Chapter Ten: Fated to Pretend
Tournament Arena
Everyone looked on in shock as the T.A held the bag of powder in his hand.
"It pains me to say this ladies and gentlemen, but it appears that Mirai has cheated, therefore he must be di…":
"Wait!" Bulma suddenly exclaimed from the crowd. "Vegeta, help me down there."
Without hesitation, Vegeta cradled Bulma in his arms and flew down to the ring.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Briefs but I'm afraid I'm going to have to disqualify your son."
"How dare you accuse my son of cheating you blasted buffoon!" Vegeta exclaimed.
"Vegeta, I'm handling this."
"Sorry…"
"Like I said Mrs. Briefs I…"
"Please just call me, Bulma. And there's no way in hell that my son cheated."
"Yeah, no way in HFIL!" Goku exclaimed.
"Thanks, Goku. This arena equipped with cameras for instant replays during ball games. They should still be recording."
"Hmm, you're right." T.A replied as he put his two fingers on his left air. "Hey anyone in the production booth right now. Good. Can you bring up the when the powder was thrown in Brad-Rye's face."
After a few moments, footage of just before the powder was thrown in Brad-Rye's face was broadcast on the arena's massive jumbotron.
"Alright, play the footage and slow it down."
The footage showed Trunks approaching Brad-Rye. As Trunks neared the phony fighter, Brad-Rye was seen sneakily pulling out powder from a hidden pouch in the waist of his boxing shorts. Just as Trunks was about to attack Brad-Rye through the powder in his own eyes.
"Well, folks, that certainly was an eye-opening discovery! It appears Brad-Rye threw the powder at himself!"
"That...that footage was obviously doctored!" Brad-Rye exclaimed trying his best to the panic on his face.
"If you don't mind. I think I'd like to check anyway." T.A replied as he approached Brad-Rye.
"Don't you dare! If you touch me I'll have my lawyers down your throat in a heartbeat!"
"Mmm-hmm." T.A replied calling Brad-Rye's bluff as he turned Brad-Rye's waistband inside-out revealing a hidden pocket. The pocket opened up causing a fine white powder to pour out onto the ground. "Care to explain?"
"That's...that's...that's…..YOU BITCH THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Brad-Rye exclaimed to Bulma. "If you hadn't come down here! If you at just kept your mouth sh…"
Before Brad-Rye could finish his rant he was cut off by an angered Vegeta who had quickly in front of him and was less than an inch from away from breaking his face.
"Dad, no!"
"...I know. This pathetic whelp isn't worth it."
"Well, ladies and gentlemen, it appears that Brad-Rye is the actual cheater here! Therefore Brad-Rye js d…"
"Wait." Trunks interrupted.
"Seriously…"
"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to continue the match."
"Are you sure?' T.A replied.
"Absolutely."
"Well, I'll need consent from both fighters before I can let the fight resume. Brad-Rye do you wish to continue?"
Brad-Rye had every intention of saying no but the intense stare Vegeta was giving him at the moment gave him the sense that anything backing out of the fight would be more frightening of a concept than standing his ground.
"Yes…'I'll just give up once the fight starts.'
"Alright! Since both fighters have agreed to continue the fight. The disqualification will be waived."
Bulma and Vegeta returned to their seats while Trunks and Brad-Rye retook their fighting stances.
"Alright now that everyone has returned to their seats and the fighters are in position. I say we let maaaatch resume!"
"I…" Brad-Rye began to say, however, before he could even utter the first sound in give, Trunks was already directly in front of his staring straight into his eyes. "...Please don't break my face."
"Alright."
"For real?"
"No." Trunks replied as he threw a hard punch at Brad-Rye. He had every intention to break a few bones in his chiseled Hollywood face but stopped just short of contact as he noticed a stain beginning to form in Brad-Rye's shorts as a stream of golden liquid trickled down his golden shorts.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it appears Brad-Rye has pi...has wet his pants!" T.A exclaimed as he tried to stifle back his laughter.
"...You're...You're pathetic." Trunks sighed as he put his fist down.
"I give up. I give up. I give up!" Brad-Rye exclaimed before running out of the ring towards the exit.
"And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, your winner by forfeit, Mirai! And will someone please come and mop up the ring!"
"Why do I get all the jackasses?" Trunks wondered as he made his way to fighters area.
"Good job on not punching his face in." Gohan stated.
"Thanks."
"I'm not sure if I could have shown that much restraint." Videl stated.
"Hahahaha. I can't believe he pissed himself!" Gar exclaimed.
"Come on it wasn't that funny…" Trunks replied before letting out a slight snicker. "Okay, maybe a little."
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Now that the ring is nice and squeaky clean. Let's get on with the next fight. Hopefully this time we get a fair and honest fight! Introducing first on his way to the ring, he had a great fight against the salacious Fangerie! Let's see how he fairs against a more clothed opponent! Give it up for Dabu! And his opponent, he had a fantastic showing against Gigaron in the first round, winning the fight with no arms. His father actually defeated Dabu's in his very first tournament before his eventual defeat in the final round to Jackie Chun! Give it up for Son Gohan! Dabu, are you ready!? Son Gohan, are you ready!? Then let the match begin!"
"Fate has smiled on me yet again." Dabu stated as he and Gohan took their fighting stances. "Like the announcer said, our father's fought one another in the past. When my father fought in the tournament it was to win money so our village could have water. My goal is not so humble. My goal is to beat you. To prove my own worth. I trained my whole life for this. I too studied the art of ki control. For I knew one day the universe would allow our paths to cross. So if you think I'll go down easily you are sorely mistaken."
"That was a great speech. You're getting me a bit excited. I can already tell this is going to be a good match."
Dabu simply nodded in agreement before going on the offensive. A surprised look came over Gohan as Dabu darted to the right ad began running circles around him. After building up sufficient speed it appeared as if there were several Dabu's surrounding Gohan.
"Afterimage technique, huh? Not bad. I can hardly tell where you are." Gohan said before he spun around and hit the real Dabu, knocking him back a few feet.
"So you saw through that...Not surprising. But did you see this coming?"
Gohan looked puzzled before suddenly sensing another presence from behind him. Gohan quickly turned around only to be greeted by a punch from a second Dabu, knocking him back a few feet.
"Hey! There's two of them!" A member of the crowd exclaimed.
"He must have a twin or something!" exclaimed another.
"Another cheater!"
"Don't worry folks Dabu isn't cheating!" T.A exclaimed. "I've seen this technique used before! Dabu has simply created a duplicate of himself!"
"Multi-form," Gohan said as he wiped his mouth. "Not bad. What else do you have up your sleeve?"
"I have a few more tricks!" Dabu exclaimed as he ran towards Gohan while the second Dabu came at him from behind.
Gohan quickly went on the defensive using his incredible speed to deflect attacks from both the front and the back. After several moments of being on the defensive end it seemed like Dabu was gaining the upper hand until suddenly, Gohan jumped into the air landing behind one of the Dabu's causing one Dabu to hit the other.
"Phew. For a second I thought I was done for."
"I don't believe that is true." both Dabu's replied.
"Yeah. You got me."
"You're a funny man." The first Dabu chuckled
"But the time for humor is over!" The second Dabu exclaimed.
The first Dabu quickly made his way behind Gohan while the second came at him from the front.
"This again?" Gohan wondered.
However, at the last moment, the second Dabu swept Gohan's legs from under him before the first Dabu kicked him up into the air while the second Dabu jumped up ahead of the air-bound Gohan.
Both Dabu's crossed their arms in an x formation as the first Dabu jumped up towards Gohan while the second dove down.
"Heaven's Double Cross!" Both Dabu's exclaimed as they neared Gohan and it seemed now more than ever that Dabu had Gohan's number. However just as the two made contact with Gohan's neck the two seemingly phased through him.
"An after image!?" Both Dabu's exclaimed.
As soon as the last word left their mouths Gohan reappeared behind the second Dabu, and without wasting any time, Gohan fired a small ki blast at Dabu's blast causing him to collide the first Dabu. The two Dabu's plummeted to the ground reforming upon impact.
"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!" T.A exclaimed.
"Um, I think you should start counting." Gohan said as he landed in the ring.
"Oh right. Sorry. One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six! Seven! Eight! N…"
Just as T.A was about to reach the count of nine Dabu began to stand up.
"This fight is not finished yet."
"Incredible! Dabu has stood back up! You have to admire this man's fighting spirit!"
"I had a feeling you weren't quite done yet."
"I still have one more trick up my sleeve." Dabu replied as he put his arms together once again in an x formation. Mr. announcer I suggest you get out of the ring. I wouldn't want to cause you any harm."
T.A didn't need to be told twice as he quickly ran out of the ring, making sure to stay close enough to call the action. "I don't know what Dabu's planning but it must be pretty big!"
"Heaven's…" Dabu exclaimed as energy began to form in his upper forearms before spreading throughout the rest of his arms and into his hands.
Gohan's eyes widened as he felt the power coming from Dabu's arms and quickly put his hands together in the Kamehameha formation.
"Kaaaaaaaameeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaameeeeeeee…"
"Ultra Cross!"
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Dabu released a large blast in the shape of an X at Gohan as he released a Kamehameha he felt was strong enough to combat Dabu's attack. The two attacks met in a deadlock neither one pushing the other back.
"It's been a fun match, Dabu, but it's time to finish it!" Gohan exclaimed as he put a bit more energy into his Kamehameha.
Dabu tried his hardest to push back Gohan's Kamehameha putting every last bit of power he had into it but to no avail as Gohan's attack began to quickly overpower his. Gohan's Kamehameha soon made contact with Dabu pushing him out of the ring in a matter of seconds, rendering him unconscious in the process.
"Absolutely astounding!" T.A exclaimed as he made his way back into the ring. "Now that was the kind of match I've been waiting for!" Your winner by ring out, Gohan!"
As soon as T.A declared Gohan the winner he made a swift exit out of the ring to help the now Dabu, who was just starting to regain consciousness, up.
"That was a great fight. You took me by surprise." Gohan said he propped Dabu up letting him lean on his shoulder.
"Thank you. It seems fate was smiling upon you this day, but tell me the truth you could have beaten me a lot sooner."
"Maybe, but you still pushed me to a point of the breaking a sweat. That's pretty impressive. I didn't think I'd have to break out my Kamehameha til my next match."
"You know how to flatter a person." Dabu chuckled as the two made their way back to the fighters area.
"Ladies and gentlemen it's time once again for another break! Take a leak, maybe a little siesta in your seats, because I have a feeling the actions only going to ramp up from here!"
"Wow, Dabu, I'm impressed." Yamcha stated.
"Yeah." Trunks agreed. "Who taught you how to fight like that?"
"I traveled the land studying with various masters since I was a boy."
"So you're a nomad." Sharpner replied causing everyone to give him a surprised look. "What? I can know things too."
After some time passed and every
Meanwhile in the stands
"Holy shi-cow, that was great!" Vidalia exclaimed.
"Not bad for an earthling." Vegeta stated.
"Yeah, that Dabu kid sure was full of surprises." Goku added.
"'Just another step on my boy's way to victory!" Chi-Chi proudly
"Until he gets to Trunks we're he'll inevitably lose." Bulma replied causing Vidalia to giggle. "Something funny."
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that would imply that he'd beat my daughter. I just thought it was a funny joke."
"The only joke is going to be Videl when she loses to my Trunks.
"Doesn't matter who's going to win that match they're both losing to Gohan!"
"It doesn't matter who wins as long they all put on a good fight right?" The Ox-King inquired.
"No!" Chi-Chi, Bulma, and Vidalia all exclaimed.
"What about you, Mai?" Bulma inquired. "You want Trunks to win right?"
"Yes, I'd like that, but I wouldn't mind if Gohan or Videl won either."
"Come on a girl shouldn't be afraid to cheer on her man."
"He's not my man!"
"My brother's totally gonna win." Goten said to Trunks as he pulled down his right eyelid while sticking out his tongue.
"No way, I'm totally going to kick his ass."
"I can't believe I missed the match." Krillin pouted.
"You're the one who couldn't hold his bladder." 18 replied.
"It was really fun, daddy." Marron said gleefully.
"Well, at least I managed to snag this nice juicy hot dog. It was the last one they had.
Vidalia began to say something else before her smartwatch started beeping. "It's a message from the station. There appears to be a disturbance downtown. They're as many units as possible. Even those off duty…"
"Just let it slide. I'm sure they can handle it." Oolong suggested.
"No. If they're requiring that many officers. It must be big. Maybe a massive gang attack. The sharks have been pretty active lately. I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle."
"Bulma has your number. I'll make sure she gives you a call when Trunks wins." Vegeta said with a smirk.
"I'm sure she'll be bawling her eyes out telling me how badly Videl beat him. Come on, Krillin let's go."
Krillin was just about to take about take a bite out his hotdog brimming with relish, mustard, and sauerkraut when Vidalia grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away causing him to drop the hotdog which was caught by 18 just before it hit the ground.
"But...but…18 help!"
"Go protect and serve, honey." 18 said as she took a bite of his hotdog.
After a bit, more time past T.A got on the mic and began his announcement of the next round.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Our fighters are ready and willing to go! Now, do to the draw between Sharpner and Gar, this will be the only match of the Semi-Finals! Gohan, already has his spot secured in the finals! Who will take the other spot! The lavender warrior Mirai, or the princess of Satan City, Videl! Let's find out! Introducing first on his way to the ring, he showed some real prowess in the first round, unfortunately, we didn't get to see much in the second let's hope that changes here! Make some noise for Mirai Briefs! And his opponent, she had a dominating first round and a bit more of a challenge in the second but I have a feeling Mirai will give this fighter her biggest challenge yet. Give it up for Videl Satan! Mirai, are you ready!? Videl, are you ready!? Ladies and Gentlemen, are you ready!? Then let the match begin!"
"Did he just give us nicknames?" Videl wondered as she took her fighting stance."
"Yeah, I think he did." Trunks replied as he took his fighting stance.
Neither one exchanged a word after that. Each stared each other in the eyes waiting to see who would make the first move.
With Gohan already in the finals, Videl and Trunks are going to give it their all to join him. Which of these two powerful warriors will reach the final round? Find out next time on Azure's Revenge!
A/N
Woo, ten chapters completed and there's still plenty more to come. Anyway, please let me know you're thoughts. Make sure to follow and maybe even fav, and as always, have a great day ~TheUltimateMystic.
