Dragon Ball Z

Dragon Ball Z

Gohan: Protector of Earth

Chapter 16:

Despite the numerous forfeits and instances of brutality that the tournament had witnessed up thus far, there were still a few bright spots. For one, the two youngest competitors in tournament history had made it to the finals, and one of those two was fighting in the next match. Goten and Trunks had displayed a level of fighting prowess that was unheard of for fighters their age. Their match had enthralled the audience more than any other match up to this point. It displayed a level of sportsmanship that was missing from the other matches and, because of that it was the only match that had a satisfactory conclusion. Goten, the victor of the first match, was now about to face off against 18, a more experienced and arguably a more powerful fighter.

Goten walked to the ring alongside 18. Goten looked like a child in a candy store with his youthful smile and exuberance, this was contrasted with 18 who did not show any emotion. She seemed less excited to begin her match than the people who were watching her fight. Despite the vastly different characteristics of the two fighters, they did share one quality: an incredible fighting ability coupled with a power that few in the universe could match or even comprehend.

"Now for our next match, we have the young Goten facing off against the beautiful 18. Both were impressive in their first round matches so this should prove to be an exciting match. Fighters, you may begin!"

"Come on Goten, you can do it!" yelled Chichi.

"Go mommy!" responded the cheerful Marron.

"Great, no matter who wins this match, I will be the loser," commented Yamcha. "Either there will be a crying little girl or a psychopathic mother."

"What did you say?" said an irritated Chichi.

"Nothing," responded Yamcha nervously.

"I am getting out of here before Chichi goes on a rampage," said Oolong as he ran over to the refreshment stand.

"I have never seen you fight. How strong are you?" asked the naïve Goten.

"Strong enough," said 18 with a chuckle.

"Okay, well in that case I guess I do not have to hold back."

Goten charged straight at 18 and unleashed a flurry of punches to the surprise of 18. Goten's attacks pushed 18 to the corner of the ring where she was forced to jump high into the air in order to avoid stepping out of bounds. Goten jumped up after her where he resumed his all out attack on 18. 18 decided she needed to neutralize Goten's attack and decided to form a small energy ball and let it explode between her and Goten. Using the blast as a diversion, 18 flew behind Goten and aimed a kick for the back of his head but ended up kicking straight through thin air. Goten used the after image technique once again and before 18 realized it he was behind her. Goten unleashed a quick energy attack at 18's back, sending the android flying towards the ground. 18 was able to spin her body and land on her feet where she quickly turned her attention back to the sky. To her surprise, Goten was not in the air anymore and she could not feel out his ki anywhere.

"Where did that little kid go?"

Goten flew out from behind the building straight at the pondering 18. 18 was too slow to react and once again was sent flying from a powerful kick by the young saiyan. Once again 18 recovered and quickly turned around to see Goten, standing patiently.

"This is amazing," commented Krillen. "Is Goten that strong that he can fight on par with 18 without even transforming?"

Vegeta pondered Krillen's revelation and started to feel some familiar pent up animosity.

"Once again, Kakkarot, you are having the last laugh. Since you cannot fight me anymore, you are embarrassing me with your second offspring. He is only seven yet he is stronger than I was when I first became a super saiyan. That android embarrassed me then, and now your son is doing the same to that android. It seems that I have to train every waking hour just to stay stronger than your youngest son!"

Vegeta looked over at Trunks who was enthralled by the current match.

"Our feud may be over for now Kakkarot, but mark my words my son will succeed where I have failed. The next time they meet, Trunks will defeat your son in battle."

Meanwhile, back in the ring, 18 started to gain more confidence after looking back at Goten. For the first time in the match, she cracked a smile.

"What is so funny? You have not hit me once in this match."

"You don't get it do you kid. Well I guess I can't blame you. You just do not have the experience."

"What are you talking about?" asked a confused Goten.

"How much of your energy have you used up thus far in the match?"

"I don't know. I guess I am a little tired."

"Well I feel perfectly fine."

"That's impossible, you have been fighting just as hard and I have landed a lot of my moves."

"Yes, but I don't get tired. I have an unlimited supply of energy. And now that your energy is down, you won't be able to stop my attacks."

"You're bluffing."

"Watch and see."

18 charged as fast as she could at Goten. Slightly winded, Goten could not put his hand up in time causing him to absorb with full effect 18's punch to the face. Goten spun in the air and regrouped near the corner of the ring. 18 quickly flew vertical to Goten's position and charged down at him. Goten narrowly ducked out of the way at the last second by jumping into the air at an angle. From her ground position, 18 threw a series of energy attacks at Goten forcing him to retreat to the ground. Upon landing, Goten was met with another punch to the face sending him flying to the wall. Goten was able to stop inches from the wall but 18 unleashed another punch to his face causing him to hit the wall and fall to the ground and out of bounds. Although Goten had the slight advantage to begin the match, 18's experience combined with Goten's lack of information on his opponent resulted in his defeat. 18's unique fighting style was different from the norm that Goten faced and was too much for the young fighter to handle.

"Oh no, Goten. I can't believe he lost, and he had been doing so well," said a saddened Chichi.

"It's okay Chichi, Gohan is still in the tournament," said Bulma. "You can still win the prize money."

"Yea mommy won again. She is awesome," said an overjoyed Marron.

"There is a bright side to this Chichi," said Yamcha.

"And what is that?"

"18's next opponent is Hercule. You get to look forward to that buffoon's embarrassing loss."

"Well I suppose that is a good conciliation prize."

Goten walked back to the waiting area, slumped over, following behind 18.

"Goten, you fought great out there. You have nothing to be disappointed about," said Gohan.

"But I lost. And I thought for sure that I was going to win."

"There are more important things than winning. Besides, you are only seven. You will have plenty more opportunities to win this tournament if you want."

"It's true," said Videl. "And you also are the youngest person ever to make it to this far in the finals. That is a pretty big accomplishment."

"Yea, don't worry about it Goten. You were awesome out there," said Trunks.

"It was a fun fight," said the now cheerful Goten.

"Congratulations honey, now for sure you are going to make it to the finals," said Krillen.

"Thanks," said 18.

"Promise me one thing though, that you will humiliate Hercule in the next round."

"Sure, it sounds like fun."

Vegeta's tension was put slightly at ease over Goten's loss. He realized he had overestimated the young saiyan and that his power difference from Trunk's was not that substantial. Vegeta's thoughts were interrupted however by a swift poke in the back. Vegeta turned to see Liev standing silently only a foot away from him.

"What do you want?" asked Vegeta coldly.

"It is time for our match."

Vegeta smiled at the last comment. "Eager for a beating I see. Well I can respect that."

Liev ignored Vegeta's condescending comment and walked briskly to the ring. Vegeta was about to follow him to the ring when he was stopped by Gohan.

"Vegeta, do not underestimate him."

"And why not, he poses no threat. Is he supposed to frighten me," said Vegeta pointing brazenly at Liev.

"Vegeta, trust me. I have the feeling he is a lot stronger than you give him credit for. I suggest that you do not underestimate him in your match."

"You worry about your match, and I will worry about mine." Vegeta bumped Gohan to the side as he walked up to the ring. Vegeta walked to the corner of the ring and looked patronizingly at Liev. Vegeta was going to try for the early knockout, not because of Gohan's urging, but because Vegeta did not care to make sport of Liev. Vegeta was already looking ahead eagerly to his next round match against Gohan. He wanted to make sure he had all his energy and focus in battle against Kakkarot's son. He did not want to waste any extra effort on what he considered to be a worthless opponent.

"Well it is time to get our next match underway, now that both fighters are ready and in the ring let's get it started. Fighters, ready, begin!"

Vegeta and Liev charged at each other simultaneously, colliding elbows in the center of the ring. Both fighters retreated quickly only to charge moments later in another stalemate collision of fists. Blow after blow was thrown by both fighters, only to be blocked with neither fighter gaining the initial advantage. The speed of the fighters could not be detected by the spectators but everyone could easily hear the fight. The sounds of the blows were nearly deafening for the audience.

"I can't believe it. That guy is going toe to toe with Vegeta," said Yamcha.

"Vegeta's only going easy on him. Once he tries, the guy won't stand a chance," said Bulma confidently.

"I don't think so Bulma. I have never known Vegeta to be one to take it easy on an opponent. He may mock his opponent but he never goes easy on them," said Yamcha.

Unhappy with the constraints of the ring, both fighters instinctively took the fight to the air as they continued to launch blow after blow.

"Not bad," said Vegeta as the two took a short break from their exchange. "You are stronger than I gave you credit for. It still won't be enough though. I am still only fighting at a fraction of my true strength."

"Tell me Vegeta, what happened to your tail?"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Your tail, you do not have one. I thought that all saiyans were supposed to have tails."

Vegeta looked at Liev with a combination of shock and anger. "How do you know that I am a saiyan? Answer me!"

"Ah, so it is true, thank you for verifying my suspicions. This makes my job a whole lot easier."

"Your job, what are you talking about. Who the hell are you?"

"I cannot tell you at this moment who am I, but you will discover eventually. Everyone on this planet will find out eventually, said Liev in a cold but calm manner of tone."

As Liev spoke, Vegeta couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu. Something about this fighter reminded him of a previous battle. Vegeta's history in battle was too numerous however and the exact person Liev reminded him of could not come to mind.

"Well shall we finish this battle now or do you plan on buying more time to rest?"

"Fine, if you are so confident then, prepare yourself, for you are facing the prince of the saiyan race. Your chance for victory is nonexistent."

"Prince?"

Vegeta took the momentary lapse and attacked Liev head on, connecting with punch after punch to the abdomen. Liev was unable to defend himself from the attacks as Vegeta continued the onslaught. Finally, Vegeta finished with a round house kick to the side of the head sending Liev plummeting to the ground. Liev fell into the ring creating a large crater in the floor around his body.

"Yea Vegeta, kick his butt!" screamed Bulma from the stands.

"Well he put up a good fight surprisingly but I guess Vegeta was just too strong," said Krillen.

"My dad is awesome. I could barely keep track of him when he knocked that guy out," said Trunks proudly.

Gohan and Piccolo looked on carefully, not as quick to judge the match as the others.

"Well folks, it looks like the winner of this match is …"

Like a bolt of lighting, Liev flew up from the ground at lighting speed and nailed the unprepared Vegeta in the stomach, forcing the prince to keel over in pain. Liev followed that up with several knees to the stomach and in similar fashion to Vegeta finished the combination off with a roundhouse kick to the face. Vegeta was able to stop his body from falling out of bounds and quickly sped back up to Liev's position. Vegeta wiped the blood away from his mouth as he stared at Liev. The two waited in a stand off once more.

"You are pathetic. I expected more from a saiyan, the supposed warrior race."

"Laugh now before I rip your head from your body!"

Vegeta charged at Liev with a flurry of punches but Liev was able to dodge the attacks easily from side to side. Each of Vegeta's kicks was casually blocked by Liev's elbows as the pointless exchange continued. Vegeta's frustration grew with each failed hit forcing him to back off temporarily. Vegeta flew about twenty feet below and to the side of Liev's position where he started to gather his ki together. Liev looked at Vegeta, interested in the saiyan's intention with this sudden change of tactics. Vegeta, finally content with the amount of energy gathered, unleashed a series of energy balls at Liev. Each of the energy attacks hit dead on, creating a large smoke screen. Vegeta continued his attack, increasing the size of the smoke screen even more, until he nearly ran out of energy. After finishing, Vegeta descended to the ground waiting for a corpse to fall from the sky.

"Vegeta you idiot! You weren't supposed to kill the guy!" yelled an angered Piccolo.

"No way could that guy have survived that attack. What possessed Vegeta to attack the guy so recklessly? I just do not get it," said Krillen.

"Trunks, why did your dad kill that guy," asked Goten.

"I'm not sure. He must have made him really mad."

"He is not dead," said Gohan definitively.

"Are you kidding?" asked Piccolo. "There is no way he could have survived that attack. Even Cell would have been injured by that attack."

"Just wait and see."

The crowd and the announcer looked on in utter amazement. This match was unlike anything they had ever seen in person. The only thing they could relate it to was the Cell Games, but as they knew that was just light tricks. The crowd waited anxiously to see the disappearance of the smoke screen and what happened to the fighter in the middle of it. Bulma and the others looked on in amazement as well but for different reasons, a combination of surprise from the strength of the opponent and shock at Vegeta's actions, reminiscent of his time spent as a villain.

After the smoke cleared, Liev stood in his same position. His clothes were in shambles and his body was covered in numerous cuts and bruises, but there he stood nonetheless, seemingly unfazed from the attack. Only Gohan was not surprised from this development, although he could not sense Liev's power, he had an extrasensory feeling about the fighter. As Liev lowered himself to the ground, Vegeta looked at him in utter frustration. Not since Vegeta fought 18 those many years ago did he feel this kind of anger and embarrassment in a fight.

"That is it, I am tired of this!" Vegeta then turned and looked at Gohan in frustration. "I don't care what you think, I am going to turn super saiyan if you like it or not!"

Liev's perpetually blank stare for the first time turned to a rapt of emotion. Fear set in the fighter's eyes as he timidly backed away from Vegeta. Vegeta, noticing Liev's sudden drop in confidence, used this to his advantage. Vegeta started to laugh maniacally as he looked into the frightened eyes of Liev.

"Since you know so much about the saiyan race, you must also know about the legend of the super saiyan. Whatever chance you had in this fight is about to disappear. After I transform I will rip your limb from limb and wipe away that smirk forever."

"It is impossible," said the now stuttering Liev. "You cannot possibly be a super saiyan. It is impossible. There has not been one for over a thousand years."

"Well then this should be a special treat for you. But it is the kind of thing you only see once. After I turn super saiyan, I will be able to find out who you are and why you know so much about the saiyans."

Liev continued to back away in fear as Vegeta increased his power level. A huge wind started to generate around Vegeta, forcing everyone nearby to back away or else be flung into the air. Vegeta skipped the first stage of super saiyan and went straight into the ascended form. His bright yellow hair stood straight up in the air. Along with that, Vegeta experienced an increase in his muscle size and a substantial increase in his power level. Liev looked at the now ascended form of Vegeta, no longer scared but seemingly confused.

"It feels good to no longer have to hold back. It would be smart for you to run away, you have no chance to defeat an ascended super saiyan."

Liev continued to stare at Vegeta for another few seconds before a smile appeared on his face. Liev then started to laugh, low at first but then louder and louder until he was nearly on the ground in tears. He was no longer stoic but seemed to be acting like Tasids.

"What is so funny!?" demanded Vegeta.

"I must admit, you had me scared for a minute. I actually thought you might be a super saiyan."

"What are you talking about, I am a super saiyan. I am more than that; I am an ascended super saiyan!"

A sudden shock fell onto Gohan. His knees started to tremble as he experienced a sudden and terrible realization.

Piccolo and the others could not fathom what Liev had said in the ring. They dismissed it as nothing although Piccolo was somewhat skeptical to dismiss it as quickly as Trunks and Goten who thought the guy was just an idiot.

"Gohan, are you okay," said Goten. "You don't look to good."

Everyone turned their attention to Gohan, who was now sitting on his knees and running his hands through his hair.

Videl sat next to Gohan, trying to figure out what was going on with him.

"Gohan, what is going on? You look like you are having a panic attack?"

How could he know that? How could he possibly know Vegeta is not a super saiyan? The only one that should know that is myself and the legendary super saiyan. Could Liev and Tasids be the reason why the legendary super saiyan wanted me to enter this tournament? What am I supposed to do now though? What does all of this mean?

Vegeta stood in the ring, skeptical and angered by Liev's comment.

"What are you talking about? I am a super saiyan!"

"Although at your current level you are stronger than me, you are not a super saiyan. You claim to be the prince of your race yet you do not even know your most sacred legend. You are either a liar or a fool, or maybe a little of both."

"Enough of this, I will not be talked down to by some pathetic excuse for a fighter. I am the prince of all saiyans, I am a super saiyan, and I am about to tear you limb from limb. So prepare yourself!"

Vegeta charged at Liev full force knocking him to the ground with a power uppercut. Vegeta grabbed Liev, who was now lying on the ground, and threw him straight up into the air. He threw several energy balls at Liev, each of which made perfect contact. Vegeta charged after Liev and hit him with an uppercut to the back, causing Liev's body to arch over Vegeta's fist. Vegeta then callously grabbed on to Liev's leg and threw him down to the ground. Liev hit the same crater as before, expanding the size and depth of the hole. Vegeta casually floated down to the ground next to the crater. He walked into the crater in search of Liev's body. As if to make a point, once finding the body he grabbed onto Liev by the head and resurfaced so everyone could see. Holding him by the head he looked disparagingly at him before tossing him onto the grass and out of bounds.

The moment Vegeta transformed everyone in the audience and around the world realized who was competing in the tournament. Piccolo's few minutes in the ring did not jar anyone's memory but the combination of the energy attacks and the bright golden hair reminded everyone instantly of the Cell Games. People did not know whether they should be scared or not. Between the brutality and the reemergence of these popularized figures, the only familiar thing people could hold on to was Hercule's presence in the tournament. He was the hero of the world and he was the only thing keeping them from flooding out of the tournament in terror. As long as he was there, the fans felt safe.

After assessing the bloody body of Liev and checking to see that he was still alive, the announcer declared Vegeta the winner. Vegeta walked back to the waiting area but did not address anyone, including his son. Gohan still sat on the ground reassessing the events thus far.

Now that Vegeta has turned super saiyan there is no use in hiding my identity. It does not matter if people know I am the boy from the Cell Games, there is no going back from this point. I will fight Tasids and defeat him. Until this tournament is over, there is no point in guessing what will happen.

Reassured of his decision, Gohan walked to the ring in silence. Waiting on the opposite corner was the always sinister Tasids, eagerly awaiting the upcoming battle.

/

Thank you for the numerous reviews of my last chapter, keep them up. A couple notes, Tasids and Liev are meant to be anagrams (is that the right word?) of sadist and evil. Not that clever but whatever. I also want to emphasize that although not in the story yet, Goku will be in my story eventually. I mean, how could he not be.