Chapter 10

Goku grinned as they stood inside the waiting room, "I can't wait to see Krillin and Yamcha go at it. It's been years since I've seen them fight seriously."

"It'll be a sight to see," Piccolo muttered, a bead of sweat dripping down his face. The twins who traveled to the past realized that he was most likely going through the same mental hurdles in trying to find out who Shin really was.

"I've only ever seen them fight seriously when it was Cell, and even then you couldn't really call it a fight," Trunks stated. "When it came to the androids, the only one dumb enough to take them head on was my father."

"Oh shut up," Vegeta grunted.

Tekka turned towards his friends, tilting his head curiously, "Is this first round really a big deal?"

Bardock shrugged with a small smile, "Well, Grandpa has known Yamcha and Krillin since he was a kid, and he hasn't really seen them in an even matched fight in years, so yeah, I guess it is kind of a big deal."

The crackling of the announcer's mic brought their attention back to the stage. "Let's get Krillin and Yamcha out to the ring!"

"Break a leg, guys," Goku joked, grinning when Krillin laughed while Yamcha gave him an almost pouting glare.

As the two fighters walked to the stage, the blond announcer spoke into the mic, "It's been a long time since we've seen these fighters in the ring, but we are just as excited as they are to witness it. They are both accomplished fighters and longtime friends. Today, we will see who will come out on top and make it to the next round."

The crowd began cheering wildly when they saw Krillin and Yamcha stand opposite each other. "Let the match begin!"

The Z-Fighters, minus Vegeta, watched eagerly as the two charged at each other, throwing fists and kicks at one another. It was amazing to see two human fighters, once known as the strongest humans on earth before their deaths at the hands of the androids, duke it out with everything they had, not having to worry about saiyans coming in and taking them down with only a flick of their hand.

They watched as Krillin and Yamcha's arms twitched when they stepped away from each other. While the rule for no ki blasts didn't help them in the past timeline, it was certainly sticking this time since blasts would only remind the audience of the androids.

"Come on, guys. You can do it!" Goku cheered for both his friends. "I'm rooting for the both of you!"

The crowd was going wild at seeing a real fight right off the bat. Bardock clapped with his family and shouted out tips when either Yamcha or Krillin was getting close to losing.

"It seems like an impressive match."

Bardock turned and smiled slightly at Shin and Kibito, "It's something we haven't seen in a while."

He stepped away from his friends were watching the match and moved towards the other two. Once they were towards the back of the waiting room, he began talking, "You're probably wondering how these next few matches are gonna pan out."

Shin gave a small smile, "I know you have seen what is to happen. I only wonder if you will let it happen."

A deep sigh escaped the half saiyan's mouth as he rubbed the back of his neck, "When I was in the past timeline, I had seen what was going to happen, but it happened 7 years later and it grew a bit fuzzy. I couldn't do anything because I didn't know what was going on."

"But you do know what is to come this time. Do you believe that not doing anything and letting your visions come true is better than interfering?"

"I'd hate to see Tekka get brutally beaten and for Trunks to go through what my dad did, but we have to find out where Babidi is."

"I do believe he moved locations after the androids leveled the world."

Bardock nodded thoughtfully, "It would explain why I haven't felt Babidi's ki since coming back." He glanced at Pinich and Cabba in the corner of the room. "At least we know who to follow when the time comes."

The crowd bursting into deafening cheers interrupted the conversation. "Out of the ring! Yamcha has landed out of the ring which means Krillin is the winner!"

Goku grinned as his friends walked back into the waiting room, their faces and arms scratched and bruised while their gis were slightly torn, "Nice going, Krillin. You did great too, Yamcha."

"Thanks, Goku," Yamcha grunted, leaning on one of the walls where he slowly slid down to sit on the floor.

Krillin laughed, patting his friend's shoulder, "Oh man, I can't wait to see what Tien and Chiaotzu have to say about this."

"It's time for the second match! Let's hope we can get another colossal brawl! We have Majunior vs. Shin!"

Piccolo and Shin walked out of the waiting room and to the stage. Shin gave the Namekian a smooth smile, "This will be an interesting match, right, Piccolo?"

Bardock shared a secret grin with Pan when they saw Piccolo stiffen and stare at Shin with wide, shocked eyes.

"This is the first year Shin has participated in the tournament! We may not know much about him but he is obviously a strong fighter if he's here today! That may spell trouble for our other fighter, Majunior. In his fight with Son Goku, he nearly destroyed the entire arena, so you know this fight isn't going to disappoint."

"I wonder what's going on with Piccolo," Krillin said. "I doubt the guy is that bad if the twins know him."

"Piccolo just gets jittery when he finds out something big," Pan replied jokingly.

"Let the second match begin!"

The staring contest between the two fighters made the crowd's cheering cease as they watched the two stand completely still on the stage. Bardock couldn't hear Shin in his head this time and he didn't need to; his scar wasn't burning and he knew Shin was just letting Piccolo know who he was.

Piccolo shook his head suddenly, "I'm sorry. I can't." The crowd gasped at that.

"He's quitting?" Gohan raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Does this mean your forfeiting?" The announcer asked.

"Yes." With that, Piccolo walked off the stage.

The announcer shrugged before speaking into the mic, "Well, you heard it here, folks. Majunior has withdrawn from the match which means Shin is the winner. He will be going up against Krillin in the second round of fighting."

Gohan turned to his children once Piccolo got back to the waiting room. "I assume this Shin guy is pretty important."

"He's important to what's going to happen, Dad. Everything else isn't really important," Bardock said, knowing that was a huge understatement.

"Alright! Let's start the third match! It's Tekka vs. Pinich!"

Bardock's scar began to burn intensely. A pained hiss left his lips when Pinich stepped too close. He swallowed back his pain and walked over to his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder. He put on a smile for Tekka when he gazed at him, "Hey, there's no shame in quitting, alright?"

"Well that's not very encouraging," Tekka frowned.

Bardock sighed heavily, "I know, but I'm trying to look out for you. If at any point in time you feel like you can't win the match, just forfeit. No one will be disappointed."

Tekka looked like he had wanted to object but he nodded slowly instead, "Yeah, okay."

"Good luck, Tekka," Pan smiled.

"Kick his ass," Gine joked.

"You got it," Tekka grinned and followed his opponent out of the waiting room.

The announcer spoke as the two stepped onto the ring, "This is Pinich's and Tekka's first fight in a tournament. We are excited to see these two boys today. Rumor has it that they were childhood friends back when the androids roamed the earth and today, they will show the other how they've grown."

A sharp spike of pain in his scar made Bardock wince. He gripped the back of his neck, feeling his heart give a painful jolt as well, "Damn it."