Chapter 8

"Bardock!" A loud voice echoed through the men's changing room, much to Vegeta's and Piccolo's annoyance.

Bardock paused in changing and held out his arms as Tekka jumped into them. He patted his friend's back once before removing him from his shoulders. He grinned slightly, "Hey, Tek. You ready for the tournament?"

"You bet," Tekka chuckled. He did some light punches. "I've been training every day since our flying lessons ended, so I'm in tip top shape."

"Right, right," Bardock nodded. He turned to his friends and family. He gestured to Tekka as he addressed them, "Guys, this is my best friend Tekka. Tekka, these guys are only parts of my family. There's my grandpa Goku, my uncle Goten, my mentor Trunks Briefs, my dad's mentor Mr. Piccolo, my grandpa's best buddy and Trunks' dad Vegeta, my dad's other friends Yamcha and Krillin."

Tekka bowed with a wide smile, "It's nice to meet you all. Bardock has told me so much about you. Trust me when I tell you that I am so looking forward to this tournament."

Goku waved with a grin, "Nice to meet you too, Tekka. I'm glad Bardock is making friends in high school."

"Looks like he's the only one," Vegeta muttered. He winced when Bardock threw his shoe at the back of his head.

"Can you guys teleport and fly too?" Tekka asked innocently.

Bardock closed his eyes, ignoring Vegeta and Piccolo's glares, "We can all fly, but, other than me, my grandpa is the only one who can teleport. He's the one who taught me." He tried to mentally tell them that those were the only powers Tekka knew about. However, he knew that by the end of the day, Tekka and Gine were going to know everything.

Going back to changing, Bardock put on his orange top over his blue one and tucked it into his orange gi pants. He tightened his blue belt and moved onto his shoes. Once those were on, he grabbed a red cloth and tied it to his forehead.

Trunks smiled at the headband after he finished changing, "Man, I haven't seen you wear that thing in a long while."

Bardock grinned back and touched the cloth, feeling nostalgia at the sight of it, "Yeah. I've missed it."

Once everyone finished changing, they walked out and met Pan and Gine outside. They then made their way to the qualifying area. Bardock only hoped they didn't have the stupid punching machine like last time. Hercule wasn't as strong as his past counterpart, who wasn't that strong to begin with, and Bardock was a bit stronger than anyone liked to admit, so taking on something so meager wouldn't probably lead to another Vegeta incident.

One of the workers walked up to them with a polite smile, "Are you the family and friends with Mr. Satan?"

"Uh yes…" Gohan answered confusedly.

"Friends is a stretch," Vegeta commented.

The worker paid no mind to the short Saiyan. "Mr. Satan has paid for your qualifications, so your places are secured." He glanced at the young humans. "Unfortunately, your friends will have to take the qualifier."

When he was out of earshot, both Bardock and Pan let out twin sighs of relief. "Thank Kami," Bardock breathed deeply. He glanced over at the front and found the punching machine being wheeled out with Hercule following. He leaned down towards his sister, whispering, "Do you think Mom told him anything?"

"It's more than likely," Pan hissed back. "But thank Kami. I did not want to have Vegeta destroy another one again."

"What are you two whispering about?" Gine raised a questioning eyebrow while Tekka nodded behind her.

Bardock waved his hand and turned to the adults. "It's nothing. Why don't you get to the stage? They should be starting the junior division soon. We'll wait here with Tekka and Gine."

Goku pouted as he followed the others, "I kind of wanted to do the qualifying thing. It looks fun." He looked at the punching machine and tilted his head curiously, "What are we supposed to do with it?"

"Punch it, Dad," Gohan answered with an amused smile.

"Hercule probably knew we'd have a higher score," Trunks mused before they were out of earshot.

Pan shook her head and walked towards Gine, only to stop in her tracks when she saw Gine and Bardock standing next to each other, having a civil conversation. That still took some getting used to.

While her grandfather started the qualifier by punching the machine, getting a 119 which was lower than what he got in the past timeline, she walked over to Tekka who kept bouncing on his toes and fidgeting with his fingers anxiously. She held in a smirk as she spoke up, "You have your morning coffee yet?"

Tekka huffed a weak chuckle, his movements ceasing, "Bardock says the same thing when we have to take a test." He lifted his hand and scratched his head, a sad smile on his lips. "I just always need to have some kind of movement. When those monsters were around, I always had to be moving. I couldn't stay in one spot for too long or they'd find me."

Pan shook her head, placing her hand on his arm to comfort him, "It's fine. I was kind of the same way. I always wanted to do something to help others but I kept falling short. Helping people running away was the only thing I was good at."

"That's not true." Tekka's smile became sincere. "Pan, I'm sure you've done more than just run away. Heck, you've probably inspired people who thought nothing good would ever happen to them." He nudged her shoulder with his fist. "Don't sell yourself short, Pan. Even if you don't believe in yourself, many other people do."

"Like you?" Pan asked jokingly, paying no notice to the blush creeping on her cheeks.

Tekka grinned brightly, "Of course like me. I'm your number one fan." He then tilted his head thoughtfully, "Well, maybe after Gine and Bardock."

Before they could continue, the two heard Tekka's number being called. He smiled at Pan and gave her a wave before rushing over to the punching machine. She watched as he planted his feet firmly before throwing a hard punch, getting a 110. Since it was so close to Hercule's, she knew he was more than likely getting a spot on the roster.

Bardock clapped when he saw Tekka's score. "I knew he had it in him." He crossed his arms and turned to his friend with a small grin, "You better keep up with him or you might fall behind. You never know who you're gonna go up against."

Gine smiled amusedly, "Please. Training was the only thing I could do over these past couple of months." She shrugged, "As long as I don't get any of your family, I'll be fine."

"What if you get me?"

Her smile turned into a mischievous grin. "Please. If I get you, it doesn't matter if you're strong than me. I know you'll fold like a lawn chair."

The half Saiyan smiled despite the twitch in his eyebrow, "I'd be offended, but my mother always told me to be courteous no matter what Vegeta says."

"He seems like someone you have to really get to know to like him."

"He is," Bardock replied. He then grinned when Gine's number was called. He bowed out of the way jokingly as she passed him.

Gine walked up to the machine and stared at it for a beat before pulling her arm back and shoving her fist into the machine, getting a 115 and cementing her place on the roster. Her friends clapped for her when she walked back.

"Should we get going now?" Pan suggested. As they started walking towards the stage where the junior division was well on its way, she leaned towards her brother and whispered, "I don't know if it's going to be like the past, but if it is, I'm really looking forward to this fight."

Bardock nodded eagerly, "Me too. Bra isn't much different from past Trunks in attitude, but when it comes to fighting, the two can't be anymore different."