Yo! Son Goku and friends! Cell Saga (Chapter 1)
Sapa
"Today's the big day, Kid. You ready?"
"I feel ready." Sapa said to himself, much to the perplexity of the onlookers as he registered.
"Whoa~" One of the committee members dawned in orange and purple squinted, lifting his glasses to make sure he saw everything right. "You're trying to~"
"Yes. I want in The Supernatural Division."
"You have to test for that. No prelims or nothing but you have to pass the threshold at the gate. The benchmark for that is 300."
"Huuu~"
People gathered around Sapa gasped and looked on.
"Hey…" The receptionist shot back. "Didn't you enter last tournament?"
"Yes." Sapa answered with a suave and quick retort. "As a matter of fact, I did."
"Are you sure?"
Whispers started to call out from all around them as people filed in with tickets and the like.
"I heard he got last place last time."
"He looks determined, I wonder if he's gonna do better."
"Those boys with Goku can't be topped, who does this guy think he's fooling?"
"Good luck."
"Thank you." Sapa smiled devilishly as he wrote his name down on the form at the front gate and sauntered in with confidence.
Mic tapped his foot at the entrance of the hall, the large mechanical machine looking even more impressive than last time.
"Huh..? Hey! Sapa! You're back!"
"Hello. Pardon me, but I seem to have forgotten your name."
"Well I never really give it out for free. But thanks anyway. You here to enter the tournament?"
"Yes."
"We made the bar of entry for The Non-Supernatural Division anyone less than 100, so-"
"I'm here for The Supernatural Division."
"-Right." He said with a bit of clenched teeth, tugging on his tie a single time. "Well step right up, my man. And we'll see what you're working with."
Sapa smiled with an air of regality, walking right into the middle of the chrome mechanism. Mic looked down at his watch and his eyes almost bursted out through his shades.
"Whoa! 10,000!? Where'd you get all that!?"
"A had a few friends help me out. Don't worry Mic, this isn't all I've got to offer."
The announcer wore duck lips as Sapa finished his walk-out and came through on the other side.
"Wait a second, I thought he didn't know my name… Sir!"
There was no response.
"Sapa! Wait! I'm serious! You need to get back here!"
"Hmm?"
Mic grabbed at the back of Sapa's white gi which steamed a bit, forcing the announcer to draw back his hand quickly.
Ssss~
"What tha~ anyway… Sapa~ We've changed the rules of the tournament since you were last here. The bracket you qualify for is now referred to as The Top 4. The four best fighters on the planet register and have a bracket all to themselves… The problem is-"
"You've already got four."
"Yeah~"
"Figures." Sapa's mood turned on a dime and he sharpened his brow.
"Uhh~ Sapa? Why is it so hot all of a sudden?"
"Hmm."
"I'm really sorry, it was kind of a last minute thing and I Really didn't expect anyone but Goku's friends to meet the benchmark so it was kind of a-"
"If I convinced one of them to give their spot to me, could I enter?"
"Uhh~ Sure! I don't see why not. I don't know how you'd convince one of them though."
"It really is my lucky year."
Gohan
"Just great. The first second I have some responsibility and I screw it up! Goten!"
He checked under the couch.
"Nope. Goten?"
He opened the fridge.
"Hah-hah, why'd I think he would be in the fridge?"
Kom.
He searched everywhere, high and low.
"Nah. Though I feel like him crawling around on the ground is about all he Can do so~" The non-MIA son of Son Goku grunted as he kipped up off the floor and dusted the back of his silky kung fu gi. "Not the best idea…"
"You in the sheets, little bro?" He asked as he undid his whole bed, throwing the comforter, and mattress on the floor. "Whoops~ man I got like way stronger." He said to himself as he looked at his palm.
Gohan fixed his bed and moved on to his desk, filing through the papers and drawers.
"Gohan~" He said to himself. "Why would Goten be hiding in your homework?"
"He's not, dummy." The non-MIA son of Son Goku bopped himself once on the head and brought it back to the wood kitchen, the centrepiece of the abode.
The older brother took on a more thought-provoking pose, hands on his hips.
"But we're not asking the obvious questions here." He mused aloud as he pointed a fingertip at the table. "Where could Goten even get to on his own? I hope he's Not hurt but he'd have to hurt himself to even get off the table. That's a long fall for a baby." He thought as he stepped towards the wooden tabletop.
A flash of what his baby brother was wearing shot across his mind in one furious thought.
"The Dragon Ball!"
Gohan recalls the time he spent looking for the Dragon Balls with Bulma and Yamcha. He didn't remember much considering he was only 5 years old at the time but the memory of danger was still fresh in his mind. The sound of gunshots was still strong despite the gap in time.
"Someone must have taken Goten along with the towel!"
It's not easy for Gohan to get angry, it's not in his nature but the fact of the matter was that he thought Goten was still in the house. The idea of his little brother being in danger pulsed the blood of a Saiyan strongly through his veins.
"Bulma's still got the radar! If whoever stole it still has him that's where I'll find em'!"
WHOMM!
Gohan slammed the door closed, eyes furious and filled with determination.
Cha
The brown suited ninja ran his hand along the grey and onyx coloured cliffs, looking for the right angle. Cha kissed his lips once in frustration before taking out the Dragon Radar and clicking in the top node once.
De-Dui!
"Close… I guess I need to dig a little deeper."
Cha stood up tall and pocketed the device in his gi before cracking his neck and knuckles outward.
FwshFwafFwufSwafSufFwuf~
The brown suited ninja performed countless handsigns in a moment's notice, wind rolling off his arms impressively. After a while of posturing he finished the movement and held the pose, his index and middle fingers outstretched with his ring and pinky tucked in, touching against his thumb on both hands. His left arm was bent and aimed towards the sky while his right arm was laid flat and pointed at the bend of his elbow.
Krrrrrrrrrr~
The ground under him shifted and shook, peeling out of place. The plates skated around in response to Cha's hand movements as he mimed pulling them around. He kept focus with his right hand and fished for the Dragon Radar once again with his left.
Cha nodded with intent and pulled out more and more rock before finally exposing the 1 star Dragon Ball.
Just as Cha locked eyes with the mystical glowing orb a bolt from the blue struck down on his position.
VyuuUU! BOMM!
The ninja sibling was forced to dodge and an apparition appeared before him, grabbing hold of the 1 star Dragon Ball.
"So sorry about that. My brother is a little hands on, you see." Shen cackled out a laugh as the cyborg-looking man with a braid landed next to him.
Cha furrowed his brow and scanned the rest of the area, trying to assess if there were other threats.
Cha VS Tao and Shen
Objective: Secure the Dragon Ball!
"Now we're willing to play nice if you just hand over your other Dragon Ball." Shen brought out a radar of his own and clicked it. "We know you have another in your possession."
Cha said nothing to the two older gentlemen in front of him, only crouching down low and readying his hand steadily over the hilt of his katana.
"Tch. If you want it the hard way, I suppose we can oblige. Tao! Kill him!"
Tao took his right hand out from the sleeve-pose he held it in from behind his back and fired a thin yellow line at Cha's forehead.
"Dodon Ray!"
KSA~KOOMM!
Black rocks, debris, and smoke littered the area as Cha expertly dodged out of the way.
"Damn! He's fast! That's two now!" Tao let out aloud as his red robot eyes scanned the ninja's form.
"Tao..?" Cha made sure to keep himself as he neared the cyborg-man.
Fwu~
Cha leaped over the pair in a graceful, twirling ninja-flip, attempting to steal back the Dragon Ball in skillful flourish.
Fwom.
It worked.
"Huh!?" Shen exclaimed loudly.
Cha landed on the ground and looked to book it out of there, gusts of wind building up around him before he dashed like crazy.
SMAKK! SKffffffffffffffff~
Cha wiped out in a horrendous tailspin, the 1 star ball now in Tao's hand.
"I'm not letting you get away that easily." His stern yet nasally voice called out as his red eyes continued to gyrate and examine the dusty ninja.
"I can just tell these two are greedy bastards." Cha said to himself as he got up and sharpened his stance. "I'm not gonna let these two stop me from getting my brother back!"
With his resolve strengthened, Cha hit a veritable barrage of handsigns. Before he could finish however, Shen was already on his tail, the man's long kung fu sneeve snapping from the speed.
Fwuof!
"Don't let him finish his movements! Ninjas use ki in different ways!"
"Hmm." Tao hummed as his mustache curled upwards in a smile. "I see." The cyborg-man brushed back his long braid and lunged deep, instantly clearing the distance between the two of them.
Fwsh!
Cha barely weaved out of the way of Tao's right elbow, backhandspringing to dodge.
Swu~FufufufuShu!
Shen joined in too, firing what looked to be dozens of crane jabs. Cha couldn't keep a lid on it, forced to bring up his arms to block and parry. Tao and Shen went ballistic, trying to pin down Cha at every junction. The brown suited ninja looked for his out, grabbing his revolver and quickdrawing right on Tao's left goggle.
Kom!
"Pest!" He yelled back quickly, attempting to jam a committed right overhand as he weaved the bullet.
Cha reacted with excellent skills, parrying his opponent's arm to the inside while he unsheathed his katana.
De-Dee!
Tao's body is made up of mostly metal after a particularly nasty encounter with Son Goku. His left arm houses a blade, his right arm housing a cannon.
Twa~Tingg!
Cha furrowed his brow as the pair locked swords.
"A hidden blade…" Cha ruminated before he backdashed out of range.
Shen furrowed his brow as well, studying the brown suited ninja.
"Tao!" His shrill voice yelled.
"What is it!?"
Fwu-Fu~Shwing!
The pair was still locked in their duel as Shen watched on.
"I have reason to believe he is one of The Murasaki Brothers!"
Cha's eyes widened immensely, his focus slipping and as such, Tao landed a free slash, opening up his brown gi and shooting out a spray of blood.
"Who the hell are they?" Tao called back, nonchalant, finishing his attack with a thrust kick that pounded the lone ninja into a rock face.
KrrrrACKK!
"Ugh~" Cha grunted through grit teeth.
"Ninjas hired by The Red Ribbon Army. There's supposed to be five of them. Guess they're only worthwhile in a group."
The veins on Cha's forehead poked through, providing a somewhat intimidating glare as he stood.
"I see."
"So if one of them is looking for the Dragon Balls~"
"Then it would stand to reason that we'll have to watch out for at least four others." Tao interjected as he flicked his knife free of blood.
"Correct."
"Easy enough."
"I could defeat these two on a good day but that one with the blade has already hit me really hard. I'll have to retreat…"
Before he could even blink, Tao was already on top of Cha.
BOMM!
The rock face just behind him was smashed into nothingness as Cha rolled to the outside.
Fwu~
The brown suited brother barely ducked in time as Shen rocked the earth with a deadly knee strike, so potent the old man bounced off the rock and back into the air from the blow. He reared back his left hand:
"Dodon Ray!"
Cha cartwheeled to the side only to be pressured immediately by the cyborg-man.
SHCINGG!
They clashed blades for only a moment until Tao drew back his arm and looked to punch Cha on the left cheek. The brown suited ninja dipped down low, sheathing his blade and dodging the punch in the same maneuver. On the way up, Cha readied his revolver, kicking his adversary in the chin while shooting at Tao's left shoulder.
DMM! Twang!
"That all you got!?" Tao smiled wickedly as his kung fu gi ripped at the gunshot, exposing his metal frame.
THOKK!
Cha was blasted back quick a ways from the right hand, skidding along the dusty earth. Tao went to town, throwing back to back crane jabs that forced Cha into a block. Shen landed from his stance, putting his arms behind his back and into his regal kung fu sleeves. The man with the crane hat walked forward gallantly, studying Cha's defensive proficiency.
"Hmph." He laughed to himself.
Twang-Tang-TINGG! SING!
Cha locked swords with Tao once again only to come out the victor, drawing his blade to the rocks below, stepping on his hand and severing the blade while locked into the crevice, much akin to stepping onto the rim of a shovel.
"You..!" Tao grunted just before he was rocked by a left elbow smack dab in the middle of his teeth.
"Tao!" Shen yelped in disbelief.
The cyborg-man had enough, dashing right back in after taking such a big hit.
"Dodon~"
Zzzt~
Tao and Cha went at it, throwing flurries of punches as the third man charged energy in his index. The brown suited brother finally got the better of the exhausting exchange, sending Tao up into the air with a right upper and absolutely launching him with a spinning left roundhouse.
"Wave!"
Cha only saw the beam at the last moment, throwing his katana high into the air as he prepared a litany of handsigns.
FufufufufuSwu~ GZNNNNNNNNNN~
"What!?" Shen yelled as the beam refused to make contact with the ninja's handsign.
"Yah!" Cha screamed like a monster as he locked it in, finishing the last handsign and sending the yellow beam of energy right back at the caster.
BA-BOOMMM!
Shen blocked it with his left palm, furrowing his brow as the smoke cleared, no ninja in sight.
"Damn. Nuisance."
Tao cricked his neck on both sides, brandishing the 1 star Dragon Ball.
"He was forced to run. We won this battle."
Bulma
Bulma sat on the couch in the loft, TV turned on to that of the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai. The scarred blue haired motherly executive looked over to her left as she heard rapid footsteps banging on the metal stairs.
"Bulma!" Gohan yelped as he entered the loft.
"Hey kid… what's up..?"
"Where's the Dragon Radar?"
"I always keep a spare in my nightstand." She stated as she pointed to the open door of the bedroom.
"Thanks!" The eldest son of Son Goku replied as he scampered across the loft and into the bedroom.
Moments later, Gohan exploded out of the bedroom and ran past the TV once more.
"Gohan?"
"Yeah!?" He answered, turning on a dime as he looked to book it back down the steps, foot tapping on the tile unrestfully. "I'm kind of in a hurry."
"You know what? Never mind. Have a nice day, Gohan."
"Thanks! You too!"
Bulma's mood soured as Gohan left the building.
"What the hell does that kid need the Dragon Balls for?" She thought to herself as she walked out to the balcony and saw the boy dart past employees on the front lawn.
"Sorry! Excuse me! So sorry!"
"This is gonna bother me all day… I really should have asked."
The Murasaki Brothers
Nao waited patiently, attentively playing peekaboo with the baby.
"Boo!"
"Ahahaha~" Goten cooed as he reached his arms up high.
"This ain't so bad."
"Nao! You get the Dragon Ball!? Sorry, I had to go take a leak… HUH!?"
Aka blinked a few times just to make sure.
"Bro we were supposed to steal some Dragon Balls! Not a baby!"
"Shoot, that wadn't my plan neither, Aka."
"Crap."
Aka came in close to examine, peeling back some of the soft white cloth.
"Kaa~"
"Aww, he's kinda cute."
"Yeah, I don't mind em' ta be honest. Well mannered."
"We can't keep him though, where are we gonna put him?"
"Duh~" Nao let out dumbly, the hay in his teeth almost falling out. "I reckon we just drop the lil' tyke off back at his home."
"Where'd you even get him?"
"Some random capsule house back in the woods over thare! He was wearin' this." Nao reiterated as he lifted the red cap off of Goten's head. "Didn't realise there was a baby in the cloth, just took the darn thing and ran like the wind."
Aka stuck out his hand, to which Nao plopped the 4 star ball in.
"Run along then, I'll wait here just in case the others show up."
"Right."
Goten made no fuss, just eyeing the two facially identical men.
"Sorry bout' that lil wun. I'll getcha back home in just a jiffy."
Fsht-Wsht-Swuf!
In no time at all, Aka was just by himself, twiddling with his bow gun, gyrating the weapon around his hands like it were a pencil.
Fsht!
"Hmm..? Bro!"
"Ehnn~" Cha grunted out as he clutched onto his chest. "They got the Dragon Ball."
"Who?"
Cha looked up with determination, locking eyes with his brother.
"Tao."
"TAO!? How the hell are we gonna beat Tao!?"
"Had someone with him, too… Heh~"
"Tsk!" Aka scoffed and ripped his brother's brown gi open to examine the wound.
"It's nothing~"
"Doesn't look like nothing to me! Just shut up and let me do my thing!"
"Tao isn't that strong… Eh!"
"Bullshit! Looks like he got you pretty good."
"Nah." He let out with a harsh breath. "I let my guard down, I'd definitely win in a one on one."
"What are you saying?"
"We gang up em'." Cha said with a sly smile. "Obviously."
His hurt brother's confidence brought a smile out of him as well, Aka shaking his head at the absurdity of it all.
"You really think we can beat Mercenary fucking Tao?"
"I know we can, especially after all this training. I can tell just how strong you've all gotten. You guys are really doing me proud."
Cha is the oldest of all of the Murasaki brothers. They look identical but there are not in fact quintuplets. Praise from their eldest meant the most even if Kon was their 'Leader' per se.
"Shut up, man." Aka replied, his red rosy cheeks now matching his ninja gi.
"Heh-heh-heh." Cha's laughter ushered a little giggle out of his little brother as well but their moment was broken up by the brushing of the wilderness. "Someone's coming."
Fuwuu~ Fsht!
"Relax." Kon said with a charismatic smile as he touched down next to the pair, holding up a ninja handsign. "Any luck on your end?"
"Well we got a Dragon Ba-" Cha was about to reply before he was cut off by another brushing of the wild.
FOOSH!
"Where's Goten!?" A little boy wearing a white kung fu gi screamed loudly as he launched down from the treeline.
"HUH!?"
The three brothers all backdashed, surrounding Gohan. All three of them drew their weapons.
"I don't want to have to hurt you but I know you guys have two Dragon Balls! So I'll only say it one more time! Where's my little brother!?"
The group's focus sharpened and they all shot meaningful but quick glances at each other. Aka blinked in total disbelief.
"Kid?"
Gohan turned his attention to the red ninja.
"You live in that capsule house out in the woods?"
"I'm not answering that."
"..."
"Is your little brother a baby?"
"Yes! How'd you know!? Did you take him!?" Gohan rooted deep into his stance, the grass underneath him twirling around ever so slightly.
"Phew!" Aka breathed out a sigh of relief. "Yeah! Nao's taking your brother back home right now, he didn't mean to steal him we just wanted to gather the Dragon Balls."
"Really?" Gohan questioned as he stood up straight.
"Yeah. We're not fucking child murderers. Who do you think we are?"
"Huh. Okay." Gohan blinked a few times as he rubbed the back of his head. "What do guys like you need the Dragon Balls for?"
Aka and Cha looked at Kon who in turn just kind of shrugged before speaking.
"We're gonna wish our brother back from the dead."
"Ohh."
"Yeah."
"I understand how you feel." Gohan spoke aloud to the three ninja. "I wouldn't want my brother Goten to get hurt either… Good luck."
Kon smirked and sharpened his eyes at the little kid.
"Hey kid!"
"What is it?"
"You any good at fighting? You got here and were ready to put your dukes up against three ninja. You must be some type of crazy to pull that off. I only knew one other kid with that level of cojones."
"I'm not very good." Gohan laughed out loudly. "My dad only just started teaching me last month."
"Who's your father?"
"Uhm. What the heck, you guys don't seem bad. My dad's Goku."
All three of the brothers just about shit their pants at the revelation.
"No kidding~ Haha~"
"Why?"
"That little kid beat up all five of us at the same time."
"There's five of you? I only see three."
"Don't you remember, kid? One of our brothers is taking yours back home right now."
"Oh~ … Oh."
There was a pained silence, the trees bristling lightly in the tight and contained gusts.
"How'd he die?"
"Don't know. Your father beat us up in the tower, it collapsed, and we never saw him again."
"That's sad."
"You don't know the half of it, kid." Aka interjected as he finished wrapping up Cha's chest wound. "Imagine having the fight of your life only to wake up and your brother's gone forever."
"You think my dad did it?"
"That's what we thought at first too, but it didn't really make sense considering all five of us should have been in the same spot when the tower collapsed. He could just be missing but the Dragon Balls should be able to bring him back if he's dead and wish him back to us if he's just lost. Our best bet."
Gohan smiled brightly.
"I like you guys. I hope everything goes well for you."
"Thanks, kid."
"I gotta go now."
"See ya!"
Gohan looked to leave but was compelled by something, he didn't know what but the wind hit his back just right and he turned around.
"You guys want any help with the Dragon Balls? I want to make sure your brother gets back home safe and sound. Just like you did for me."
Kon couldn't help but laugh loudly and accept with open arms and a moviestar smile.
"That sounds like a great idea. Any objections?"
"What we just gonna bring a kid along with us?" Aka questioned loudly. "You aren't in the know, Kon, but we have to fight Mercenary Tao for his Dragon Ball!"
Kon made a duck face.
"Ooh~ maybe not then."
"I don't know if you guys forgot this or whatever but it's rumoured that Son Goku is the first person to defeat Tao. That's not even to mention that he took down Demon King Piccolo. If this kid's really his son then we might be the dead weight, not him."
The trio looked at Gohan who in turn whistled a tune and stared up at the rustling tree leaves.
Gohan
"What are you doing that for..?"
"Gohan."
"Gohan?" Aka asked.
"It's so that… I can take my little brother along with me." Gohan replied as he buckled Goten into a baby carrying device on his back, much akin to a backpack.
"Ha-ha-ha~ You're fuckin' nuts!" Kon laughed loudly. "You're bringing a baby to come look for the Dragon Balls?"
"I gotta look after my little brother. My parents told me its for building character and I don't want to fail them, but I also wanna help you guys out so~"
Fwof-Clicc.
"Two birds one stone."
"Wouldn't carrying a kid with you to fight be dangerous?"
Gohan blinked.
"Yeah I guess so. One of you should probably cover my back so that Goten doesn't get hurt."
"Shucks~" Nao interjected with rosy cheeks. "I'll do it! That lil' guy done did grown on me."
"Cool. What's your name?"
"My name's Nao."
"Thanks Nao." Gohan said with a warm smile and outstretched hand.
Nao met it with grace and the six siblings marched out of the house with determination.
"Alright!" Kon commanded as he stepped in front of everyone. "So our first order of business is to take down Tao. We probably won't run into many other obstacles besides them. Make sense?"
Everyone just kind of looked to each other quietly and agreed.
"Good. Now we know from Cha that they have two Dragon Balls so the best place to start is to look at our radars and see if we have any grouped up."
Cha said nothing, only clicking in his radar once and showing everyone.
Be-Bee!
"Ahh~ Good a guess as any. Which direction is that?"
"East, so~" Cha jumped onto the top of Gohan's home, scoping it out. "Behind us." He reiterated with a backwards thumb.
"Everyone ready to move?"
"..."
Kon smiled brightly, waved his arm and spoke with conviction.
"Let's get it!"
Sapa
"You sure?"
"Yes I'm sure!" Goku replied happily, kissing his wife on the forehead. "Last tournament was all healthy competition! You can rest assured that I'll be just fine!"
"Okay~"
Goku smiled cheekily, blushing a bit as well.
"Huh-Hah! Why'd you come all the way to the island with me if you were gonna ask that now?"
Chi-Chi brushed back her hair a bit, leaning over the tournament wall and looking down at the grass.
"You've been really good to me, you always listen to what I have to say and I don't know~ I'd feel terrible if I didn't cheer you on for the sidelines because-"
She met Goku's whimsical and fun-loving eyes.
"It's what you love~ to do."
"..."
"I might not like it, but I married it so I'll try to attend all of them from now on."
"Hee-hee~" Goku giggled out dumbly as Chi-Chi rested her chin over her forearms.
"Love you."
"Love you too, honey."
Chu~
"Alright!"
"Oh! I think it's about to start, gotta go!"
"Be careful!"
"I will!"
"Ladies and Gentlemen! It's time for the 25th-Ten-Kai-Ichi Budokai! Is everyone ready!?"
The pop of the crowd was deafening as Goku hopped along the grass and then the white brick path to the chrome hall.
"Sorry!"
"Now! Last year there were only two brackets! This year there's not one, not two, but three separate brackets! The first bracket of the day goes to our Non-Supernatural Division! After them we'll proceed with the Supernatural Division and then after that is The Top 4! A contest of champions!"
The roar of the crowd was out of this world, causing Mic to grin widely.
"Ahh~ I love my job."
"Ah~Hem!"
Dwerrrrrrrr~
"But that won't be for a long while! So hang tight and be patient as we welcome our other most talented competitors! These 8 fighters fought through a grueling gauntlet of preliminary matches to get here so they deserve some serious respect! Give it up for our first contestant~"
Mic looked all around the stadium, hyping it up with a dramatic pause and crouching low to the ground.
"Upa!"
A well-toned but still distinctly youthful man stepped out into the arena with a cheery and focused demeanor. He laughed a bit sheepishly as he bowed to the crowd. He wore a long black braid and had a tribal-looking feather headband.
"Yeah! Show us what you're made of, Upa!" Goku yelled with great excitement on the grass.
Upa waved back to Goku before turning around and focusing.
"It's not about winning." He thought to himself. "It's about getting better." He chanted like a mantra as he shook his fist.
"Excuse me." Sapa called out to Goku from his right side.
"Hello."
"Hi, my name is Sapa. I presume you're in The Top 4?"
"Yeah! Huh-Hah!"
"Who else is in the bracket?"
"Uhh~ Let's see. I think it's just me, Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin."
"Interesting."
"Piccolo said that he beat my Mongrel ass last time so he doesn't need to prove anything." Goku posited as he shrugged his shoulders plainly.
"Huh-hah-hah~ Didn't ask."
"Oh..?"
Sapa smiled and scanned the area for Krillin.
"This guy didn't enter the tournament last time and I distinctly remember him being here and looking on from the top box." Sapa extended his thoughts to Cala-Meite.
"Interesting. You think you can get him to drop out?"
"Well there had to be a reason he didn't want to compete last time. Maybe we can get him to run back his excuses."
"HyahahahaHaaaaa~ Good thinking, Kid." Cala-Meite cackled like a goblin as his host made his way over to the smallest competitor.
Sapa's facial expression changed on a dime, morphing covertly in the shadows of the building's overhang.
"Hi~ Would you happen to be Krillin?"
"Yeah, that's me." Krillin replied with a smile, already stretching out his hand for a shake. "You?"
"Sapa."
Cala-Meite went for a ballsy move off the jump, draining a trickle of Krillin's ki as they shook hands. Spitfires have some of the highest potential for power out of all races in existence but they're gatekept by the fact that they get too strong for their own good, don't have physical flesh and bone bodies, and are found out easily by Goz and Mez in Hell. Cala-Meite was a special case of right place right time and then consequently wrong place wrong time thanks to Mutaito. Spitfires are strong but they could literally be 1,000,000 battle power, rivaling that of a God of Destruction and then just die by being submerged in water.
"What a pathetic way to go."
"Well it's not like they're just gonna stand there, Beerus. If one were to possess that level of strength they could probably hold out a little bit while submerged."
"That's lame. Imagine beating a God of Destruction only to get faded by a sprinkler. Heh-heh-heh."
"Ah-hem."
The thing about Spitfires is; Is that they build ki easily but they lose ki just as easily. Unlike regular beings Spitfires can't regenerate ki, they have to absorb ki from the environment in the shape of gases, flames, or energy, meaning that once ki is lost they can't get it back through rest. It is a winner-take-all kind of deal where they amass power just absurdly quickly but once they find themselves in a bad spot there's virtually no comeback potential.
"I understand that The Top 4 is only for competitors that possess a certain level of battle power?"
"Yeah..? Why do you ask?"
"Well I really wanted to enter this year's tournament~" Sapa laid it on thick, a youthful and agreeable tone oozed out of him as he spoke. "Got here early and everything but as it turns out I'm actually just too strong."
"Get outta here~"
"Yeah-heh-heh. Showed up with around 10,000 battle power and that disqualified me for The Supernatural Division."
"I see…" Krillin sharpened his brow and studied the man curiously.
"I've been training so hard and I would feel terrible if I came all this way only to not compete! I got here on time as well to register, the regular tournament bracket hadn't even been filled out yet."
"Tch~ Well."
"I have a big favour I want to ask of you sir~ I know it's out of line but~"
Krillin put his right arm on his waist and looked at the pleading and begging man in front of him.
"The announcer said that as long as I could get one of the four contestants signed on today to agree, I could compete, but only if that were the case."
"Agree to what?" He asked with a tilting of the head.
"That I could take your spot."
"..."
"I know that I'm asking for the largest favour in the world and I'm just a-"
"Man just take it." Krillin said with a smile, putting his right hand on Sapa's gi. "Bowing on the ground is no place a man should be. I'm not even the competitive type anyway. You worked hard, let's get you in."
"Cala-Meite?"
"Yes?"
"Did you use any telepathy on this man?"
"Nope."
"But it was~"
"I think this Krillin fellow is just a good guy. HyahaHaaaaaa~ Man! This year is really my lucky year huh?"
Sapa followed behind Krillin and soon enough they stood waiting for Mic to finish his announcements for the first match.
"Before we get started folks I have a few announcements to run through first!"
Mic smiled as there was an audible deflation of the audience.
"I know I know! Just bare with me for one moment! Everyone tuned in already knows this~" Mic ran through the script as he made eye contact with a drone camera above the stage. "But The Budokai has not only partnered with Capsule Corp. but has also recently partnered with ZTV! From now on and until as far as the 28th Tenkaichi Budokai~ The tournament is going to be televised all around the world! These pulse-punding bouts don't have to leave your living room! I just suggest that you don't try these moves at home, folks! These are trained professionals!"
The crowd bumped and jumped at the announcer's statement.
"Man I am too good… Without further ado, let's get things underway! I can just tell sparks are going to fly from this battle! Our first match is between two contestants from far off lands! In the left corner is Upa! He's competed a single time in the Mifan tournament scene! Coming close to a victory there, only losing in the final round! On the right is another humble man of known origins! He's yet to compete in The Tenkaichi but we know a relative of his who has! Dabu is the younger brother of one of our contestants from the 21st! Dabu is the youngest brother of the semi-finalist~ Nam! Everyone hands up for our ex-competitor!"
The giant TV screen above the stadium switched to that of the crowd and then to that of Nam, a considerably older man with a salt and pepper aftershave look about him. He was clearly a bit embarrassed, endearing rosy cheeks as he waved meekly to the camera.
"Don't just spare that love for Nam! Give it up for our new blood in The Tenkaichi Budokai!"
"This year is gonna rock!"
"Brown excellence!"
"Upa's dad is Bora! That guy's a beast! No way Dabu is winning!"
"Alright! This crowd wants to see some action and I don't want to be the guy to deprive them of it! Are we ready gents!?"
Both Upa and Dabu entered their fighting stances, locking them in tight and focusing up.
"Let the first match of The Non-Supernatural Division~"
"..."
"Begin!"
GWONGG!
Mic backed up confidently, all smiles.
"Sir?"
"Oh! Hey, Krillin."
"You said to Sapa here that he could enter The Top 4 if one of us gave up our spot?"
"No~way."
"Yup."
"You're a stand up guy, you know that Krillin?"
"Sheesh." Is all Krillin said as he rubbed the back of his bald head.
"So you're really fine with just handing over the spot to Sapa here?"
"Well, I mean… I've been on the main stage three times already. This will have been Sapa's second. And…" He paused and looked the man in question up and down. "I know Goku is always looking for new challenges. So~ I don't see why not."
"I'll be right back, guys, just have to go rewrite the bracket with some of the staff. See you two in a little bit."
"Gotcha."
Sapa sat there dumbstruck.
Sapa was confident he would have had to force Cala-Meite to pull some trickery, this diplomatic outcome was the best it could have panned out for him.
"Krillin? … Hey, what the..?"
He was gone, disappeared like a mirage.
"What the heck?"
Krillin met up with Piccolo in the shade of the top box.
"Hey."
Piccolo said nothing, only greeting The New Turtle Grandmaster with a nod of the head.
"What's your opinion on the new guy?"
"Was waiting for you to ask. I don't like him."
Krillin let out a matter-of-fact hum.
Krillin assumed something like that would be Piccolo's response.
"Why not?"
"He went from less than 200 to over 10,000? I saw him enter through the hall earlier this morning. I get the feeling he's hiding something."
"Maybe it's just Goku cleaning up all my cynicism but I feel like we should lighten up, we ourselves used to be below that threshold you know. Maybe he just found the secret sauce."
"I feel like I would have sensed a power increase that dramatic."
"Relax, Piccolo. Our Ki Sensing skills aren't anywhere near Kami's. It's not like we can just scout out the entire planet in one sonar."
"Hmph!"
"Maybe he just found the winning training method, we can't just presume to know all the answers."
"Your argument doesn't really hold water because the strongest boost we ever got was just from watching that battle on Namek, we didn't even have to train for it."
"Exactly." Krillin replied without thinking.
In one moment, it all made sense, a terrible chill came over Krillin.
"You don't mean..?"
"Just like you said. We can't be everywhere at once. What if there's smaller evils at play that we didn't realise?"
Krillin let his jaw hang open as he stared with intensity down at Sapa, his tongue poking around harshly inside his cheek.
"If he went from 200 to 10,000 in just three years, who's to say that's his limit? He might even be restricting himself. We're not that good at honing it in under the scanner but what if he is?"
"Hmm."
"Well." Krillin let out with a heavy sigh. "Let's go with a generous estimate and say that he's actually 10 times the strength the machine registers him as, everyone but Raditz is here today, we can definitely handle 100,000. No sweat."
"I hope you're right."
"I hope you're wrong. I might have just wasted my tournament win on a bad guy." Krillin responded lazily, resting his face on his palm as he leaned over the railing.
"You thought you were gonna win?" Piccolo grinned out like a fool.
"Hey, if you can win a tournament, there's hope for all of us."
"Tcheh!"
Tao
"The Dragon Balls are on the move again."
"Towards us?"
"Towards us."
"Then you can rest assured we'll crush that ninja punk and his band of brothers." Tao replied as he cracked his cyborg neck on both sides.
"Where do you want to settle this feud?"
"Hmm." Tao hummed with great deliberation.
"What's got your gears turning?"
"I don't feel like waiting. If they're coming to us, then that just means we gather the balls quicker. Let's just get to the next location for another Dragon Ball."
"You were always about efficiency."
"I just don't see the point in not always going for the most lucrative option every time. I've only got one life on this planet, I'm not going to actively choose to waste it."
Shen just smirked and shook his head as they dashed off like the wind.
Gohan
"They're on the move again!" Kon yelled out to the rest of the group as they dashed under the brush of the trees.
Gohan smiled as Goten sucked down the contents of a baby bottle. Nao looked on with a smile.
"He sure ain't puttin' up a fuss!"
"I know. I guess it just takes a lot to get us upset, I know my dad and I are pretty relaxed. Maybe it runs in the family."
Gohan and The Murasaki brothers hopped from grass to grass, skittering on the water for a moment only to kick off immediately.
"Guys!"
The crew looked to Kon leading the pack.
"The Dragon Balls stopped!"
"Ain't that a gud thing?"
"No, it means they're probably setting up a trap. They have a radar too, how else would they get two Dragon Balls?"
"Let me see."
The group pulled up and gave an inquisitive look at Kon's radar.
"Ain't that three Dragon Balls though?"
"You're right." Gohan replied, blinking blankly.
"Hold on." Cha said assertively. "Perhaps they're having trouble procuring that third Dragon Ball..?"
The six siblings looked at each other and passed some agreeable body language around.
"That makes sense." Nao responded as he scratched at his hairline.
"Give me our Dragon Balls. It'll set up a surprise attack better if I have the both of them cause they already know my face."
Kon pointed finger guns at his brother.
"Good idea."
Kon untied the bag containing the items and passed them over to his older brother. Cha accepted them graciously, tying them around his waist and over his belt. His gi was damaged so he forwent wearing it and just let the top hang lowly over his belt, showing his ninja net top and chest wraps as he stretched.
"I'm ready whenever you are."
"Now hold on a sec, boys."
Everyone reigned it in and stared at Kon, he readied a kunai knife, swinging it around to emphasise his point.
"Remember, this is Mercenary Tao we're dealing with. We can't afford to be goofing around, any mistakes and it's~"
He mimed death as he cut his throat with the kunai.
"You all get me?"
"Yeah, yeah."
Kon rolled his eyes.
"Cha's gonna lead the pack, remember the watches I gave you all?"
The group raised them in tandem.
"We'll move on his signal, shoot a message in the chat log we made and we'll know when to get involved. Okay boys. Let's get to it."
Fsht~Whst~Fsh!
Sapa
"Can you believe it, folks!? Looks like Spopovich is our new Non-Supernatural Division Champion of the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai! Everyone put your hands up for the big guy!"
"That guy was crazy! He ran through em' all like it was nothing!"
"I can't believe that suplex ringout he hit Upa with! That was insane!"
"We're gonna start the Supernatural Division after a 30 minute recess everybody so it'd be a good idea to get your steps in and stretch while you've got the time!"
Sapa sat by himself, breathing in slowly on a bench inside the tournament hall. A man with a chin length mullet kind of deal walked over to him with a raised brow.
"Are you Sapa?"
"Yeah."
"Krillin was supposed to be my opponent, how did you get into the bracket instead?"
"The tournament organisers said I could as long as one of The Top 4 gave up their spot willingly. The rules aren't as airtight for this division seeing as it's the first year they've implemented it as well as the fact that there's no preliminary round or anything."
"How'd you get Krillin to hand you the spot?"
"He said Goku would like to see new competition in the mix."
The man walked off before Sapa could say anything else, leaving the brown man in the white gi and red belt to contemplate by himself.
"I'm gonna be honest with you, Kid."
"What is it?"
"We can't beat any of those guys right now."
"I was afraid you'd say that. After you taught me how to sense for Chakras I realised just how much stronger they are."
"We'll need to steal a bit more energy before we can go toe-to-toe with them. I suggest we gather some from the Supernatural Division competitors and then siphon as much as we can from the exchanges in our matches."
"Hmmm" He breathed in deep. "Phewww~" Then exhaled, opening his eyes and smirking with ill intent.
Lao
The old man sat watching over the shop as people came in and out, purchasing various items. The 7 star Dragon Ball hung from the ceiling just over the cash register. Lime sat on a stool next to her grandfather reading a book.
"Granpa?"
"Yes dear?"
"How do you say this one?" She questioned loudly, bringing the book up to his face.
"That's larceny. Remember? C's are used the same as S's sometimes."
"Right. Like receive?"
"Exactly."
"What does larceny mean?"
"Larceny is stealing."
"Oh~" She answered with duck lips.
"Are you reading a crime novel?"
"Yeah."
"Do you like it?"
Before Lime could answer, two older men bursted into the store, wind at their backs which pushed past them and into the department, blowing over various shelves in their wake.
FWUOFF~ Krashhh!
Lime's grandfather said nothing, only giving them the stink eye of legends.
"Wait a second..?" He thought to himself. "Don't I recognise that hat from somewhere..?"
Lao had seen not Tao but Shen. Master Roshi, Shen, and Lao had all attended the 13th Tenkaichi Budokai over 60 years ago in their youth. Roshi ultimately ended up winning the tournament but the viciousness of Shen still remained as a constant reminder of the dangers of the sport.
Lime's grandfather furrowed his brow and stepped around the counter.
"I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I will do you this one kindness and not request you pay for the damage. Get Out."
"You hear that, Tao? He thinks he's gonna stop us from doing as we please."
"Tao..? Mercenary Tao?" The elderly shopkeep made sure to keep to himself as he examined the cyborg wearing the pink kung fu gi.
"We were just leaving." Tao remarked as he practically teleported over to the counter, stealing the Dragon Ball and then returning next to his brother.
Lime blinked a few times, trying to assess what just happened.
"Huh..!" She gasped. "Hey! You stole our crystal ball! That's larceny!"
"Quiet down little girl, I've killed for less."
"What..?" She let out dumbly.
Lime's grandfather emanated a twisted and furious aura as he stepped between the two men and his granddaughter.
"Granpa! Do something! They're gonna steal our stuff!" She whined, hopping up and down.
"Settle down, Lime." He issued calmly, patting her shoulder.
He wasn't doing a very good job settling down himself but he tried his best to save face in front of his granddaughter.
"But~"
Tao gave a killer glare as he and Shen left the building, Lao followed them out, giving them a menacing, fatherly look.
"Stay inside."
"But~"
Lime's grandfather gave her a reassuring and warm glow as he squatted down and looked her in the eyes.
"It's gonna be okay."
"Okay…"
He got up and pursued the two men onto the dirt road.
"Are you sure you want to do this, old man? You look like you've seen better days."
Lime's grandfather said nothing, only putting his thumbs in his pockets and studying the brothers thoroughly.
"It's not polite to stare, you know." Tao reiterated as he dropped off the Dragon Ball onto Shen's hand.
Tao walked forwards as Shen brought out the Dragon Radar.
"Tao!"
"Hmm?"
"They're here!"
"What!?"
KOMM! Fsh~
Tao barely dodged the bullet that pierced the air and then the ground. Cha blew the smoke away from his revolver and twirled it around stylishly before putting it away.
Fufufwu~ Clicc.
"You're back for a second beating, are you?"
"I don't ever remember losing." Cha said with a cold indifference, sitting on the wire of a telephone pole.
Tao frowned as his right hand retracted and then extended out as a canon.
"Dodon Wave!"
VZHHHHHHHH~ Tup.
Shen and Tao looked all around before Shen locked onto his location with Ki Sensing.
"Below!" He called out just before the earth began to crack underneath them.
KRSHH!
The brothers backdashed out of the way, Tao landing next to the elderyly shopkeep. He sharpened his focus and grabbed hold of the man in one fell swoop.
"You move and the old man gets it!" He cried.
Cha only raised a brow at the maneuver.
"Granpa!" Lime cried as she barged through the saloon doors.
Lime's grandfather ponied up immediately as soon as she put herself in danger, judo throwing Tao to the ground in an impressive display of athleticism.
"What!?" Tao screamed as he made contact with the ground. The cyborg-man twisted his body in an unnatural contortion, metal clicks and whirrs confirming the inorganic nature of the transition.
Shen looked to Cha who in turn stared back at him as Tao blindsided the shopkeep with a quick elbow, running past and attempting to snatch up Lime.
"Maybe this'll be more convincing!" He yelled as he sprinted along the grass at blistering speeds.
Out of nowhere, a child wearing a white kung fu top and black pants landed right in front of the girl, pushing her back.
"Huh..?"
"Be careful." The boy said with a serious but still warm smile.
Tao switched targets, retracting his gun arm and spawning his right hand again to grab Gohan.
"It's your funeral now, Kid!"
Gohan deftly ducked under, parrying Tao's overhand, slinging behind the back for an arm drag.
"Ragh!" Tao yelped as he caught the ground skillfully, dirt flying up into the air. "Not good enough!"
"Whoa~" Gohan exclaimed as Tao retracted his left hand and sent out a blade.
Ssskk!
"I gotta get Goten out of here!" Gohan ran through his mind a thousand times as Tao dashed at his position.
Just before the cyborg got in range, Nao sent out his Kusarigama, cutting off the attack angle.
SWUNKK!
It chopped into the ground and forced a minor retreat from Tao.
"Thanks!" Gohan called out quick as he fell onto his ass, covering Goten with his arms.
Goten still didn't care, drinking away at his little milk bottle.
"Yew should get that lil' tyke outta here."
"But where would I put him? I can't just leave him… Uh~"
"There we go." The elderly shopkeep soothed as he picked Goten up from the pouch. "This your little brother?"
"Yeah."
"It's getting pretty dangerous here by the looks of it." He said with a smile as another ninja touched down in front of him, totalling three ninjas in the street.
"Tell me about it." Gohan agreed as the shopkeep helped him off the ground. "What's your name, Mister?"
"Lao."
Gohan bowed sincerely.
"Thank you for taking care of my brother."
"No thanks necessary."
"No, really."
"Well I'm not the one to thank, young man."
"Huh?"
Lao handed off the infant to Lime, he himself straightening up.
"Right now, the thanks go to my granddaughter. You can thank Me after we teach these hooligans a lesson." Lao reiterated with a smile, rolling up his white long sleeves to reveal chiseled and vascular forearms.
"Whoa~" Gohan let out with a dumb smile.
"I was kind of a hooligan myself back in the day so I know just how to rough em' up."
The Murasaki Brothers VS The Crane School Brothers
The wind kicked up as Lime backed away shyly into the department store, looking on through the bottom of the saloon doors.
"I'm not going to take it easy on you guys this time around. If you want your lives to end at my hands, please step forward."
Swuf~Fwuf~Swiss~
Nao said nothing, only swinging his scythe and chain slowly and in an intimidating manner as he shifted the piece of hay in his mouth.
"Fine. I see you gentlemen don't value your lives. Very well then." The cyborg-man stated plainly as he cracked his neck on both sides, mechanical sounding clicks and shifts accompanying.
DMM!
"Guhaww~" Nao let out a spray of saliva as Tao was already hitting him deep with a punch to the solar plexus.
"He's Tao alright." Lao ruminated as he took on a low stance.
Nao flew off into a nearby house, breaking into the wooden foundation.
"Nao!" Aka screamed as his brother took damage.
The red ninja was the first to strike, unsheathing his blade and rushing in quick. Gohan followed right after him, trailing.
"That's the game you want to play, huh?"
SCINGG!
They clashed blades before Tao got the better of the exchange, slashing a deep diagonal mark across Aka's face.
"Rrgh!" He grunted as Tao pulled back his arm to ready a stab.
Gohan caught the cyborg's arm mid-way, stalling it out completely. Aka picked up on the timing and brandished his blow gun. Before he could fire, Tao attempted to blast him away with the freed-up canon arm.
"Sayonara!"
VZHHHHHhhhhh~
It didn't work.
Lao had gotten parallel with Gohan, defending the arm on the other side, blocking and parrying the ki with his old, veiny hands.
"Whoa~" Gohan looked on with intrigue as Lao worked his magic on the yellow blast.
POKK! Krrrckle~
Aka blasted a pocket of wind onto Tao's left goggle, cracking it in and causing glitches to mark on his electronic heads-up display.
"You fiend!" He yelled as he gathered up the strength to jump into the air, lock in his legs and boot them out in a meteoric dropkick at Aka's chest.
WHUMM!
"Gohh~" Aka let out dumbly, eyes whited out from the force. The red ninja rolled over onto the grass like a turtle, dropping both katana and bow gun.
Tao landed from the committal move, spinning out in a wild flourish as winds kicked up like a hurricane.
Fwuoff~ SCINGG!
The cyborg spun around in a blazing arc, just missing the two opponents on either side as they barely sidled away.
"Whoa!"
"This man is dangerous, youngster! You might want to steer clear!" Lao yelled as he focused up and edged closer to the threat.
"My dad taught me to never back down from a reasonable challenge. He don't look so tough."
"Is that so?" Tao questioned with a burning glare, the sun catching his searing red goggles just right.
SWING!
Gohan ducked under the chopping left hand just in time. As Tao followed through with the slash, the weapon retracted and a new one sprouted, a hatchet.
Tao's hidden weapon is not just a singular blade, it houses many compact weapons in its machinery.
During the return swing Tao was caught off guard with just how quick Gohan was to respond, jumping in the air and forcing his left arm up and away with a kick-push using his left.
"Damn kid!" Tao grunted out before he was booted harshly in the back.
Gohan's eyes widened as he realised his moment, touching ground, jumping back up, and landing a back thrust kick to force a ping-pong. It looked just like his dad's. As the cyborg backpedaled Lao crossed his arms over his torso for leverage, flaring them out as he finished a stepping side kick right between the shoulderblades. Tao was thrust back forward sharply as Gohan crouched low, finishing with a rising and jumping right upper from the ground.
WHOKK!
Tao hit the grass but kipped up immediately, as soon as his left foot touched the ground from the rise it shot up sharply in an unnatural movement pattern, catching Lao right in the teeth. Lime's grandfather clutched at his mustache, feeling out the damage before his adversary rushed in deep.
"Look out!" Is all Gohan could say before the cyborg went crazy like a hatchetman.
Lao used expert head movement, akin to a boxer as he dodged the slashes with only his upper body. The elderly shopkeep sussed out the right angle, snapping loose his left suspender and snatching the hilt of the chrome hatchet with it like a lasso.
"Youngster!" Lao commanded as he guided Tao around like a stampeding bull.
"Okay!"
Lime's grandfather let him go, tossing him onto Gohan's location. Gohan followed through with glamour, jumping and spinning into a climatic right tornado roundhouse.
WHAMM! Skffffff~
Tao hit the ground hard, throwing up blades of grass and dirt everywhere. Tao stayed down for almost no time, getting up off the land with ease.
"Hmm."
Tao was controlled now by only the synapses in his brain, no nervous system operation. He had fought Tien with the nervous system operation back at the 23rd but it proved ineffective as Tien was strong enough to cause him physical pain. Now the only thing holding him back was the full-body machinery he was forced to rely on and his own ingenuity.
"Man!" Gohan called out as he sidled next to his new partner. "This guy is tough… don't you think?"
"I'll say." Lao said.
Shen walked with a slow and calculated precision as Cha mimicked him from a few feet away.
Fwsh! DMM!
They clashed, meeting in the middle as Cha went for a roundhouse, checked by Shen's right knee. Cha backdashed but was pursued feverishly by the old man's relentless crane strikes. A blue suited ninja came crashing through, barely missing the two fighting as he collided with the wall of a house. Cha once again broke focus to check on Nao but it was not the right move, Shen landing a mean elbow strike on his chest wound, forcing up red onto the wraps.
"Damn~" Cha wheezed as he took a kneel on the dirt.
"Die!" Shen shreeked as he wound back his right forearm for a chop.
KOMM!
Cha hit a quickdraw. Shen caught the bullet with ease, maintaining his speed with the striking hand. The bleeding ninja scurried away just in time as Kon landed on a house from far away looking for the right angle. Shen dashed off the ground in three bursts to cut off Cha's escape.
FshWshWuf!
Cha put forth a great effort despite the wound, dodging the crane man's furious wind-cutting blows.
"Stay~Still!"
Cha skittered along the ground with impressive showmanship, darting and dashing like he earned the namesake. Kon landed just behind a garbage can in front of one of the many houses lining the street, furrowing his brow and nodding his head to the tune of the battle. Kon breathed in deep as he readied his kunai in between the nooks of his fingers.
"Phuu~"
His hands trembled, not of fear but of pure and raw concentration.
Fwsht! Snkk!
"Gah!" Shen yelped as a sharp dagger stuck the left side of his neck, breaking through a small bit of skin and drawing blood. He caught it, but only barely, and not early enough to prevent an injury.
Cha's eyes widened and he dashed with reckless abandon, leaving a smokey dust cloud in his wake.
WHOKK!
The cracking sound caused by Cha's knee strike was deafening, ringing out in an impressive echo as Shen's head whipped back wildly, chin immediately reddened by the fearsome impact. Shen was rocked so thoroughly he slid along the ground, kicking up a trail of dust. He attempted to kip up but was pinned down in a dominant display. Cha forced his knee on the man's chest and brandished his katana with a martial artist's flair.
SCING!
Kon stood over him as well, also drawing his blade.
"Don't. Move."
Shen did not heed their warning and attempted to palm strike Cha's freshly opened injury.
Sklutt!
It was not the right call.
Kon covered his brother perfectly, stabbing right through the man's left arm and holding the pose.
"Aiee~Hahh~" Shen fumbled out as his teashades dropped in response to the strain, his arms wigging out as the nerves fired harshly.
"Dodon~"
Sla~WINGG!
"ACKGH!" Shen screamed within reason, his left hand and forearm had just been severed.
Kon just made a 'you win some you lose some' kind of face, wincing a bit. Shen's blood drained out and pooled on the dirt, his skin losing colour fast.
"I got it from here." Kon reassured as he sheathed his blade.
"Nah." Cha replied pretty immediately. "I'm worse off than you are. I'll guard the cripple." He joked with a shit-eating grin.
Kon smirked as well, fist-bumping his brother and hopping over the body to go meet up with his other brother fighting the brother of Shen. Instead of meeting up with them however, he stuck to the shadows, dashing and hiding behind the other half of Lao's general store. Aka finally got back to his feet, trying desperately to shake off the damage.
"What'd I miss..?" He asked with an uneven breath.
"He's tough, that's for sure." Gohan responded as Tao cracked his neck once again.
"Damn~ heh-heh." Aka laughed out as he picked up his items off the ground, wiping away the loose stream of red from his mouth.
Tao scanned the area with his mechanical goggles, sniping the attempted sneak attack by the blue ninja.
Schwa~SINGG!
Tao parried the chain of Nao's kusarigama with his hidden blade, guiding it around his frame and causing it to crash into Lao's shop. Gohan rushed in without a worry in the world.
"Watch out, young one!" Lao called out as he dashed right after him.
Skfffff~
Gohan hit a low baseball slide past the cyborg, narrowly avoiding the slash. He kicked off the ground to fire up some offence but was caught lacking as Tao covered it with a scorpion tail right leg, dusting him on the chin.
WHOKK!
"Duh~" The son of Son Goku let out dumbly as he fell to the grass.
Lao jumped in right after for support but Tao had enough, just absolutely going to town with crane jabs using his right and rapier-like stabs using his left. Lao saw the right moment and judo threw him for a second time, Tao was ready though, as soon as his feet touched the grass a strange springy mechanism sounded out and he rebounded into the air, landing a domineering bouncy knee strike on the nape.
"Aha~" Lao wheezed out as he stepped forward involuntarily.
Thunkk! Fsht!
The cyborg was adapting.
Tao punished Aka's attempt, smashing straight through his bow gun, crushing it from the front like a tin can and following through to sock him one hard.
"Uogh!"
Skffffff~
"Huah!" Lao came right back, trying to boot the cyborg on the print of 'Kill You'.
It worked.
"Hmm."
FshWshWoosh!
Tao dodged all three overhands, punishing it with a high boot to the nose. The elderly shopkeep's nose started to bleed instantly, forcing him to clutch at it just before Tao sent him packing with a stepping thrust kick to the mid-section.
"Mr. Lao!" Gohan yelled as the man hit the grass.
Nao wasted no more time, unsheathing his katana and sprinting like a man on a mission.
"Not good enough." Tao mocked as he dodged the slash by a hair.
Whapp!
The cyborg's braid made contact with Nao's brow area and reddened it immediately. He tried to follow through with a head-severing slash but Gohan wouldn't let it through, jumping and clutching at Tao's left arm.
"Damn~ kid…"
"Perfect!" Kon kept to himself as he ninja flipped with grace into the air, eclipsing the sun as he threw a sharp and lightning fast kunai at the undamaged goggle.
Krrrackk!
"Rrrrrgh!" Tao grunted out as his field of view was now limited to a hazardous limit of broken and cracked screens.
He shook off Gohan with ease, kicking him back and then booting Nao in the nads.
"Uh~Haaaaaaaaa~" He squealed out as he touched the ground, writhing in grief.
"Great…" Cha grit his teeth as he watched his brothers fight for their lives.
"Bro!" Aka cried as he unsheathed his katana.
"Dodon Ray!"
Aka ducked under it like a pro, weaving his head in a teardrop motion as he came in close. He reared back the blade to slash but it wasn't fast enough as he was snuffed from the jump by a very antique martial artist block with the base of his left foot, crossing over his right. The unexpected contact forced Aka on the backfoot.
The red suited ninja went ballistic, flipping and slashing from every angle, trying to catch the cyborg slipping by putting enough offence on the table that it didn't matter.
Swuf~Scuf~SINGG!
"Yah!"
Krshh!
Tao caught Aka's blade and crushed it with his right metal hand, right at the base too, not even capable of being a shiv. He cocked a boot to boot but Aka handled it just in time, clasping both hands around the ankle. Tao sharpened up tight, whirling around like a tornado, breaking free from the hold and then slamming the same leg in as a crescent kick instead. Aka was knocked so thoroughly he crashed into the general store, breaking open the archway on its left side. Gohan leaped high to strike but his offence was dodged even though Tao had his back turned. The cyborg swiveled on a dime, catching the son of Son Goku by the collar of his kung fu gi.
"Wrong move!" He shouted, looking to pierce Gohan through the face with his iron needle.
Fwup!
Gohan caught it in a clasp, millimetres away from poking right through his nose. Lao dashed in deep to help out the young kid.
Fwush!
Tao went to stab at the old shopkeep but it proved ineffective as Lao guided it out of the way and slammed a righteous left leg at the cyborg's midsection. He dropped his hold on Gohan but didn't look any worse for wear.
"Hmm~" Gohan hummed aloud as he landed on the grass, studying his opponent.
"Yah!" Tao yelped as he made clean contact with a high left leg, Lao's face was drilled back and loose streams of blood ran out of his nose, staining his white mustache and button up.
Lao laughed a bit as rolled over onto the ground.
"This is one of my favourite shirts." He said as he pulled at the collar, wiping his nose with the other hand.
"Goodbye!" Tao taunted as he locked in the cannon on his right arm, pointing it at Gohan and the old man simultaneously.
"There!"
VVVV-Sunkk! Vwerrrrrrr~
The canon jived, jitted, then jammed as a kunai hogged up the charging space.
"Damn..!"
Kon landed next to the pair, knocking in more kunai knives between his fingers. He held a handsign with his right, hitting a stylish pose just before the loose thin paper on it exploded, roughing up the inside.
"You pest!"
Krunkcle~KOO-KOO-KOOMM!
The ground rumbled then broke out in several cylindrical blocks all beaming onto the cyborg's position. Cha mimed the movements of the rock formations as he kept a knee on Shen. Tao was forced onto the defensive as Gohan squatted down next to Nao.
"Are you okay?"
"Uuu~" Is all he could groan out as he grasped at his crotch and flipped over.
Lao posted up with a rustic martial arts flair, rearing his arms back and into the air before stomping on the ground and pointing his knuckles at the enemy.
Fwsht! Foosh! WhufFwufFoo~
They battled it out strike for strike as Tao retracted his left-hand blade and tried to shake out his gun arm to dislodge the kunai fragments. The cyborg won out once again, slamming in a backfist onto Lao's throat. The elderly shopkeep coughed up some spit and red liquid, much to Lime's dismay.
"Granpa!" She shouted loudly, the saloon doors flying open.
Before she could get far Aka grabbed her by the back and placed himself in front of her.
"It's dangerous." He said kind of awkwardly but with a hint of stoicism.
"Kon!" Gohan called out.
"What is it?"
"That kunai in the arm was a good idea!"
"It was, wasn't it?" He gloated.
"I don't think he feels pain?"
"You sure he's not just that strong? He's Mercenary Tao after all."
"I don't think so."
"Why not?"
Aka and Lao put forth a prophetic performance, dodging and countering against Tao's furious punches and kicks. Fighting back and winning most of the exchanges as they stacked on top of each other.
"If he was really so strong we couldn't knock him around."
Kon said nothing, just raising a brow with the intent of: 'go on~'
"My dad…" He paused, looking at the ground for the right words. "I can't even get him to move. I can't hurt him either but he doesn't move an inch!"
Kon maintained his suspicions but let the boy keep talking.
"I moved Tao with at least a few of my hits. That means that I'm near his strength but I just can't hurt him… You see what I'm saying?"
"...Not really."
"We break him down by removing his weapons." He said as he pointed to the still malfunctioning gun arm.
"Ohhh!"
"We might not be able to hurt him but we can stop him from being able to fight back!"
"Nice thinking, kid!"
Kon nodded his head to each beat of the confrontation, instead of going for a linear approach, he waited for the right opportunity, waiting for a defensive maneuver. Just as planned, Tao backdashed to get away from the onslaught. Cha had it ready, bringing up a rectangular block from the ground and shooting out another block out of it in a sort of reverse L shape. The pillar blindsided the cyborg utterly, slamming into the back of his head and absolutely launching him forward.
"Nao!" Aka yelled.
The blue suited ninja got up to a knee, taking off his katana, strap and all, throwing it to his brother.
SsssssINGG!
Is the sound the blade made as Aka unsheathed it dramatically. Kon's eyes widened in response, he jumped high into the air, readying a kunai with his intense shaking vigour. His red suited brother went for it, slashing at Tao. The cyborg, as ready as ever, still caught the blade, crushing it with his left hand. Kon covered the defensive response, throwing the knife at Tao's mouth. The cyborg was forced to catch it as the earthy pillar blocked off escape routes. He endeavored to lock it in with his teeth.
Klankk!
He grit his teeth hard around the weapon as Aka came in close. Nao motioned over to Gohan.
"The chain!"
Nao nodded.
Fwsh!
In an absolutely blinding display of speed Gohan had already thrown the kusarigama at Nao. The blue suited ninja caught it just in time, giving it one twirl before throwing. Tao readied his right leg to kick Aka as he advanced but it was impossible, the chain wrapped his limb tight. The cyborg was pulled forward. Gohan dashed to the other side, tackling his left leg and wrapping his arms around like a clamp.
"Enough!" Tao shouted the kunai out of his mouth as he shook out the last of the debris, a dazzling yellow light show filing out of his gun arm,. "Dodon~Wave!"
VVVVWWWWuuuuu~
The gun shot out the burst but it was locked, frozen in time as Lao parried it in place. Aka hit a litany of handsigns on his way to finish the slash, hyping up the attack and causing high-force winds to roll off the broken up blade.
SCWUNGG! Kla-Konk.
Tao's left arm was severed, falling to the ground in a heap of metals and circuits.
SCINGG! Tonk.
Now his right, the energy in the air dissipating.
"Dodon..!"
Everyone had their attention pulled across the dirt street as Shen hyped up a last ditch effort.
KOMMKOMKOMM!
"Gah~"
Cha quickdrew one last time, firing three rounds exactly onto the old man's veiny forearm. They didn't pierce through but the impact stung like a gavel slammed it. The bloody chest-wrapped brother locked in the hold, keeping his right knee situated on the chest and the left foot stamped over his enemy's right wrist.
"Whew~" Lao let out a loose breath as Tao cracked his neck one last time.
"I…"
Everyone looked at the cyborg.
"Surrender."
"Huh." Aka let out dumbly as he sheathed the katana in his own holster. Him and Nao locked eyes, shrugging a single time.
"Now listen up." Lao said dominantly as he walked forward. "If I ever see you anywhere near my granddaughter, my shop, or anywhere near Chazke Village. You're going to have to answer me."
"Hmm." Is all Tao had to put forth, his characteristic hum. "I'll think twice."
Aka wore a harsh frown as he lifted up Tao's gi to check for the Dragon Balls. The beaten to hell and back red ninja found them and gripped the orange spheres tightly.
"Hey kid. Catch."
"Whuoah~" Gohan caught the single Dragon Ball, Aka keeping hold over the other.
Lao stared daggers as Tao walked past them and strided towards his beaten and bleeding brother. The group tailed the cyborg close, making sure to stop any sudden moves. Tao motioned with a gesture of the head as Cha backed off, hand on his blade. Shen got up surprisingly not so restricted considering his missing arm. Before they could leave, Cha quickly snatched up the last Dragon Ball hidden in Shen's coat. They each gave one more killer glare before vanishing into the wind.
"Thanks, mister Lao."
"Heh. You were pretty good, young one. I'm impressed."
"Aww, thanks." The son of Son Goku said as he blushed.
"You were a great help." Kon reiterated as he stuck his hand out for a shake.
"You as well."
"Sorry for the damages." Aka waved off with a laugh as he looked at the two big holes in the shop.
"No big deal. Folks like them are the reason it's damaged. More people could have gotten hurt if we let them have their way."
Kon just smiled, snapped, and pointed finger guns at the old shopkeeper.
"Granpa?"
"Hmm? Oh~ Here you go, son."
"Hey Goten."
The little boy was especially cheery, reaching out to be grabbed by his older brother.
"I missed ya." He said, his cheeks flushed with red.
"You were cool out there."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
"Heh-heh. Gosh!" Gohan's already red cheeks ran crimson as the girl complimented him. "Thanks for taking care of my little brother."
"You bet!"