Chapter 077 - The Senior Division
Now that the exhibition match between the Junior Division world champion and the current world champion was over, the trio decided to leave the stands and find the rest of their group. Sensing them amongst the thousands of people in the stadium wasn't too difficult.
"I feel bad for leaving Goten and Trunks to themselves," Corset frowned as they wandered through the thinning crowds towards the special area designated for the competitors.
"They'll be fine, I'm sure they'd just go find our mothers and sit with them," Gohan responded, keeping one eye on an unusually quiet Videl who seemed to still be getting over the shock of seeing her father be sent dangerously fast through the air, off the arena and crashing into a nearby wall! "You ok?"
"Y-Yeah," Videl nodded.
"Wonder where the others went," Corset mused.
"Knowing our dads, do you really have to ask?" Gohan cracked a smile, a small chuckle escaping his throat. "I'm sure Dad's stocking up for the matches."
"That's probably true." Corset snorted.
"Whoa, excuse me!" An official came rushing up to them, quickly darting in front of the three and holding his arms out wide as if to bar them from passing him. "This area is only designated for fighters of the Senior Division."
"Fear not my good man, we're all competitors," Gohan spoke in his Saiyaman voice.
"Oh?" The man eyed the trio up, reaching into one of his large pockets and pulling forth a sheet of paper. "Names please?"
"I am the Great Saiyaman!" Gohan replied enthusiastically.
"Yuu," Corset smiled.
"Videl," Videl answered. It was at this point the official double-took and paled as if he'd seen a ghost.
"G-Goodness, so sorry, Miss Videl!" He spluttered quickly standing to the side and bowing a little. "All of your names are indeed on the list. Please feel free to use the facilities we have provided for you; you can take a sauna, use the baths, swim, relax, or use our all-you-can-eat buffet."
"Bingo!" Gohan grinned. "Buffet it is." With that the three strode past the flustered official who quickly scurried away.
"I'm surprised he didn't recognise you," Corset mused to Videl. "Guess it must be the new hair."
"Good to see you decided to take my advice," Gohan added, "At least this way no one can use it against you."
"Y-Yeah," Videl looked away slightly, quickly noticing the intrigued look on Corset's face.
A small smirk appeared on the heiress's face, she shuffled slightly closer to Videl as they walked. "You didn't quite mention how it was Gohan's idea for you to cut your hair," She probed quietly.
"So? It was for functional reasons!" Videl grumbled under her breath.
"That'd be a more convincing story if you weren't blushing and weren't avoiding eye contact!" Corset giggled smug.
It didn't take long for the trio to find the others. Just as Gohan had guessed; if his dad was going to be anywhere it would be somewhere with food.
"Alright, it's chow time!" Gohan grinned in anticipation.
"Hey you guys, we ordered you some food," Goku smiled through a mouthful of food, finally noticing the three warriors walking towards them.
Corset smiled as the delicious and plentiful aromas hit her nose and throat, making her mouth water. She had to admit she was starting to get pretty hungry. Eager to settle her growling stomach she sat down beside her father and opposite Gohan and began to eat. She may not have the ferocity and speed her dad and Goku had when it came to eating but she could still stuff her face!
"Should you eat so much before a fight?" Krillin asked a little uneasy as he watched the Saiyans of the group shovel vast amounts of food into their mouths. "Does it even matter if you eat… I mean, you're dead!" This question was clearly directed towards Goku.
"I don't mind if I eat or not but the food here is delicious." Goku answered, attention turning towards his son. "Oh, how did the fight go?"
"It was pretty interesting," Gohan answered, "Trunks beat Mr Satan with only one punch!"
"Everyone thinks he lost on purpose to be the good guy," Corset added after quickly swallowing a mouthful of noodles. "He pulled it off pretty well."
"What a guy, he should get an award for that," Krillin chuckled.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Videl flared up offended; Gohan quickly jumping on Krillin to cover his mouth.
"You don't know Krillin; he's always making jokes!" Gohan spluttered glaring down at Krillin, "Isn't that right? You never know when to stop, do you?"
"That's right... Now let go please," Krillin agreed.
Quickly the plates built up in the centre of the large table, the waiters almost struggling to keep up with the demand. They did have four Saiyan stomachs to feed after all.
"This is really good food..." Gohan mumbled through his mouthfuls.
"Hey, can I get another serving?" Goku called. "Can we have some more spaghetti please?"
"And bring some more egg rolls while you're at it!" Vegeta barked.
"... You Saiyans are like bottomless pits!" Krillin exclaimed, now seemingly horrified at the amount of plates stacked before him, though why it was any news to him anymore, Corset didn't know.
"What's a Saiyan?" Videl asked, having picked up on the foreign word in Krillin's vocab.
"Krillin!" Gohan growled.
"That's just Krillin's nicknames for me, Gohan and our dads; we eat a lot of food! It's just a random name he came up with!" Corset hurriedly explained, sitting back and deciding she'd had enough for one helping. She didn't want to overindulge herself and hinder her fighting performance because of a full stomach.
Finally everyone was done. The group left the restaurant, leaving the workers to attempt to work out how they were going to wash up the large number of plates and restock their supplies.
"Wow, my stomach is so full!" Goku stretched, "If I have to fight any of you in the first round, please don't punch me in the gut."
"You didn't eat anything," Gohan spoke to Videl, "Are you on a diet?"
"For your information Gohan, most competitors don't like to stuff their face before a match," Krillin explained.
"The lottery should be starting soon," Eighteen mumbled. "Maybe we should check to see who's fighting who..."
"Well if I end up fighting Kakarrot, the first thing I'm going to do is punch him in the gut!" Vegeta smirked.
"Aww man, no mercy!"
It was only now Corset noticed two strange-looking people stood in their path a little way ahead. From her first look she immediately knew they weren't human. One of them was tall, had dark pink skin and long white hair; he looked very serious and quite old. The other was tiny compared to his partner; he too had white hair in a Mohawk-style, had pale purple skin and wore similar clothes to his partner. He was suspended just above the ground. Their ki scared her. Something about how it felt was strange and a little unnerving.
The group stopped a little ways before them.
"... He's floating..." Videl muttered nervously.
"Hello," the shorter man spoke with a hint of calmness and refinement in his smooth-sounding voice, "you must be Son Goku."
"Hey, how'd you know my name?" Goku asked.
"I've heard about you, I've always wanted to spar with you," the man replied, a strange smile on his face. "It's not that I'm confident I can beat you, it's just that I want to have the greatest challenge and I know you're a man who understands that... May I shake your hand?"
"...Sure," Goku reached out to grab the man's hand. He seemed unnerved as soon as both hands made contact.
"... You have a good soul, just as I've heard," the man muttered retracting his hand, feet touching the ground as he bowed, "I'll see you later." With that, he and the other man walked on ahead.
Piccolo approached Goku, "... and who was that?"
"I dunno," Goku replied, "Whoever they are, they're strong; real strong!"
"Really? They didn't look that strong to me," Krillin seemed unconvinced.
"No, there was something about those guys that gave me the chills," Corset shook her head, "they're more than what they let on, they have to be. I don't know why else I would feel that."
"They're not from Earth," Piccolo muttered. "I'm not sure where they're from... why would aliens be here?"
"Not sure," Goku replied.
"Hey..." Videl whispered quietly, "What does he mean not from Earth?"
"Oh... Piccolo's a little crazy," Gohan replied.
"Yeah... he looks really ill too; he's green!" Videl mumbled.
Corset smirked and rolled her eyes; she wondered if Piccolo could hear them! "Why don't we just go and check the lottery?" She suggested.
"May as well, it should be starting," Krillin agreed.
The group continued to wander down the pathway ahead and eventually made it to the area the lottery was being held in. Passing under a small archway, they were brought into what looked like a large courtyard of the stadium, packed with many different fighters, most of which were eager to show off their moves.
"Ah, everyone's here," the announcer was ready and waiting with a clipboard and pen. "Let's start the lottery. There are sixteen slots available, of course Mr Satan has already been selected which leaves only fifteen slots left. The matches will be decided by who picks what number from the box before you all. Please step up and collect a number as soon as I call your name."
Corset looked around at the other fighters. Sure enough the two mysterious men they'd met were here. To their right were two other men; a short man with long blonde hair and a rather stout and tall man with a ponytail. They were typical human athletes. Across the other side was a strange looking man; his torso was really long yet his limbs seemed abnormally short...
'Is that some kind of deformity?' Corset wondered, finding herself a little uncomfortable looking at him.
Just past the strange man were a couple of muscular bald men; both looked very pale and pumped up as if they were on steroids, veins bulging out at the surface of their skin. Both looked quite agitated so Corset quickly drew her attention away from them.
"Please pay attention as I call your names... First up is Kibito," the announcer called.
The taller of the two mystery men stepped up to the small box, reaching in and taking a ball out. He handed it to the announcer.
"Number seven."
One of the officials wrote Kibito's name up on the board which displayed the layout of the matches.
"Next up is Krillin."
Krillin stepped up, "I hope I don't get a match too early on," he smiled as he approached the box, pulling out a number.
"Number one." The announcer called.
Corset smirked and giggled as Krillin walked back! "Sorry Krillin, I think you jinxed yourself!"
"Next; the Great Saiyaman."
Gohan stepped forward and withdrew a ball.
"Number eight."
Corset looked over to the board and gulped; Gohan was facing that Kibito guy.
Goku approached his son as he returned back to the group, putting a hand on his shoulder, "He's a tough guy but remember the warrior fights with the mind."
"R-Right... with the mind..." Gohan nodded.
"Number Eighteen... Is that your real name?" the announcer asked as Eighteen approached him.
"My father was pretty dull..." Eighteen sarcastically answered. She took out a ball and lightly threw it, the announcer struggling to catch it. "now I'm number nine..."
"Number Eighteen is... uh... number nine and in match five... Next up is Shin."
The shorter of the two strange men walked up; Corset keeping her eyes closely on him. She hoped she wouldn't end up having to face him in the first round. She wanted to see just what he and his partner were capable of. She wasn't sure how Gohan would fare against his opponent...
"Number three," Shin smiled.
"Alright... Spopovich?" The announcer called. "... Spopovich, are you here?"
"H-Here, coming!"
The strange masked deformed-looking man rushed up.
"Aren't you Mighty Mask?" The announcer asked.
"I'm Spopovich!" The taller of the pale, steroid-looking guys approached looking pretty agitated!
Corset watched confused as the strange masked man wandered off. '... I wonder if he has a hearing impairment too...'
"Spopovich has drawn number six." The announcer called. "Next up is Jewel."
The blond-haired human man stepped forward and drew a number. "... I'm number sixteen."
Corset looked back at the board. There were still a couple of slots which had no opponents in them; both match six and match seven were free of fighters. This began to worry her; she still hadn't been called and neither had Goku or her dad.
"Son Goku, come and draw a number."
Goku smiled and walked ahead, rummaging around in the small box before taking out one of the green balls.
"Goku is number eleven. Yuu, you're next."
Corset gulped and nervously stepped forward, glancing at the board once again. She could still end up fighting Krillin, Shin, Spopovich, Eighteen, Goku or Jewel... or she could end up against her dad or Piccolo who both still had to draw numbers. Just as long as it wasn't Videl!
Anxiously she reached into the box and took out the first ball she found...
Number fourteen.
She was in match seven.
"Number fourteen," the announcer called. "Looks like we still have to draw you an opponent."
'Crap!' Corset frowned. 'So who's it gonna be... Dad, Piccolo or Videl? My luck sucks!'
She walked back looking almost defeated as Videl was called up.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Gohan asked.
"I'm gonna end up fighting one of you guys..." Corset frowned. "I would have liked to have won at least one of my rounds!"
"What – did she say Dad?" Goku gasped, hearing Videl ask the announcer the whereabouts of her father. "Mr Satan's her dad?"
"Yeah," Gohan nodded.
"She doesn't look like him at all." Krillin exclaimed, "She's pretty cute! You just throw some of that charm-"
"It's not like that!" Gohan protested.
"Videl is number five."
"... At least that's one thing I don't have to worry about," Corset added glancing at the board. "... Videl's fighting that weird Spopovich guy... Something about him and his buddy looks off."
"Yeah, they look pretty pale," Gohan agreed. "Videl should have no trouble against him."
"Looks like I'll be seeing you in the second round, eh Gohan?" Videl smiled.
"That depends on if I win my first match." Gohan chuckled.
"Punta is number two."
Krillin span around with a smile on his face, "... That's my opponent? And I was worried!"
The tall, fat man approached the small fighter, "Are you Krillin?"
"Yep," Krillin nodded confidently.
"I don't take pity on a guy just because he's a shrimp!" Punta jeered, "I'm sending you out on a stretcher!"
"I take it the body shape is there to accommodate the amount of hot air this guy has?" Corset snorted to herself.
"That's the kind of talk I expect from an incompetent fighter," Krillin sighed, "I can already see how this is gonna end!"
"What? You brat!" Punta sneered. "That does it. You'd better make out your will!"
"Vegeta, you're next." The announcer called.
Corset's head spun, her heart pounding as her father walked up to draw a number. 'Please not thirteen, please not thirteen! Anything but thirteen!'
Her father turned and held out his number to the others, a satisfied smirk on his face. Corset's jaw dropped in shock.
Number twelve.
He was fighting Goku!
"No way! Goku and Vegeta right off the bat!" Krillin exclaimed.
"You all know the tournament ring's gonna be destroyed, right?" Corset asked nervously. "I'm not even gonna have my first match!"
"Next up to draw is Mighty Mask... Mighty Mask!"
The strange-looking man rushed up.
Corset smiled in pity, "I hope whoever he ends up against goes nice on him... I don't really get how he managed to get a decent punch against that punch machine with such short arms..."
"You're number thirteen."
Corset's face dropped, eyes widening in horror. "... Are you serious? I have to be the one to beat a cripple? I can't do that!"
"So what? Just go out there and beat him like any other regular human," Krillin smiled. "Don't focus on the abnormality; see him for the fighter he must be."
Corset wasn't so convinced, "I know I shouldn't point it out or treat him any different because of it but I can't help it! I can't do it; he looks like his spine is gonna snap at any moment..."
"You mean your opponent?" Gohan asked. "... He looks odd but I don't think he's entirely a person with a deformity... He looks weird though!"
Little did any of the fighters know that her opponent was actually Goten and Trunks in disguise, posing as another fighter. The whereabouts of the real Mighty Mask was unknown expect to the two boys!
"Ma Junior... You're number four," The announcer called.
"Piccolo's up against Shin," Gohan mumbled.
"Yeah... I hope he'll be ok," Corset frowned. "There's something strange about that guy and his buddy."
"Mr Satan is currently resting so I shall draw for him," the announcer reached into the box. "Number ten."
"Yes!" Krillin grinned turning to his wife. "You're up against Mr Satan!"
"Who?" Eighteen raised an eyebrow.
"I'm so sorry!" Videl apologised. "Too bad you couldn't win one round before you had to face daddy…"
"Last up is Yamu; safe to say that's fifteen."
Yamu was the other man with Spopovich; he was shorter and less bulky but looked just as mean. Corset carefully observed them again. She found it ironic her dad and Goku were matched up, and that Gohan, Piccolo and Videl were all pitted up against opponents that seemed suspicious and off to her... then there was her own opponent! Corset didn't know if she could bring herself to beat up someone as deformed-looking as him. She didn't want to offend him but she didn't want to cause any serious damage. He looked kinda frail as it was!
"As you can see, this is the match layout," The announcer directed them to the board. "Match one is Krillin vs. Punta. Match two sees Shin take on Ma Junior. Match three pits Videl against Spopovich, while match four presents Kibito against the Great Saiyaman. Match five sees Number Eighteen against our reigning champion, Mr Satan! Match six sees Son Goku vs. Vegeta. Match seven is Mighty Mask vs. Yuu, and match eight is Yamu vs. Jewel.
"We'll begin as soon as possible, I'll walk you to the waiting room."
The group of fifteen fighters were led through into the main building and into the waiting room. Through the door ahead of them was the arena.
"Since we have so many matches there'll be a thirty minute limit." The announcer added. "I hope you're aware of the rules? You lose if you're knocked out for ten counts, knocked out of bounds, give up, or kill your opponent! Please wait in here until I call your names for your matches." With that he left the room and walked out into the arena.
Corset gulped and observed her surroundings, peering out of the entrance. The crowd looked far bigger from down here.
The announcer wasted no time in calling forth the competitors. "Let's go to the first match: Krillin vs. Punta!"
The crowds cheered as the first match was announced.
"Good luck," Corset smiled at the short warrior.
"Break a leg Krillin," Gohan rooted.
"Just so long as it's not mine!" Krillin chuckled.
Punta walked past, towering over Corset as he moved past the centre board, knocking Krillin into the wall before deliberately pushing him back with one fat hand, earning a disgruntled and annoyed look from Krillin.
The two fighters approached and entered the ring, Punta swinging his arms around whilst wandering onto the stage with Krillin trying not to get himself hit.
"Krillin returns hoping to experience the glory from entering past tournaments as a little boy," the announcer filled the crowds in as the fighters made their way, "Punta is known for his brutality! He's hungry to erase the frustration of the last tournament's out-of-bounds loss! He doesn't look like he'll be going easy on his opponent- even with the huge size difference!"
Punta had stopped swinging his arms around and muttered a few words to Krillin; Corset was too far away to hear him.
"... And begin!"
Punta surprised everyone as he began to backflip around the ring, springing off his limbs several times around the stage before landing back in front of Krillin with a heavy thump. He muttered something to Krillin; neither of them throwing a single punch. Krillin looked pretty deflated from what Corset could see.
Then the mood changed.
Krillin punched his opponent in the stomach, slapped him around the face a couple of times before kicking him clean off his feet and onto the grass with a crash. To make it worse, one of Krillin's hands had remained in his pocket the entire time.
"Out of bounds – Krillin wins!" The announcer declared as the crowds cheered.
"Nice match, Krillin, "Goku smiled.
"Aww it was nothing..." Krillin sighed, "Sorry Piccolo, looks like they want the next victim out in the ring!"
Piccolo glared out towards the ring looking rather unnerved. Corset took a glance at her former mentor; something was bothering him. Was it that Shin guy?