I posted an update on Thursday, so go check that one out, too. If you have, Enjoy!
"You two made this so hard for me," Chi-Chi said, as they stood outside of the tournament gates. "I don't know which one of you I should root for."
"Well, look at it this way," Goku said. "You don't have to get upset if one of us loses because you've been rooting for both of us! You get to win, regardless!"
She sighed and shook her head. "I suppose so. Just… have fun up there. Both of you. We'll be in the stands, cheering you both on."
Gohan jumped in his mother's arms. "Dada! Dada!"
Goku took Gohan away from Chi-Chi, for a moment. He rubbed the top of his head, moving his hat around. "I'll win it for you, little guy! Promise."
Gohan giggled and smiled. He reached out towards Piccolo. "Pikkoyo!"
Piccolo rubbed his knuckle against his cheek, making him smile bigger.
Chi-Chi took him back. "We better get to our seats. Good luck, you two."
"Bye!"
Goku waved at Chi-Chi and Gohan, as they left for the general entrance.
"See, there he is. Over by the entrance."
"Goku! Hey, Goku!"
Goku looked up and around, then over at Piccolo. "Did you say my name?" Piccolo shook his head.
"Over here, you big oaf!"
They looked over to their right. Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien were there, and joined by a few others – short pale man with red cheeks was standing next to Tien. Next to Yamcha, there was a flying blue cat and a pig dressed in khakis and a polo shirt.
Goku's face lit up with a smile. "Oolong! Puar! Chiaotzu!" He ran over to them and caught them in a big bear hug. "I missed you guys so much!"
"No thanks to you," the pig said, in a strained voice. It looked like he was trying to get out of his tight hold. "You're the one who stayed away for so long."
When Goku looked up, again, he saw Krillin in the crowd. "Hey, Krillin! You still okay?"
He laughed, awkwardly. Underneath his hat, there was a bit of a bandage sticking out of it. "Doc said I just need to take it easy, for a while. Said I was lucky you didn't know my brain out of place, back there."
Goku scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. I'm still sorry about that…"
"Goku, my boy, don't tell me I still need to teach you to control your strength." Master Roshi walked over, gripping his walking stick.
"It's not his fault, Roshi. I was just too weak."
"Nonsense, Krillin. You've proven time and time again that you're a true martial artist. Don't put yourself down because someone forgot his strength."
"Yeah. I was just getting a bit too into the fight. Wasn't your fault."
The pig laughed. "I guess you really haven't changed, Goku."
Piccolo stayed where he was, watching Goku catch-up with his old peers. Before this tournament started, he didn't know just how many lives he had touched. All of these people of different backgrounds and histories all came together because of him. He never would have suspected it, when he had first met him. However, the more he had gotten to know him, the more sense it made.
Speaking from his experience alone, he truly had an effect on people.
He was pulled from his thoughts when the flying cat got right in his face. He glared at him, speaking in a very high-pitched voice. "You! You're that guy that beat up Lord Yamcha! How dare you!"
Yamcha immediately ran over. "Hey, Puar, it's fine. Don't get mad at him – it was just for the tournament."
"Says you!" Puar turned his fury towards Yamcha. "You've worked hard for so long and you still don't get any credit! How much longer are you going to put up with it?!"
The pig sprayed him with a water bottle he pulled out of nowhere. "Down, pussycat. No need to get your whiskers in a twist."
Goku laughed, as he went back over to it. "I guess you've met Puar and Oolong, now." He gestured towards the short man with the rosy cheeks. "That's Chiaotzu – he's one of Tien's friends. We met at the same tournament."
Conversations were cut off by the buzzing of the loudspeaker. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls: the final round of the World Martial Arts Tournament will begin in just a few moments. Take your seats now, before they get taken for you. And will our finalists please report to the tournament stage? Thank you."
Tien leaned down and picked up Chiaotzu. "We better be getting to our seats," Tien said. "Good luck. We'll be rooting for you, Goku."
Yamcha put his hand on Piccolo's shoulder. "I'm betting on you, my good man. I think you'll manage to overcome him." Piccolo awkwardly nodded, not used to that praise.
"See you at the end of the tournament, champ," Krillin said.
"Thanks," Goku saluted to his friends, before leaving. "We better get going, Piccolo!"
Just as Piccolo started walking, he paused. When he turned around, Master Roshi was staring at him. He couldn't clearly see his expression behind his glasses, but even that could not mask his distrust.
"I am not my father," was all he said to him, before he followed Goku.
"I hope you all have enjoyed this exciting tournament! I'll tell you what, ladies and gentlemen, in my twenty years of hosting this fine event; I can say without hesitance that this might be the best of them all! However, as usual, only one man can go home as champion. Who will it be? Make some noise if you're ready to find out!" The crowd applauded and cheered, chanting for the final fight to begin.
"I won't keep you waiting any longer! Will our contestants please make their way onto the stage?"
Goku came out first, and the crowd cheered his name.
The announcer walked over to him. "Ah, Son Goku! Tournament fans may remember that he has been a part of nearly every tournament for the past decade and has only won once. How does it feel to be back?" He pushed the microphone towards him.
"It feels awesome! I've missed fighting all of these strong guys!"
He laughed. "He truly hasn't changed. Say, in your last tournament, you stunned everyone with a proposal to your competition. What ever happened with that, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Who, Chi-Chi? Yeah, she's right over there." He pointed to where she was standing in the crowd.
The announcer leapt over to her. "Ah, there she is! Tell me, how's the married life been, sweetheart? And is that a baby you're holding? That wouldn't happen to be Son Goku's son, wouldn't it?"
Gohan huddled his face into his mom's shoulder, to get away from the strange man with glasses. Chi-Chi was so caught off-guard by his questions that she didn't have anything to say. Piccolo rolled his eyes, as he watched from backstage. He lifted his finger, and the microphone exploded. Gohan started crying, and Chi-Chi glared at him. "Get out of my son's face," she yelled at him.
"Right! Sorry, ma'am," the announcer slunk back onto the stage. "Can I get another microphone, please?"
Piccolo walked on stage, and the crowd went nuts. They cheered his pseudonym in a synchronized chant. As he looked over the audience, he saw signs with his name and face on them being waved high. There were similar signs with Goku's face on them, as well. This was quite foreign to him, to say the least.
His steps stopped. As he looked over the crowd, he felt a familiar presence. He tried to find the source of it, but there were too many people for him to pinpoint it. He couldn't put his finger on it, but one energy stood out among all of the others. He shook his head; this was distracting him. He'd mull over it, when this whole thing was over.
One of the staff ran up and handed the tournament announcer a new microphone. Immediately, he went back into action. "And here we have our biggest surprise of the tournament – Junior! He's stunned everyone and has made it all the way here, beating a few veterans in the meantime! Will this be a win for the dark horse, or will our old champion reclaim his title? Stick around, folks, and we'll find out!"
Goku and Piccolo took their places on the opposite sides of the stage. Piccolo found himself growing excited, as they stared each other down. Sure, he had fought with Goku before, but only in friendly sparring. This was different. It was competitive, and something was at stake. It might have been just a title, but that didn't matter.
"Now, let the fight-"
Goku interrupted the announcer. "Do you mind if I do something, real quick?"
"Uh… okay. Take as much time as you need!"
Goku lowered the top of his gi, letting it hang above his waste. He slipped off his blue undershirt, breathing in relief, when it went over his head. He promptly dropped it on the ground. The weight of the shirt broke the stones on the stage.
A gaggle of women sighed and swooned, as his bare chest. "Oh, Goku!" "Marry me!" "We love you!"
Chi-Chi yelled back at them. "BACK OFF, HE'S MARRIED!" That promptly shut them up.
Goku slipped the top of his gi back on. "Something tells me I'm not gonna wanna hold back against you, Piccolo." His wristbands quickly followed, doing the same as the shirt. He sat down and took of his shoes, as well.
Piccolo looked down at the discarded clothes. "Are those clothes weighted," he asked.
"Yup! Kami said I could get stronger if I did everything with weights on." Goku jumped back onto his feet and hopped in the air several times. "Man, I feel so light!" He looked back at the announcer. "Thanks for waiting!"
"Oh, uh, okay! Can we get this off of the stage, please?"
Two staff members rushed on the stage. They struggled to lift the heavy materials, and chose to drag them out of the arena.
Piccolo smirked, holding the collar of his cape. "Well, if it's going to be like that…" He lifted it over his head, and threw it behind him. The bulk of the cape landed on top of the staff, crushing them with its weight. His turban was discarded, as well. "I'll follow your advice."
"Okay! I think we've waited long enough! Is everybody ready?!"
The crowd responded in kind, cheering loudly for the two fighters.
"Good luck, Goku," yelled Krillin.
"You can do it," Yamcha shouted.
"Do your best, boys," Chi-Chi cried, as Gohan laughed and jumped up and down.
"Then let the fight begin!"
The gong chimed.
