Another Path
Another chapter! Guess I'm going good with the updates. Still, don't think that I will always be able to update so fast.
Chapter 12: Martial Arts
"Hey dad, did you hear the news?" Gohan asked his father. They were on a resting day from training, just a week after the fight with the Cold family. Gohan had managed to control the Super transformation, thankfully because he had two powerful teachers to help him meditate through the blinding anger that the golden power-up cause on him.
"Why, what's going on?" The Saiyan father asked, getting near the TV.
"Aparently there's a new Martial Arts Tournament coming tomorrow" The half Saiyan informed his dad.
"Really, I thought it was canceled after what happened the last time" Chichi said, walking in scene.
"Well, It's obvious it was very popular" The Saiyan father said smiling innocently. Though it was true, the fight with Piccolo had been one of the many big challenges he had to go through in his life.
"Can we go?" Gohan asked, exited.
"Not to let you down son, but many matches will just be boring" The Earth Saiyan replied to his half alien son.
"Not if you, Piccolo, and myself get to the finals" Gohan said smiling. Goku smiled by that prospect. Both of them were close in power. And as Super Saiyans, it would be a great combat. Provided no spectator suddenly die by the power backlash.
"Well, let's get everything ready" Goku suggested.
"I'll tell Piccolo and the guys" Gohan said, teleporting away.
"Goku, I hate when any of you does that" Chichi said towards her husband, who smirked and teleported just behind her.
"Why? Because I can do this?" His hands snaked from behind her waist, as they teleported to another place.
The next day, the Son family arrived early to the stadium, followed by the green alien Piccolo. It looked different from what Goku remembered seven years ago. The stadium had high terraces around a bigger square ring and the main building looked more luxurious. Goku and Gohan went to the registering booth at the entrance.
"Names please?" The man asked.
"Son Goku" The Saiyan answered.
"The former champion?" The man inscribing fighters asked in surprise.
"Em, yes" The Saiyan said rubbing the back of his head.
"Guess that means I will win" The registered man said smiling. The Son family looked at each other with confusion.
"How so?" Gohan asked, not understanding. This guy wasn't stronger than they, he could feel it.
"Well, there has been many bets about Goku not returning to claim the tittle. And there's also this new guy, I think his name is Hercule Satan, he bragged about becoming the next champion. He was becoming one of the favourites to win" The man informed the fighters "But with the champion here, I think I just won a thousand Zeni!"
Goku and his son inscribed without problem, followed by the green alien Piccolo.
"Name?" The register asked.
"Guru" The green alien said normally. Goku and Gohan looked at Piccolo surprised "That's my name. In a way" The Saiyans snickered. Maybe fussing with Guru had started giving Piccolo a sense of humor.
The group walked inside the giant house that choose the contestants for the quarter-finals. The place was just as before and it brought Goku a lot of old childhood memories.
"Hey guys" Krillin walked towards them, dressed in his typical Orange turtle Gi with blue clothes underneath.
"Hi Krillin, you are going to fight?" Gohan asked his monk friend.
"Hopefully I will classify" The monk replied smiling "I don't expect to win against you or your dad. But maybe Piccolo will find out just what I'm truly made off"
"Careful what you ask" Piccolo said from behind, sneaking like he always did. The monk jumped in the air terrified while Goku and Gohan laughed.
"What about the others?" the Full-blooded Saiyan asked his old-time friend.
"They prefered to keep training. You know, after what happened with Cold and Cooler" Krillin explained. The fighters moved into the arena, many combatants wanting to get a chance to qualify for the tittle of World's Martial Arts.
"Shouldn't we get into the preliminary competitions?" The monk suggested, but a noise from Goku and Gohan caused them to smile innocently.
"Can we eat first?" The Saiyans said, causing Krillin to fall on his back and Piccolo to sweat drop. Father and son, indeed.
After a 'small' dinner in Saiyan terms, the warriors fastly passed through the preliminary rounds. By this time, the Earth warrior's power was just far too much for any other normal human fighter to overcome.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the 24th Martial Arts Tournament!" The blonde announcer from the same Tournament seven years ago yelled through the microphone. Everyone cheered by the announcer's words "On our annual new Tournament we have the returning champion Goku along with many other veteran fighters. Will they prove themselves worthy of the title of World's Martial Artist? You announcer says they will! The fights will be as follows:
Goku vs Spopovitch
Krillin vs Guru
Mighty Mask vs Jewel
Gohan vs Satan
The rules are still the same, if any of the contestants goes out of the rings, kills his enemy is knocked out or simply says they give up, will mean instant lost. Let the matches begin!"
The Earth-raised Saiyan walked into the main square stadium first, a loud of cheers following his walk from the sidelines. It was obvious people still remembered the Piccolo savior. The Saiyan was followed by a red-haired well-built man, who was smirking in confidence and cockiness.
"You might have defeated Piccolo. But I will prove you are nothing but a weakling against me" Spopovitch taunted, going into a fighting stance. Goku sighed by the man's antics, folding his arms on his chest. This wouldn't be a warm-up or anything similar.
"Begin!" The announcer yelled with a gong echoing. In que, Spopovitch shot forward, trying to land a punch to the nose. The attack hit the mark, but the only damaged one was Spopovitch, who clutched his knuckles in agony. At least all his hand bones were broken by hitting the iron-hard Saiyan skull. A hand grabbed him by the back of his neck, suddenly dropping him outside the fighting area into the grass, landing on his butt hard.
"Goku has carried his enemy outside the ring. Goku wins!" The blonde announcer said. Many cheered as it was obvious Goku would win. Still many had hoped for a more interesting fight.
The next match, Krillin walked towards the rectangle with Piccolo at his side, standing tall over the short Turtle fighter.
"So ready to give up?" Piccolo said with a hint of grin in his face. It was not to brag though. The Namek knew not to be overconfident. Krillin may not have caused a lot of damage against Cooler once he transformed, but those same blows could have finished Piccolo without trying. So the Namek was always on guard, ready to end the fight quickly if necessary. And with Krillin knowing the Instant Transmission, he had to be double careful.
"Not quit so" Krillin said, suddenly powering up twenty times his normal power with the Kaioken.
"Begin!" In que, the monk shot forward like a rocket, his blows a blur for the spectators. But to the Namekian, they were easily dodge-able attacks. The fighters were moving through the arena at dazzling speeds that only Goku and Gohan could follow from the viewing side of the arena.
"What do you think dad?" The half Saiyan asked his palm-haired father.
"Well, Piccolo is obviously stronger and still has his weights" The Earth Saiyan voiced his opinion "On the other hand, Krillin can use the Kaioken even higher than twenty. Guess it will all depend on who can strategize better"
Piccolo side-stepped a punch and fired a sharp elbow to the forehead, causing Krillin to stagger back a bit. The green Namekian jumped backwards, ready to charge a finishing energy blast for victory.
"Times forty!" Krillin's aura flared with power augmented forty times the normal amount, after recovering faster than the Namek had first thought. Even after fighting Frieza and Cooler, the monk still had to get stronger before properly holding so much ki power augmentation. The bald Turtle student attacked with an upper cut that sent Piccolo flying up, the ground beneath them cracking a bit. The Namek recovered his balance and cleaned the purple trace of blood from his lips, as he suddenly took of his weighted clothes. Krillin was getting near and Piccolo only had one chance to perform another one of his plans right.
Just when the bald fighter was going to land the victory knock-out blow, Piccolo banished out of sight, the air shimmering around his bulk. Krillin lost track of him as his short body kept burning under its own ki. A descendant elbow from the teleported Namekian hit the Turtle fighter right in the back of his head, sending him careening downwards right into the soft grass that indicated the outside of the arena.
"Krillin's out-of-bounds. Guru is the winner!" The announcer yelled through the microphone. The monk rubbed his head and stood up, Piccolo offered his hand to help him stand.
"Man, I was really close to finish you" Krillin said, grinning.
"Strength in your muscles isn't the only thing you need" The Namekian advised and Krillin laughed innocently like many times Goku did "You only got overconfident. If you had been more serious I would be knocked out cold"
"Well, next time I will go straight to the point" The bald monk said with a smile, walking back with Goku and the others.
After the next disappointing fight between Mighty Mask and Jewel, in which both stupidly ended up out-of-bounds and with both fighters disqualified, the people move onto the next important match between Satan and Gohan. The long-haired Saiyan walked into the arena followed by the moustached man. Still Gohan knew this wasn't going to be a real fight. For him at least.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we now have Mister Satan who claims that can become the new martial arts champion. Yet on the other side we have Gohan, who is the six-year-old son of our champion Goku!" That brought many cheers for Gohan, as many saw the similarities between father and son, specially with the wild hair in spikes "Can Hercule back up those words or will he be completely humiliated? Can Gohan prove he inherited the fighting skills from his father? We can only wait and see. Now begin!"
The moustached man called Hercule Satan went forward, trying to hit Gohan. Bu the Saiyan had already dodged his blows with an after-image, the true Gohan on the other side of the arena with his arms folded in annoyance over his chest. The human fighter looked around frantically, trying to locate his enemy before the magical tricks caused him to lose. He found it a few seconds later, right behind him.
"Those tricks can't work on me, kid!" The man yelled so everyone could hear him, doing a Victory sign with two fingers "I'm the future champion!" His amazing yet boring speech was luckily cut short by a very-supressed punch to the nose that sent the human backwards, rubbing his now broken nose. The Saiyan sighed, really wanting to end this fight. Sadly, killing was forbidden. And killing worthless beings was the first lesson Piccolo tought him.
"Hey kid, how about we make a deal?" The injured man said whispering, getting near the half Saiyan, who only rose his eyebrow "I'll give you a million Zeni if you let me beat you"
"You are kidding, right?" Gohan asked dumbstruck "And you call yourself a fighter? What kind of honor you have?" The angry Saiyan punched the human fighter right in the face again, sending him completely unconscious to the outside of the arena, many bones broken and two or three teeth gone. Satan would live, but painfully.
"Gohan has knocked Satan unconscious and out of the ring. Gohan wins!" The crowd cheered for their winner, as Gohan walked away fuming in anger by the man's antics. Hopefully, he got what he deserved. As the fight between Mighty Mask and Jewel had ended up in double disqualification, the half Saiyan was already in the finals. Now he only had to wait for his dad to catch up with him. It wasn't that Gohan didn't support Piccolo, but the power difference was very clear for anyone that could feel their energies.
The next round came, and the champion walked towards the arena with Piccolo/Guru alongside him.
"Ready for this?" Goku said smiling, cracking his knuckles.
"I know I can't win, but I won't go down without fighting either" The Namekian said, taking his weights off immediately.
"Then bring it" Goku smiled, his Kaioken flaring ten times. This was a good stretching before fighting his son.
"Begin!" Piccolo immediately drove forward, his blows clashing against Goku's stronger guard. The clash of mights was going from one side of the arena to the other beyond sonic speeds. No one in the audience could see their fast movements, not counting Gohan or Krillin. The tiling beneath them started cracking like it did many years ago with their first fight in the Tournament. The Namek aimed a punch to the face that Goku dodged by squatting, grabbing the green limb and whipping Piccolo over his head. The green warrior was shot upwards, though he flipped in the air and reestablished his full balance.
The Namekian shot his hands forward, gathering energy "Destructive Wave!"
Goku cupped his own hands left, gathering his own ki faster "Kamehameha!"
The attacks clashed, sending a bright energy that blinded many viewers. The blue attack, however, started pressing into Piccolo's, overpowering the Namekian. The light deemed and the smoke-covered body of Piccolo landed in front of Goku, breathing but obviously knocked out.
"Guru is unconscious, so Goku is the winner!" The people cheered after the great fight. Goku teleported with the Namekian inside. Krillin gave the Namekian a Senzu Bean he got from Bulma. The green alien returned to his full power.
"Nice try Piccolo" Goku complemented his fighting opponent.
"Now for the Tournament's final combat. On one side, our champion Goku. On the other side, his son Gohan. Can this fighters give us a show? I bet they can!" The Blonde announcer said through the microphone, father and son staring at each other, each of them on one side of the arena.
"Ready Gohan?" The Saiyan father said, eager to start.
"Always" The kid replied smiling, folding his arms. From the audience Piccolo and Krillin could look at both fighters. This was going to be very interesting.
"Begin!" Ready before anyone had said anything though, both male Saiyans were already trading blows all over the white platform, their speed snaring the viewers' senses "Unbelievable, the contestants are all over the place with amazing speed. It's obvious this two are father and son without a doubt!"
Their fists and legs moved at great speed, the two aliens struggling for dominance, with shock waves exploding around their clashes. After a few minutes, the half Saiyan managed to land a left hook into his father's face, causing him to spun by the inertia. Yet Goku took that at his advantage, his momentum not stopping and fully spinning with a sharp elbow ready, that surprised his son when it landed in his cheekbone, drawing some blood from his skin.
Both Saiyans landed on the white arena, their breaths not laboured at all. In fact, they had just warmed up.
"Should we take this up a notch?" Goku said smiling. The half Saiyan's hair flared golden, his eyes green.
"How about fifty notches?" Super Saiyan Gohan retorted smiling. Goku grinned, also easily transforming into golden Super warrior. The crowd had their mouths opened, not knowing what was going on.
"Unbelievable! In a sudden twist of the fight, the contestants have suddenly gone blonde!" The announcer yelled "This must be one of the many secret techniques our champion has developed over the years. One thing is sure, the fight will only grow in intensity" That last comment was backed up with a clash of forearms that reduced half of the tilling into dust, the stadium shaking by the alien strength.
"This is how fights should always be" The announcer thought with a smile, amazed by the fights this Tournament had. These were fights, something that really entertained.
Goku aimed an overhead strike towards his son, but Gohan ducked and fired an upper cut into his father's chin. Goku was sent upwards with the ground rumbling underneath them. The Saiyan father back-flipped in mid-air and reestablished his leverage, suddenly firing a yellow energy blast. Gohan was surprised by the sudden energy, receiving the energy head on. He crossed his forearms to guard himself, plumes of smokes clouding everything. Goku waited, his golden aura making high-pitch sounds while flowing over his bulkier body.
Goku suddenly opened his eyes wide, feeling something going on inside the smoke clouds.
"Gohan is gathering his energy into some kind of attack. Is he really going to fire that kind of blast from so far?" The Saiyan thought to himself, his son gathering energy. The clouds finally disappeared, showing the still-standing young fighter with both of his hands in front of his forehead.
"Super Masenko!" The young golden warrior enchanted, his palm hands glowing yellow with a ki sphere. Goku braced himself for the attack. Yet Gohan smirked, suddenly banishing in thin air. Goku lost track of his son, suddenly a presence arriving behind him.
"HAAA!" the blast was fired, the Earth Saiyan taken by surprise with the staggering attack. Plumes of thick smoke covered the sky again, though this time Goku was the one attacked. The young Saiyan panted a bit, after exerting a bit more power than he had first thought. His aura disappeared but his body remained power up.
"That was amazing!" Krillin yelled with a smile in glee from the sidelines.
"Indeed. Combining the Instant Transmission with an energy blast is very effective" Piccolo admitted, surprised by the kid's fighting instincts "But this fight isn't over yet"
As the smoke cleared, a yellow thing glowed in front of Gohan, surprising him. His father was still standing with his Gi ragged and burned, but with a ki dome around him. The energy protection disappeared, as Goku sighed and panted a bit.
"That was very impressive son. Using two techniques at the same time isn't easy at all" Goku complimented his strong child, stirring his slightly bruised neck while his aura banished "And to also make them work in your first try is even more impressive. If I hadn't gathered energy as soon as your blast reached me, nothing would have remained" The Saiyan kept talking, making a note to himself that such a combination could be the advantage point against a very powerful opponent, should one appear.
"Sorry dad. I didn't want to overdid it that way. It was supposed to be a knock out" Gohan said, rubbing his head. The Saiyan father went into a fighting stance, and Gohan did the same "But I guess even a knock out wouldn't have stopped you, would it?"
"Didn't I tell you when I woke up after been knocked out by Master Roshi thanks to Bulma saying that lunch was ready?" Goku smiled, his aura blazing again. The half Saiyan did the same. The fight still lingered.
"Incredible! The power these two relatives are unleashing is staggering. Even the fight against Piccolo didn't compare to this kind of magnitude!" The announcer said from the ground, finally founding the light speed-moving contestants.
The fight kept on, with the Super Saiyans almost equal in power. The half Saiyan had a brief advantage because of his shorter size, yet Goku had the experience of fighting for much time before Gohan was even born.
A descendant axe strike to the head sent Goku careening down into the arena, smashing with strength equal to a bomb. He stood on his hands and knees, spitting blood from his mouth. Gohan grinned a bit, knowing he could win. He shot down after his father, his golden aura blazing. The Saiyan father closed his eyes, his mouth momentary smiling. His kid could be one of the strongest fighters of the planet, but he still had a lot to learn. Especially not to let his power go to his head.
The younger Super warrior dashed forward, getting closer. But just when he was ready to land the finishing blow, his father's body moved away with the air shimmering around him. Too late did Gohan saw the teleportation kicking in, a sharp elbow landing on the back of his head, sending him sprawling into the green grass, back to normal black hair and tired.
"Incredible, with dazzling speed, the champion tricked his son to get closer to the edge of ring and push him out!" The announcer said surprised "Goku is the winner and second time Martial Arts champion!" The announcer yelled, many cheering for the palm-haired warrior after an amazing fight. Yet the audience still cheered for Gohan, who had given one of the best fights ever. From the sidelines Krillin threw the champion two Senzu Beans. Goku went back to normal and ate one, giving his son the other one. Both healed stronger than before, thanks to their alien physiology.
"Guess I was fooled by that last attack" The son said to his father smiling.
"It's a reminder Gohan. No matter how hard you train, you must always be ready to face someone who may surpass you" Goku advised his son, placing a hand on his long hair. The half alien smiled, before his father put him on his shoulders and walked away carrying his son.
Notes from Chapter 12:
The tournament's appearance looks like the 25th Tournament.
In this tournament the youngsters division wasn't invented yet (Sometimes I don't understand why it was made in the first place).
Krillin had Senzu Beans because Bulma still harvests them.
Goku didn't receive a Zenkai from his fight with Piccolo, because, as he said, it was a stretching. So he didn't lose so much energy to actually obtain a proper power increase.
I used many human fighters just to fill the other participants' spots (Not exactly a funny fight for them but what can they do, complain?)
In a way, and I don't think I should even have to mention because the chapter was very clear, it was Gohan who has inspired Goku to learn the Instant Kamehameha (Just a brief spoiler for things to come if no one catched the drift)
Power Levels:
Goku:
After training: 8.5 millions
Kaioken x10: 85 millions
Super Saiyan: 425 millions
Healed (Normal Zenkai): 10 millions
Gohan:
After training: 8.5 millions
Super Saiyan: 425 millions
Healed (Normal Zenkai): 10 millions
Piccolo:
Clothes on: 45 millions
Without clothes: 60 millions
Krillin:
Base form: 2 millions
Kaioken x20: 40 millions
Kaioken x40: 80 millions
Satan: 20
Spopovitch: 15
Jewel: 14
Mighty Mask: 14
And so the Tournament is over with our favourite Saiyan still being the champion. But can other things happen to our fighters? The answer is always yes.