Another Path
Surprisingly a new chapter. Good thing I finally passed most of the exams so I will be free for some time. I may even update Dragon's Quest if I'm in the mood for it. But that's not here or there, is it?
The new chapter has come and after such a murderous fight against an unbeatable opponent and a family revelation now we go into a time of needed peace for the Z-warriors
*Skeptical snort* Yeah right!
We now jump straight into the Buu Saga with the Martial Arts Tournament. You know, the one with Spopovitch and Yamu stealing Gohan's power and the Supreme Kai showing up. Kind of rush but Gohan isn't forced to study so he is free to train with his dad, Piccolo, Tarroc and Lime so why should I bother writing something that I don't want to? And if I ever write Gohan as a superhero in HIS universe like I did in Marvel and will do in DC, I'll make sure he stays badass and leaves no one alive.
So if you don't like it then go get a date or do something useful.
Enjoy the new chapter!
Chapter 29: Another Tournament Starts
Seven years have passed from the outstanding fight against the Saiyan monster called Broly. It was still very vivid in the warrior's minds. That beast had nearly destroyed them all with his almost infinite power. Such a situation wasn't an easy one to forget about.
The new hybrid of the Z-gang Tarroc got used to the life on Earth quite fast. Living with his relatives had provided him with very needed martial arts experts. Normally the now twenty year-old grown adult would train in the gravity machine with his cousins or Piccolo, who Tarroc considered as a grumpy uncle. And after seven years of the harshest training he had experienced in his life, it completely paid off by achieving and mastering the Ascended transformations of their race. Or as his cousins had doubled them, Super Saiyan Two.
Vegeta had also pressed his training forward for the last years, even the one with his son Trunks. After discovering that his half human cousin had also ascended beyond Super Saiyan like himself only pushed the Royal fighter further into his militaristic training beneath three thousand times gravity. Along with the fact that him along Kakarot and Gohan were still far ahead of him in power terms. For some reason he couldn't figure out yet. Mastering the normal and the Ascended forms hadn't brought him any closer to his ultimate goal of reclaiming his tittle of the strongest being in the universe. And that infuriated him to no end.
Goku and Gohan had been sparring with each other in their gravity trainings at four thousand times gravity, fully grasping the energy control of the Super Saiyan two and reaching levels of strength even higher than what they had first expected. Their new strength, both fighting on their own or together, could put Broly into utter shame. But they knew what was to come next.
During the last years, The half Saiyan Gohan had also returned to Chaske Village and as he had promised, the Saiyan started training Lime into everything he knew about fighting. A combination of his father's easy-going but also Piccolo's drilling combat sessions helped to balance things out for the young female, who only knew about basics thanks to her grandpa being a retire fighter. She proved to be more than just a decent student.
Back on the present time, The palm-haired Saiyan father was watching on Tv the news of a new Martial Arts Tournament coming up. Quite weird that being the current champion no one warned him about those Tournaments. Maybe nobody did so to make the fights a bit more fair for other humans. Well too bad for them because he was fighting now. And bringing the cavalry along himself.
Closing his eyes, the kind-hearted fighter allowed his mind to reach his son's.
Gohan and Lime were sparring under the midday sun, just another day of hard training like it had been for the last seven years. Well, hard for Lime because Gohan wasn't even warmed up by sparring with her. Still, she had increased her powers exponentially in the last half decade. She had been training with gravity at more than fifty times and mastered it along with her ki training and the Kaioken up to the ten multiplier. If Gohan had to measure her current level of strength, she might beat Vegeta when he had first arrived on Earth a decade ago.
Though that hadn't been the only thing that had changed with her. When it came to her body, she had grown five almost six inches. She no longer had her hair tied in two pony-tails but rather it fell freely down her shoulders to her middle back, her blue eyes shinning with fighter's determination. As Gohan' student she had her own fighting purple Gi, hers just like Gohan during his fight with Cell. Though straining against her deliciously developed but still feminine body. Years of training could provide with quite a physical increment for both men and women.
Of course, Gohan didn't stop growing too. The first half Saiyan of Earth had amazingly shot up, now as a seventeen year old teenager, who was one inch taller than his father. His black mess of spiky hair now fully stood up defying gravity with only one lock flowing over his forehead. His body and face were no longer those of a child but of a handsome young man.
The long-haired female shot through the air, her abilities amplified five times with the Kaioken. Gohan casually arched his body down to the ground, Lime passing over him after overdoing the offensive. A short almost instantaneous kick to the midsection and elbow to the back sent the girl into the grass, tired and panting.
"Oh come on, how long will it take me to finally beat you?" The brunette asked just a tad angry with a cute pout. Gohan helped her get back into her feet.
"Shorter than your temper" The martial arts master replied with a confident grin.
"I don't have a temper!" The female fighter yelled, Gohan's eyebrow raising in amusement. The girl blushed, her expression a bit sheepish and rubbing her temples "I mean..."
"Yeah, Lime, I know what you exactly mean" Gohan replied rhetorically joking as Krillin tought him all those years ago.
"Brat" Lime mocked nudging Gohan playfully in the arm.
"Really, you love me and you call me Brad. What kind of girlfriend are you?" The Saiyan taunted, grabbing Lime from her waist and bringing her close into a fierce kiss. An action she gladly answered back in what people refer to as French style their tongues clashing and twirling inside their joint mouths.
One shouldn't be surprised about such a turn-about with these two. They were the same age, they like fighting, both were hormonal teenagers that spared under the hot weather. Math was pretty simple on this equation.
Gohan reluctantly stopped the new training session he always enjoyed, when a mental buzzing reached his brain.
"Sorry Lime, got a call" The half Saiyan stopped the make-out to answer his father ringing the mental phone. The girl almost laughed. Anyone would be driven insane by seen a guy talking to someone on their minds. But after Cell, she knew everything was pretty much possible. Specially if hanging around a powerful god-like alien.
"What is it, dad?" Gohan asked to his father.
"A new Martial Arts Tournament is coming tomorrow" The kind-hearted fighter replied in the mind conversation.
"Cool. I'll tell Lime, maybe she will like to take part in it" The hybrid answered happily.
"By the way, if you see Tarroc ask him if he wants to join" The father requested and the link was off.
"There's a new Martial Arts Tournament tomorrow" Gohan told his girlfriend, the two of them still pretty close. Not that they wanted to split up anytime soon.
"You expect me to fight?" The female fighter asked a bit incredulous "Though I can't beat you, or your dad, or Piccolo or Tarroc and pretty much all the others?" The Saiyan calmed her taking her hands affectionately.
"Hey, I know you may think that, but that's the reason we have trained for so long and push your strength to the limits" The half alien-human said in confidence to his student and mate, who smiled by the expressed support. Gohan was a living god yet he was always calmed and collected, knowing what to say in the right time. A mighty yet tranquil man. The brunette couldn't wait for the time when they could get their training more 'intimate'. If he was as good in bed as he beat Cell's ass, then she was in for some real soreness. The good kind.
"Besides, what better way to tell the world that you have the best Martial Arts teacher ever?" The faked arrogance got Gohan a playful punch in the chest from the feisty woman. He took that challenge willingly, his tail wiggling in anxiety.
The new day quickly arrived and the fighters found themselves again into the Stadium Arena of the famous Tournament. The Son family along with Piccolo went into the registering booth, Gohan had his hand holding with Lime's. So far no big press or media attention.
"Names please?" The register man asked, a bit oblivious to whom he was talking to.
"Son Goku" The still Martial champion answered. The registering man almost broke his pencil after recognising the very famous name.
"The current champion?" The man asked, almost bleeding a blood vessel from his nose.
"Yes" The Saiyan replied hand behind his head, not liking the ways things were heading.
"And you are Gohan!" The man almost yelled like a crazy fan girl, taking the Saiyans by surprise and the Namekian by pain with his high-pitched wail. The registering man swayed into unconsciousness.
"Okay, that was weird" Piccolo stated rubbing his sensitive ears. His memories of humanity he inherited from Kami never showed how...stupid they could get. Hopefully that guy was the exception.
Many paparazzi in the area saw the famous fighters coming, but thanks to one of Piccolo's techniques, the fighters destroyed the cameras before any picture was taken. While the camera men worked to fix the malfunctions the others Z fighters managed to scramble inside the stadium.
"I knew your family was famous but to make that much of a fuzz?" The brunette asked to her famous boyfriend in surprise. She had never cared about the fame when they had first gone out. Gohan was cute, attentive and caring. And had a rock-hard body that made her drool just thinking about it. She shook her head out of the particular gutter. The demi alien shrugged his shoulders.
"My dad won the last Tournaments, defeated the evil King Piccolo and, best of all, he made me" the hybrid answered with a classical Tarroc smirk. A bad habit the hybrid got from his also half alien relative.
"Arrogant a lot?" Lime asked eyebrow raised.
"Sometimes not enough" Gohan replied honestly. The pack of fighters found Vegeta in front of them leaning against a wall. The royal Saiyan didn't change that much in seven years. He was still short-sized and widow peak for hair. He dropped the Saiyan armor for a navvy blue suit, remaining only the white gloves and boots.
The fighter looked at the group with his typical grumpy and not-very-friendly stare. He also saw that Gohan and the new girl were holding hands.
"So this is your female, brat?" The Prince stated towards Gohan. The Saiyan shrugged his shoulders after gauging her above-average-human strength "At least her powers are decent" Coming from Vegeta, that was the biggest support you would ever get.
"Yeah Vegeta, because you have always been the Prince of Dates" The spiky-haired half Saiyan joked.
"He got you there" The newly arrived Tarroc chimed in with a small mischievous grin. He was in his usual black Gi, his hair still a mess of black spikes. He was now as tall as Gohan, his developed facial features making him look really like his and Goku's cousin. Which he was but now it didn't need proving.
The Royal fighter paid no heed to his blood relative. He had first expected his son to finally beat the new hybrid of the family. But apparently there was a new age limit that didn't allow anyone younger than fifteen of participating. And by the looks of things, Tarroc had now surpassed Vegeta again. Like if Kakarot and his brat weren't already a hindrance to overcome.
The fighters had to again avoid another crowd of cameras, and in Gohan's very dreadful scenario, a massive cheers of fangirls rabidly trying to tore each other into ribbons and get close to the famous teenager. Weird that been his fans they wanted to hurt Gohan. That was some weird fame the adolescent Saiyan had. The warrior crew finally reached the main quarters of the arena, three human fighters of the gang already there.
"Hey guys!" Goku greeted Tien, Yamcha and Krillin. They looked all the same except for Yamcha, who had his long pony-tail hair back. Tien was also wearing a dark blue outfit with white pants, black boots and a white cap bellowing over his back. So far only Krillin was the one still looking as short as before and dressed in orange Gi but definitely stronger. In fact all of them improved many folds above their powers they had seven years ago. Spending time between training on Earth and visiting the Other World had helped them.
"Hey pals" Yamcha greeted, Krillin and Tien following so. The long-time friends finally got together again.
"Where's Chaotzu?" Gohan asked curious to Tien.
"He couldn't keep up with us so I had to compel him into not fighting" The tryclops replied with a half smile. As much as they had trained during the last half decade, the humans were still behind the caliber of their Super Saiyan friends.
Although the new technique they now knew might balance the scale.
"Well, if we are done with reunions, I would like to have lunch before the fight" Goku stated rubbing his head in his innocent style.
"Dibs on the shrimps!" Tarroc said out-loud, banishing in middle air with Instant Transmission before anyone could have stopped him.
"Oh man, let's get him before he eats everything" Gohan said, teleporting after his devourer of a family. Goku tagged along. The rest of the fighters almost fell on their backs by the weird shenanigans. Just when Tarroc wasn't enough, he had to infect the other Saiyans with his lunacy.
Good thing Vegeta was immune to those antics. And pretty much everything else related to good-old humor.
After a plentiful four-Saiyan launch and a not pleasant reunion with the obnoxious moustached man Satan, who again paraded around the cameras like if he had fought against Cell, the Z-fighters reached the main election room of candidates. One of the monks of the Tournament was in the middle of the room with a wooden box in front of him, a fellow monk behind him with a blackboard and a list of numbers. It was obvious the board was to sign the participants in their respective place.
The famous ever-lasting blonde announcer was as always, ready for the report of the awesome fights. He knew with the returning champion and his now bigger family an amazing show was already a given.
"Ladies and Gentlemen we now celebrate the 25th Martial Arts Tournament! We not only receive our returning champion Goku but also his son, the one and only who saved us from the monster Cell, Gohan!" The cheers echoed for a few minutes before the Announcer could go on "Now we ask the contestants to draw a number from this box. The number will represent your place in the fight"
After a few drawings, the matches were finally scheduled.
"Now the matches will be as follows:
Krillin vs Pintar
Guru vs Shin
Tarroc vs Kibito
Spopovitch vs Satan
Goku vs Vegeta
Gohan vs Tien
Lime vs Killa
Yamcha vs Yamu
The rules are still the same; if any of the opponents is knocked out for the count of ten or thrown out of the ring will mean victory. Killing your enemy will mean disqualification. The fights have a time limit of an hour. Pass that time and non of the contestants have been victorious, the judges will decide the winner of the round.
Now, let the matches begin!"
After checking the list of fights again, the Z-group looked at their future opponents. Piccolo/Guru stared at the man called Shin. He was rather short-sized, with pale blue skin and a white mohawk of hair. What was stranger was his aura and his attire. His ki was rather impressive but at the same time mysterious. It was at the Cell level but the Namekian didn't fear that mutated lizard anymore. Seven years of training with his friends worked wonders on him.
Next to Shin was the taller Kibito, dressed in similar clothes to the pale being. His arms were behind his back like standing as a personal butler.
"Be careful Piccolo" Gohan said towards his green teacher in a serious tone "Their powers aren't so great but they might hide some special techniques"
"I don't know why Gohan, but I feel his energy familiar to me" The Namekian said now foxed. There was something in his mind telling him the Shin person was someone he knew about.
"That guy is creepy" Lime whispered to Gohan, mentioning towards Spopovitch. Or who used to look like him. Because right now the human was white-skinned and completely hairless. His muscles were bulging like if his ki was ready to go off and blow him by its strain. There was a black italic-written M framed on his forehead like a tatoo.
"What happen to him?" Goku asked in shock to no one in particular. All those years ago he had defeated Spopovitch but not violently. Just sending him out of the ring. Whatever had happened to him wasn't natural training. It was something evil and Goku could see the weird aura of dark energy around the overgrown man.
The mutated Spopovitch was standing along Yamu, who also had the same white skin and M symbol. Though he wasn't so bulk up or at least he had better control over his powers.
"Like if they are important" The widow-peak Saiyan remarked unimportantly about the other combatants, his black stare fixed towards his long-time low-class rival "Just remember Kakarot, you and me, and spectators be damned" He had trained for this moment. The clown may have some strength over him but Vegeta had pride. That was the strongest thing in the universe.
"If you can back it up" Goku remarked sarcastically arms folded over his chest. Anyone that could feel energy would be wondering why Vegeta was vilifying one that outmatched him. To answer that, he was Vegeta, no further explanation required. To Goku, this was just another day. Besides this might be the occasion to finally put Vegeta down a lot more pegs than before. And even if Goku failed then Gohan would put the Royal fighter to shame.
After all, Ascending was better done twice.
The bald monk Krillin walked into the ring alongside the towering Pintar in the first fight of the Tournament. The audience cheered for the seasoned bald fighter remembering he usually put quite a fight.
On the sidelines, Gohan had his arm around Lime' shoulders watching the soon-to-be fight in half amusement.
"Hey there cuttie" A gorgeous blonde girl got near Gohan from behind. She was scantily dressed, her sultry note not hidden or at least attempting to sound indirectly into the alien's ear. But the half Saiyan paid no heed to her. As pretty as she could be, he already had a girl.
The brown-haired female next to the already-taken Saiyan sent a death glare into the exhibiting tart. Piccolo looked the interplay while floating in meditation. He didn't know why Gohan wasn't acting, more so with his mate ready to fight another woman. Human relationships were something that would forever elude the Namekian.
"Get lost you tramp, or I'll use those fake extensions to snap your neck" The brunette left no room for arguments with her deadly voice, her powers slowly manifesting in a deadly red aura. The blonde flew away faster than a flash of lightning. Vegeta smirked to himself. Quite Saiyaness of that human girl.
"Remind me to always make you angry, it turns me on" The Saiyan hybrid stated bringing his girl closer to him. Lime wasn't one to turn down such a nice invitation.
"I know, that's why I do it" She replied with evil glee, the two of them locking again in a tongue wrestling. All the fighters looked away embarrassed by the display.
"Oh come on guys! I told Chichi I wouldn't need to chaperone you" The current champion told his son and daughter-in-law. While Chichi and himself supported the relationship, non of them wanted to be grandparents yet.
"Well dad, you shouldn't have lied to mum" Gohan replied with glee. Goku face-palmed. Sometimes he wished Gohan had been as clueless as he had been about women.
Back on the arena, Krillin was enshrouded by the taller stout frame. Not that the former Turtle fighter was scared. Far the opposite from that.
"Sorry midget, but I'll have to put you down permanently" The plumb man blurted with glee. The bald monk would have face-palmed but the situation wasn't funny enough. In fact, it wasn't even serious.
"Whatever dude" Krillin folded his arms over his chest completely bored out of his skull.
"Now, for all the new watchers of the Tournament, I have to remind you that Krillin has been a longtime comrade of our champion Goku, both trained with the great martial artist Roshi when they were just twelve years old!" The announcer said, getting more cheers "And Krillin has always reached at least the quarters of final, proving that he is indeed one of the greatest fighters this Tournament ever had" The gong echoed over the place and the battle started in earnest.
The towering man shot forward with a roll. As soon as he got to his feet after rolling, he jumped into the air for a few meters, his belly shadowing Krillin's frame. The chubby fighter was going to body slam the Turtle monk like a pancake. It would be worrisome in another scenario if Krillin didn't have now the strength to blast Frieza and his entire family back to Hell without breaking a sweat.
The bald monk jumped aside, the tall plump man landing hard into the white tilling. The ground rumbled by the weight but Krillin was pretty much undeterred yet. Pintar stood up his nose bleeding after landing face first.
"Stay still!" The man growled angrily. Blood dripped from his injured nose.
"Yeah right" Krillin sardonically answered, jumping and kicking the man in the already-bruised face. It was a low-powered blow on purpose but it still sent the chubby man outside the arena knocked out cold.
"And Krillin is the winner by knock out!" The announcer yelled, the audience cheering. The bald human walked back to his friends.
"That was funny" The monk stated half amused.
Next to the bald Turtle fighter, Piccolo was already stretching his neck. It was his fight now.
Notes from Chapter 29:
I'm not fond of Goten so I'm not using him. Besides, I already have a hybrid that is also relative to Goku.
I skipped the pounding machine because it was quite not necessary. People already know what things Goku and friends are capable of. Unlike Satan, some of they know when to pick a fight and with whom.
Tien's outfit is the one he used against Super Buu in Anime. I have to admit, Tien is one hell of a fighter. He stood up against Cell and Super Buu despite his power lacking. I respect him. Normally I think of him as the strongest human, but I only changed that in this story for another plot coming soon in the middle of the Saga.
The Martial Arts Tournament doesn't have the child division but does have an age limit.
Despite the odd power levels, let me already say that the energies are nothing compared to the future enemies to come.
In the Anime, the Supreme Kai said he was a thousand times stronger than Frieza. You do the maths now considering my Frieza.
Almost every Saiyan has already mastered Super Saiyan two (Except for Trunks but I won't be using him a lot. In fact, I will ignore he even exists. He was so useless until he turned into Gotenks so I prefer he doesn't appear at all until Battle of Gods)
Erasa showed up for a brief second. But well, you know how jealous women can be.
There was a short scene from the OVA "Son Goku and his Friends Return". You know, Goku eating shrimps and then getting angry at Vegeta. But then Vegeta gets angry and almost start fighting.
Power Levels:
Goku:
After years of training: 13 billions
Gohan:
Years of training: 15 billions
Vegeta:
Base form (Super Saiyan 1 and 2 mastered): 7 billions
Trunks:
Base form: 100 millions
Piccolo:
Weights on: 100 billions
Without weights: 150 billions
Tarroc:
After training (SS 1 and 2 mastered): 9 billions
Krillin: 400 millions
Tien: 350 millions
Yamcha: 350 millions
Lime: 20,000
Kaioken x5: 100,000
Supreme Kai: 135 billions
Kibito: 1 billion
Satan: 70
Pintar: 30
Spopovich:
Empowered by dark magic: 12,000
Yamu:
Empowered by dark magic: 10,000
Dabu: 15
Killa: 15
The Tournament has started but with a few unexpected things. What can our fighters do about it or them?