Outside of Sharpner and maybe Khan, there's nobody tough that could give us a challenge."
"Speaking of which, where are they?" Gohan questioned, looking around.
"Beats me. I sense them, but this place is too large for me to point them out." Videl responded, trying to peer among the crowd. "Can't you use your Instant Transmission technique to warp us to them?"
Gohan refused, saying, "I'd rather not. I don't want people to know that I can teleport. Nor do I want them to figure out I can fly. They may figure out my secret identity."
Videl groaned in frustration, facepalming at the lack of inconvenience.
"Hey, how about we make this a little fun?" Gohan suggested. "Let's go around and use our ki sense to find either Khan-san and or Sharp-san? Whoever finds them first wins."
Smirking, Videl accepted the challenge.
"Okay, Wonderboy. You're on!"
Like that, the two used their ability to sense ki and began to go through the crowd in search of the two blond fighters.
With Videl, she ended up finding Sharpner after a minute of searching, practicing the White Crane Fist style that Tien showed him.
As a student of Tenshinhan, a former Crane student, Sharpner wore a yellow tank top with a Crane kanji on the back of his shirt. Sharpner wore gi bottoms that were a dark green that was tied by a red obi, golden leg wraps, black martial arts shoes, and green arm guards with red accents. His long bleach blond hair was tied into a ponytail.
Videl called to him.
"Oi, Sharpner! Over here!"
Stopping his Haku Tsuru form, Sharpner turned to see Videl, wearing a white gi shirt that was tied by a navy blue belt, black pants that went past her legs, and a pair of matching red gloves and boots. Her pigtails remained unchanged.
"Videl, you made it!" Sharpner called out, smirking a little. "Is Brains around? I thought I sensed you arriving with him."
"Oh, he's here. We were trying to find you and Barry, but we're making it fun by sensing your energy signatures." Videl explained.
Sharpner nodded stiffly, still resisting to scoff at the name of Dr. Yanagi's son.
While Tien had taught him to focus on his martial arts and purify the negative thoughts and emotions. This was how Sharpner could talk to Erasa whenever she was with Barry Khan.
Videl then noticed, "Hot damn, Tien-san's training paid off because your power skyrocketed since that September."
Sharpner grinned, "I should say the same about you. Brains' training must have been hell for you."
"Oh, you have no idea," Videl grumbled, remembering sessions where Gohan would punch at her while screaming to dodge. "I think Piccolo rubbed off on the guy a bit too much."
"I wouldn't expect anything less from the former Demon King." The neo-Crane student snarked. "I heard about Son's first year of training. What he did for you is light work. Hell, Master Tien made me use energy to hold a waterfall for ten seconds to work on my ki control. Mind you, I had two hundred and fifty pounds of weighted clothing on."
Videl whistled, saying, "Damn, that sounds rough. Gohan-kun had me spar in that portable gravity room Bulma built for Vegeta. I've been able to train under 8x Earth's gravity."
Leaning forward in shock, Sharpner said, "Ah, what!? That's insane! You've gotta hook me up! I could use stuff like that when I'm at home!"
Videl rolled her eyes at the former jock as she sassed at him.
"I don't see how that's my problem. Bulma's cool enough to let you over yet you've been ghosting us most of the time. You're perfectly capable of flying over to Capsule Corp yourself. That is unless you're too chicken to face Erasa."
Rather than playing into Videl's mild trash-talking, Sharpner walked ahead as he said, saying "Whatever you say, Videl. Let's just find the pretty boy before the first round starts."
The stunned Videl to a few seconds to process Sharpner's words before going after him while saying, "Hey, wait up!"
Meanwhile, Gohan was busy trying to track down Barry's ki signature, trying to home in on his friend.
'Man! There are a lot of people here! I guess that prize money was too large of a chance to pass by along with that year-long free hot spring. Not that I blame them. Now, where is Kha–Oof!'
Gohan's thought was cut off by him accidentally running into a fellow fighter.
"Ow! O-Oh, I am so sorry!" Gohan apologized, bowing his head as he tried to help the stranger that he slammed into.
The stranger happened to be the same man that Goten ran into on his birthday. The exact same man with the shaggy neck-length light brown hair, the bang hanging towards the left, pale skin, dark-colored eyes, and a scar on the bottom right side of his face. He still wore a light blue gi with dark blue accents that were akin to a tracksuit. On his wrists were black wrist bands, his belt was white, and he had on orange boots. On his head was an orange headband tied on his forehead.
This was Pigero, the wandering warrior.
The man groaned, rubbing his forehead as he said, "Ugh! Kid, you've got to watch where you're goin–"
Before Pigero could finish his sentence, the warrior detected an immensely powerful aura coming from Gohan, catching him completely off guard.
'His energy! It's enormously large compared to the others! Possibly the largest that I've ever felt! And I can tell he's holding back ' Pigero mentally noted. 'This guy may be the challenge that I'm looking for. Wait a minute…'
Suddenly, Pigero started to take a look at the teenage boy's hair and face. At first, he recalled meeting a child named Goten a month ago and remembering his energy signature.
'This guy's ki is similar to that kid in the orange gi that I ran into last month when I was at Mount Paozu. Goten, if I recall.' Pigero analyzed. 'His face looks like that kid too. Come to think of it, this guy seems awfully familiar with that haircut he has. Hm… Maybe…'
"Uh, pardon me," Gohan called Pigero, Snapping the older man out of his thoughts. "Are you alright?"
Grinning, Pigero nodded, saying, "Yeah, I'm fine. No harm done, kid."
"Thank goodness. I was looking for a friend of mine when I got sidetracked. I tend to be a bit of a klutz." Gohan explained as he rubbed the back of his head while his tail was exposed.
While Gohan grinned sheepishly in an awkward laugh, Pigero's eyes dilated as an image appeared in his mind.
An image of a four-year-old laughing, wearing an orange gi while possessing a small sword that was tucked in its sheath.
'I-It can't be!'
"...This may sound strange to ask, but you wouldn't happen to have gotten lost as a little kid before, have you?" Pigero questioned seriously.
Gohan blinked, finding the man's question very peculiar.
"Oh… Well, that's an oddly specific question." Gohan muttered as he scratched his cheek with a finger. "Um… I remember spending six months alone in the wilderness before I began training in the martial arts. I had to have been four and a half at the time."
"Is that right?" Pigero responded while smirking. "Do you know any kids that go by the name of Goten?"
Gohan narrowed his eyes, turning serious.
"How do you know my brother's name?" Gohan questioned, with his tone shifting into a calm but firm demeanor.
"We met near a bamboo grove in Mount Paozu about a month ago." Pigero casually answered. "It was on his birthday, I believe. I had a cut on his forehead so I sent him on his way with my old headband."
"Wait, you gave him that headband?" Gohan inquired.
Pigero nodded, saying, "Yeah. Other than to keep the cut from bleeding, I figured it could help him focus as he trained. I told the kid to put it on whenever he needed to focus on a goal or in a fight."
'So that's why Goten never takes that headband off whenever we spar.' Gohan quickly figured out mentally.
Smiling wholeheartedly, Pigero said, "Glad to hear that you found your way home to your mom after, Gohan."
"Huh?" Gohan intelligently uttered. "How do you know who I am? Have we met before?"
Staring at Gohan, Pigero brought his hand up and clenched it into a tight fist.
"Come on now, kid. Don't pretend like you don't know me! Your kid brother's wearing my headband! I know it's been a little over ten years, but I bet you that you'd remember me if I were to deck you in the face."
Just then, Gohan's mind began to unravel a distant memory. A memory involving being shipwrecked, nursed to health by young children, being chased by adults, then being saved by a teenager with a bowl cut with a bandage on his right cheek while he wore a red headband. This was the same kid who brought him home after leaving the children to the adults who took him to an orphanage.
"...P-Pigero!" Gohan exclaimed, with his eyes filled with surprise and happiness. "It's you! I can't believe it!"
"Believe it, kid. I'm real." Pigero confirmed.
"Wow, this is crazy! It's good to see that you're alive and well! I never thought I would see you again." Gohan stated, taking his old friend's hand and shaking it.
Pigero returned the handshake, expressing, "Likewise, old friend. You've grown a lot since we've last seen each other."
"Yeah, thanks! And I can tell that you're much stronger than before." Gohan commented.
"Hey, Son Boy!"
Pigero and Gohan turned to see Barry Khan Yanagi, followed by Videl and Sharpner approaching Gohan.
Barry Khan wore a designer MMA outfit. The blond was shirtless, exposing a tattoo of a lion on his chest. Wrapped around his arms were sports tape, with ZENKAI Power brand black strapped fingerless gloves with blue accents, Willow Industry-themed black shorts that possessed white accents. On his feet were blue, black, and white boxing shoes.
"Friends of yours, kid?"
Gohan nodded, happily answering, "Yup. I go to school with them."
"What took you so long, Gohan-kun? We've already found Barry after I spotted Sharpner!" Videl demanded, placing her hands on her hips.
Putting his hands up, Gohan stuttered, "S-Sorry, Videl-san! I got a little sidetracked…"
Videl narrowed her eyes, saying, "Obviously."
Barry snickered at Gohan's predicament while he quietly quipped, "She got him whipped without even touching first base yet."
Sharpner remained focused on Pigero, sensing his ki. His eyes widened, picking up Pigero's level of power.
'Oh shit! I didn't expect a power like that in a commercialized tournament like this.' Sharpner flinched before he eagerly smiled. 'I guess Master Tien was right. You never know who you'll end up meeting on the battlefield. This just got more interesting.'
Videl then questioned, "Mind telling me who this is, Gohan-kun?"
Before Gohan could explain himself, Pigero said, "I'm nobody special, just another contender like the rest of you. I'm looking forward to seeing what you kids can do out here. And Gohan, we'll catch up later. You kids take care and have a great fight!"
Like that, Pigero gave them a thumbs-up and turned around, walking away from them.
Barry turned his head around to Gohan's direction and asked him, "Do you know that guy?"
"...I met him once before. But that was a really long time ago." Gohan admitted, crossing his arms.
"Ladies and gentlemen! We are about to begin the Dai-Yōsō-Ken Būdokai! All fighters report to the platforms!"
Gohan took note of this, then found that the stadium had several pathways to the different platforms around which the fighters were making their way to.
"Hey guys, I think we may have to split up," Gohan said, pointing at the different tall platforms in the background.
Videl and the others turned around, looking into the distance.
"Shit," The daughter of Hercule swore. "He's right! I forgot that we have to fight a battle royal to certify our spots."
"I hope that doesn't bother you, princess. Not sure about you, but I welcome the challenge. I could use the warm-up!" Barry grinned, cracking his knuckles.
"Khan's got the right idea. We haven't trained all of this just to lose in the preliminary round. And I'm not about to let Master Tien down." Sharpner declared with determination.
Gohan turned to his friends and potential opponents while holding his outstretched fist, saying, "Then it's settled, we each take our own paths and make sure that we all meet up to the next round."
Videl smirked, placing her fist against Gohan's, which Barry followed, and then Sharpner joined in.
With the others now in a circle, three fighters cried, "Right!"
With that, Gohan, Sharpner, Videl, and Barry all took off to their own separate pathways which led to them claiming their own platforms.
Each one of them found themselves taking their own fighting stance, with Gohan assuming a stance equivalent to lower Black Tiger Fist Kung Fu, Videl took an uptight Muay Thai stance with one leg raised with a knee up, Barry chose his comfortable, almost unorthodox stance (Jeet Kune Do), and finally, Sharpner took a traditional boxing stance.
'Here goes nothing!' Gohan exhaled mentally.
"Emotions are flying high! It's survival of the fittest on a global scale! Who among the challengers will make it to the top?" The announcer hyped. "Ready? Three…two…one…fight!"
-Meanwhile, on King Kai's Planet in Other World-
King Kai was in the middle of preparing snacks from the minor god's house. Bubbles stood next to him, watching King Kai cook freshly popped popcorn in a pot with butter already inside. Once that was done, he poured it into a bowl and grabbed himself a case full of beer.
"King Kai, what's taking you so long? The preliminaries are about to start!" Goku whined from the outside.
"Hold on, hold on! Keep your gi on! I'm coming out now!" King Kai shouted back, taking his food with him as he headed out of the front door.
Bubbles followed his friend, watching Goku sit in front of the T.V. like a child anticipating his favorite show.
As he settled in his chair, King Kai barked, "Hey! Get out of the way, will ya? I'd like to watch my own television!"
Goku turned around and laughed sheepishly as usual. Respecting his former teacher, he moved close to him and watched the channel that hosted the Elemental Tournament.
Suddenly, Grandpa Gohan arrived in the pillar of light with twenty bento boxes.
"Hello! I hope that I know too late!" The elder chirped.
King Kai turned to Old Man Gohan and said, "Nope! Not at all, Gohan! The fight is about to begin!"
Smiling, Gohan passed out bento boxes to Goku, Bubbles, and King Kai before grabbing a bento box of his own and taking a seat next to his grandson.
"And it's off to a good start here in the Elemental Tournament! In this round, all fighters are on the eight battle stages with twenty-five of them per platform. All of the battling their way for the chance to make it to the top eight! We have participants giving it their best shot to be the last fighter standing on their respective platforms, with some doing better than others! Who will come out on top?"
Goku kept his eyes glued to the T.V., never missing a single frame.
'Show em' what you're made of, son! You got this!' Goku cheered mentally as he ate the first box of lunch his grandfather had prepared for him.
Platforms, East Coast, Battle Island I
On Gohan's platform of Section A, he could hear his mother and brother cheer him on as he gently took hordes of opponents out of the ring with swiftness and grace. Only using open palm strikes, front kicks, and throws to take down Gohan's opponents.
In Section B, Videl dominated the small arena. While Erasa loudly cheered her name, Videl used that to fuel her vigor as she roundhouse kicked one black belt martial artist into seven other opponents out of the platform and into the water. One guy tricked her into a choke hold, but Videl got out of his grip using Rapid Movement and front kicked him out of bounds.
Over in Section C, Erasa then set her sights on her boyfriend, Barry Khan, who nodded at her while flashing his pearly white teeth. Hearing someone trying to throw a roundhouse kick, Barry dipped to dodge it. Turned to see that it came from a bear beastman, who tried to side kick the spokesmodel again, just to have Barry catch it. Deviously grinning, Barry gave the bear beastman's ankle a big squeeze, shattering it. The beastman roared in pain. Barry Khan used his superior strength to forward throw the large beastman, causing the bear-man to take down five people with him.
And over at Second D, Sharpner switched between weaving around attacks like a boxer, then using quick strikes of the closed beak (hand). Oftentimes, he would lunge with pointed fingers in softer areas of the body, rendering opponents unable to move and easy to take out of the ring. He did all of this while keeping himself balanced on the platform, even while it was being manipulated at times.
Over by the audience section, the family and friends of the fighters were cheering them on. Marron, Goten, and Trunks all made banners and flags to wave around while Chi-Chi hand fans to cheer with.
"Take em' all down, Gohan-chan!" Chi-Chi cheered while standing on the ledge with great balance.
"You can do it, big brother/Gohan/Mr. Gohan!" Goten, Trunks, and Marron cried, joining Chi-Chi.
Erasa, while sitting down, screamed, "Videl, give them hell out there! Barry-kun, you play nice! Keep going, Son-kun, Sharpie!"
Piccolo decided to stand on the ledge of the stands' roof, watching the battle from afar to avoid all of the screechings as much as possible. It was much more enjoyable in the Namekian's opinion.
Vegeta, however, did not have that luxury and bore with the agonizing cries of the harpy, his spawn, Kakarot's second spawn, and the spawn of the baldy and his cyborg spouse.
'For Beerus' sake! How am I supposed to enjoy halfway decent entertainment with this blasted noise!? This isn't even remotely exciting. Damn it all! At least the brats are weeding out the weak. Great, then I'll get to the interesting fights next round.' Vegeta groaned.
Meanwhile, Krillin turned his attention to his right, sensing two familiar energy signatures coming toward him. One, was Tien, of course. But another was another familiar face. While the man seemed to be a wrinkled and bearded old man with a mustache. He wore a black suit, red tie, a black fedora, brown dress shoes, and sunglasses with a red accent.
"Tien, Master Roshi!" Krillin greeted. "It's good to see you guys again!"
"Likewise," Tien nodded while Master Roshi bowed to his student.
"You look good, my old pupil. I see that you've kept up with your training despite your retirement as a martial artist." Roshi commented.
"Thank you, Master. Though, I don't really have much of a choice. Other than the random goons usually toting around crazy-looking guns, Lazuli has…peculiar methods that constantly keep me on my toes." Krillin delicately explained, recalling having to fight for his breakfast and dinner during his time off work.
"Ah, yes. I see…" Roshi said while looking in C-18's direction.
With a glance of murderous intent appearing on the cyborg face that meant absolutely no tolerance, Roshi immediately got her nonverbal warning and turned to the screens that projected the fights as he whistled innocently.
"Anyway, what brings you here?" Krillin asked, walking over to his former master to start a smaller and secluded conversation. "How come you came here with Tien?"
"I came here because I heard through the Ox-King that Chi-Chi is having Gohan participate in this commercialized mess. I find it to be a mockery of the traditional Tenkaichi Būdokai. I was hoping to convince Chi-Chi otherwise, but she hung up the phone the moment I brought it up."
"That's Chi-Chi for ya. If there's prize money involved that could allow her family to be in a better financial position, then she'll do almost anything to get it." Krillin said, glancing at the happy woman before turning back to Roshi. "So what changed your mind?"
"I told him about what the tournament entailed," Tien stated. "I also told him about my new student and his relationship with Gohan and his student."
"Right, Sharpner and Videl." Krillin nodded
"Yes, I heard about them. While I always had a feeling that Gohan would one day take a person in as his student, I never would have expected him to do so early on, and choose the daughter of Mr. Satan." Master Roshi expressed with a smile. "It's ironic, and oh so cathartic. Now, we have a greater chance to watch that arrogant bigot's lies come back to bite him with one of those kids showing him what for."
Krillin grinned mischievously, saying, "Oh, yeah! I love the sound of that! To be honest, I hope Gohan lets Videl win! I kind of wanna see her sweep that hack off his feet and dropkick him across the stadium. It'll be a riot!"
Krillin and Master Roshi chuckled to themselves for a moment before Tien cleared his throat, indicating that Roshi could remember the true reason and for the other men to recall where they were.
Roshi snapped out of it, then composed himself.
"Yes, right. As for the real reason why I arrived here, I wanted to see the legacy first hand." Roshi revealed.
"Uh, legacy? I'm not following, Master." Krillin admitted in a dumb manner not dissimilar to Goku.
Shaking his head, Roshi clarified, "The legacy which my old master left behind."
"Are you talking about Master Mutaito?" Tien inquired.
"Yes, I am. Originally, I was fearing that Mr. Satan's influence and crusade against practitioners of ki would completely undermine and eventually drive away from the teachings which my old master passed down to his students and their families. My greatest concern is that the future of martial arts would be stunted and reduced to mere stunts that are used for entertainment purposes, with students never realizing their full potential." Roshi confessed.
Krillin and Tien's faces turned grim, thinking about the seven years of Hercule's propaganda that slandered their hard work in the past Būdokai and the disrespect that he had given them and the late Goku.
"Thankfully, Mr. Satan wised up once the Cooler incident happened and finally gave ki users some recognition. Now, there's hope in the air and a change is upon us. Mutaito's teachings were passed down to Shen and I. '' Roshi stated while turning to Tien. "Whether or not you recognize him as your master, Shen passed down his teachings down to his brother, yourself, and Chiaotzu. And now, you have taken on your own pupil."
Tien's frown never left his face, but he did acknowledge that he was a part of a legacy far greater than his own master.
Roshi then turned to Krillin, saying, "Mutaito's teachings were placed onto me, and I instilled it in you, Yamcha, and Goku. And when he had the opportunity, Goku passed that knowledge on to his son. And the cycle has continued with Videl being taught under Gohan himself."
Finally, Roshi faced the screen as he concluded, "Here we are, hundreds of years later into the present. We have the legacy of the modern martial arts, not only representing their respective schools but representing an ancient tradition that has a history not quite known to the common man. The tournament itself may not be all that important, but for Gohan and his friends participate, they could change the world as we know it. Perhaps their inclusion and display of techniques could reawaken the vigor in older ki practitioners that lay dormant for nearly a decade. Maybe even spark interest in the hearts of new potential students."
Krillin gazed at the screen as well, reflecting the master's words as he started to see what Roshi was talking about.
"Woah, I didn't even think about that! This is huge!" Krillin exclaimed.
"He's right," Tien agreed. "Gohan, Videl, and even Sharpner know ki techniques. And they plan to demonstrate it in this tournament. This hasn't been seen since Cooler's invasion. It'll be a big shock that teenagers would be able to achieve such a feat. Especially Videl, given who she is and what she was previously known to do as a martial artist. This will be undeniable proof that Earthlings possess the capability to manipulate energy. At this point on, there's no going back."
VIP Tower, Battle Island I, Age 774
The Cash family, Dr. Yanagi, and Hercule were all gathered in a special room in a tower to watch the tournament from up close.
Cocoa sat next to Monty, who was dining on fine steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Mr. Satan was sipping on his wine as he watched the preliminaries.
While he was nervous about seeing a former member of his gym, who he heard was training up by the three-eyed former champ, his daughter, and the guy who killed Cell who was also training his daughter to participate, he convinced himself that two of them may let him win in order to keep the status quo.
Videl, however…maybe not give him the same courtesy.
Even still, seeing his little girl competing and kicking ass on the platform of Section B. Eventually, Videl found herself the last girl standing on the platform.
"Videl Satan advances to the next round!" The announcer declared.
"YEAH!" Hercule screamed in joy, proud of Videl's win. "Atta girl, Videl! Nobody can't outdo the daughter of the Champ! Bwahahahaha!"
While Dr. Yanagi was content with the teen's victory, his ever-growing irritation of being around Hercule gave him the urge to shatter his neck from where he sat. Of course, James had better self-control and kept his new Saiyan instincts in check.
'...Kami, give me strength.' Dr. Yanagi prayed, trying desperately not to rip out Hercule's heart and feed it to him.
"Wow, I can't believe she took all of those guys down without getting hurt once!" Monty gushed. "That's so cool!"
"Well, Videl has always been an extraordinary girl. I'm glad she made it to the top eight." X.S. Cash expressed.
"Not to mention that she's a crime fighter. I suppose all of her training paid off." Dr. Yanagi added as he looked toward his creation. "Isn't that right, daughter of mine?"
Cocoa nodded in agreement, saying, "Y-Yes, Father! Videl is quite amazing! …I wish I was as strong as her."
Dr. Yanagi knew what she was referring to in regards to her words but simply ignored it as he watched the remainder of the round.
Lotta turned to her husband and asked, "Dear, you said that we were supposed to have security in case anything happens but I don't see anybody. Where are they?"
Cash said, "Oh, don't worry so much. James said that he should be here any moment."
On Dr. Yanagi's ear was a communication device. Hearing a message, a smirk appeared on his face.
Dr. Yanagi then stated, "Excuse me, folks. We have our security guard that arrived."
Walking up to the door, Dr. Yanagi opened it, revealing an older man wearing a dark blue and white qipao, a straw hat, and a face mask.
Everybody was silent, not saying a word as they wondered who the newcomer was.
Hercule, being the more vocal of the group, questioned, "Who in the heck is this guy, Doc?"
"This guy, Satan, is our protection." Dr. Yanagi clarified, resisting the urge to absolutely destroy him. "While his name is classified due to our NDA, you can call him Kurozuru."
"...Kurozuru?" Cocoa and Mobty repeated, looking curiously at this bodyguard.
"Kurozuru", as the doctor called, bowed in respect, and greeted, "It is an honor to meet all of you. Please, excuse my appearance. I had a terrible accident that happened to my face, so I wear a mask to hide my shame."
Monty and the women gasped, with Lotta lamenting, "Oh, you poor thing…"
Holding out a gloved hand, Kurozuru stated, "Now, now, I'm quite alright. I may not seem like much despite my size and old age, but I assure you that you'll find this elderly to be more than capable of safeguarding you. You have my word."
X.S. Cash smiled at this man's earnestness and dedication.
"If that's the case, then we humbly thank you and welcome you to the Dai-Yōsō-Ken Būdokai, Kurozuru." X.S. Cash announced. "You may help yourself to any of our food on the table adjacent to the seats here."
"You are too kind, Mr. Cash. Thank you." Said Kurozuru.
The bodyguard walked along with Dr. Yanagi, nodding to Hercule as he heard the next few combatants that were moving on to the next round.
"Reiken no Pigero advances to the next round!" The announcer voiced. "Son Gohan advances to the next round!"
Cocoa happily cheered, "Yes! I knew he could do it!"
Under his mask, "Kurozuru" smirked as he spoke to the doctor quietly.
"How was my performance, doctor?"
Yanagi nodded contently, stating, "Incredible as usual, Tao. So far, everything is going according to plan."
Looking at the brackets, they see that three of the eight slots were filled. Little by little, the plan was coming together as the doctor hoped.
"Yes. And when will the next phase be set in motion?" Kurozuru inquired, now acknowledged as the disguised Tao Pai Pai.
"During the final round, all will be revealed. We just have to wait." Dr. Yanagi answered as he gazed at his metallic wrist band.
Monty and Hercule cheered after hearing the next winner's name being announced.
"Sharpner advances to the next round!"
Kurozuru glanced at the long-haired blond intensely with his scanners in scope mode.
'...So that is the traitor's student, eh? Such idiocy. Out of all of the potential pupils in the world, Tenshinhan chose a muscle-headed adolescent. What a shame, I almost pity what that poor fool's about to experience.' Kurozuru mused. 'Almost.'
"Lao Lime advances to the next round!" The announcer declared. "Upa of the Karinga advances to the next round!"
Visuals of a beautiful pale-skinned young lady with freckles and a dark-skinned young indigenous man in his late twenties fill the slots.
Turning his head, the cyborg turned to the new hybrid and noticed the device on the doctor's wrist.
"What is that, doctor?"
Dr. Yanagi, not gazing at the cyborg once, casually answered, "This, Tao, is a precaution. A necessity for the time being if we want to make it to the final phase."
"That little piece of metal bears that much significant weight to the operation?" Tao questioned in disbelief.
The president of Willow Industries looked towards the platform as his face hardened, which didn't go unnoticed by Tao.
"Tao, if this energy limiter were to come off, not only will we lose everything, we will most likely be cornered and killed on sight. That is a possibility that I cannot afford to risk." Dr. Yanagi stated calmly in a factual tone, causing Tao to sweat. "Times are changing, so I've been preparing my mind and body to adjust to that change. To Adapt to it. And trust me, Tao. Not a single man on this Earth is prepared for the change that I'm about to bring."
There was silence between the two as the name "Yurin" and "Barry Khan Yanagi" were announced as the final members, showing a green-haired woman in her early young adult years and the teenage blond filling the seventh and eighth slots respectively. This signified the conclusion of the first round.
'Nobody is ready…'
To Be Continued…
The first round has now come to the end. Gohan, Videl, Sharpner, and Barry Khan have made passed and are ready for the next challenge with everybody watching them. Meanwhile, the Supreme Kai has something to show crucial to our new Guardian of Earth. How will this affect the future of our heroes and the planet? And what is Dr. Wheelo's final phase? Stick around and find out more next Dragon Ball Z: PRIMAL!
Author's Note: What's good, ya'll? I'm back with another chapter!
I've decided that during this segment of the saga, the chapters will be shorter so that I can prepare for the action. Especially starting in the next chapter.
But yes, there will be some reasons in this canon.
For one, Popo is a purified offspring from Majin Buu. It explains why he cannot Age and how he's been with every single Guardian of Earth. This was Daikaiōshin and Shin's doing. He's just not nearly as powerful as Buu. I like to think that a being like Buu is similar to a symbiote in how they produce offspring asexually.
And yes, Shin was the one who kickstarted the Guardian of Earth position, as he had hopes that something good could emerge from the intelligent lifeforms.
Yes, not only is Pigero here in the Elemental Tournament, but so are Yurin, Lime, and Upa too. I wanted to make this roster unique and fresh. Lime is a fan favorite, and I figured since her grandfather was a martial artist, she should follow in his footsteps. I'll leave Pigero, Yurin, and Upa's reasons a mystery until next time.
As for why Hercule did not recognize Tao by his voice, he hasn't seen that man in a long time. He blocked the incident out to avoid having a nervous breakdown. Tao also made sure that he did not put his occupation position on his clothing to give himself away.
Anyway, tell me what you guys think about the tournament and the story so far. What are your likes, dislikes, favorite character, least favorite character, what needs to be improved, and what do you think about the lore?
In advance, I apologize for the crap tone of exposition. It is a trope in Dragon Ball that annoyingly took after and I'll try to describe more as the story goes on than explain. You just have to bear with me on it. I swear, there will be more action scenes since we're moving on to the interesting fights.
One last thing before I go. Since I got a few of you that placed your opinions of potential OP and ED songs from the Dragon Ball Franchise, I've got the idea to cast a poll (or two). Choose from these selected songs and answer by typing "OP/ED: #" or "P1/2: [Name of OP/ED]"
Poll 1: Which OP song would work for the Wheelo Saga?
1. We Gotta Power
2. Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku
3. Super Survivor
4. The Biggest Fight
Poll 2: Which ED song would work for the Wheelo Saga?
1. Detekoi Tobikiri ZENKAI Power!
2. We Are Angels
3. Sabitsuita Machine Gun
4. Yeah Break Care Break
Anyway, I'll see you guys later!
-DarkShadowGames451