Chapter 4: Pandemonium
"I hope Videl can find her way back here," Oolong said, craning his almost non-existent neck left and right. "She should've bought her ice cream when we where at that place with the food stalls."
"Naah, don't worry about the girl. I'm sure she got the row and seat numbers. Besides, you asked her to buy you popcorns too, right?"
Master Roshi can barely hear the pig over the noise created by more than a thousand excited spectators. Leaving Tien and Yamcha at the concessionaires' area, Master Roshi, Oolong, and their new friend Videl decided to watch and support the finalists' sendoff at the larger Battle Island 2 arena.
"The entire arena reverberated with the tournament host's voice. "The stage has been set for the finals on Battle Island 2! Where our four remaining warriors will compete for the coveted spot in the show down against Mr. Satan!"
As the lift raised Gohan up the stage, he distinctly heard Chichi's voice above the din of the tremendous crowd. "Gohan! I love you, sweetie!"
"Mom, not so loud," the pre-teen complained, blushing furiously.
"You have this, Trunks! Get them! And then we can go on vacation!" Bulma cheerfully yelled to her son's teenage doppelganger, while her actual baby looked at her with confusion.
"Tactful as always, mother," the teenaged Trunks thought, his cheeks as red as Gohan's.
"Krillin! Don't get yourself killed!" Oolong shouted to his bald friend encouragingly.
"Oh, I'll survive. Then it's bacon time," Krillin thought, cheeks quite red, in his mind's eye strangling a certain obnoxious pig.
While the host was describing the tournament rules, Videl nimbly squeezed her way beside the pig.
"So, what I'd miss?" the blue-eyed girl asked Oolong while handing him a bag of popcorn. Meanwhile, Master Roshi was nodding his head, trying to fight a snooze.
"Nothing much, the announcer guy just introduced our friends," the pig said, munching.
"Friends? You know all of them?"
"Not the sumo wrestler. But the other three? Oh, I have stories you won't believe! Like that time-"
"Oolong..." the old hermit warned the blabber mouth. Videl might be a nice girl, but the two barely know her. The Z fighters are, and will always be, people who keep their secrets within their tight knit group.
"No, no, it's okay," the young woman said sheepishly.
"Oh right. Sorry Videl, I ought to keep my mouth shut. The gang's like the mafia, you see. You need to be part of the family to know all the juicy details. Oh hey, I know! You can marry the kid. He's almost your age, and you can be like his promised bride or something, just like when Go- Yeoww!"
Exasperated, Roshi's fist collided violently with Oolong's skull. Sweatdropping, Videl laughed politely, thinking that it's wiser just to ignore the pig's confusing words.
In a dimly lit room at the neglected basement of the command building, seven men were huddled around a table. The table was littered with floor plans. A heavily muscled man was currently tracing paths to his colleagues.
"...countdown, and they'll be off. When that happens, you two," nodding at a pair of guys on his left, "must find yourselves in the camera room. Kill the cameras in the top two levels, and the connecting elevators and stairs. There's probably a few guards there, which shouldn't be a problem, right?" the two men smirked.
"After these two give the go signal, you three," looking at men on his right, "use these stairways," pointing to another floor plan. Split up at level 34A. You two secure and isolate the hallways and entrance points, and you, secure and isolate the helipad." The three gave thumbs ups.
The leader chuckled. "As for our targets, Mr. Anderson and I," patting an even larger guy in the shoulder, "will take care of them ourselves."
"This way," Videl pointed at an elevator.
The turtle hermit adjusted his sunglasses and harrumphed. "I'm all for free food and booze but are you sure it's okay for us to join that penthouse shindig? Those are the rich and famous, and we're not. We'll probably get kicked out in seconds."
"You guys are with me, and that should be enough for the security bozos. Besides, the Cash family practically worships my dad's footsteps. They won't mind that I've invited a couple of friends."
"I still don't know..."
"Leave this to me," Oolong winked at the black-haired girl. He moseyed to the hermit.
"Think, old man. What does rich peoples' parties have a lot? Aside from free food and booze, of course."
"Whatever it is, I'm sure you're going to tell me anyway."
"Ladies. Hot, rich ladies. Hot, rich, and drunk ladies." the pig suggestively raised his eyebrows.
Roshi ran to the elevator and tapped his. foot impatiently. "On the double, people! Those ladies need my loving attention!"
With his hands on the back of his head, the pig grinned and walked to the elevator.
"Um wait, I-I think I changed my mind, ahahaha," the girl laughed nervously. "You guys won't enjoy that party. Those people are such a bore, anyway."
"Too late to change the plans, Videl," Oolong said. "I just said the magic word. Now the old man will move heaven and earth to get to that party - hey, watch it, bud!"
Two darkly clothed muscles roughly elbowed their way into the elevator as the door was about to close. Ignoring the incensed pig with a stomped foot, the two hogged (pun intended) most of the elevator space. Realizing that the three were also on their way to the penthouse, the men eyed them.
"You're Mr. Satan's daughter, aren't you?" the smaller one (only by a bit) asked the girl.
"What's it to you?" Videl was wary.
"Oh, nothing," the man replied, smirking. Videl noted the larger man moved to the back of the small space, behind the suddenly nervous pig and now serious hermit.
The elevator pinged open, and everyone moved out. There were men in similar uniforms lounging in the hallway, one of them notably near the emergency stairwell.
As they stood in front of the gilded door, the penthouse suite swished open automatically, showing laughing, chattering people. Waiters were moving around with drinks or food. On a platform, a grand piano stood and a tuxedoed man was playing some soft watered-down jazz music.
"Videl!" Mrs. Cash exclaimed with open arms. The socialite hugged the young woman and showered her with air kisses. ''I'm glad you're here, my dear. Your father hadn't been feeling so well since this morning! I feel bad for the dear man, but he had been cooped up in the toilet since the semi-finals." The svelte lady pouted.
"Indeed, indeed," Mr. Cash joined his wife. "Our friends and sponsors wanted to talk business but with his terrible case of stomach flu? Talk about missed opportunities. Tsk, tsk."
"Um, okay. I'm sure he when feels better, he'll be here soon."
Just then, Videl noticed some a group of people whispering. Mrs. Cash gasped. "My word! Are those your friends?"
The girl groaned when she saw Oolong pigging out (pun intended yet again) at the buffet table, and old Roshi harassing a group of debutantes.
"Friends are such strong words. Can we use acquaintances instead?" the black haired young woman mumbled, her face red with embarrassment.
Mr. Cash started to retort, when they hear fear-filled commotion from the arena below.
"What in blue blazes is going on?" he yelled at the tournament producer from across the room.
The producer, who was by then enjoying his fourth (or was that fifth?) tequila sunrise, jumped out of his seat, in alarm to Mr. Cash's bellow. He paled further as he listened to his earpiece, the voices from his panicking assistants continued to flow.
"...not the actors we hired..."
"... attacked the contestant Krillin!"
"...is still in the toilet..."
''...is dead! I repeat, Doskoi is dead!"
The man paled at the last report. "M-Mr. Cash! Ah, there seems to be some, er, significant changes to the uh, program," the man said, wiping copious amount of sweat from his forehead. "Ah, some troublemakers trying to mess with the finalists. N-nothing that the champ can't handle, aheheh- AHHH!"
The loud ratatat from an automatic rifle had the party guests screaming and ducking for cover.
"Listen up, people!"
It was those men in the elevator. The rifle was still smoking in the hands of the smaller man who was obviously the ringleader.
"If it's still isn't obvious, this is a robbery! My colleague here," pointing to a humungous man with a sack, "will be going around the room. You will put in your cash and jewelry in the bag quietly and quickly. Be stubborn and my friend have to straighten you out, literally." They both chucked.
Videl's body moved forward by instinct, her first tightening in preparation.
"Don't do it, Videl," the girl heard Master Roshi whispered behind her. How did he get there? How did he know what she was planning?
"But I can't just stand here and do nothing," she muttered back.
''A disciplined warrior will not let impatience be her guide. She will only strike at the right moment, whether she created such opportunity for herself."
"No talking!" the ringleader with the rifle strode to them. "Down on your knees! And raise your arms up!"
The old man chuckled.
"Just relax, my boy. Sure thing, I can do that, just give me a few seconds to exercise these stubborn old knees," the turtle hermit said, stretching out his legs slowly, "one, two, one, two..."
With startling swiftness, Master Roshi swept the man's legs out. As he went down, the goon automatically pulled the gun's trigger, releasing a torrent of bullets. The captives screamed. The hermit then raised his cane upwards, forcefully shoving the hard wood under the thug's chin, knocking him out completely.
''Hey!" the goon's larger companion threw a beefy fist towards the old man - which Videl caught in her small hands.
"Oh no, you don't!" the girl exclaimed. With a strength she didn't knew she had, she lifted the gigantic goon over her head in a suplex. The giant went down, and then stayed down.
The turtle hermit raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed.
"What's going on?! What the fu-"
It was the two henchmen in the hallway who barged in. And they just saw a slip of a girl smashed their colossal cohort to unconsciousness.
You bitch!" One of the goons yelled furiously as he tried to shoot the girl down.
Videl moved towards the gunman. She was surprisingly able to dodge the first bullet but the second one grazed her cheek. The thug was so surprised with her speed that he hesitated for a fraction of a second. Which is what all Videl needed to land a vicious roundhouse kick to the hoodlum's head. The man collapsed to the floor in an instant.
The last thug saw that he was the only one in their group left standing. Security personnel then filed into the suite to belatedly take control of the situation. His knees knocking, he raised his arms.
"I-I give up!" he yelled, throwing his gun away. The armed guards placed him on handcuffs and led him away.
"That ended well," Oolong said drolly as he and the turtle hermit sauntered to the black-haired girl.
"So, says the pig who hid under the buffet table the entire time," the old man said with a snort.
He then looked back at Videl and said, "Sit down, girl. Your cheeks are bleeding."
"Oh." Her legs suddenly became wobbly, and she sat to the nearest chair.
The old man asked a medic from the security team for some cotton, adhesive strips, and a small bottle of iodine solution. He then tended the girl's wound, while he clicked his tongue in disapproval.
"Of all the reckless, idiotic things to do! Do you have a death wish? Or are you just plain stupid?"
"I'm sorry," the girl hung her head in shame.
"Hmmm, but still..." he mused while dabbing some antiseptic and slapping some strips on the wincing girl's cheek. The hermit became quiet.
"Viddeeellll!" Mrs. Cash suddenly appeared in front of them and tightly hugged the startled girl.
"I saw the entire thing, Videl! You were so brave! Your daddy would be sooo proud!" Mrs. Cash gushed as she tightly hugged the blushing young woman. Beside her, Mr. Cash beamed. In a few minutes, Videl found herself surrounded by photographers, reporters, and admirers. Master Roshi and Oolong were elbowed out of the tight circle of clamoring people.
The pig shrugged. "So that's it, old man. Let's go back to the arena. I'm sure there are more exciting things happening there." But the turtle hermit didn't answer.
"Earth to Master Roshi. Come in, Roshi." Oolong nudged the old man.
"Oh, the arena? Sure." Then the hermit continued thoughtfully. "There is something noteworthy about that girl. Something unexpected. It needs to be properly cultivated though. I wonder..." And then the old teacher became lost in his thoughts again.
A/N: Sorry for the delay. As much as I wanted to finished this chapter, I needed to prep up for a sideline project that I needed to present last weekend. So yeah, basically just some time-demanding work stuff. I already detail-outlined a couple more chapters so I'm crossing my fingers I can finish at least one this week despite needing to do some school stuff too.
Another thing, would it be okay if I post new fanfics while this one is ongoing? I have this story idea in my mind, and it's refusing to go away. I'm guessing that it wants me to write it down and publish it so that it'll stop bugging me. I'm still going to post new chapters here at least once (or twice, hopefully) a week.
Also, please check out the story Burden of Lies by zfj. I don't know the author personally but I remember reading the first chapter a month or so ago and it made an impression on me that I unconsciously (I swear!) and shamelessly copied the basic premise.
By the way, is my pace too slow? Do you think I better quicken things up? Please do send me your thoughts, I welcome all of them. Thank you in advance!
Lastly, thank you for your reviews, NoFacedKhalessi and Andrey258. I really appreciate them. :-)
- Always, dragonpriestess22