Disclaimer: I own no part of Dragonball, DragonBall Z, or any of the wonderful characters therein. Rolo Yeung, Fein Okonkwo, Hard Copper, and 'The Dragon' are mine however so hands off!
Chapter 20: Leviathan vs. Behemoth
And so with Mr. Satan's ridiculously easy victory against Spopovitch, the next stage of the quarterfinals began. Initially, over two hundred fighters had entered. Through broken bodies and dreams alike, the vast majority fell to the wayside. Now, only eight contestants were left to jockey for greatness…
"Will contestants Rolo Yeung and 'the Dragon' please enter the ring?"
"Well, I'm up!" The midget warrior did a few toe touches before his big entrance.
"Listen boy!" spoke Toa warningly, "I don't want you regarding this next fighter as some kind of half-assed stepping stone! Hard Copper may be your goal but it will not do to miss the forest for the trees."
"Right!" nodded the boy. With that both he and his opponent approached the tournament official for inspection.
While Yeung was being frisked for contraband, his competition, The Dragon, eyed him anxiously. The older fighter had been watching all of Yeung's matches, waiting for a weakness to present itself. He was not going to let some youthful upstart just waltz in and have a go at the National Champ. Hard Copper was his and his alone!
Stepping into the ring, the two combatants readied themselves for the war to come. There were no words, only looks that could kill.
'The boy's power is amazing!' thought The Dragon. 'Such strength! Hemaron, Bridled Fury, Master Lee, Rat…..None of them could do it. My Eight Drunken Gods are beginning to seem pretty mortal!'
Before the match began, Yeung walked right up to 'The Dragon' and glared at the older man. 'The Dragon' was at least a head taller than him so the kid had to tilt his head back. Even with his recent growth spurt, his size often made it difficult for anyone to take him seriously.
"You think you're sneaky huh?" goaded the small warrior. "Not everyone missed the crap you pulled earlier! I want you to know that if you press me, I'm gonna bury you!"
"Umm….Will contestant Yeung please return to his side of the ring?" asked one of the announcers nervously.
The Dragon was about to go after his smaller adversary. The only thing stopping him was that the match had not yet started.
"Oh, you just wait boy!" spat the Kung Fu master, "What I do to you is gonna make Snoozenheimer's death seem like a mercy killing!"
"If only you were that out in the open when you killed that other guy…"
"How you win doesn't matter!" shouted the older warrior. "A fighter cannot be tied down by his master's teachings as if he were some child clinging to his mommy's apron!"
"What you did was completely uncalled for!" Yeung sneered.
This last bit of sermonizing left 'The Dragon' doubled over in sardonic laughter. "Someone with as much blood on his hands as you telling me what is morally right! That's rich!"
"In the last round, Yeung crossed horns with Rat the Iron Bullet, leaving his opponent broken and dead! 'The Dragon' on the other hand, skid by in his first match when contestant Snoozenheimer's own fire breathing technique backfired, incinerating the massive German from the inside! Which of these two killers will make it to the next round? Is it even possible for there to be a winner without one icing the other?"
On his side of the platform, Yeung assumed no stance.
"The two fighters may begin!" declared Mr. Firecracker.
Upon receiving the go ahead, Yeung continued to stay put. His opponent however, warily inched towards him a little at a time. 'The Dragon' intended to play this smart.
Finally, once within range, The Dragon inhaled deeply. Bones popped as the older warrior's chest cavity expanded like a fleshy balloon. At maximum capacity, the man's gut began to glow with a blue ember as if it were a bug zapper. As his internal temperature increased, sparks of lightning passed to and fro through his midsection.
"Holy Shit!" cursed Announcer Akira, "Everybody hit the deck!"
The flood gates opened and a wall of blue flame shot out at the boy warrior. Yeung leaped high into the sky to avoid the onslaught. Closing his mouth, 'The Dragon' followed suit.
"I thought you were going to bury me!" Dragon snickered to his quarry.
"Caskets are like packages," replied Yeung. "'Some Assembly Required' is on them for a reason!"
Slowing his assent, Yeung doubled back to engage his opponent in midair. The two warriors came together in a bloody tumult high above the arena.
On the ground, a titan of a man regarded the contest with interest.
"You're holding back boy!" Hard Copper whispered to himself. "What are your limits?'
"Hey ugly!"
Snapping around, the colossal Indian found himself looking down at the dreadlocked, black kid who Yeung was with earlier.
"Don't you worry about Shorty up there!" warned Fein. "Your next fight is with me!"
Ignoring Fein entirely, the beast of a man went back to watching 'the Dragon' and Yeung's aerial exchange.
"Err….HEY! Don't ignore me! HEY ASSHOLE! I'm talking to you!"
"He's powerful…" spoke Hard Copper.
"Huh?" Taken back, Fein stepped away from the giant Indian.
"He's your friend isn't he?"
"Yeah! So what?" asked the black teen.
"That's good….," purred the sadistic Native, "It will prove very useful to me."
"I ain't helping you, creep!" Shuddering, the young man jumped back.
"I'm afraid you won't have a say in the matter," the Mountain King chuckled. "Your death at my hands in the next match will show me his limits!"
"Yeung won't get a chance to fight you because I won't let it happen!" The dark-skinned adolescent stood toe to toe with the Korrin giant. "Better believe it man!"
"If you struggled against a fighter of Megaton's caliber, then you have no hope of toppling me!" Hard Copper snarled, "You will try and you will die! Your death will serve as the key to unlocking that boy's hatred."
"Hatred?"
"Yes….," hissed the older man, "Buried under that midget exterior is a God of Death the likes of which comes along once a millennium! I want to bring it out and crush it!"
This creep's obsession with Yeung disturbed Fein to no end. To top it off, Hard Copper's ki presence was downright smothering.
"Prepare for your next fight," said the Korrin Native, "It will be your last!" Cackling like a psycho, the colossal man trudged off.
"I really wish you would forfeit…."
Jerking around, Fein came face to face with his own Master Roshi. "It's good to know my teacher has so much faith in me!"
"You're not ready for him," the Turtle Hermit said sternly. "If anything, telling that man you and the Crane student were close was the worst mistake you could have made."
"How so?"
"My God boy! Are you really that blind?" nagged the old hermit shaking his head, "The bastard was fishing for information. Before, he would have just roughed you up in the next match! Now however, he's going to hurt you!"
"Only if I let him!" Putting on a show of bravado, Fein puffed his chest out.
The old Turtle Hermit face-palmed. "They never listen…" he muttered. It was like talking to a brick wall. Goku being the one exception, none of them did. "I'm half-tempted to break your leg right here! At least then I don't have to watch you get yourself killed!"
High above the ring floor, the match between Yeung and 'the Dragon' raged on. After an initial back and forth, it became painfully obvious to the Kung Fu master that Yeung's physical strength and speed far exceeded his own. One issue that disturbed him more than anything was his shorter adversary's ability to stay air born for extended periods. The brat just seemed to hover in place long after Dragon himself had to come down. He just couldn't put his finger on it.
'Damned! Air born quarrels aren't helping me at all! What the Hell is going on here?' wondered Dragon. Breaking off from the exchange, the kung fu master dropped to the ring floor below.
Once on the ground, the fire-breathing warrior peered up at his under aged adversary. To both his amazement as well as that of everyone present, the half-pint teen was floating in midair.
"Holy Cow! Contestant Yeung is levitating!" shouted a flabbergasted Mr. Akira.
"I see it but I don't believe it…" muttered Mr. Firecracker cleaning his glasses.
"Sad thing is… I can whip you without even having to cross fists!" hollered the boy. "Observe!"
Pointing his right index finger at a place in the ring just in front of his opponent, the under aged combatant channeled a small amount of latent energy into his fingertip. Upon reaching critical mass, he released his concentration and let fly with the Crane School's signature technique.
"Dodonpa!"
'The Dragon' barely had time to perform a tuck and roll before being assailed by stone shrapnel fragments from the ring floor.
"Err…Wait! This isn't fair!" shrilled the older man. "Fight me like a man!"
"I was and you were still getting pwned…badly!" Yeung retorted smart-assedly. "You're just not worth the effort!" The boy released a small salvo of Dodon Rays that drove his ground-locked opponent to the edge of the platform.
'The Dragon' just barely missed stepping out onto the turf below. Desperate, the kung fu master gambled everything on one last ditch airborne engagement. Releasing a rush of blue flame, the Asian man just missed Yeung's second salvo of ki blasts.
"You're pulling this shit again?" asked Yeung disbelievingly.
Readjusting himself in mid-flight, Dragon tucked into a fetal position and using his fiery breath began to spin like a blazing buzz saw. To say Yeung was thrown for a loop from this latest development would be an understatement.
"WHAT THE…!" The teen terror didn't have time to do anything before being sideswiped in a fiery 'CRASH'!
"Holy Smokes!" announcer one beamed.
"Instead of accepting defeat at the hands of his opponent, Dragon opted for a last ditch kamikaze attack! ...Such determination!"
Together, the two combatants fell to the turf below in a smoldering heap. Because 'the Dragon' had a head start towards the ground, the older man struck the grass shoulder first. Yeung on the other hand, landed on some of the other contestants who had gathered on the quad.
"MATCH OVER!"
"Who won?" asked Mr. Satan running up to the scene. The two contestants were sprawled out on the lawn in a heap however, only one of them was touching the ground.
"It's the kid…," groaned his student Caroni. Among the beaten contestants congregating on the turf, Caroni was one of the three that Yeung had landed on, avoiding a double ring-out scenario.
Gripping at his aching temple, Yeung pulled himself up. "God-damned bastard…!"
The President of the MAS hobbled up to the scene. "We haven't had a situation like this in years."
"Neither the officials or the announcers saw the ring-out," said Tien.
"I'll get the rule book," offered Mr. Akira.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! In a double ring-out scenario, Martial Arts Society staff has been forced to consult regulations!" Mr. Firecracker explained, "Please be patient!"
"Well, what does it say?" demanded Pres. Fei Hong hurriedly.
Mr. Akira thumbed through the pages nervously. "Er…uh, section 12 paragraph 4 clearly states that in the event that both contestants fall out of the ring, the one who touches the grass loses the match!"
Pondering this for a moment, the old MAS Pres. stroked his chin. "Hmm…, by the looks of things the only one who was touching the grass was contestant Dragon."
"That and he's the only one knocked cold," added Mr. Satan.
"I guess that makes contestant Yeung the victor on a technicality," spoke Pres. Hong, "Alright, call it!"
"And the winner by default is the Crane Dojo's Rolo Yeung!"
"Alright!" cheered Tien.
"Good man!" Fein complemented.
Yeung's sifu, Mercenary Toa, was less than pleased with his student's win. Bending down in front of the kid, the cyborg assassin yanked the boy's ear and went into another of his long lectures.
"That was pathetic!"the old killer nagged. "I've told you not to let your guard down! That weakling almost pulled a rope-a-dope on your sorry ass! Egotistical fool!"
Much to the old assassin's surprise, Yeung had no wise cracks or snide remarks. Yeung's only reaction was a sour frown.
"What's wrong?" Toa asked.
"I wanted to make that bastard Dragon pay for killing that contestant," the teen revealed.
"You were trying to destroy his skills(cripple him) in that match?" It was more like a statement than a question.
Yeung nodded. "He doesn't have a stopping point. He will continue to kill others in future tournaments."
"Understood," said Toa. "He too is an assassin. You and he will meet again someday. There will be other chances."
"Ladies and Gents! It is now time for the next match!" declared Mr. Firecracker. "Will contestant Fein and contestant Hard Copper please prepare to enter the ring?"
"Good…," whispered Hard Copper., "Time to stir the pot!"
Face set in stone, the massive Native swaggered up to Fein and Master Roshi. Chuckling darkly, the gigantic sadist glowered down at his smaller competition. Fein couldn't help but feel sick at the look the Mountain King was shooting him.
"Time to play the game boy!" he snarled.
Fein suddenly found his usual bravado uncharacteristically absent. Having seen enough of this, Master Roshi shoved his student behind him and glared up at the Korin Indian.
"If you so much as harm a hair on my student's head, you will regret it!"
The monster of a man chortled at the spectacle before him. "Ahh…How cute! Does your grandpa always fight your battles?"
Then it happened. A vein burst in Fein's eye. His face twitched fitfully at the utter disrespect this bastard was showing his master. There was only one person who could disrespect Muten Roshi and that was him!
"Get in the fucking ring!" Fein snarled. "I don't care if I spend the rest of my life in ICU. I'm gonna FUCKING KILL YOU!"
'OH no!' thought Roshi.
"THAT'S IT! GET MAD!" goaded the giant.
The two fighters stomped into the ring. Fein's resolve was ironclad. Hard Copper's bloodlust was insatiable. The judges no longer mattered. The people in the stands no longer mattered. These two were in a dimension all their own.
Staring back and forth at the two contestants, Mr. Firecracker and Mr. Akira were unsure of whether or not to give them the go ahead. "Umm…whoa. Ladies and Gents! In all my years as an announcer, I have never seen two contestants more eager for blood!"
"You can say that again Al!" Mr. firecracker wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. "You two may begin!"
At the sound of the gong, Fein dashed headlong into his oversized adversary. Hard Copper on the other hand, stood in waiting like a funnel-web spider at the entrance of its' tunnel.
Just as Fein was within reaching distance of his adversary, the young man was thrown back by a wall of something unseen. Well…Almost unseen.
The dark-skinned fighter landed on his backside a good thirty feet from his adversary. Pulling himself up on his elbows, the older teen glowered up at his opponent.
His face adorned with a grin that would make any pedophile envious, Hard Copper towered over his smaller competition like an ominous, dark cloud.
"What the hell just happened!" cursed Fein under his breath, "Did he just….move?" There were no shadows to Hard Coppers movements, no unnecessary telltale signs that Fein caught.
"You were saying something about the midget not getting the chance to face me?" the Giant chided.
It was then that Fein felt it. Little by little, the Mountain King dropped his restraints and allowed his true ki presence to surface. To say the least, it was frightening, very frightening!
"What have I done?" quivered Fein. Standing up, Fein steeled himself as best he could. Only now did he realize the danger that this monster posed.
"I'm going to die…" fear gripping at his heart, the young Turtle student stepped back. He continued to back away to the point that he was teetering on the edge of the platform.
"FEIN!"
Fein jerked around to see his old teacher Choppoa standing out on the quad. The old Lion of Martial Arts nodded at the boy. That nod conveyed a thousand emotions. That nod alone was all it took…
With renewed courage, Fein turned to face his antagonist. "There may be a way…"
Bringing his hands to his sides, the youth concentrated a vast amount of latent energy into the tips of his fingers. Raising his shoulders, the turtle fighter began to twist and turn his hands in an intricate series of straight lines. To any onlooker, it may have seemed like just a bunch of random movements. However, this was not the case….
'Please…., just let Senior Krillain's technique work!'
High in the stands, Fein's seniors Yamucha and Krillain, fiercely cheered their junior.
"COME ON DUDE!"
"Pull it together man!"
"Hmph! Little fucker's had it!" Vegeta spat.
"How can you say that?" asked Puar disbelievingly, "You're so mean!"
"Just ignore em!" Yamucha remarked. "Fein's fighting for his life down there! Let's let him know that we're here for him!"
"Yeah!" screamed Bulma.
The Saiyan prince huffed in annoyance at his woman and her associates. 'An insect can't defeat an elephant. Cheer on the dreadlocked bastard all you want.'
Back in the ring, Fein completed the complex series of kata needed to bring his next assault together. Bringing both hands outstretched to his laterals, the young man sprang into the air. The latent energy from his palms left blue ether trailing behind him.
Hard Copper did nothing as his smaller opponent closed in on him from above. Crossing his arms, the copper-skinned brute simply stood there….or at least it looked as if he was just standing there.
Once within range, Fein curled his thumbs beneath his palms and focused all the latent energy in his hands onto them. That done, his arms swung into action. For anyone whose eyes were good enough to see, it looked as if the young Turtle student were using off-target palm strikes crossed with backhands. However, this proved not to be the case.
In theory, the hexagon strike was an aesthetic made by Krillain upon Master Roshi's jinken moves except with the addition of one crucial element: The cutting power of the Kienzan!
Upon connecting with the attack, Fein was certain his opponent would be cut to ribbons. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be….
Fein shrieked in agony as his thumbs were shattered against the Mountain King's iron-hard hide. The young man landed unceremoniously at the awesome giant's feet.
Hard Copper towered over the adolescent, a sneer belying the contempt he had for the little rat rolling in a fit of torment at his feet.
"Let's make this nice and slow…for the audience!" Reaching down, the massive Native yanked Fein off the floor by the scruff of the neck(If humans had such a thing!) and hurled the youth high into the air.
"FEIN!" Master Roshi was beginning to lose it. Yeung had already lost it by then.
"OH GOD NO! FEIN!" the midget boy wailed. Determined to save his friend, Yeung started towards the ring only to have his sifu, Mercenary Toa, put him in a full nelson from behind.
In a brief instant, the monstrous mountain lord hurled a punishing assault into young Fein's medial line. Hundreds of shots landed. Face…,sternum…,pelvic region…., everything was pounded into applesauce.
Bringing his right hand to his side, the Mountain King brought his middle and index finger together. Energy began to channel into the two fingers. Upon reaching critical mass, they glowed white-hot. Finally, Hard Copper completed the strike, stabbing the massive digits through Fein's sternum and into the junior turtle student's primary artery.
"NO!" the old Turtle Hermit wailed.
As if on hooks, Fein was hoisted high into the air for all to see. Hard Copper chortled sardonically at his handiwork, goading those who wished to help Fein into the ring.
"What's wrong boy?" he harped sarcastically at Yeung. "Such a shame that you won't help your friend! Heh,he,he…."
Up in the stands, Krillain and Yamucha looked ready to pounce.
"That bastard!" Krillains hands shook with rage.
"Hell….is too good for him…."shuddered Yamacha.
"Somebody do something!" shrieked Bulma.
Back in the ring, the oversized champion continued to prance around with Fein impaled upon his deadly strike.
"This has to be against the rules!" shouted announcer Akira.
"You think he cares?" Mr. Firecracker sarcastically remarked.
"Champion Hard Copper!" blared one of the announcers, "Put the boy down!"
The Korrin giant shot a dirty look at the two announcers. Fearfully, the two officials wilted back.
"For the sake of retaining my spot in the roster, I'll let this little sack of squall wiz live!" Hard Copper chunked Fein's prone body up and out of the ring but not before having one last bit of fun….
Master Roshi scurried frantically to catch his charge before he hit the quad.
Just as Fein hit the ground, the Mountain King took aim with one open palm and channeled a foggy-white ki blast at the adolescent. Before Master Roshi or Yeung could do anything, the blast connected with the small of Fein's back, folding the older boy like a piece of paper. The force of the blast pushed through and pressed Fein right into the dirt like a plowdrive.
On the other side of the quad, Yeung had really lost it. "FEIN!"
"Oh…God…..no." Master Roshi dropped to knees at Fein's side. Fein's ki presence was beginning to fade. The impact mark on his lumbar region smoked like grilled sausage.
Back in the ring, Hard Copper continued to goad Yeung into charging him.
"Come on!" chided the native behemoth. "Don't you care about your friend?"
By this time, Yamucha and Krillain had landed on the field. The two looked ready to butcher the sadistic champion where he stood.
"Bastard…." Yamucha hissed. Krillain was ready to bust a vein.
It took a few moments for Yeung to settle down enough for Mercenary Toa to relinquish his hold. Yeung raced over to were Fein lie face down in the turf, old Muten Roshi kneeling next to him.
"Do we have any sensu beans?" asked a very distressed Roshi.
"We're all out!"
"Fein….," whispered the ancient Turtle Hermit. "Why couldn't you have just turned away?" The two were soon joined by Tien, Toa, Krillain, and Yamucha.
"We've gotta get him to a hospital, quick!" snapped Roshi.
"I'll get the paramedics!" said Krillain.
"No time!" interjected Roshi, "Fein's doesn't have long…."
"One of us is gonna have to fly him to the hospital," spoke Yamucha. "I'll take him!"
Just as Yamucha reached down to turn Fein over, Fein's hand shot up and grabbed Yeung's wrist.
"Fein!" shouted all present in unison.
Gaping like an air drowning fish, Fein's mouth opened and closed. The adolescent pulled his long-time friend down until he was ear level.
"W-waste that j-jackass…." It was the last thing Fein uttered before losing conscience.
"Fein!" Roshi, Yamucha, and Krillain fell over themselves to keep his head level.
"Oh, how sweet!"
All present turned to see Hard Copper towering over them. The heartless giant smiled at his latest handy work.
"For so long I waited…..," the massive Indian hissed. "I believed that I would die of age well before I experienced a true fight!"
"Arrragh! You monster!" Yamucha rose to his feet. Fists clenched, the former bandit looked ready to explode. Both he and Krillain started towards the massive Korrin native.
"I'm starting to wish we had entered!" screamed Yamucha threateningly, "I'd take you apart with one arm tied behind my back! Pompous, sick bastard!"
"Wait!" snapped Roshi. The old Turtle Hermit threw himself between his two students and the Mountain King.
"Master…."
"Don't be selfish!" chided the old master. "There is someone here who has more reason to fight him than you! Look behind you…"
The two senior turtle students spun around. Before them Yeung's ki presence grew and grew. The boy warrior eyed his giant arch nemesis menacingly.
"GOOD! GOOD! GET MAD! MWAHAHAHA!" The humungous Korrin Indian belly-laughed at Yeung's feelings of rage over Fein.
"Amazing…." Mercenary Toa said breathlessly.
Tien turned to his one-time sifu. "You noticed it too?"
"I may not be able to sense ki presence like you but my bioscanners can see many things," explained the old assassin, "The boy's living signature is fluctuating like crazy!" Toa's internal scanners continued to monitor his young charge's internal energies until without warning, his right binocular burst.
"YARRGH!" The old hitman clutched at his now empty eye socket fitfully.
"Holy Shit!" exclaimed Krillain. "It's just like on Namek with Frieza's scouters.
"Jeez…..," hissed Toa still gripping at his prosthetic face, "That's gonna be expensive."
"I swear to God Almighty Himself that I'll do whatever it takes to kill you….," shuddered Yeung darkly.
Hard Copper stared down his rival. "Your blood will sanctify my rise to the heavens!"
Author's Note: Yeah I know! This chapter was a little shorter. It took me a while to decide on where I wanted to go with this. The next chapter will be longer.