Disclaimer: I own no part of Dragonball Z or Dragonball. These great mangas and all characters thereof are the exclusive property of Akira Toriyama and Funimation Productions. Rolo Yeung, Fein, Rat the Iron Bullet, Hard Copper, Growser, Bridled Fury, and Beatrice are mine.
Chapter 15: The Fighting Begins in Earnest
"Alright ladies and gentlemen!" Mr. Akira, the announcer blared. "It's time for the National Budokai to begin!"
Upon hearing this, the panorama that ensued in the stands reached the breaking point. Signs and fan-show were thrown about with reckless regard as people cheered. Some of the more rowdy spectators even went as far to paint the colors and names of their preferred fighters onto their naked upper-bodies!
"As you all know, due to the number of prelim rings, three additional sub-announcers have been called in to mediate the matches! Among them is Mr. Satan's personal announcer, Jody Firecracker! He will be covering block one! Upon the prelims completion, he will be acting as my co-announcer at ringside! Now, without furthera'due, let's get this party started!"
"Thank you, Mr. Akira!" said Mr. Firecracker graciously. "Whoa Nelly! And here we go! In ring Block 1, for our first match we have Hemoron vs. Rolo Yeung!"
Answering the call, Yeung stepped into ring Block 1 and assumed a position on the side furthest from the central ring.
"As many of you are aware, Yeung has a questionable reputation both in and out of the fighting world!! Nonetheless, this bucky youth is credited with all sorts of records including a criminal one!"
The spectators themselves began to jeer and boo voraciously at the teen participant. For many, Yeung's actions regarding the West City branch of Mr. Satan's Karate Dojo remained fresh on their minds. Aside from Hard Copper, no other participant seemed to garner so much loathing from the general public.
"Ahh…,my fan club awaits," muttered the youth.
Just outside the ring, Fein and Mr. Satan were talking quietly amongst themselves regarding Yeung's match.
"Considering the amount of hatred the boy's soliciting from my fans, I wouldn't be surprised if there was another riot," said Mr. Satan.
"It's not just the damage he did to your dojos that has these people in a tizzy," replied Fein, "Since leaving our old school, my friend there has done some fairly heinous things."
"Like what?!" asked Satan, "What can possibly move people to hate one person so much?!"
"Yeung is a cop killer," Fein stated flatly. "His reckless disregard for authority has him branded a loose cannon among mainstream martial artists. His vigilantism and debauchery are the only things that surpass his record as a fighter. The police can't do anything about Yeung so most people settle for ostracizing him. That little stunt he pulled in West City last year didn't help matters any."
"How can that boy sleep at night?!" wondered Mr. Satan. "Considering how much hatred my fans have for him, if I were Yeung, I'd be afraid of someone killing me in my bed."
Just then, a God-awful roar rang through the entire complex. The noise produced by the monstrous sound sent much of the audience into a heated panic. From one of the field's auxiliary entrances came a terrifying beast, a T-Rex.
The dinosaur, bore its' bleached fangs menacingly as it stomped through the crowd of smaller participants. Shocked and confused by what was going on, the other participants nervously backed away from the large predator.
Upon reaching the ring, the giant dinosaur leaped into the ring just opposite of Yeungs' side. An utterly ruthless gleam in it's' eye, the creature glared daggers at the boy warrior.
"Who let this thing in here?!" shouted Yeung.
"You!" said the beast.
"Holy shit! You talk!"
"You killed my mate!" roared the T-Rex.
Cocking an eyebrow, Yeung pointed at the beast. "You mean you're my opponent?!"
"YEESSS…" hissed the dinosaur, now revealed to be Hemoron. "I'm going to bite your head off and drink the blood from your neck!"
Tepidly, Mr. Firecracker crawled into the ring and gave them the go-ahead.
"The two of you may begin," informed the dark-haired announcer.
"I hope you realize that I am far stronger than my mate was," growled the deranged dino. "I don't care about the rules! You defiled my home range when you trespassed in my desert!"
The dinosaur reared up at Yeung. However, instead of coming down on the boy warrior, it just stood there, as if locked in place by something. It bore into Yeung with its' snake-like eyes, storing potential energy for the strike to come.
Yeung for his credit, arms crossed, stood there as if unimpressed. He eyed the beast calmly, preparing for whatever may be. Most of his training had been geared towards human opponents so the prospect of fighting a non-human was vexing to say the least.
In the stands, Toa Pai-Pai and his other four students sat in the row just above Master Roshi's group. Toa himself sat just behind the old Turtle Hermit. In the row down from Roshi, Bulma Breifs and Vegeta sat right in front of the old master.
"Those damned fools at the snack bar spit in my popcorn again!" gripped Vegeta, "If I get my hands on them, I'm going to cut open their stomachs and pack them with shotgun shells!"
"OH Hush!" nagged Bulma.
"Oh my God!" screamed Kato, "Master! That thing is gonna kill Yeung!"
"Kato, if you'll be quiet and watch, you might learn something," Toa explained. "The beast he's fighting there is a creature that traditional fighting theory doesn't apply to. It's like a rattlesnake preparing to throw its' head forward! Whoever makes the first move is putting everything they have into it."
"It's hard to believe how much that boy has improved and in such a short amount of time!" spoke Roshi in disbelief. "Feel that energy! If he explodes like he did at the Cell Games, he could turn this whole town into a parking lot!"
"I agree," said Krillain. "The hidden powers he showed at the Cell Games was phenomenal, even for a neophyte."
"Hmm," nodded Yamucha, "That kid already has hidden powers that far exceed anything we could have mustered up at that age. At this point, I'd say that his battle power is as high as Goku's was when he won the 23rd Tenkaichi. Hell! At that age, I didn't even know how to use ki."
"Bahh!! Humans are such pitiful specie," Vegeta harped between mouthfuls, "You call this high-level competition!? No good can ever come of humans training! Why any of them even refer to themselves as fighters, let alone warriors, is beyond me!"
Suddenly, without warning Hemoron did just as Toa predicted. He threw all forty feet and seven tons of his titanic form teeth-first behind a spring loaded lunge. As the creature flew at Yeung, its' claws drug along the tiles, digging deep gashes into the concrete floor.
Just as the sentient predator was about to clamp down on the boy, Yeung swerved to the side and allowed the beasts' own weight and inertia to do the rest.
Making an effort to double back on Yeung was too much for Hemoron's legs to withstand. He soon found that his immense size made it difficult to attain traction, even on a rough stone surface. The dinosaur skid hap hazardously until it tripped on its' own left foot. Falling forward, the reptile wound up crushing his forearms under his own weight.
"Incredible!" shouted the announcer, "Now that is what you call bullfighting! Toro! Toro!"
All around, the crowds were livid. Disappointed that Yeung had survived the first exchange, many of Mr. Satan's diehard fans began to hurl curses and projectiles into the arena with the hopes of clocking the teen fighter. Security struggled to hold the ensuing lynch mob behind the crowd control barricade.
Hemoron(Blood Dragon) meanwhile, was having a hell of a time just trying to stand up. With his forearms shattered, he had been deprived of a Tyrannosaurs' most important balancing tool. Though short, a tyrannosaurs' forearms were essential for allowing it to prop itself up. Needless to say, the creature tripped himself up repeatedly before finally attaining a standing position.
Meanwhile, Yeung stood by yawning like an arrogant ass. After taking a moment to flip off the audience, the youth shook his head in pity at the stubborn beast. What was truly sad was that an opponent as powerful as the animal before him had already done all of Yeung's work. The prelim matches had a time limit of 3 minutes, and already the giant predator had seemingly handed Yeung victory on a silver platter.
Seething in a rage, the animal again attempted a frontal assault, albeit more cautious than the first. As with the first pass, Yeung stepped to the side and allowed his reptilian opponent's inertia to again do the work. However, on this pass, his opponent had different ideas.
Pivoting all seven tons of his weight on his heal bone, Hemoron swung his tail around at the last minute, and with a spring loaded rebound, sent a tail-full of spikes Yeungs' way. The spikes forced Yeung to hit the deck to avoid being blind sighted. Seeing this as his chance to secure a , ad lizard jumped high into the air and attempted to crush Yeung under all seven tons of his weight.
Rolling onto his back, Yeung was unable to clearly see his adversary due to the sun glare. By the time he had any idea what was going on, Hemoron had landed on top of him. The force behind the resulting crash powdered the concrete tiling beneath the two combatants. Caught between a hammer and an anvil, Yeung had little room to maneuver. Just as he pried an arm loose from Hemoron's scaly claw toes, another foot clamped down to secure it. Maul open, the massive predator reared its head back for the fatal bite.
"NO!" warned the announcer, "Killing your opponent is explicitly forbidden!"
The warnings however fell on deaf ears as Hemoron went in for the kill. Looking down, it was then that Hemoron noticed something that unnerved him. Yeung was smiling….
"Do you really think this will stop me?" asked the boy arrogantly. Just then, Yeungs' body began to glow with a red ember. His subcutaneous skin and muscle tissue began to shift with such violent force that the hide on the bottom of Hemoron's foot was practically ripped off.
The massive predator fell over in a fit of agony as blood poured from his feet. Not only had Yeung's flood-rush ability filleted the hide right off his opponent's heel, it had shattered every bone in his adversaries' lower leg.
"Time to finish this!" Getting up, Yeung strode up to the downed monsters' muzzle and drew back for the final blow. However, just as his fist exploded forward, Hemoron opened his massive bone-crushing jaws and clamped down, hard!
Cackling menacingly between his teeth, the fallen beast went for a seven ton death-roll. He began to jerk his body violently this way and that in an attempt to take at least some part of his opponent/prey with him. It was only when he was in mid-roll that it finally donned on him: He wasn't even hurting the boy.
Truth be told, Yeung felt not even the slightest bit of pressure from the death-roll. Hell! His opponent couldn't even move his arm! The young martial artist simply stood there and chuckled at his fallen opponent's desperation.
Again, Hemoron was unnerved, so unnerved in fact that he let Yeung go. A fire had died in the lizard's eyes. It was as if the tyrant lizard king had given up hope altogether!
Stepping up to Hemoron's side, Yeung began to push the large dinosaur out of the ring. Whole tiles were forced out of place as seven tons of flesh grinded against the rebar enforced floor. Finally, with one last shove his opposition was out of the ring.
The announcer Jody Firecracker could barely contain himself as he launched into a fervor. "And the winner is Rolo Yeung! What a display! Folks, incredible is the only way to describe it!"
In the stands, booing and cursing reached a fever pitch. Mr. Satan's fans were really on a roll.
Upon exiting the ring, the young fighter confronted his recently downed opponent. The giant creature lay there, bleeding profusely from his injured limbs. Fearful, the Martial Arts Society's medical staff stood off to the side, not wanting to get too close to the lame predator.
"Why…," pleaded the sentient dino, "How is it that you were able to do that thing back there?!"
Gently, the teen fighter laid his hand on the defeated reptile's muzzle. "It's called 'flood rush.' It's a technique that allows the user to shift his cellular structure around for various purposes. It's one of the many things I've learned in the past eight months."
Downcast, Hemoron looked away from the boy. "I never really had a chance, did I?"
"No," said Yeung shaking his head, "Even without 'flood rush' I could of simply thrown you off me. I'm sorry for what happened to your mate back in the desert but I really needed a drink of water. If you'd like, we could fight again someday."
At this, the beaten tyrannosaur smiled graciously. "Thank you…I'd like that very much."
Yeung nodded before turning and walking away. However, he was held up one last time by Hemoron…
"Human…," began the massive meat-eater, "Don't you lose before I get the chance to kill you myself!"
Turning away, Yeung was confronted by none other than Hard Copper himself.
"You were holding back in there," observed the giant.
"I'm saving it all for you big guy!" retorted the boy.
"As you should," said HC warningly, "You will be weighed, you will be measured, and I assure you that you will be found insufficient."
"Err…, Come on!" goaded Yeung, "We'll do this right here and now you inhuman swine!" Yeung then made a go for the Mountain King. Luckily, Fein was there to restrain him.
Grabbing the shorter teen in a full nelson from behind, the tall black fighter pulled Yeung back and slung him to the floor, where he proceeded to pin him down.
"Dammit Yeung! Cool your jets!" Fein scolded, "He's just trying to wijja!"
Hard Copper just stood there and smirked snidely at the youth. "The man I'll be facing in my next match is one of the only five people to truly entertain me! You shall see the real difference in our dimensions shortly."
All the while, the announcer for cell Block 3 ushered in the next match.
"Our next match is between current champion Hard Copper and last year's finalist, Growser the Huckster! Will both fighters please enter cell Block 3?!"
With that, the Native behemoth stepped into cell Block 3. Already waiting in the ring was a burly looking blond man. The man himself was dressed in a purple cape and blue military uniform. In all he looked like a knock off of Hulk Hogan.
"Growzer," stated the Mountain King cracking his knuckles, "Didn't get enough last time we fought?!"
"I've been waiting a long time for this," said the blond muscle man with contempt. "It was here one year ago that you allowed me to walk away in one piece. You remember? You said you were going to give me one more year to get stronger. One more year!"
"And so here we are," said the wily native spreading his arms wide. "This time the kit gloves are off! I'm going to test you for real!"
"WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT!" With a hoarse cry, the muscle-bound Growzer threw himself at Hard Copper. Just as he reached the large Indian, Hard Copper bolted to the side instantaneously. Spooked, Growzer jumped back.
"Why Growzer!? You disappoint me," chided the behemoth playfully. "One year and this is all you have to show for it!?"
"Err.., SHUT THE UP!" Again the blond fighter came at Hard Copper, only this time Hard Copper didn't move. Straightening his whole body out, Growzer did a standing vertical jump that flattened into a horizontal strike. Before him, he held out one arm and latched onto the massive Native's abdomen.
"Try this on for size!" shouted Growzer, "Mountain Corkscrew!" With his hand securely latched onto his giant adversary, the brutish blond fighter shifted to one side. His mountain corkscrew was a self-taught technique that allowed the user to put his whole body into a deadly twist. The aim of the twist was to wring out the victims' innards. There was just one problem: Hard Coppers' hide remained rock-solid.
Unamused, the giant tribesman grabbed his blond adversary by the wrist and jerked him into the air. Against the Mountain King, even the tall muscled blond looked like a Raggedy-Ann doll in the grip of a ten year old girl. As if rolling fresh biscuits, the massive Indian began to methodically knead the bones in his opponents' arm. The sheer forces behind this were such that Growzer's arm was spiral fractured against the rotary cuff in his elbow. Being held by the said mutilated arm, the large blond wailed in hellish torment as Hard Copper further grinded the grizzly fracture.
"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!" screamed Growzer. "SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE!"
Hard Copper's lips curved into a most malevolent smile. "Yessss…., for the love of God." As Hard Copper hurled his adversary, he sped up the initial torque of the throw by grinding his hapless opponent's already broken arm with a gruesome clockwise twist. And with one last, sloppy rip, the titanic Indian sent the blond brute spinning out of the ring.
Browser landed in a pool of his own blood upon striking the loose earth. His broken arm had been twisted such that the fracture had punctured the skin. Blood squirted liberally from the damaged arm as small splinters of bone dripped from of gapping wound. The downed participant writhed and convulsed in shock. It didn't take long for medical personnel to rush in.
"And the victory goes to current titleholder Hard Copper!" The announcer, Mr. Akira took a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow before continuing. "Folks, I'll tell ya! If things continue like they are, North City Hospital is going to reach maximum capacity before 2:00P.M. !"
"My God…," whispered a shocked Fein.
"What's wrong?" asked Mr. Satan.
Fein swallowed hard. "I personally knew Growzer. During my time at sea, Growzer was a constant thorn in my side. He was the strongest sailor in the Northern Kingdoms' Coast Guard. It was Growser that kept me running from the border patrol! What kind of a freak is Hard Copper?"
Mr. Satan for his part began to get jittery. In a panic, he turned to Yeung. "You've fought this guy before, right?! Please tell me you did relatively well."
Yeung shook his head somberly as he mouthed his answer to the champ. "Sorry Herc! I doubt I even left an impression."
"W-what'll I do?!"
"Relax Champ," said Yeung in an assuring manner, "You and him are on opposite ends of the roster. It's likely that you'll never get the chance to fight him."
"Besides…," started Fein, "If it did come down to a fight between you and big, tall, and ugly there, saving face in front of your fan club would be the least of your worries."
"Oh God help me…!" whimpered Satan. "I don't wanna die!" The people's champ then threw himself at Yeung's feet and began to grovel pitifully.
"Yeung!" began the older man, "You have to promise me that you'll beat that guy. With my record of public defamation against him, Hard Copper will kill me for sure!"
It was then that Yeung reached down and calmly laid his hand on Mr. Satan's shoulder. "It's OK. I'll do it! However, it's gonna cost you..."
"Anything!" wailed the Champ.
"A lifetime supply of Irish whiskey!" Yeung punctuated these last words with a toothy grin.
"I should of guessed…," thought the champ. "Err…, Done!"
Upon hearing this, Yeung mentally gave himself a high-five. Anyone watching closely enough could even see that Yeung had begun to drool like a dog.
"For crying out loud Yeung! Stop making a damned fool of yourself!" Fein shouted. "It's embarrassing!"
Just then, the assigned announcer for cell Block 2 blared the coming of the next fight.
"Now then! It's time for our next fight! Can participants Fein Okonkwo and Beatrice Fitzpatrick please step into the ring?!"
Reaching down, Fein offered a brief handshake to his longtime friend before entering the ring. "Well, wish me luck!"
"You don't need any!"
"So true!" said Fein tying his dreadlocks back in a rigid ponytail.
Upon entering the ring, Fein was confronted with a drop-dead gorgeous women who looked to be in her late twenties. The women possessed cropped short shoulder-length lavender hair that looked as if it had been recently subjected to a curling iron. Her man-sized thighs were as big as drainpipes and her bust was broad and deep.
"As you are all aware," began the announcer, "Beatrice and her sister Jezebel are the women's tag team champions of the International Wrestling Circuit! Both are here today! Both are ready to butt heads with the boys!"
It was then that Fein's feminine opponent spoke up.
"Never in the history of any tournament has a women fighter reigned supreme!" The female fighter's voice carried an angry tone of righteous indignation as she continued. "I promise you that no amount of testosterone will get you out of this one!" Fein instantly frowned at this display of cockiness.
"I guess the date's off then sweetie."
Backing into a stance, the purple-haired babe braced one foot behind her. Palms out and fingers hooked, she crossed her forearms at the wrists. "Don't you dare take me lightly you pig!"
Taking his Qui, Fein dropped into the orthodox stance of the turtle style. Legs spread wide and arms brought to his flanks, Fein planted both of his unusually big feet far apart for maximum balance.
"The fighters may begin!"
No sooner had the announcer said that than Beatrice made her move. Leaping at Fein from across the ring, the feminine participant scaled so close to the ground that it was a wonder that she was even airborne. Then, just as she was reaching Fein, she brought her legs together in front of her and attempted to dropkick the tall, African turtle student right in the kneecap.
Initially, it seemed like a good plan. However, the end result was not what she had hoped. Upon striking Fein's kneecap, the force of her own attack burst her own kneecaps like a couple of water balloons. The female participant dropped to the ring floor and squealed like a stuck pig as cushioning body fluids seeped from between her thighs, knees, and shins.
"Oh no! It seems Beatrice is unfit to continue," blared the announcer. "The winner is fighter # 37 Fein by default!"
"Well, at least it's not my fault that she's hurt," reasoned the tall black warrior. His 'victory' finalized, Fein turned to leave the ring. Upon exiting cell Block 2, Fein was confronted with a somewhat frustrated Yeung.
"Urgh…, YOU HOSER!" hollered the muscled midget, "You didn't even do any fighting! What kind of a victory is that?! Old man Choppa is probably in the audience shaking his head with disgust even as we speak!"
"It was her fault that her legs weren't conditioned well enough."
Rubbing his temples, Yeung sighed deeply as he tried to compose himself. "Just forget I said anything…"
"I already have," said Fein. "But enough about this. Aside from Sitting Bull back there, I've been getting some seriously bad vibes from someone else."
"Bad vibes?"
"Right!" affirmed the older teen, "You see…while training under Muten Roshi, I was able to familiarize myself with this awesome psychic power."
"And what does this new power have to do with anything?" Yeung asked.
"Let me finish." Fein took a moment to clear his throat before continuing. "This power is more like a sixth sense. Think about the internal compass that bees use to find their way back to the hive, only this internal compass allows me to pinpoint other living things."
"Again, you're not making it clear how this has to do with anything."
"There are worlds within worlds Yeung. Ours is but one layer on many. Overlapping our world, there is a spiritual web similar to the web of space often described in physics. Every object that contains mass distorts the web of space ever so slightly. Likewise, the ki of every living thing distorts this spiritual web. The purpose of this mental ability is to allow the user to sense the presence of nearby living creatures."
Yeung swallowed hard. "I can see how something like that could come in handy."
Fein smirked gingerly before continuing. "It gets better. After a bit of practice, the user can distinguish strong ki presences from weaker ones."
"Get the out of here!" said Yeung in disbelief, "You're saying that you already know who's likely to win this competition!"
"I didn't say that," Fein cautioned. "My senior Krillain told me that this sense can be misleading at times. Yamacha also mentioned something about ki strength changing as one fights. This is why I'm in a tizzy. Other than us and Big Chief Ugly over there, I can feel two other unusually big disturbances in the immediate area."
"Who are they?" asked Yeung.
"Krillain and Yamacha are among these big powers. Hell! Their ki presence alone is so overwhelming that I have to step back just to take it all in! However, theirs is nothing compared to this Vegeta guy that they introduced me to in the lobby! It was like being a grain of sand at the foot of Mt. Stratus. I was ing shaking! Thankfully, none of them are competing."
"What's this Vegeta guy look like?" Yeung asked.
"That's not important right now." Fein briefly looked away. "However, I will say that his ki presence is so big that it clouds over this sixth sense somewhat. The other two unusually big ki are down here among us. One of these has a ki that makes ours look like a night light!"
Fein then pointed to a bald, three-eyed man who was sitting lotus style just outside of cell Block 4. "That's him! He's the strongest guy down here!"
Yeung, upon seeing who it was, slapped his forehead and began to laugh. Fein looked at him as if he had a screw loose.
"My friend!" chuckled Yeung, "No need to worry! That is Tien Shinhan. I know him personally. What about the other one that has you worried?"
"He's over here." Fein led his shorter buddy to the other side of the field. Near an auxiliary entrance stood a blue-garbed blond adolescent male. Decked out in blue ceremonial robes, this one certainly had flare. His eyes were of a cold artic tint that seemed to stare into the soul. He was somewhat lacking in the chin and his cheekbones were modestly low. All in all, he looked like a typical pretty boy.
"That's him," said Fein. "He may not be as tough as that Tien Shinhan guy, but with the exception of Hard Copper, he's certainly stronger than any of the other participants. I'd have to say his ki feel is about as strong as my Master's."
"So what's the big deal?" asked Yeung.
"The deal is that you've got to fight him next!" informed Fein. "He's in your cell block! You didn't even watch his fight earlier!"
"It's not an issue," said Yeung assuredly, "That just means Broke-Back Mountain is gonna get a little bigger…."
"What in Sam Hill are you muttering about now?" asked Fein. "Look! It doesn't matter if you can whip Blondie over there! That Tien fella is outta both of our leagues! That means we're gonna have to settle for lower hanging fruit if we hope to walk away with any prize money."
At the mention of money, Yeung's ears instantly perked up. "I'm listening. What did you have in mind?"
"We'll work as partners to milk this bitch for every penny!" Fein explained with a wry smirk. "We'll split the total winnings between ourselves and the schools. From our dojos, each school will walk away with one-third our total take-home. We'll split what's left."
"I'm afraid that scam won't pay out," said Yeung ruefully. "With Tien set to win 1st prize, there's a chance my school's gonna wind up with the lion's share anyway. As for me, I'm bringing my prize money back to the Crane Dojo in full!"
"Well, alright!" Fein then began to arrogantly point at Yeung. "But I want you to know that all bets are off from here on out! You watch yourself! I may just be gunnin for you!" The tall, black teenager then turned and tromped off in the direction of his designated ring.
'Fein…,' Yeung looked on at his former senior regrettably. 'You were always the apple of Choppoa's eye. If only you wouldn't piss on his legacy.'
Just then, the voice of the announcer presiding over Yeung's division, Jody Firecracker, blared over the microphone.
"Next up is Rolo Yeung vs. Bridled Fury! Based on Yeung's performance in his first match, I think it's safe to assume that this match is already decided! Will the participants please enter the ring?"
Yeung hopped atop the concrete monolith and stood to one side. It was then that the peculiar looking blond male decked in blue robes stepped up. The strange teen fighter then walked up to Yeung and extended his hand to the shorter fighter.
"So, you are the notorious Master Yeung," quipped the blond in an arrogant yet cold tone. "Your reputation as a troublemaker precedes you."
Yeung studied the taller adolescent a moment before replying. "Let me guess. You're either an angry Satan fan or you're some street fighter that managed to get lucky and pass the 'wall of humanity.'"
"I'm no Satan fan!" sneered the blond. "I'm a , down-and-out brawler and I'm here to do the people a favor and take you down!"
Glaring daggers at one another over their shoulders, the two boys broke the handshake and put some distance between them. Even a complete boob could tell that the tension between the two was as thick as soup. Taking their respective positions on either side of the ring, the two faced off.
"I want you to know one thing Master Yeung," spoke Bridled Fury, "I am prepared to use absolutely any technique here today."
Smirking slyly with half-closed eyes, Yeung gave a tort response. "Likewise."
"The two fighters may begin!"
Upon receiving the announcer's affirmation, Bridled Fury spurred into Yeung in a headlong dash. Yeung on the other hand settled in and stood his ground.
Quickly closing the distance between them, Bridled Fury drew his fist back for a powerful right hook, all the while bellowing "Hard Copper is mine!"
Outside the ring, everyone observing the match gaped in jaw-dropping awe at the speed by which Yeung's opponent had bridged the breath between them. It all transpired so fast that few of them could tell what was happening.
Inside the ring however, things were a different story. To Yeung, Bridled Fury's beeline assault seemed to move in slow motion. Just as his opponent was about to strike, the teen fighter slapped his fist aside by the wrist and proceeded to backhand the taller blond. Bridled Fury soon found himself clearing face-first two layers of rebar-enforced concrete. Needless to say, the Satan fans did not like this one bit.
"Holy Jehozevah!" exclaimed announcer Firecracker, "Yeung's counter was so fast that I couldn't even see it! I'll start the count! One, two, three…"
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Meanwhile up in the stands, as Yeung was polishing off Bridled Fury, Toa, Yamucha, and the others were giving the boy fighter their full support. This entailed occasional fistfights breaking out between the Z-Senshi and the other spectators.
"ALRIGHT! WHO WANTS SOME MORE!" During one of the ensuing brawls, an overly exited Satan fan tried to rush the Saiyan prince Vegeta only to find himself in at the other end of a piston-powered choke-slam.
"Vegeta! Take it easy!" implored Yamucha. "There's no sense killing someone over a bowl of popcorn."
Vegeta turned and belted another angered spectator, knocking all the poor guy's teeth out. "Son of a bitch should of watched where he was going!"
"Is he always like this?" asked Toa in no shortage of sarcasm.
"Worse!" mouthed Krillain. "Back in the old days he was our arch nemesis."
"He must be fairly strong then."
"You have no idea," replied Master Roshi. "Vegeta for a time was far stronger than Goku. With Goku dead, that leaves Vegeta as the world's most powerful self-described warrior."
"Is he one of your students?" asked Toa.
"No," replied Roshi flatly, "Vegeta has no school and never has based on my knowledge."
Before long, Vegeta and Yamucha had quelled the riot at the cost of half the stadium's dental history.
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Back in the ring, Yeung was feeling pretty confident about his ensuing win. Believing the match to be over, Yeung turned and prepared to exit the ring. However, he halted when Mr. Firecracker stopped the count short.
"Oh my! Bridled Fury is standing up!"
Much to Yeung's amazement, what Satan's long-time announcer sidekick said was true. Before him, Bridled Fury had somehow gotten to his feet.
Bridled Fury swayed his head from side to side as if trying to get the kinks out of his neck. Then, with one final 'pop,' he rolled his shoulders, a little shaken up but otherwise alright.
"That was a powerful counter," spoke the blond. "And what speed! Almost took my head clean off."
Yeung shook with frustration at this development. "You shouldn't be standing up right now! What the hell's going on!"
Smirking, Bridled Fury began to disrobe. "If you really must know, I'll show you."
Parting his sashes, the blond fighter revealed his secret to all. "Behold!" Under his fighting effects, the Caucasian male wore an intricate suit of springs, pulleys, resistance cables, and weighted irons. "This is why I call myself Bridled Fury!"
"That training suit is a little bit much isn't it?" Yeung questioned.
"I had this thing custom made to draw out the other seventy percent of man's physical potential!" explained the blond-haired teen. "Observe!"
Suddenly, Bridled Fury produced a key from a hidden place on his person. He then reached behind himself as if trying to reach something. After a few attempts, the golden locked teen threw his hands up in disgust and gave a time-out signal to the announcer.
"Ohh! Bridled Fury has called for a timeout!" said the Mr. Firecracker stating the obvious. "It seems he wants me for something!"
Bridled Fury had a look of embarrassment at his current predicament. "Yeah ummm…, could you unlock this neck strap for me?"
"Neck strap?" repeated the hapless announcer.
"Yeah…, I sort of can't reach it."
"Uhh…, OK!" Taking the key in hand, Mr. Firecracker reached behind Bridled Fury and inserted the key into a slot and turned. Instantly, gears hidden in the strap began to come undone and resistance cables began to fall off. With a few quick flexes of his forearms, the irons covering Bridled Fury's wrists popped off.
Standing , Bridled Fury's physique was laid bare for all to see. Every inch of his body was sculpted as if Michelangelo himself had set to work on a piece of white marble. This grand physique however, was blemished by a mishmash of red stretch marks and friction burns. These in turn were highlighted by whelps and cuts from where the training suit had dug into his flesh.
The blond participant then began to dance in a hypnotic though disturbing fashion.
"Oh my sweet Lord!!!" Mr. Firecracker cringed inwardly at Bridled Fury's somewhat homoerotic display. "Folks! I don't know what to make of this! One of the participants seems to be putting on a !"
"That is just disturbing," sneered Yeung in disgust.
Bridled Fury took a brief moment to stretch. "Aww…, I've been inside that thing for months. I'm coming out and I want the world to know!"
"You should have stayed in…," muttered Yeung.
"Well then, shall we continue?" asked BF in mock gentility. "You will soon learn why I am called 'Bridled Fury'!"
"Whatever…, Just put your shirt back on."
Author's Note: I want to clarify the age and age group of all characters both canon and original in the story. Below is a short list….
Rolo Yeung: 14(younger teen) Asian human
Hard Copper: 58(older middle-aged) Mongoloid human
Fein Okonkwo: 17(older teen) Sub-Saharan human
Tien Shinhan: (late 20s to early 30s) mutant Asian human
Bridled Fury: 17(older teen) Caucasian human
Growser: early 30s Caucasian human
Rat the Iron Bullet: late 30s Asian human
Hemoron: 79(young adult) Tyrannosaurus Rex
Mr. Satan: (late 30s to early 40s) Asian human
Videl Satan: 10(minor) Asian human
Beatrice Fitzpatrick: 25(young adult) Caucasian human
Yamucha: (late 20s to early 30s) Asian human
Krillain Chestnut: (mid 20s to late 30s) Asian human
Android 18 (early 20s) cyborg Caucasian human
Bulma Briefs: (late 20s to early 30s) Asian human
Vegeta: (early 30s) Saiyan
Piccolo: Physical age is around 14(young adult); Actual age is over 500 years. Namekian
Korin: 800(elderly) Humanoid cat deity
Muten Roshi: Over 300(elderly) nonmortal human