Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z
Gohan: Protector of Earth
Chapter 13:
Hercule stood his ground calmly, waiting for Killa to make the first move. The two had fought before in a different martial arts tournament a few years back. Hercule was able to win the match fairly easily thanks to a combination of superior talent and fighting intelligence. Although Hercule presented the persona of an uneducated muscle head, he was in fact very savvy in martial arts, similar in a lot of ways to Goku. Hercule was confident that he would win this match with a similar ease he had exhibited in their prior matchup.
"It is your move Killa. I suggest you make a move now before I have gotten into the heat of battle," said a smug Hercule.
"Fine, I will make the first move then, you overrated has been."
Killa charged at Hercule and aimed a kick at the center of his face. Before his foot could make contact Hercule sidestepped two feet to the left. Hercule waited for Killa's foot to reach his position and then struck Killa's right shin with a hard elbow, causing the fighter to fall to his knees.
"And Killa is down with a spectacular elbow by Mister Satan."
Killa quickly jumped back to his feet and turned around to face Hercule once again.
"Lucky shot, it will not happen again," said Killa as he got to his feet. "You will not dodge my next attack I promise you."
Killa ran up to Hercule as before but this time stopped in front of him. He then used his momentum to aim a punch at Hercule's face. Again, before the punch could make contact, Hercule moved only his neck to the side, causing the punch to miss his face by mere inches. Killa followed that up with a continued series of punches, all of which missed Hercule by a matter of inches. In an attempt to mix up his attack, Killa tried a full force round house kick. Instead of dodging the kick, Hercule caught Killa's foot with his left hand and then proceeded to punch Killa square in the chest sending the fighter careening to the ground and nearly out of the ring.
"And Killa is down again thanks to a powerful punch by Mister Satan. I do not think Killa will be able to get up from that one. You could just feel the impact of that punch, what power!"
Killa stood up again, slower than the previous time. He was breathing heavy and in obvious pain from Hercule's attack.
"I think I have given my fans enough of a show in my first match. It is time to end this match," said Hercule confidently.
"It will not be that easy to beat me. I have still got a lot left in me."
"We will see about that."
In a change of pace this time, Hercule assumed the offensive and charged at Killa, aiming a series of punches. Instead of dodging from side to side, Killa was forced to back up in an attempt to avoid the punches. This continued until Killa could feel the edge of the ring with the back of his feet. In order to avoid falling out of the ring, Killa decided to charge full force straight at Hercule in what seemed to be an attempt to tackle him to the ground. Before Killa could collide with his full body attack, Hercule brought up his knee at the last moment making solid contact with Killa's chest. This tremendous impact caused Killa to lose his breath and fall immediately to the floor. Hercule then kicked Killa gently out of the ring in what appeared to be a humane way of ending the match. Hercule was victorious in his first match.
"And in an impressive display of might, Mister Satan has defeated an accomplished fighter Killa in a matter of minutes. At no point during the match did our champion seem to be at risk of losing. Mister Satan now advances to the second round of the tournament. But will he dominate his next match with the same amount of vigor that he displayed in his first match. We will have to wait and see."
Hercule gave one last bow to the crowd before making his way back to the waiting area. Having won his first match, he was now interested in seeing his daughter and giving her advice for her first match. As Hercule walked into the waiting area, he spotted Videl standing in the corner talking with some boy.
"Videl, did you see my match? The crowd went wild when I kicked him out of the ring. I think it was one of my most entertaining matches yet."
"Yea dad, that was great. Congratulations on your win."
"Hey, who is the kid? You know kid only fighters are allowed back here. Why don't you go back to the stands and watch the fight from there."
"Actually dad, Gohan is competing in the tournament. He is in match 8."
"Gohan huh, why does that name sound familiar?"
"Well I might have mentioned him before. He is in my class at school. We did some training together before the start of the tournament."
"It is a pleasure to meet you sir," said Gohan with a forced smile. "Videl has told me a lot about you."
"You two are not going out are you? You know I do not approve of you having a boyfriend Videl, especially at your age."
"No dad, we are just friends."
"Good, just as I thought. In that case boy, would you mind getting me a drink? I am thirsty from my match and I would like to talk to my daughter in private."
"Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of Gohan dad. And if you want a drink go get it yourself. Not everyone is your servant you know."
"Fine, but I want to talk to you later Videl."
Hercule left for his dressing room, leaving Videl and Gohan by themselves again. He was displeased with Videl's sudden attitude and understandingly attributed it to the boy she was talking to. He decided he would have a special talk with the kid later in the tournament. Being such an intimidating figure, Hercule figured he would be able to draw out what the boy's true motives were with his daughter.
"How come you were so rude to your dad?" asked Gohan.
"I am just tired of him and his whole attitude. He thinks everyone should bow to him, I mean you saw the way he wanted you to get him a drink. Besides, every time I look at him now all I can think of is how he took credit for your accomplishment. It is like his entire life is nothing but a lie."
"He is still your father. I know he has done some bad things but you will have to forgive him at some point."
"We will see about that." Videl then quickly changed the subject, not wanting to think about her father for the time being.
A few minutes after Hercule arrived in his dressing room, the announcer walked back out to the ring in order to announce the second match.
"Can I now have Shin and Majunior make their way to the ring," said the announcer.
Piccolo started to walk to the ring before he was stopped on the way by Gohan.
"Hey Piccolo, be careful with this guy. There is something about him that does not feel right."
"I know what you mean. I will not make the mistake of underestimating him."
Piccolo then walked out to the ring and stood in the far corner. He was wearing his traditional weighted white turban around his soldiers and had his arms crossed to signify a relaxed stance. He was anything but relaxed though. A few seconds later Shin walked up to the other corner calmly and stood facing Piccolo with a smile on his face. His arms lay relaxed at his sides, signifying how calm he was despite the imminence of the match.
"Okay, for our second match we have newcomers Shin and Majunior competing. Although neither competitor has entered the tournament before, both were impressive in the preliminaries and should make for an interesting match-up. Competitors, you may begin when I say the word. Go!"
Both fighters stood completely still despite the fact the match had begun. Piccolo started to sweat, unnerved by Shin's composed demeanor and broad smile.
Why I am so nervous all of a sudden? I have never felt like this before, even when I fought against Cell. I am never nervous before a fight, no matter who the opponent is. Could I be right, could he really be who I think he is. But why would he come to the World Martial Arts Tournament? It does not make sense; unless this has something to do with that attack a couple weeks ago. Things have not felt right since that incident, especially Gohan's reaction to it. He acted almost as if he had expected it. There is something going on that I am not aware of, I can feel it. I cannot fight Shin, the tournament is not important enough for me to merit that kind of risk. As a former guardian of Earth it would be sacrilege to even lay a finger on him. Even if I am wrong, I have to forfeit, it is my only option.
Piccolo remained stationary, sweating profusely. At this time, the fans started to become anxious at the lack of action in the match. Some even stood on their seats and started to yell obscenities aimed towards the fighters.
"Okay fighters, the match has begun. Do something," pleaded the nervous announcer.
"Well aren't you going to fight Piccolo," asked Shin. "Or, do you already know, and that is why you have not attacked me."
Piccolo's expression turned to one of surprise after Shin's revealing statement. With that, Piccolo's decision became even easier. He walked towards the waiting area and stepped out of the ring, forfeiting the match. Everyone stood in shock, even the announcer at the event that had just transpired. This was the first time anyone can remember a match where a fighter just gave up before even attempting an attack. The match was over before it ever began.
"Uh well in an unusual twist it seems Majunior has forfeited the match. It must have been the fear of facing an opponent like Shin. One can only imagine the psychological battle that must have occurred to force an opponent to give up like that. This should prove to make an interesting second round match between Shin and our champion."
"Why would Piccolo forfeit the match, he could have beaten that guy easily?" said Bulma.
"Yea, I have never known Piccolo to give up in a fight before," said Yamcha.
"Who cares, Piccolo has always been a bit strange if you ask me," said Oolong. "He probably didn't want to fight in front of so many people."
"I have to agree with Yamcha, something fishy is going on," said a concerned Master Roshi. "There must be some method to Piccolo's madness. He would not give up a fight without a good reason."
"Hey Piccolo what gives, why did you forfeit?" asked Krillen as Piccolo returned to the waiting area.
"I did not feel like competing today, that's all."
Piccolo, noticing that Shin had returned to the waiting area as well, walked over to him and Kibito, leaving his friends still confused.
"There is something I have to ask you," said Piccolo.
"What is it?" said Shin.
"Are you the Grand Kai?"
"That I am not."
"Ugh, so I forfeited the match for nothing, what was I thinking?"
"He is not the Grand Kai," said Kibito. "He is the supreme Kai."
Piccolo's face immediately changed from one of frustration to one of utter shock. In the back of his mind, Piccolo always thought that there was someone above the Grand Kai but that was just a hunch. Never in his wildest dreams did Piccolo ever expect to meet the Supreme Kai, let alone on some tournament on the planet Earth.
"Supreme Kai, are you serious?"
"Yes, but if you do not mind I would ask that you refrain from telling the others who I am. I do not want my presence to be known quite yet?"
"Sure, I will not tell anyone."
"Excellent. I look forward to our talk later."
"What was that about," asked Gohan as Piccolo returned to the group.
"I just congratulated him on his victory."
"Do you have any idea who he is?" asked Krillen.
"No, not a clue," replied Piccolo quickly.
"Hey Krillen, shouldn't you be watching the next match. 18 is fighting in it after all," commented Gohan.
"Yea I guess I should watch, but it is kind of pointless. I already know the outcome."
Currently in the ring stood 18 and Pintar, a very tall and very heavy Indian fighter. He was wearing traditional Indian fighting garb and had his hair in a traditional style pony tail. If cockiness was related to fighting power, then Pintar would have been a challenge for Vegeta. However, as it was, he was a mediocre fighter at best that could not beat Mr. Satan let alone 18 in a match. He would have to learn this lesson the hard way.
"Go mommy, you can do it!" yelled Marron from the stands. She was standing on top of Yamcha's shoulders in order to get a better view of the fight.
"Don't worry Marron, your mommy is very strong. She will definitely win the match."
"I just hope the other guy rips off a piece of her clothing. Oh mamma," said Master Roshi. "Hey Oolong, pass me the binoculars."
"Forget it, they are mine. Bring your own next time."
"I want to see the match you dumb pig. Now give me the binoculars."
Master Roshi grabbed onto Oolong's binoculars and a struggle over the item then ensued. It was resolved when Bulma took her purse and smacked both of them across the face with it. She then grabbed the binoculars and proceeded to use them.
"Now you guys have to both behave or I am not flying either of you two home," said an irritated Bulma.
Meanwhile back in the ring, the announcer was ready to begin the third match.
"And in our third match, we have newcomer 18 versus seasoned pro Pintar. It looks like David versus Goliath out here, but if 30 years of experience in this business has taught me anything it is that looks can be deceiving. So with that in mind, let us begin our next match!"
Pintar started to smile and decided this was a good time to mock his opponent. "How did they let a woman into the tournament? Shouldn't you be at home cooking or raising the kid or something like that?"
"I am going to enjoy this," said 18 with a wry smile.
"Well then bring it on, skinny woman. I will even give you a free punch. Hit me as hard as you can, you will not even hurt me a little."
18 lunged at Pintar and hit him square in the stomach before he had a chance to react. He could not see her move but he felt the impact of her incredible punch. Pintar keeled over in pain from the blow and fell to the floor. Pintar lay on the ground, more defeated and embarrassed than even the biblical Goliath. Even the announcer was surprised, despite his pre match warning.
"And in an amazing display of quickness and power, 18 has knocked out Pintar with a single blow. Pintar is down and not getting up, making the winner of the match 18!"
18 walked off to the waiting area while giving a half wave to the crowd on her exit.
"Nice one honey," said Krillen.
"Oh please, it was nothing. I just hope the paramedics do not get hurt lifting his fat butt into the ambulance."
"Good to see you care for your opponent's well being," said Gohan laughing.
"Oh please, he was a chauvinistic pig who got what he deserved. He is lucky we did not meet in the past or I might not have been so passive in our fight."
"Lucky him I guess. Hey Goten, Trunks, isn't your match next?"
"Hey Trunks it is our turn to fight. I'll race you out there," said Goten.
"You can run out if you want," said Trunks. "I am going to walk out slowly like I have been there before. I don't want to look like an amateur," said Trunks coolly.
"But Trunks, you are an amateur. This is our first tournament, remember?"
"Shut up Goten!"
"Hey guys, remember what I said earlier. Under no circumstances are you to turn super saiyan. Got it?"
"Yes we got it," said the boys in unison.
"Can I have Goten and Trunks report to the ring please? Goten and Trunks to the ring."
"Okay you guys, have a good match," said Krillen. "And try to avoid destroying the ring."
Goten and Trunks walked out slowly to the ring and took their positions on opposite sides of the squared structure. The crowd was shocked to see children in the ring and initially thought it was a joke.
"Is this some kind of joke," said an elderly man sitting a few rows back. "They are only little kids. How did they qualify for the tournament?"
"Everyone must be so afraid to face Mr. Satan that they have to resort to little children to fill the brackets. How sad," said one confused and obviously idiotic woman.
"I just hope the little tikes don't get seriously hurt. What kind of parents would let their kids fight in this type of tournament? I have a good mind to call social services and report them," responded the woman's husband.
A few seconds later the man was hit upside the head with a shoe and knocked to the ground. Unfortunately for him, Chichi happened to be sitting only two rows back from him. His wife was forced to drag him to the hospital.
"Don't be surprised by their size folks, these kids are capable fighters. Goten is the son of the great Goku Son, former champion of this tournament. Goku nearly won this tournament when he was around Goten's age so I would not be too quick to dismiss him folks. And after what we witnessed in our last fight, we would be foolish to dismiss either of these two brave children. Anyway, now that both fighters are in the ring, we may begin the match. Fighters, begin!"
"Okay Goten remember, no super saiyan."
"The same goes for you Trunks."
After a few seconds of staring each other down, Goten and Trunks charged at each other simultaneously, exchanging a series of punches and kicks. They moved so fast they could not be detected by the crowd or the announcer. The waves of energy created by their attacks could be felt by everyone however.
"Amazing, both competitors are moving so fast I can't even see them. What amazing speed and agility the two are displaying!"
"Look, they are in the sky," yelled someone from the stands.
Goten and Trunks were now hovering a hundred feet above the ring, continuing their exchange of punches. Goten landed a knee to the stomach, causing Trunks to lose his breath momentarily. When he tried to follow it up with a kick Trunks was still able to dodge and countered with an uppercut. Both fighters then retreated to opposite sides of the arena floor.
"It looks like they are pretty evenly matched," said Gohan.
"Speak for yourself. Trunks is still holding back. When he starts to try this match will be over," said Vegeta.
"The same goes for Goten, I can't wait to see them both fight all out," said Gohan.
The only ones with more interest in the match than Gohan and Vegeta were standing in the stands, cheering loudly.
"Come on Trunks, you can do it!"
"Goten, finish him off. We need that prize money to eat!"
"Ladies, ladies, calm down," pleaded Yamcha.
"I am not even going to get in the middle of this," said Oolong.
"There is nothing I like more than a couple of ladies getting excited over a fight. Let me go buy some jell-o and you two can settle this once and for all," said a cackling Master Roshi.
Chichi and Bulma each took a momentary pause from watching the match to hit Master Roshi over the head with their purses.
"Master Roshi, I don't know why you have to get involved," said Puar.
"That's funny, Master Roshi is bleeding," said Marron, pointing at the old man.
Meanwhile, back in the ring, Goten and Trunks were in the middle of a stand off. They had started to fight all out and as a result both were breathing heavy.
"Tired already Goten, why don't you just give up before you embarrass yourself?"
"I am not tired, and I am not going to give up."
"Suit yourself then. This match will be over anyway soon enough."
Trunks flew up into the air and placed both hands to his side. His power level started to rise as he concentrated his ki into a ball.
"What is he doing?!" said Piccolo. "He can't control that much energy; he is putting everyone here at risk."
Vegeta stood there, watching, with a slight smirk on his face. "Well this fight just got interesting. I wonder what Kakkarot's son will do now?"
"Goten, make sure nobody gets hit by that blast!" yelled Gohan.
Goten looked over at Gohan and gave him a nod. Goten then started to crouch, in preparation for the inevitable ki attack.
Trunks finished gathering energy and prepared to launch his attack at Goten.
"Gallick Gun!"
Suddenly, a huge energy beam, emitted from Trunks, went flying straight at Goten. Before the energy blast could reach Goten, he had placed both hands in front of his body in an attempt to stop the attack. The energy beam upon collision initially pushed Goten back, nearly to the edge of the ring. Before the beam could knock Goten out of the ring, he was able to stop the forward momentum of the blast completely. Goten then lowered his body and pushed the energy attack straight into the sky and away from any innocent bystanders. The attack exploded in the air, leaving only a trail of lights in the sky.
"Impossible! How was he able to stop it?" said Vegeta.
"Incredible, not only was he able to stop the attack but he had the sense to knock it away from everyone," commented Krillen.
"Despite his childish demeanor he has a keen sense for the battlefield. Just like Goku did," said Piccolo.
"What do I do now," thought Trunks. "I used up almost all my energy with that attack. I am a lot smarter than Goten, maybe I will be able to trick him to win the match."
"That was not very smart!" yelled Goten. "Somebody could have gotten hurt."
"Try that new technique I taught you Goten," yelled Gohan.
"What new technique? Oh yea I remember now. Okay Gohan."
"What technique is Gohan talking about? This can't be good" thought Trunks.
Goten suddenly charged into the air and straight at Trunks. In preparation Trunks crossed his arms over his body and geared himself for the oncoming blow. Before Goten reached Trunks, he suddenly stopped a few feet in front of him, or so Trunks thought. Suddenly Goten appeared behind Trunks, delivering a crippling kick to his back and sending him flying straight down to the ring. Goten had performed a perfect after image technique, leaving an impression of himself in front of Trunks and allowing him time to travel behind him. Trunks had never seen the attack before and was unprepared for the technique.
"Goten just performed a perfect after image technique. How was he able to do it at his age?" said Krillen.
"We have worked on it before but I am surprised at how well he executed it," said Gohan.
"You have done a good job training him Gohan," said Piccolo. "To master difficult techniques at his age is truly remarkable."
"It is not over yet," said Vegeta. "Trunks is too strong and too well trained to get defeated by a pathetic technique like that."
Goten descended down to the ring and waited to see if Trunks would get up.
"And Trunks is down hard! It doesn't look like he will be getting up from this folks. Wait a second; it looks like Trunks is moving. Amazing folks, even after a brutal attack like that it appears that Trunks is ready to continue the fight."
"Come on Trunks, get up! Give it everything you've got," screamed Bulma.
"Pretty good Goten," said Trunks wiping blood from his face, "But not good enough. This match ends now, prepare yourself."
Trunks darted at Goten suddenly causing Goten to prepare for a head on attack. A few inches before Trunks would have collided with Goten, he changed his course and flew straight up into the air. He continued to ascend until he was about 400 feet in the air. From there he stopped and looked down.
"Get ready Goten!" yelled Trunks.
"Is he going to try another energy attack? If it did not work the first time why would he try it again?" asked Krillen.
"He is not going to use another energy attack. He has something more traditional in mind," said Vegeta with a smirk. "Trunks will fight until he has nothing more to give, like a true saiyan warrior."
Trunks then started to fly straight down as fast as he could towards Goten, with his right arm extended vertically as if he were a missile. Immediately Goten crouched to the ground and jumped straight up. In similar fashion his arm was extended towards Trunks. A collision course was now set between the two half saiyans.
"I can't watch," said Chichi before covering both her eyes. Bulma looked away at the same time afraid to see the outcome.
Goten and Trunks met 200 feet off the ground, with both their fists making contact with the other's face. Momentarily both seemed stationary in the air before falling simultaneously to the ground. Oddly enough, both landed in their original starting positions.
"And they are both down on the canvas. It looks like the first to get up will be the winner of this incredibly exciting match."
"Get up Goten," yelled Chichi.
"Come on, you can do it Trunks. Do it for mommy!" yelled Bulma.
Both fighters lay completely still on the floor, seemingly unconscious from the horrific collision. After a few seconds, Trunks started to move his arms a bit showing he was still awake.
"And Trunks starts to move. Will he be the first to stand and win the match?"
Trunks started to roll over and moved his hands under himself in an attempt to stand up. As he is doing this, Goten is lying completely still, not showing any signs of consciousness. At the precise moment Trunks is about to hoist himself up, Goten pulls his legs in towards his body and jumps to his feet in one swift motion, stunning the crowd.
"Gee that was fun, did I win?"
The announcer looked at Goten dumbfounded for a second before making his verdict.
"And the winner is Goten!"
Trunks slowly pushed himself up to his feet and turned to look at Goten.
"You were just pretending to be hurt weren't you," asked Trunks.
"Yea, I thought it would be more exciting that way."
"Huh, that is just like you Goten. Well, congratulations on your win."
"Thanks Trunks, you fought really well."
Trunks then walked over to Goten and gave him a high five. Although they were only children, they had the maturity level of adults many times older than them. Trunks was upset to lose the match to his rival, but his friendship and respect for Goten prevented him from holding a grudge. The two were each other's best friends and Trunks knew that he would now root for his friend to win what he could not. The two entered the ring as competitors, but left as friends once again.
/
Fight scenes are not are my strength but I hope I made them entertaining. Let me know what you think since there will be a lot of fights from here on out.
