Puppy Love
Ch. 7
Disclaimer: Do not own.
A/N: Thank you Let's Random for betareading this chapter!
It was finally time for the preliminaries to begin. Fighters of different disciplines mingled with each other within the compounds of the adult division waiting area. As Nos, Gohan found his way over from the restaurant and looked left and right for Vegeta. He spotted the spiky-haired man standing off to the side, isolated from the crowds of fighters. Happy to locate him, Gohan walked up and stood beside the Saiyan.
Peering through the corner of his eye, the prince watched the red-haired man walk up and stand next to him with a frown on his face. Who the hell was he?
He scowled, furrowing his brow and digging his fingers into the flesh of his crossed arms, "What do you want?"
"Geez, Vegeta, you don't have to be so harsh towards me all the time," the disguised boy replied.
He turned his body to face the man and cocked an eyebrow, "What is this, some joke? I demand to know who you are."
"O-oh! Sorry, Vegeta, I forgot you haven't seen me like this yet," Gohan then hushed to a low whisper, "It's me, Gohan. You're looking at my disguise right now."
Looking him once over, the prince said no more. He assessed that he would be fighting against this faux body of Gohan's. The boy's disguise made him seven inches taller than himself – something he knew could be detrimental to his chances of winning. Vegeta was no fool. He knew since that day of the Cell Games just how capable Gohan was when it came to sheer strength. He had spent the majority of his time training within the gravity room during the past month in anticipation for today's match, knowing just that. He wanted to beat him. He had to beat him.
Tournament employees entered the area wheeling in large machines. Gohan and Vegeta turned their attention towards the employees and watched them set up each machine in their respective areas.
Once everything seemed ready to go, one of the employees cleared his throat and announced aloud, "Alright, folks, we will be starting the preliminary round now! Please all gather around to the nearest punching machine and I will explain to you all how this will be done."
"…Punching… machine?" Gohan asked aloud to himself.
As everyone huddled around each machine, the employee continued, "This machine here numerically rates the strength of an attack. All of you will take turns displaying the hardest punch you can muster. The top sixteen contestants with the highest rated punches will advance to the tournament, no exceptions. World Champion Mr. Satan will automatically be passing the preliminary round since he won last year's tournament. For the lucky one to pass the semi-finals, you will be facing off against him to compete for this year's title! So with that said, please all line up to take turns displaying your true strength!"
Vegeta scoffed, "Pft. True strength? They're all weaklings. Nobody here is worth my time."
"Not worth yer time, huh?" a deep voice chimed in. Vegeta looked to his right and spotted a large and bulky bald man walk up to him, "I wouldn't be so sure 'bout that. Don't go underestimatin' yer opponents, now," he smirked.
The Saiyan turned his head back to face forward.
The man raised an eyebrow, "Hey. I'm talkin' to you," he took a few steps forward, leaning his bald head in front of Vegeta so that he could see it shining in plain view. The man attempted to grab his attention once more, "Hey! Are you deaf? Don't get on my bad side, now!" he then stepped directly in front of the prince.
Scowling, Vegeta directed his narrowing eyes at the buffoon with his arms crossed. The man immediately took a few steps back, his eyes bugging out as he felt more unsettling each second. He may not have realized it, but the Saiyan's Ki felt so menacing that even those oblivious to it could feel its presence – and this experience was overwhelming the bald man.
Still, he attempted to cover up his uneasiness and guffawed, "Well, screw you! Can't wait to beat yer ass down later – that is, if you can even make it past the preliminaries, Shorty! Haw!"
Gohan knew this wasn't good. No, not at all. The moment that baldy spewed out his last word, the half-Saiyan knew he would be done for. The Prince of Saiyans would never take that kind of insult lightly.
Despite the odds, Vegeta remained silent. He didn't even acknowledge the man's presence with a glance towards his direction.
One by one, contestants stepped up to the punching machines and demonstrated their fiercest punch. Most averaged around 75 to 100 points; however there were a handful of exceptional fighters who managed to punch at around 120.
It was finally Vegeta's turn. He stepped up to the machine, ignoring the smug look on the bald man's face as he walked passed him. Just as the prince raised his fist to gently tap the machine, the bulky man snickered, "Good luck, Shorty!"
At that moment, Vegeta's face scrunched up as he swung his arm at full force. The machine crumpled like an accordion before it flew backwards straight into the wall, smashing into pieces as smoke spewed from every direction.
Speechless, contestants froze in place with their mouths completely agape, their eyes the size of dinner plates. The bald man adorned an identical expression and backed up away from Vegeta without hesitation as he walked past him.
Glaring at him through the corner of his eye, the prince smirked, "I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt and hold back, but I figured you needed to learn your lesson. So who's going to beat whose ass, now?" he crossed his arms with a cocky grin plastered across his face.
Stammering, he sputtered out gibberish as the man frantically waved his hands in front of him as if they acted as a barrier between him and Vegeta. He backed up a few steps before he quickly twirled around and bolted for the exit, screeching, "I ain't dyin' today! I'm outta here!"
Cradling his forehead between his fingers, Gohan shook his head as he sighed, "Darn it, Vegeta, let's try and suppress some strength, huh?"
"U-uh, um… s-so, i-it, uh, it seems we have a b-bit of a delay here while we get a new punching machine out… I-in the meantime, those who were lined up here, please line up in front of another machine," an employee finally managed to find his voice after the shock wore off.
Gohan and the others complied and shifted over to the next machine and waited in line. Time passed and it was finally his turn to display his strength.
He stepped up to the machine and carefully eyed the padded area where he was supposed to land his fist. He brought his left fist forward, knowing it was somewhat weaker than his right. He didn't want to pull what Vegeta did, so he was intent on demonstrating the weakest punch he got. With a flick of the wrist, Gohan tapped the machine with the joint of his index finger and watched the numbers fly.
"O-o-one hundred n-ninety s-s-s-six!" the tournament employee screeched in utter shock.
Gasps emitted from every corner. The highest rating they've seen so far was a mere 124. How was this man capable of punching at 196? Not to mention, he hardly looked like he was giving it his all. With this abnormally strong newcomer and the man who completely shattered one of the machines, everyone knew this was going to be one heck of a tournament. Some fighters even backed out of the preliminary round once they saw the two Saiyans display their potential, knowing all too well they stood no chance.
o (o) (O) (o) o
Once the preliminary round finished up, the staff members determined the top sixteen competitors. There was no question or doubt that Gohan and Vegeta made it through, so the two headed towards the building where they would wait before their match.
As the two walked down the path, Gohan stopped in his tracks after spotting a pigtailed blur run past the archway they were heading for. Noticing his presence, the small figure suddenly halted herself and glanced at him.
"Nos!" she ran up to him.
"Hi, Videl. What are you doing here?" he smiled.
"My papa's dressing room is just down the hall. I was just leaving to go watch the adult division! It's about to start soon, right?" Videl asked, elated.
Nos nodded, "We just finished the preliminaries. I think they just need to match us up and we'll be set to fight!"
"So, you made it through! I knew you would," the girl grinned ear to ear.
Nos sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as a light blush formed across his cheeks. Vegeta caught eye of the half-Saiyan's composure and snorted, holding back his tongue.
"I'll be rooting for you, Nos!" Videl looked up at the tall red-haired man with her big cerulean eyes.
Nos grinned in reply and bent down to pat her on the head, "Thanks!"
At that, the girl waved as she ran off. The half-Saiyan watched her leave with a dorky smile on his face, still waving to her despite the fact she disappeared out of sight.
"You look like a pedophile," Vegeta scoffed, unable to hold in his tongue any longer.
"Wh-wh-what!" Gohan exclaimed, "N-no way! Videl and I are the same age!" he frantically waved his hands in front of him in a panic.
The prince shrugged off the boy's efforts to defend himself and continued walking towards their destination.
Other fighters who made it through the preliminaries joined the two Saiyans in the waiting room one by one. Scanning the small room, Gohan and Vegeta both concluded there was no one formidable enough to be a challenge. They knew it would be a head to head fight against each other in the semi-finals, no question about it.
It wasn't long until the tournament staff members wheeled in a large board onto the stadium ring. Drawn on it was a ladder-like diagram that displayed the route of which one would need to go in order to reach the semi-finals. The competitors were then directed to come up to the ring and stand in front of the board.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the sixteen fighters you see standing before you have passed the preliminary round! We are now going to match each fighter up with one another by picking a number out of this box here. The number each contestant draws will determine their placement within the tournament! The winner of the semi-finals will advance to the final match – a sure-to-be-memorable fight against Mr. Satan himself!" the audience roared at the mention of the World Champion's name, "Now, without further ado, let's have the first competitor come up and draw a number!"
One by one, contestants drew numbers and the staff wrote down their names in their respective spots on the diagram. Vegeta walked up once his name was called and drew the number 2. A few more fighters stepped up to draw their numbers, and then it was finally Gohan's turn.
He walked up to the box and blindly rummaged through the numbered balls and picked one out. He looked down at his hand at the green ball and turned it around to see which number he had chosen.
Number 1.
As his name was written down on the board, ChiChi stood up from her seat and leaned forward in shock, "N-no way! Gohan and Vegeta are fighting against each other in the first match?"
"W-wow, I can't believe it," Bulma chimed in, "right off the bat!"
Gohan swallowed hard as he read his alias's name next to Vegeta's. He knew he would be fighting against the prince sooner or later. But he was betting on later rather than sooner.
Vegeta shook him out of his thoughts with a boisterous laughter, "Ha ha ha! I'd say Kami is looking down at us both and telling us to get it done and over with! I'll have to thank him later for saving me from the wretched boredom I might have had to deal with while fighting these weaklings before our match," he pointed behind him at the other competitors with a cocky grin.
On the second floor of the tournament's waiting room, Videl was peering out the window from one of the VIP seats. She read Nos's name under the first slot and beamed to herself, "Nos gets to fight in the first match! This is gonna be great. Oh, but I think I saw that man he's gonna fight against walk alongside of him when they were heading over. I wonder if they're friends?"
All sixteen competitors were asked to step off the ring and wait within the building as the staff cleared the ring off. Moments passed, and the announcer for the tournament finally stepped up to the middle of the ring with a microphone in hand.
"Thank you for your patience, folks! Now for the moment you've all been waiting for – the first match of the adult division! Today we have two strong competitors. Both are newcomers; however they excelled far beyond the expected standards during the preliminary round! This match will sure to be interesting, folks!" at that, both Gohan and Vegeta walked out the building and towards the ring. They stood on opposite sides, leaving a decent distance between the two. The announcer continued, "Nos and Vegeta will be fighting head to head – who will be victorious? The only ways to win are by K.O., forfeit, or ring-out! Now, without further ado, begin!" the announcer then scurried off the ring.
Not another moment was lost before Vegeta hurled himself towards the disguised half-Saiyan. His very first punch clashed against Gohan's forearm. The prince attempted once more and felt his fist crash into the boy's block. The two pushed off each other and left a gaping space between them. A second later, they went at it again, lunging towards each other at full speed. Kicks were swung, punches were jabbed, yet neither of the two was able to land a hit. Gohan decided to go for a counter attack and waited for Vegeta to swing at him once more. The prince delivered a roundhouse kick which was blocked easily by a forearm. He was quickly caught off guard when the half-Saiyan decided to grab his ankle and twist his torso around to catapult the man across the ring. With lightning speed, Gohan caught up to Vegeta's airborne body and pounded his clasped fists in between his shoulder blades, slamming the prince deep into the ring, inevitably creating a small crater.
The crowd hushed in an eerie silence as smoke pocketed the crater. Onlookers craned their necks forward to watch for any sign for Vegeta's body – dead or alive. Videl stared down at the damaged ring in complete shock. Her mouth agape, her lower lip quivered in fear.
Loud gasps and shocked cries emitted from each and every corner as a figure suddenly popped out from the smoke-filled crater and lunged towards the red-haired man, connecting his knuckles to his left cheek.
Gohan flew backwards and skidded across the ring as Vegeta grounded himself. Pointing at him, the prince scoffed, "Don't think you can defeat me that easily," his frown grew into a cocky smirk.
Wiping some dirt off his chin, Gohan stood back up and snorted with a similar smirk, "Don't think that I expected to defeat you that easily."
Furrowing his brow, the disguised boy lunged forward simultaneously with Vegeta. The two clashed once more, bombarding each other with kicks and punches that were too fast for the naked eye. The two gradually began to levitate from the ground, slowly into the air, leaving the audience speechless. Vegeta decided to go for a low strike and calf-kicked the half-Saiyan, sliding his own body underneath the boy before latching his grip onto one of Gohan's ankles. With enough leverage, the prince then swung Gohan's body from over his shoulder down to the ground, smashing the boy straight into the ring, creating yet another crater.
"N-Nos!" Videl jumped from her seat and craned her neck out the window, her eyes widened in a panicked shock. There was no way anyone could survive that kind of attack. Fear was written all over her face as her pupils darted across the whites of her eyes, scanning the smoke-filled area for any sign of his body.
Vegeta landed on the stadium ring in front of the damage he created and sneered, "Get up."
Stammering, the announcer hesitantly chimed in, "W-Wait, h-hold on a second! Let's check if he's OK, first!"
Before he could do so, a hand popped up and gripped the ledge of the crater. Gohan nonchalantly pulled himself up and out of the rubble, standing up and brushing off the dirt on his gi. He then peered up at the Prince of Saiyans and let his lips curl into another smirk before he stepped back into a hardened stance.
The half-Saiyan ignored the announcer who meekly tried to ask him if he was OK to continue fighting, and instead trained his eyes on his opponent. The adrenaline inside of him was pumping at full force. He had been waiting for this day. He was finally going to have a good fight against a formidable opponent like Vegeta. All that training behind his mother's back was finally paying off.
Not once taking his eyes off of the prince, Gohan scolded the announcer, "Get off."
Eagerly complying in utter fear, the announcer leaped off the stadium ring, keeping a good distance from the two fighters.
Gohan and Vegeta took a moment to stare each other down, studying each other for an opening. The half-Saiyan's eyes widened when Vegeta suddenly dropped his heavily guarded stance and stood there, beckoning him with a wave of his finger. Brows furrowed, the boy complied and pushed off the ground at full force, heading straight at the man mocking him. He knew the prince was planning something, so Gohan took the precaution to fake a direct attack, only to appear behind the man, swinging his arm with his elbow forward, intent on making contact with the nape of the man's neck. However, Vegeta was not so easily deceived, and he quickly twisted around and blocked Gohan's attack by grabbing a hold of his elbow. With his other hand, he jabbed at the boy's gut, causing him to cough up a mix of spit and blood as his eyes bugged out. Luckily for Vegeta, that attack created an opening, and so he punched Gohan once more in the stomach before he slammed a kick against his kidney, causing the boy to skid across the ring.
'Sh-shit… this body is making things worse…' Gohan thought as he slowly got up, 'I didn't think to train while in this transformation; what a bad idea. I'm not used to these new limbs of mine…'
"N-Nos!" Videl shouted as she leaned through the window. Concern washed over her face as she watched the battered man slowly get up, "Don't! You're gonna get hurt! Please! Stay down!"
Gohan's ears perked, hearing Videl's tiny voice in between cheers and gasps emitted from the crowds. Straightening his back, he turned his head towards the direction of her voice and caught eyes with the pigtailed girl. Although he gave her a warm and comforting smile, the girl did not register it, blinded by her fear for his safety.
Hoping he would hear her better, she cried out as she leaned further out the window, "Please, Nos! Stop! You'll get killed –" a gasp interrupted her sentence as her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened as she watched her hand slip from under her in slow motion, her body tumbling out the window towards the stadium cement.
She screamed in terror, tightening her eyes shut in trembling fear as her arms flailed, her tiny body hurling towards the ground from the second floor.
Videl suddenly caught on that something wasn't right. She didn't feel any pain, nor did she feel like she was still falling.
She opened an eye and immediately opened her other, startled to see Nos's face hovering over her. She looked around and then down, and blushed after realizing his strong arms were cradling her.
"That was close. Are you OK?" he sighed in relief.
"Y-yeah…" she managed to find her quivering voice.
Smiling, Nos let her ground herself and released her from his arms. She stood and gazed up at him, staring into his blue eyes. Revelation struck, and she immediately took note of the fact they were both standing on firm ground.
"Nos!"
He cocked his head to the side, questioning her.
"Y-you're… you're out of the ring…"
Looking down at his feet, he tentatively replied, "O-oh… I guess I am…"
"A-ah, um," the announcer began to speak, "W-wow, OK, we've never had such an event like this happen before, l-let alone the fact the stadium ring has almost been completely destroyed… b-but, I have to make the call – I apologize, Nos, but this counts as a ring out. Vegeta advances!"
"Noooooooooo!" ChiChi cried from the stands, inevitably causing baby Goten to cry along with her.
"Tsch!" Vegeta huffed as he walked up to Gohan, "You've got to be kidding me! Running away from our match to save this brat? How dare you take our fight so lightly!" he then lowered his eyes, directing his scowling stare at the pigtailed girl. He harrumphed as he walked away, muttering under his breath, "Stupid pre-teens and their idiocy."
Scratching the back of his head, Nos sighed as he watched the prince stomp off, "Ah, man. He's mad now, no doubt about it," he then turned his attention back to Videl, "Are you gonna be OK? You didn't get hurt at all, did you?"
"N-no," she replied with averted eyes, her cheeks flushed, "T-thanks for saving me. I'm sorry you lost the match, though."
He replied with a warm smile, "Don't worry about it. I'm sure my mother will be upset, but I'm just glad you're not hurt."
Videl paused for a moment, deep in thought. She then looked back up at the red-haired man and furrowed her brow, questioning him with her cerulean eyes, "You were incredible during that match… how… how did you move so fast? It was inhuman!"
Nos was quick to stammer as he nervously shifted his body, "Eh, heh heh! Uh, well, it, uh, took a lot of practice… b-but, uh –"
She then pointed at the spikey-haired man he just fought against, who stood at a distance from the two, "And, you know him, right? I saw you walking with him before the tournament started. He's strong, like you, too!"
"Er, yes, we know each other. B-but, we're not –"
"PUMPKIN!" Mr. Satan burst through the archway and pushed Gohan out of the way. He planted his hands on Videl's shoulders as his eyes wandered head to toe making sure she was unharmed. He barraged her with concern, "Are you OK? I heard what happened! Thank goodness you're not hurt!" the World Champion then swung his head around to face the disguised boy, scowling, "You! Did you hurt my angel?" he stood up and ground his feet in front of the red-haired man, jabbing his finger into his chest, "I swear if you caused this, you'll never see the light of day again!"
Videl quickly grabbed her father's tense arm and denied his accusation, "No, Papa! This man saved me! If it weren't for him, I'd be a pancake."
Mr. Satan looked back down at his daughter, his expressions softened, "O-oh! Is that so?" he then turned back to Nos, his demeanor completely changed, his finger no longer accusing the disguised boy, "W-well, I apologize for the misunderstanding. Thank you for saving my daughter! I'll be sure to send you an autograph later," at that, the World Champion walked away with his hands on Videl's shoulders, guiding her back in the building with him.
"Papa, how could you be so cold to him?" Videl peered up at her father, scrunching her face in disapproval.
"What do you mean, Sweetie?"
"Nos saved me! He deserves better than a stupid autograph. You don't even sign them yourself!" she stopped in her tracks, refusing to let her father guide her away from the ring any further.
"N-Nos? You know this guy?" A bit shocked, Mr. Satan raised an eyebrow.
"W-well, not really… I just met him today at the tournament. He saved my life, and that's what matters, though!" Videl demanded.
"Alright, alright. I'll make sure this 'Nos' gets the golden treatment, OK, Sugar-pie?" he complied half-assedly, as if he were only saying it to make his daughter happy for the time being.
As her father pushed her back into the building back to his dressing room, Videl craned her neck back to get a final glimpse of Nos. she turned her head back and bit her lower lip as a ticklish feeling arose from within her belly, her cheeks flushing from pink to red. Although the feeling was fleeting and jumbled up in between the terror of falling out the window, the pigtailed girl could only describe what she felt as 'warm' and 'protected' when she thought back to Nos holding her in his arms.
'It… it's not like I like Nos… I barely know him! Not to mention… he gotta be somewhere around 5 years older than me,' Videl tried to reason to herself as she cradled her belly from the butterfly sensations, 'He's like a big brother to me… yeah, that's right! A big brother…'
End, Chapter 7.
A/N: I apologize for the drag in this story – I think the fact that I wrote about my hardships thinking up a good design/idea for Gohan's disguise makes it feel sluggish. I upped the pace (hopefully), and the Nos x Videl is starting to kick in. I assure you, I'm well aware of Nos's 18-year old demeanor in relation to Videl's pre-teen age. I will NOT make them do anything with each other. Gohan x Videl will kick in next chapter with a change of pace in the plot, and I hope you all stick around to continue reading! (No more tournament writing, thank god! I am sooo bad at fight scenes.)
Thank you for your reviews, I appreciate them and cherish all your input!