I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.
Chapter 80: Dark Tourney 3: Duty Calls
Verto didn't allow comfort to sink in as he shared a room with Piccolo and Frieza. Just being in the same room as the Changeling prevented him from sleeping, even if Piccolo was going to stay aware of his actions. He finally elected to meditate to make up for the rest time, staying in a prone position to at least appear asleep. Frieza didn't do much aside from ordering an excessive amount of wine to drink, and Piccolo did as one would expect, floating above a table. Once daylight spilled over the high-rise, Verto's stomach made it impossible to get sleep. He unpacked a food capsule and devoured its contents quickly, drawing amusement from Frieza.
"And you claim you're not a savage beast, what hypocrisy," Frieza claimed.
"For once I'm going to agree with him," Piccolo muttered. Verto growled slightly as he finished his meal, staying silent as he tightened his belt.
"How are you going to proceed?" Piccolo asked.
"You two should hang around the stadium so you can identify the Saiyans. I'm going to keep track of Yusuke just in case. Koenma claimed that they might assassinate him and Toguro asked me to keep tabs anyway. I'll come back to the stadium when it's time for our team's match," Verto said.
"We really should have planned this out better," Piccolo said.
"Yeah, tell me about it. You sense anything unusual during the night?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary...aside from all of the humans and demons' varied energy. I don't believe we can rely on our ability to sense energy levels seeing as there is such variety here. And it looks like they'll keep their powers suppressed for now," Piccolo added.
"I'd tell you to make use of your ears, but that might be difficult given the crowd noise," Verto joked.
"So the great and powerful monkey needs help after all," Frieza dared to say.
"You really want to go back to hell don't you?" Verto asked.
Frieza hid his fear, "It would be more entertaining for me. This is a waste of time. To think that I, the great Emperor Frieza, have been reduced to bait to lure a worthless gaggle of monkeys!"
"You know, it's really tempting to off you now. But I'm feeling generous today, so when the time comes, it'll be Piccolo's turn. And he's not nearly as nice as I am," Verto said in a sweet tone.
Frieza winced as he met the Namek's glaring eyes, "Point taken." Verto smirked slightly as he left the room, trying to sense Yusuke's position.
The older human was not in the hotel at all, and judging by the feel of it, still running low on energy. Verto entered the nearby forests and searched, eventually spotting Yusuke training. He appeared to be having trouble summoning his energy, to which Verto was not surprised. Yusuke hadn't shown any sort of expertise with the rapid-fire technique he had used against his opponent. Verto stayed at a distance and watched with his astral vision technique, not wanting to interfere or alarm Yusuke. He was also on the lookout for any would-be attackers to both himself and his charge. Considering the crowd's bloodlust over Yusuke the previous day, Verto just didn't trust Toguro's guarantee that no demon would dare attack him outside of the ring. At this point, any attacker had a grand opening with Yusuke so weakened. Verto still couldn't sense any Psionic energy similar enough to his own, both in strength and frequency. Throughout the day, he could hear some of the louder stadium announcements, but didn't dare spy on the stadium because of its distance away from himself and Yusuke. He was about to go back there for Team Toguro's match when he finally sensed something. It was rather low in power, but was heading towards the unaware Yusuke regardless. Verto's eyes snapped open as he sensed the attack and rushed off in that direction. Upon arrival, he saw Yusuke trying to avoid what appeared to be a football made of stone. There was a small amount of energy guiding it around, which traced back to a nearby demon. He had on what appeared to be football pads, though slightly amended with spikes on the shoulders. He bared a lot of teeth with no visible eyes under what resembled a cow's skull. The newcomer seemed to be holding back a little as Verto approached from behind.
"Who the hell are you?" Yusuke asked.
"Rugby!" the demon growled.
"What, like the sport?"
"I want to see your Spirit Gun and see how it compares to my Demonball. Fire it!" Rugby demanded. Yusuke didn't answer and jumped onto a tree limb to avoid the demon's ball, ducking behind it for cover. Rugby redirected his ball and it smashed into the tree, obliterating the limb as Yusuke fell to the ground.
"I see, you can't use it can you? Now I get it, you must have some sort of trick to steal our demon powers and then use them against us. Time for your penalty, one death!" Rugby declared as he materialized another ball. He stopped mid-throw when Verto walked into his line of fire.
"Beat it runt, we're busy here!" Rugby claimed.
"Yeah, that isn't happening. Just out of curiosity, what team are you on?" Verto asked.
"Spirit Warriors, we're gonna crush this tournament!"
Verto smirked slightly, "Then you had better get your ass to the ring. You can settle this with me there. If you can do that, you can have him," Verto offered as he pointed to Yusuke.
"Just who the hell are you?" Yusuke asked.
"We're facing you? You're actually on Toguro's team? Hahahaha! Where's the army to back you up?" Rugby laughed.
"You'll see soon enough," Verto replied calmly.
Yusuke gasped as Rugby continued to laugh, "You can bring on Toguro! That overrated peon don't scare me!"
Verto grinned, "I don't recall saying that I needed him, especially not against your pitiful efforts."
Rugby pulled back as if to launch his Demonball again, "How about I kill two birds with one stone?"
"Clichés aren't going to save you," Verto said. Rugby fired and immediately had to duck when Verto batted it back at him. The ball slowly turned back around and came in from behind Yusuke as Rugby backed up a few steps.
"It's Yusuke right?" Verto asked as he tracked the ball.
"Um, yeah," Yusuke said with obvious hesitation.
"What's your move called, the one he wanted to see?" Verto asked.
"What, my Spirit Gun?"
"Yeah that's it. This waste of life wanted to compare it to his stupid ball technique, right?" Verto asked.
"Yeah, why?" Yusuke asked. He froze when Verto's finger lit up with bright blue and aimed right at him. He quickly fired and Yusuke flinched just slightly as the shot whizzed over his shoulder and laid waste to the Demonball.
Verto stared at his finger for a moment, "It doesn't. Not a bad technique, I could make use of it. I wonder how it'll do on his disgusting body instead," Verto pondered as he turned to the stunned Rugby. Verto prepared another charge and aimed at Rugby, who was now fleeing in panic.
"Bang," Verto whispered. His shot immediately turned Rugby into a pile of ash, along with a few nearby trees. That technique could be more useful than I thought, it would make my Shock Cannon a lot faster instead of having to charge up the modified Special Beam Cannon or a Psi Storm all the time. Its stopping power is balanced enough with its speed to be viable in any battle and situation.
"I had things under control you know!" Yusuke claimed.
Verto grimaced, "No you didn't, and you're welcome."
"Why did you do that anyway? You said you were with Toguro's team, didn't you?" Yusuke asked.
"I might be on his team, but that doesn't mean that I'm with him. My business here doesn't involve you, so I hope it stays that way. I have as much love for demons as you do, so relax," Verto said sternly.
"What business?"
Verto tensed up suddenly, "Someone's coming." Yusuke glanced around until he spotted Kuwabara emerging from the woods.
Verto eased up and slowly walked away, "I suggest you get some rest to recover your energy. I'm due at the stadium now." Yusuke only stared as Verto walked off and Kuwabara came closer.
"What was that all about? And who was that kid?" Kuwabara asked.
"Beats me, maybe he's some sort of guardian angel or something stupid like that. A demon tried to take me out and he kicked its ass," Yusuke explained.
"That's weird. Hey Urameshi, shouldn't we have a team meeting or something? We should hurry and decide who we're going to use as the fifth fighter. The tiny masked guy or the big bald one with the pony tail?"
Yusuke shrugged, "I dunno, maybe we'll just flip a coin or something. If I had known that Koenma was going to send him then I wouldn't have even asked Granny for help, not that she showed up either. All I did was mention it to her, she said no and then the one with the mask followed me to the boat."
"Hmmm, I wonder why Koenma never mentioned that guy before?" Kuwabara wondered.
"It doesn't matter, let's get to the stadium. Toguro is up next."
"Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for! It's time for the defending champions to make their grand entrance!" the referee Koto announced.
"Toguro! Toguro!" the crowd chanted. The tunnel doors opened to reveal Toguro and Verto.
"Time to earn your keep boy," Toguro said.
"Hardly worth the effort. If that waste of space with the cow skull was any indication, I could probably beat all these guys in my sleep, and so could you," Verto claimed.
"Except you killed their teammate, they'll be demanding your head," Toguro pointed out.
"While protecting your investment, I gave him time to run," Verto countered.
"Doesn't matter."
"And here's the man who needs no introduction, the resident badass of the tournament!" Koto announced.
Verto scowled as he started to hear random chatter from the front row, "What the, who's the kid?"
"Maybe Toguro is gonna split a pre-match meal with his opponents!"
Toguro grinned, "You can show them any time you wish, I can tell you're getting antsy."
"I'll show them soon enough," Verto grumbled.
"For reasons unknown, only Toguro appears ready to fight. The rest of his team appears to be missing in action," Koto pointed out as Verto resisted the urge to blast her. Ahead of them, a team of giants stood by, looking eager to fight. Verto's mood didn't improve, That figures, pair me with every overly big fighter nearby. Now I know how Krillin feels all the time. The gigantic Spirit Warriors came closer as they faced off with Toguro and Verto in the middle of the ring. Koto formally introduced them as Gorilla, Bagaki, Gagaki and Dosukoi. Their leader and apparent substitute, the absurdly huge Topaz, remained behind them. Verto rolled his eyes at their names, feeling like he was wasting his time even being there.
"Where's the rest of your team?" Gorilla asked.
"They're very lazy and don't want to fight right now. We'll be happy to entertain you in their place," Toguro said as he removed his jacket.
"Just you, and that runt?" Bagaki asked as he looked down at Verto from high altitude.
"Hahaha, he's so small that the referee could kill him! He wouldn't even make a decent meal for us!" Gagaki claimed.
"Enough about my size you bloated freak," Verto retorted.
"Oh my, it appears that Toguro will actually have what appears to be a small servant boy fight for his team. Could this be some sort of new strategy or a handicap?" Koto asked the crowd for dramatic effect.
Small bolts of lightning struck the ring around Verto, "Servant boy?"
Toguro looked amused, "I was going to alternate fights, but now I think I'll let you handle this alone. Is that alright with you?" Verto snorted a wordless reply.
"Let me get this right, you want that tiny thing to fight all of us? We've all got to be at least ten times bigger than him!" Gorilla claimed.
"How about we cook him and split the sandwich? Hahahaha!" Bagaki suggested as he laughed.
Verto's fist cinched up, "Ring the damn bell, I'll take them all." His words didn't get through all of the laughter going around the stadium, which stopped once the captain stepped forward, holding a huge axe.
"Silence fools. This tiny runt was able to kill Rugby not an hour ago. Do not take him lightly!" Topaz growled at his team.
"Yeah right! What did he do, hire a hit man?" Gagaki asked.
"However it happened is beside the point! We will gain our vengeance and then we will focus on ending the Spirit Detective's life!" Topaz declared. Toguro frowned and stepped forward, causing most of the Spirit Warriors to take notice.
"Having a change of heart now?" Verto asked.
Toguro ignored him, "Here's how we will do this, the last team standing wins. The boy will take you four on until either you all die or he does. I'll take your captain."
"So let me get this right, this kid is going to take on four consecutive fighters and then you'll go? Is that right?" Koto asked.
"Didn't you hear earlier? I'll take them all at once. I don't care how you keep score, let's just see who lives," Verto proclaimed.
"Awful cheeky brat you have there Toguro!" Gorilla pointed out. Toguro didn't answer as he was in the midst of a stare off with Topaz.
"This has got to be the strangest opening round we've ever had. Well, at least there should be a decent bloodletting from this one. Team captains please clear the ring so we can begin!" Koto ordered. Only Toguro and Topaz left the ring, not taking an eye off each other. The other four stayed in the ring as Koto signaled to begin. They all pulled out huge weapons except for Dosukoi, who appeared to be a sumo-wrestler type.
"So who gets to carve him up first? Or should we even bother taking turns?" Gorilla asked.
"Rock paper scissors will settle this!" Bagaki declared. The four large demons stepped away and proceeded to play the popular game while Verto glowered at them.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me! The Spirit Warriors can't decide who's going first in a four on one match! The bloodbath has been put on hold!" Koto whined.
"Hey ref, do me a favor," Verto said.
"Um, yes, what is it?" Koto asked.
"Get out of the ring, it's about to get messy," Verto replied. Koto was about to protest when Verto's blue aura appeared. The mocking crowd was suddenly silent, as were the Spirit Warriors. Verto didn't take his power to anywhere near full force, but it was enough to grab attention. Koto didn't budge until a small lightning bolt pierced the ring near her feet, and she dove out to the ground. Once she was away, Verto flashed forward and reappeared behind the fat demon Dosukoi with his glowing arm stretched out. Blackened blood spilled out as the top half of the demon's body fell backwards from Verto's knife hand. The other three suddenly became fearful as when Verto phased out again and they frantically looked for him. He finally appeared behind Bagaki and shoved him into Gorilla. The two of them argued with each other, leaving Gagaki completely unprepared and unaware.
Verto charged in from behind, blue fist drawn back," Galic Fist!" Once the bright explosion cleared, Gagaki's axe fell and stuck into the ring tiles in front of his teammates. Only a small amount of black debris remained of the axe's owner.
Verto stood back up as the remaining two giants shook with slight fear, "If you want to withdraw, now is the time. Otherwise you'll become a pile of dust just like your teammate." Neither of the two larger demons seemed eager to leave yet and side-stepped until they were lined up with Verto between them. Verto glanced back at Bagaki before staring down Gorilla.
"I hope you realize that this move isn't going to work," he said.
"Shut up runt!" Gorilla growled.
"Incredible! In no time, Toguro's servant boy has wiped out two of his opponents! Can he continue to amaze us by winning the match?" Koto asked the crowd.
"Hey! Quit it with the servant boy crap! It's getting really irritating!" Verto shouted.
Koto looked over in surprise, "What should I call you then?"
Verto held his head slightly, You'd think they would have registered my damn name by now, even if it is a cover.
As Verto was lost in his train of thought, the two demons became angry when they realized that he wasn't taking them seriously. They charged in at full speed from both directions. The crowd groaned when the demons smashed into each other. Both grinned, assuming Verto had been squished like a pancake between their large bodies. They pulled apart and discovered that he wasn't there. One of the demons in the crowd pointed Verto out in the air.
"Wow, he's actually flying above the ring without any wings! This kid is really talented!" Koto announced. Gorilla apparently had seen enough and chucked his axe straight at Verto. Verto glided back and knocked it out of the air with a crossing kick. It fell straight at Bagaki, who panicked at the sight of it. He jumped to the side to avoid it, and turned right into Verto's fist. Bagaki's body was sent flying into the stadium wall, and his head went into the crowd. Gorilla stood nervously in the ring as Verto turned towards him. He began to back step until he noticed his captain scowling at him. Verto walked calmly towards Gorilla, allowing the demon to explore his escape options.
Koto filled with excitement again, "Wow, what an awesome level of brutality! Only one of the Spirit Warriors is left after his team has been torn to shreds by this mysterious kid. Whoever he is, it's obvious that Gorilla is no match for him!"
"She's right you know. I suggest you forfeit now and save yourself," Verto advised.
"But, he'll kill me!" Gorilla claimed as he glanced as Topaz.
"I'll kill you dumbass! He won't make it past the next match to care about you!" Verto fired back, "Give up now or die where you stand!"
"Don't you dare surrender Gorilla, or I'll be picking your remains off my axe for a hundred years!" Topaz roared. Gorilla struggled with the decision briefly before growling angrily and charging at Verto, who already had his palm up and charged.
"Suit yourself, now go to hell!" Verto exclaimed as he fired. The blue blast erased Gorilla completely and the crowd was reduced to a low murmur.
"Wow, incredible! Toguro's servant boy has completely annihilated the Spirit Warriors!" Koto announced again.
"Hey, what did I just say a minute ago?" Verto shouted at her.
"Well, you never said your name," she protested openly.
"Call me D."
"Is that your real name?" Koto asked, repeating Sakyo's question.
"That is irrelevant, but if I hear the words servant boy again, it's not going to be pretty. Do you get it now?" Verto warned with a small burst of energy that nearly blew her over.
"Right, let's hear it for D!" Koto said nervously. The crowd suddenly exploded with thunderous approval as Verto stepped down and walked back towards Toguro.
The larger demon was frowning, "Impressive, but you didn't show me everything."
Verto glanced up at him, "When did I say I was going to? No need to expose myself to beat four fat ass morons with zero power, and I used too much as it is. You wanted them beat, and I'd say they're beaten. I told you I'll keep my end of the deal as long as you and your boss keep yours." Toguro didn't answer initially as he sensed a distinct struggle in Verto's energy. Verto's eyes had briefly turned crimson red and he appeared to be on the edge of his control.
"Perhaps you and I will have to face off so I can finally fight at my full power," Toguro offered. The change in Verto's apparent rage was immediate as it almost became overwhelming confidence.
He smirked evilly, "Be careful what you wish for. Maybe you should just stick to Yusuke for now, we can settle the rest afterwards."
Toguro looked concerned at this behavioral shift, but didn't pursue it, "Fair enough, D." Toguro headed for the ring as Verto glanced down, frowning slightly as he stared at his hands. The light scars on his right hand were burning again and he felt an urge to rip something apart. Damn it, I almost lost control again. I knew I used too much power on those creeps, but I was trying to make a point. Those guys were villain-types without a doubt, but any negative feeling that drove me to kill them should have been alleviated. Instead, it got even worse, and I about went crazy again. Better steer clear of Frieza or I'm going to screw this whole thing up. As Koto was introducing Topaz against Toguro, Verto headed for the tunnel. Towards the back, he spotted the Elder Toguro and the creepy Karasu. The flexible albino only laughed while Karasu seemed to be eyeing Verto from head to toe.
"Impressive display. I can't wait to see your other talents," he claimed as he dared to reach for Verto's shoulder again. This time he struck Verto's blue Psi shield, inches away from his body.
"I warned you once before, don't fucking touch me you sick bastard. I'm in a bad enough mood and I won't warn you again. I guarantee you won't like the result," Verto said coldly as he walked by. Karasu backed off peacefully as Verto strode away at a brisk pace. A loud roar sounded from the arena just as Verto sensed Toguro's power shoot up for a brief moment and Topaz's die off. Big surprise, what a joke of a round. He passed various demons that paled now at the sight of him and got out of this way. All but one of them shook nervously when he went by, which drew Verto's gaze. This one was just as tall as Toguro and almost as muscular with a mostly bald head and a small pony tail hanging from the top. They locked eyes and had a brief stare off before the newcomer walked over. Verto sensed an odd power coming from this man, but he didn't feel that it resembled Saiyan energy. If anything, the only thing he received was a feint headache, and it seemed more due to his struggle to control his inner rage.
"Can I help you little man?" the tall humanoid asked.
"No, I thought you might be fighting for one of the teams, that's all," Verto replied as he turned.
The stranger smiled strangely, "Actually, I am a member of the Urameshi team. I hope to fight in the next round, but they're probably going to stick me with the alternate's slot. No matter, those humans are unlikely to survive the whole way."
"You're a demon I take it?" Verto asked.
"Close, I'm actually a special agent from the Spirit World. I was sent by its ruler King Yama to keep an eye on the situation. My superiors and Prince Koenma don't want me to partake in the contest, but I bore easily. My name is Ranot, pleased to meet you," he said as he stuck out a friendly hand.
Verto took it, "Likewise, I know the feeling about boredom." Initially, Verto still sensed something strange around Ranot, but it wasn't threatening. If anything, it was an almost calming presence and Verto felt relaxed.
"I saw you fight out there, awesome display. Your skill level is incredible," Ranot claimed.
"It really wasn't that much," Verto admitted.
"For a boy it was. Maybe we'll face each other in the final round, if my team can make it. I would enjoy a match with someone like you," Ranot said.
Verto smiled lightly, "Maybe. Hey, have you noticed any strange people around here?"
Ranot seemed amused, "Here? Are you kidding?"
Verto rolled his eyes, "Okay, good point. There's supposed to be five or six of them, and they might look like me. Probably very strong compared to the rest, that kind of strange."
"No, but I have gotten some different readings. There was a tall green man with pointed ears and a turban that concerned me, along with his small pale counterpart with a purple head. They didn't feel quite like demons, and the short one looked like he was trying to cause trouble. I haven't noticed anyone else yet, but I'd be happy to keep an eye out and inform you," Ranot offered.
"That would be great, thank you. And you shouldn't have to worry much about the two you mentioned, they're with me," Verto pointed out.
"Alright, no problem." Verto walked away satisfied as Ranot followed him with his gaze the whole time.
A tiny smirk formed on the large man's face as Verto turned the corner, Interesting, very interesting.
A/Ns: Well I hope I didn't ruin things too badly this time, though if you're still here then I'd say it came across fine. I planned the double update since I knew that first one wouldn't have much in the way of action…depending on your point of view that is. Oh and thanks to a certain reader on the one or two miss-spell mentions for Sakyo because the spell check didn't catch it.
WDG: My spidey-senses tingled when Ranot introduced himself. Something about him just screams to me, "traitor!"
VB: That's one way of saying it.
Next time on DBV: Piccolo gives Verto a new training method to help control his rage while he retrieves information from Toguro and Sakyo. As the second round begins, Verto attempts to help Yusuke's team when two of their own go missing. In the process however, he runs right into a trap laid out for him and it's time to meet the Renegades.