Chapter 9
"Hey guys," Goku greeted with a smile when the teens approached. "How'd the qualifying thing go? Did you make it in?"
Bardock waved and took a stand next to him, "Hey, Grandpa." He pointed to Gine and Tekka who were a few feet behind him. "Tekka and Gine both got in. We didn't stay long enough to see who else got in too."
"Well, there shouldn't be much spots left," Trunks commented, his eyes on the tournament stage where two kids were desperately trying not to hit each other. "Whoever gets in probably won't be as strong as your friends."
"How are matches coming along?" Pan asked, smiling slightly when one kid felt sorry and gave up when the other started crying. "Have Bra or Goten gone yet?"
Krillin chuckled, scratching his nose, "Goten won his first match by barely touching the kid with his fist. The other kid was knocked out in a second."
Yamcha laughed with his friend, "Bra kicked a kid between his legs and he was out like a light though he did earn a lot of sympathy points."
Bardock grimaced, "Bra's brutal."
"She makes a father proud," Vegeta grunted with a smirk.
Trunks rolled his eyes and pushed away Gohan, Bardock, and Pan's teasing hands. He was fine. He spent the first four years being a bit jealous of Bra but the life she had was the life that he and the others fought for. So while he could get irked that Vegeta never expressed any kind of positive emotion regarding him and his accomplishments, he was happy that Bra never had to go through what he did. He knew Gohan felt the same for Goten as well.
After the last match, the semifinals had now started. The group started clapping when they saw Goten get on the stage, getting ready for his third fight.
His opponent was a scrawny kid who looked like he wanted to be somewhere else. No one could fault him for that since Goten did take down his previous opponents with barely a flick of his finger. Actually, he did defeat his second opponent with just a flick of his finger so the kid's fears were justified.
"Go Goten!" Goku cheered.
"Atta boy, Goten!" Gohan shouted with his hands cupped over his mouth. "Remember your training, Bro!"
"You got this, Goten!" Pan and Bardock yelled their encouragement for their uncle.
Tekka grinned, nudging Bardock, "I love this family support." He glanced down at the stage and winced when the scrawny kid flew off the stage. "Seems like he didn't need that much of it though."
"I'm sure the other kid is fine," Bardock said, pointedly ignoring the fact that the kid could barely stand up. When the next two fighters came up, he grabbed Pan's arm excitedly, the two bouncing on their feet.
Trunks clapped, smiling, "Alright, Bra! Win this one and you go to the finals to fight Goten!"
Vegeta smacked his son on the back of his head. "Of course she's going to win this. She is my daughter after all."
"Right," Trunks, Bardock, and Pan muttered, going back to watching the fight.
Like before, it wasn't much of a fight. Bra basically grabbed the kid's ear and walked him over to the edge of stage before throwing him off. The crowd was a little shocked. The loudest in the crowd, however, was obviously Bulma. She was acting pretty much the same she did in the past timeline which was still amusing.
After the match, the workers escorted Bra and the defeated kid back to the waiting room so they could announce the last match. The crowd was cheering but Bardock could tell they were thirsty for a good match. And they were going to get one soon.
Krillin rubbed his hands together eagerly when Goten and Bra stepped out. "Now it's getting interesting."
"I can't wait to see this," Yamcha stated with a laugh.
Bardock leaned towards his sister, whispering so their friends wouldn't hear, "Who do you think is gonna win this time?"
"I think I'll put my money on Goten this time. He is our uncle after all."
"That's what you said you were gonna do last time and he still lost." Bardock turned back to the stage and shrugged, "Well, let's see what's in store for this timeline." Maybe Goten could win this time.
The two six year olds walked onto the stage as the stage man announced this as the final match and that whoever won would go against Hercule and would win 5 million zeni. The adult fighters could hear Chi-Chi screaming for Goten to win no matter because they needed that money. It really put the pressure on the kids.
When the match started, Goten and Bra dropped into the same fighting stances their fathers used. A beat later, they flew at each other, throwing punches and kicks. Everyone watched as the two battled it out. Like in the last timeline, this was the best match in the junior division.
It wasn't long before the two continued the fight in the sky. The audience had their jaws on the ground as they numbly followed the kids with their eyes.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Goku cheered, pumping his fist. "Oh man, this is what I call a fight."
"Come on, guys! You can do it!" Krillin shouted enthusiastically.
Vegeta chuckled with a smirk, "Looks like Bra is getting the upper hand."
Back on the stage, Bra and Goten flew away before charging at each other again. Goten punched Bra in the stomach. She retaliated by throwing a hard punch to his face. She blocked his knee and flipped over him. He used that distraction and elbowed her in the back.
When they were face-to-face once more, they flew at each other and took to the skies once again. Goten tried to get Bra in a headlock but Bra was too quick. She sent a small ki blast to his abdomen and flew back to the stage with Goten hot on her heels.
"So Goten is stronger but Bra is quicker," Gine observed. "She can certainly think faster than Goten, that's for sure."
Tekka frowned slightly in sympathy, "I kinda feel bad for the little guy. If he keeps giving her enough time to think because he's too busy trying to plan his next attack, he's gonna lose for sure."
The twins glanced at each other and nodded, "Déjà vu."
Everyone watched as the two kids paused their fighting and instead were having some kind of conversation. The crowd was growing restless. They were giddy with excitement yet their nerves were shot from their anticipation and anxiety on wondering how this fight would end and who would win.
When the conversation ended, the Saiyans, minus Vegeta, Yamcha, and Krillin almost died of heart attacks from seeing both child half Saiyans turn into Super Saiyans in front of millions of people.
"Th-they're gold fighters," Tekka croaked in shock.
"No way," Gine gaped.
Bardock gripped his shirt tightly, his head lying on the railing. "I'm going to kill them."
"I'll help," Pan responded. Trunks nodded in agreement and ran a shaky hand through his purple locks.
Goku laughed nervously, "Well, isn't this a shock? I never knew Goten could turn into a Super Saiyan."
"They grow up so fast," Krillin mumbled, still not over the mini heart attack he had.
"Can't say I didn't see it coming," Vegeta smirked smugly.
Goten and Bra flew at each other again. Once they were close enough, they threw a hard, powerful punch to the other's face. A flash of light blinded the humans briefly. When it died down, the two were thrown to the opposite ends of the stage.
It came as a surprise to everyone when Bra fell over the edge. Goten, taking a harsh punch as well, stopped right at the edge of the stage, winning the match.
There was a pause in the crowd before they burst into roars, cheering Goten on. The two young half Saiyans were out of their Super Saiyan forms. The announcer stepped up to the barely conscious Goten. He lifted Goten's arm in the air and declared him the winner of the junior division tournament. The Sons and Piccolo flinched at Chi-Chi's excited shrieks.
"Great match, you two!" Goku clapped for the kids.
Bardock stretched his arms over his head and exhaled, "Okay, now it's time we get something to eat. The drawing will start in an hour and I haven't eaten all day."
Goku grinned and put his arm around his grandson, "I'm with you there. Let's go before they run out of food."
"It's a buffet, Dad. I doubt they'll run out." A beat. "But they might run out of the good food so let's hurry."
"Right behind ya!"
The group soon made it to the buffet spot, though they had to wait a few minutes since the younger humans had a hard time keeping up with the hungry Saiyans, the workers, under Hercule's orders, got out all the food they prepared and watched in awe as the Saiyans tore through each meal.
"Don't worry," Piccolo grunted in disgust as he, Gine, and Tekka watched the Saiyans eat, food flying everywhere and plates stacking up by the minute. "You never get used to this."
Yamcha nodded with the same grimace, "Years and years will pass and it'll still feel like you're about to throw up every time they eat. I don't know how their wives do it."
"At this point in time, I think they like seeing them eat so much," Krillin muttered, simply moving his food around on the plate.
Tekka smiled uneasily, "It would be too weird to get used to this." Gine nodded in agreement.
"We know," The non Saiyans chorused dully.
They moved out of the way when Goku lifted one of his plates in the air, shouting with a mouth full of food, "More noodles please!"
"Kakarot, you're spitting food everywhere!"
"So are you!"
Bardock took his time swallowing his food before saying, "We're gonna need more chicken too!"
By the time they were finished, the buffet was on its last legs of food. The workers sighed in relief when they saw the Saiyans stand up and stretch, indicating that they were now full. The fighters thanked the workers before making their leave.
Gohan stretched his arms over his head with a sigh, "We should get to the adult division now so we can draw our numbers."
"I hope I don't have to fight any of you guys in the first round," Krillin laughed. "The last time I fought Gohan, I thought I was gonna have brain damage."
"I only punched you once."
"It was a pretty hard punch. I can attest to that," Yamcha grinned.
Bardock chuckled with the others before a sharp sting on the back of his neck gave him pause. He unconsciously rubbed the scar residing there while his eyes moved forward, finding a familiar mohawk and pink face.
Apparently everyone else saw them as well and they didn't take to kindly to them.
"Those guys are giving me chills," Piccolo said lowly. "What do you think, Goku?"
Goku frowned slightly as he regarded the two, "I've never felt their kind of aura before. It doesn't seem right." He blinked in surprise when he saw Pan and Bardock make their way over to the two.
Bardock bowed respectfully, keeping his voice low so Piccolo and the Saiyans couldn't hear, "Nice to meet you in this timeline, Shin. I assume your past counterpart told you all that happened?"
"He gave me a brief summary but told me to be cautious of what is still to come," Shin answered with a smile. "It is nice to meet the two of you. When I heard about what happened in the past, I must admit I was shocked to hear that the two of you defeated such a monster."
"Past you gave us a hard time but we were able to manage it," Bardock stated. "This timeline isn't going to be like the last one. There are many things that I saw happening differently, not to mention the fact that everyone is at least 10 years older than what they were back then."
"We're gonna have to keep an eye out," Pan added.
Shin nodded, "Of course. Well, if you two don't mind, we'll be on our way to the drawing." He and Kibito bowed before taking their leave.
The rest of the group walked over to them. Goku spoke up once the two new members were out of earshot, "Who were they? Do you know them?"
"You must know them from the past, right?" Piccolo questioned.
Bardock nodded, "Of course. They were the two that set us on the path towards our enemy. They're on our side. That's all you have to worry about." He waved to them as he started waking forward. "Come on. Let's get to the drawing."
Though those who had not gone to the past were still full of questions, they decided to table it for later and follow the half Saiyan.
Once they got there, Goku, Krillin, Piccolo, and Yamcha were almost ambushed by the announcer who they recognized from their younger days. After a brief fangirling, the blond man gave them instructions to draw their number when he called their name.
Bardock glanced around and found the two fighters who were taking Spopovich and Yamu's places. He gripped the back of his neck when it flared up in pain. The two were younger than the men they replaced. They looked like high schoolers who had just barely hit puberty and their power levels weren't much but compared to Tekka's, they could slaughter him with just their pinkies.
He was brought out of his thoughts when the announcer called the first name, "Son Pan."
Pan blinked before stepping forward. She reached her hand into the small box and rifled around before pulling out a number. "12."
"And Son Pan is number 12." The crowd on the other side cheered. "Next is Kibito."
Kibito walked forward and put his hand in the box. He pulled out his number and showed it to the announcer. "7."
"Kibito is number 7!" Kibito walked back to Shin. "Krillin, please step forward."
Krillin huffed out a jittery breath as he walked up to the box. He closed his eyes tightly and put his hand in the box. When he pulled out the number, he blanched, "1."
"Next up for the drawing is Son Gohan."
Gohan nodded and walked over. He put his hand in and pulled out his number with relative ease. "I'm number 14." He glanced at the board and noticed no one's name was next to his. He could only hope he didn't go against Bardock in the first round.
"And now we have Trunks Briefs."
The purple haired fighter made his way to the box. He put his hand in and pulled out the small ball, saying, "I've got 8." He smirked slightly at Bardock, "Looks like I'm going against one of your friends."
"Shin's up next."
"Ready," Shin said as he walked up. He pulled out his number. "I'm number 4."
"Next in line we have Pinich."
"Pinich?" Bardock muttered when one of Babidi's henchmen walked over to the box.
Tekka suddenly grinned as he stared at Pinich's broad back, "Hey, I know him! We used to go to school together when we were kids." He put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, "I thought he had disappeared when the cyborgs attacked, but I guess not. He looks really different now. I guess he really did get into martial arts like he said he was."
At Bardock's stare, he patted his shoulder in reassurance, "Don't worry, B. You're still my best friend."
The announcer pulled his glasses down as he checked out Pinich's number. "Oh, you're number 5." As they wrote the number down, he glanced at the clipboard and read, "Next up is Son Bardock."
Bardock exhaled lightly before he walked over. He put his hand in the box and took the ball out, presenting it to the workers. "16." Again.
"Son Bardock is number 16," The announcer said. "Goku, your turn now."
Goku grinned, giving one last stretch before making his way towards them. He put his hand in and brought out the ball.
"It's number 9," The announcer smiled. "Next up is Gine."
"Finally," Gine sighed heavily, putting a hand to her chest. She walked over and put her hand in the box, bringing out the ball. "Number 10."
The Z-Fighters gave a spit take despite the fact that they weren't drinking a thing. Pan shook her head vigorously, Bardock heaved, letting his hands rest on his knees, while Goku pouted at not getting a stronger opponent.
Tekka blinked, "Is it that bad?"
"Yamcha, you're up."
Still reeling from shock, Yamcha walked over to the box. He pulled the ball out with shaky hands.
"Yamcha's number 2."
That righted the Z-Fighters. "See, that makes sense," Vegeta stated.
"Vegeta, you're next."
The Saiyan prince smirked and walked over. He smirked when he saw his number and showed the others the number 13.
Bardock gagged while Pan shuddered, "At least he didn't get Grandpa."
"Great," Gohan muttered with a roll of his eyes.
Goku patted his son's back. "Good luck, Gohan."
"Tekka, it's your turn."
At that, Tekka fist pumped before making his way over. He blinked in surprise at the number in his hand. "Number 6."
Bardock moved his gaze to the board and felt his heart drop to his stomach. "Oh, crap baskets."
"Majunior is up next." Piccolo went up and chose his number. The announcer nodded with a smile, "You're number 3."
Piccolo huffed once he was back with his group, "Let's see if Bardock's friend is worth anything."
The announcer spoke up, "Mr. Satan is taking a bit of relaxation right now, so I will draw for him." He took out a number and smiled, "Our champion is number 11."
That sent the Z-Fighters into hysterics. Bardock patted his sister's shoulder, his giggles interrupting his speech, "O-oh, go easy on him, Sis."
"Last but not least is Cabba." The other henchman walked over to the box and chose a number. "Safe to say that's 15."
Bardock's laughter faded as he gazed at his opponent, his scar tingling. He knew he didn't have to worry about him since the tournament would stop after Trunks and Kibito's match for them, but he still needed to be on guard.
The announcer nodded in satisfaction, "There. We have a full board of fighters."
"In the first match, we have Krillin fighting Yamcha."
"Second match is Majunior vs. Shin."
"The third match we have Pinich and Tekka."
"Fourth match is Kibito and Trunks Briefs."
"Match five is Son Goku and Gine."
"The sixth match is Hercule Satan vs. Son Pan."
"The seventh match is Vegeta against Son Gohan."
"And the eighth match is Cabba vs. Son Bardock."
The announcer walked towards the stage, speaking into his mic, "The fighting will commence immediately. I will quickly show you all to the waiting room and I'm sure you know the fighting rules. You are the loser if you give up, if I count to ten, if you fall out of the ring, or if you, unfortunately, kill your competitor. Each match has a time limit of 30 minutes and not a second more. If there is no victor in that time then that decision will be left up to the judges."
"Just like old times," Yamcha grinned, cracking his knuckles. "You ready to get your butt whooped, Krillin?"
Krillin laughed haughtily, "I'd love to see you try."