Dragon Ball X
ARGH!...ARGH!...AAAARRRGGGHHH!
What illness has plagued me that could possibly cause such a delay between chapters? Well, the answer is this; I've lost my motivation for DBX. But why the lack of said motivation? While showering today, a thought proposed itself to me. Perhaps the reason I've lost this inspiration is due to the length of the chapters. Near the end of Volume I, the chapters were getting around 6000 words or so each. Indeed chapter 1 for Volume II here was 8000 words, the most I've ever written in a single chapter.
And it was way too unwieldy for me to write that for each chapter, I realised. I've had Writer's Block for this chapter for the past month and a half, having already written about 4500 words but only being halfway through the chapter. "How absurd!" I cried to myself. For in case you didn't know, I've been writing a new pokemon story, Passion For Glory, and each of those chapters is about 3000-4000 words a chapter, a very comfortable target. Much more comfortable than over 9000. So, I decided to go with what I'd already written for this chapter, and split it into two.
From now on, the chapters will be a manageable size, probably about 3000-4500, just like Passion For Glory. This should allow me to update more frequently, especially given my new system for writing.
Yeah...I can't really think of anything else to add right now...oh yeah, in case any of you were wondering where Zeang was in the last chapter...to be honest, I'd completely forgotten to put him in. He was meant to be at the café with the others, but it just slipped my mind when I was writing it. Don was meant to be there too. Oh well...
Well, without further ado, on with the chapter!
000
"The World Martial Arts Tournament?" blinked Mataro, frowning. After a second, his eyes narrowed and a cheeky grin spread across his large face. "Sure, why not? I'll compete if you all are."
He was leaning against the outer wall of Blitzo and Arnika's house, amongst the bushes and trees. Though he didn't look it, Mataro was a keen gardener, and unknown to all but a few people, grew and maintained the only Gaman Plant on the planet. Arnika employed him to manage their new garden.
Opposite the former Eternal Warrior stood Arnika and the Saiyans. Blitzo had made the suggestion to register for the tournament the second he had seen the big man watering the plants.
Arnika tilted her head. "Why are you here, anyway? I thought you had an audition."
"I did. It's already over, and guess what; I got the part!"
Rhuna laughed. "What a surprise. The critics love you."
Mataro waved a hand. "So, when's the tournament, anyway?"
Arnika pulled a folded copy of the poster they had seen in the tennis lobby from her handbag, and passed it to him. Mataro unfolded it and skimmed the poster over, before finding the dates at the bottom.
"Let me see..." he muttered to himself. "Goes for three days, $10,000,000 prize money...ah, here we go! Hmm...two weeks from today...but that's...damn!"
"What's up?" asked Blitzo. "Something on that day?"
Mataro bit his lip, before coming to a decision. Quick as a flash, he whipped a mobile phone from his pocket and dialled a number. Since permanently emerging from Hamasan's Hall five years earlier after the defeat of Denkuma at the hands of Blitzo, Mataro had embraced technology much more than the other Eternal Warriors.
"Hello?" he said loudly into the phone, as the others looked on. "Is this Hansel? Yeah, it's Mataro here; sorry, mate, something's come up. You'll have to give the part to someone else."
Arnika looked at him sharply, waving both hands in a "don't" gesture, but it was too late. Mataro had already said farewell and hung up.
"You bloody fool!" Rhuna said exasperatedly, as Makurin rolled his eyes. "Why'd you give up your part?"
Mataro grinned at them all. "I haven't been to a World Martial Arts Tournament in about two hundred years...our isolation made sure of that. And now that I live on the surface...believe me; nothing would stop me from going now."
000
Sweat soaked Kenta's body, plastering his normally spiky hair to his head. Little beads of sweat ran down his back, but he ignored them. He had bigger problems to worry about. Like the razor sharp blade searing through the air towards his body.
Faster than Havienly possible, Kenta brought his own weapon up, smashing his blade into the incoming one, and batting it out of its intended path. Spinning to his right, Kenta swung his sword at his opponent, but it was deflected just as easily. Backtracking as quickly as he could, he pointed the tip of his sword at the ground, as his opponent did the same.
Kenta let out a deep breath, staring at the other man. "You've always been that extra level beyond me, haven't you?"
Ferris stared straight back, sweat covering his face as well. "I wouldn't say that exactly. But yes."
Kenta laughed, and leaned on his sword. Unlike Ferris' blood red blade, Shinsou, the steel of Nenriki was a deep blue. Also making the weapons unique were the special properties they both possessed. Two years before, a wish had been made on the Eternal Dragon Azulong, to make the blades indestructible. Neither could be shattered or broken by any means, nor dulled. They were perfect.
Ferris slid Shinsou into the sheath strapped to his back, and clenched his fists. "Enough blade-work for now...after all, weapons aren't allowed in the tournament. Let's fight fist to fist."
Kenta grimaced, and swished his own sword into its scabbard. His arm muscles were straining already, due to the gravity. The two were training in the Gravity Chamber at Blitzo and Arnika's house. Because of the weight of their swords – made from refined super-steel forged by Geani – they could only use them at 5 times Haven's gravity, or else they'd be too heavy to wield normally.
Kenta shifted his stance so that he was ready to take an attack, should Ferris move first. In response, Ferris took an offensive position. His hard blue eyes bored into Kenta's brown ones, daring him to defend.
"You ready?"
Kenta nodded.
"OK...3...2..."
Without warning, Ferris took off from the ground, zooming through the air a few feet off the ground, attempting to take his younger friend by surprise. Instantly, Kenta took a step forwards, and pulled his arm back to throw a punch.
Suddenly, an incredible force surrounded him, restricting his movements. Kenta fought against it, but despite his inhavien strength, couldn't budge. Flickering his eyes – the only part of his body still able to move – upwards, he saw that Ferris couldn't move either, still hovering a foot above the floor, his right leg twisted back about to kick out. The older man's nostrils twitched, and he forced his mouth open, grunting out a few words.
"D...amn...you...let...me...go..."
Still unable to move, Kenta's eyes began to water from not blinking. With a massive effort, he managed to close his eyelids. When, after a great strain, he opened them again, he spied someone entering his field of vision, walking between the two fighters.
He was of medium height, but a good third of that height was made up by his head, which was at least twice the size of a normal Havien's. He was completely bald, lacking even eyebrows, and had small hands and feet. Tiny little veins ran over the top of his skull, and his normally black eyes were glowing bright blue.
The man strolled between Kenta and Ferris, and looked at both of them, an amused look on his face. Reaching out, he gave them both a light shove. Still frozen by the man's psychic powers, Kenta toppled over, unable to stop himself. Likewise, Ferris crashed to the ground.
"Whoopsie, I win..." smirked the big-headed man. His glowing eyes faded back to black, and the pressure fixing Kenta's body in place lifted. The swordsman climbed back to his feet, rubbing his neck.
"You trickster, Zeang," he grumbled. "What are you doing in here, anyway?"
Zeang tilted his head, surveying Kenta with curious eyes. There was still a spark of amusement. And, as Kenta noticed, a devious look. His suspicions were answered a second later.
"I came to see just how strong you've both gotten. I've come to test you."
"Challenge accepted," said Kenta immediately, blood beginning to pump already. Ferris was more hesitant. His sharp eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Why?"
Zeang shrugged. "Well, the tournament is tomorrow, after all. I was just curious to see how ready you are for it."
Ferris nodded slowly. He knew that in the five years since Denkuma had been defeated, Zeang had trained his powers far beyond what he had been capable of before. Of course, his body was fragile, forcing him to rely on his telekinesis to avoid damage. "I see. Very well then, if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get. Before we start though; no paralysis. It's too much of advantage."
Zeang let out a booming laugh. "If you insist."
Kenta cracked his knuckles, ready to begin. Despite being quite exhausted only minutes before, the prospect of a spar with Zeang was enticing, re-energising both of the Haviens. Zeang was curious to fight against; his psychic powers made for an interesting opponent. "What are we waiting for, then? I'm itching for a rumble."
Zeang shrugged a shoulder again. "I have no idea." He walked a short distance away, to the other side of the massive Gravity Chamber and turned back to them, arms splayed to either side. "Begin!"
Instantly, both Kenta and Ferris took off from the ground, hurricaning across the chamber towards the waiting Zeang, who didn't move. Kenta slowed down, letting Ferris in first. The older man zoomed in front, by now only a few metres from his target. Twisting in the air, he tore his right foot around, letting out a long grunt.
Zeang's raised a hand, and made a small swish. Ferris yelled as an invisible force caught him and hurled him to the side. He skidded along the floor and hit the wall, which cracked under the impact. Meanwhile, Kenta took his turn on the offensive, raising a fist as he flew, but he too was thrown aside by Zeang's mind. The alien smiled pleasantly; he hadn't moved from his spot the whole time.
Grunting, Kenta climbed back to his feet, a grimace on his young face. Likewise, Ferris was back upright as well, and the two Haviens stared down their opponent.
"He's got a major advantage," thought Kenta. "With his telekinesis, he can stop us from even touching him."
"Well?" said Zeang softly. "I'm waiting."
Ferris signalled to Kenta, and the Havien nodded. Hovering a foot of the ground, he leaned forwards and torpedoed towards Zeang, a cry rising in his throat. The sound echoed throughout the chamber as Kenta drew closer. At the same time, Ferris bent his legs slightly, before shooting straight up in the air and disappearing from sight altogether just before hitting the roof, fading into the air.
Kenta reached Zeang, who turned his head to look at the Slavoan descendant about to attack. His eyes twitched, and Kenta lost control of his flight, zooming straight past his opponent and hitting the wall again. Zeang shook his head.
"Do you think I'd be hit by an obvious attack like that?"
Kenta struggled back to his feet, and to Zeang's surprise a cocky grin reached his face. "No...but I'm not sure about the next one..."
Zeang's eyes widened with shock as he realised the significance of Kenta's words, but before he could move a muscle, Ferris materialised behind him, fist raised. With a harsh yell, Ferris fired his hand forwards towards the back of Zeang's skull, when suddenly...
With a strange cracking noise, Ferris' hand slammed into an invisible barrier, stopping the attack in its tracks. Small blue ripples flowed from the impact point, slowly fading away as they got further out. Zeang gasped at the close call, spinning around to face Ferris.
"If I hadn't have had that shield up as a precaution," thought the alien, as he gazed upon the Havien, who was staring in chagrin at the forcefield.
"Kenta!" barked Ferris. "All-out, go!"
The man drew back his fist and struck at Zeang again, once again being stopped by the shield. Opposite him, Kenta joined in, delivering a crushing kick that was deflected.
"They're trying to break through the shield!" realised Zeang, and thrust out his arms, sending both Haviens flying back away from him, buying the alien a few seconds. He closed his eyes and focussed on the forcefield, preparing to strengthen it.
Too late.
Kenta slammed his entire body into Zeang, throwing them backwards. Zeang stumbled a few steps, struggling to regain his balance. In that moment, his concentration broke. Twenty metres away, Ferris let out a terrifying roar, and his ki exploded, a massive red aura surrounding him. Zeang was horrified; he hadn't seen that aura for almost five years, since Ferris had first been brought back to life...
"Kaio-Ken!" the man bellowed, and simply vanished, moving so fast across the room that he was invisible. Zeang had a heartbeat to react, before Ferris reappeared. The Havien's foot rocketed through the air and shattered Zeang's weakened shield in an instant, cracking the forcefield completely, before striking Zeang on the bridge of his nose. The alien shouted in pain as he was thrown back, as Ferris' speed and strength returned to normal.
Blood streamed from Zeang's nose, as Ferris and Kenta drew their swords in identical movements, before simultaneously raising them above their heads and leaping into the air.
Zeang saw them coming through a haze of red mist, but he was far from out. Kicking his powers into action, the alien's eyes glowed bright blue and he pointed at a point on the wall at the far end of the Gravity Chamber.
"Time to put you down!" he shouted, and flicked his wrist.
CLANG!
Kenta let out a cry as the gravity increased by several magnitudes and his sword, Nenriki, dropped to the ground like a stone. A few metres away, the same thing had happened to Ferris, and the unexpected extra weight pushed both fighters to their knees. Zeang also let out a loud grunt, but stayed on his feet, expecting the change. Nevertheless, he was visibly struggling to stay standing, despite using his powers to help him support his body. Blood still trickled down his face from the blow Ferris had dealt him before.
"What the-! What did you do?" yelled Ferris, and Zeang gave him a strained grin.
"Perhaps you forgot where we were?" he gasped. "I simply used our surroundings to my advantage."
Ferris realised instantly, his strategical brain working out his mistake. Using his telekinesis, Zeang had played with the gravity controls on the small panel on the wall, turning the gravity to its absolute maximum of 200x Haven's gravity. As he watched, the alien probed out again, and turned the gravity back to normal. Ferris and Kenta stood up, massaging their aching muscles.
"Impressive performance," complimented Zeang as he nursed his own injury, feeling gingerly at his nose. "You still wield the Kaio-Ken, I see."
Ferris shook his head. "I use it rarely, my friend, if ever. There is no need to."
Zeang smiled wearily. Though it looked effortless, using his powers against foes like Ferris and Kenta was no walk in the park. "Well, I can definitely say that you're ready for the tournament. The other competitors will fall beneath your strength."
Kenta snorted. "Of course they will. The only fighters we have to fear are each other."
Zeang closed his eyes in amusement, and slowly turned to the door, strolling out of the chamber.
"Indeed. See you at the tournament."
000
"Come on folks, round up, round up, buy a brand new dream bracelet for your loved ones, what do you say, Miss?"
"Hotdogs, come get your hotdogs!"
"Place your bets, place your bets! Who do you think will win the tournament?"
The World Martial Arts Tournament was chaos in the few hours before it began. Vendors shouted stereotypical offers, people rushed over to accept them, small children slipped away from parents, thieves pickpocketed everyone in sight. The crowd generally massed in the city market square in front of the massive stadium where the tournament took place.
The stadium itself was impressive enough, even without all the hype. Square in shape, it contained far more than just the arena; training rooms, waiting rooms, gift shops, storage areas, infirmaries, you name it. Tournament stuff hurried to get everything exactly as it was needed in the hour before the first fights began. Though the stadium was open to the public, a surprisingly small amount of people were actually inside, most preferring to take advantage of the massive stalls and shops in the city square in front of the stadium. And among that crowd of people, a small group made their way through the throng, ignoring the offers thrown at them, attempting to get to the stadium.
"Really, this is ridiculous," snapped Kenta as he looked around and realised that he'd lost the others in the few seconds of moving through a small crowd of people. He closed his eyes and expanded his ki, searching around him, locating the others within seconds. Not gently, he forced his way through the crowd towards them.
"This is a deathtrap!" he grumbled as he caught up to Mataro. A metre ahead stood Makurin, Rhuna, Zeang, and Ferris, and a metre on front of them stood Blitzo and Arnika. Together, and with great effort, they managed to escape the throng and emerge on the other side of the marketplace. The stadium loomed above. "I can't wait til' the tournament starts already."
"Agreed," said Mataro. His large frame placed him at least half a head above the majority of the crowd. "I'm itching for a good fight. 'Couse, I probably won't get one unless it's against one of you guys."
Kenta smirked. "Yeah, you're right. Hey, I wonder who else is competing apart from all of us."
"No one that's a threat, I'd say…"
Up ahead, Blitzo and Arnika led the way to the stadium, chatting quietly to one another.
"Maybe this'll be a fun enough sport," Blitzo pondered. "It'll sure beat Tennis."
Arnika laughed airily, punching the Saiyan lightly on the shoulder. "Oh, be quiet. Tennis is the best sport there is."
"Says you. Fighting gets the blood pumping so much more than running around hitting a little fuzzy ball. The thrill of the battle is the best feeling in the world."
"Speaking of which, good luck today, sweetie."
Blitzo smiled warmly, and put his arm around Arnika's slender shoulders, drawing her in close. "Thanks, Arnie."
He was the only person in the world apart from Arnika's father Don who was allowed to call her that. Anyone else got answered with a punch in the mouth for their trouble. She laughed, and wrapped herarm around his back, and rested her head backwards and to the side, onto his shoulder.
The moment was broken by Makurin whacking Blitzo on the back.
"Hey, Romeo, can we hurry up a little?"
Blitzo scowled as he turned towards the other Saiyan. They'd been friends since childhood –all the way back on Planet Vegeta – but the two Saiyans had something of a rivalry between them, a rivalry only intensified by Blitzo's superior strength. Still, Makurin wasn't too far behind, training even more relentlessly than Blitzo in an effort to catch up.
Finally, they reached the stretch of road between the marketplace and the stadium. The road was designed to allow high-ups in the community to be delivered directly to the stadium, and even as they arrived by the road, a black limousine drove slowly past, stopping in front of the stadium and cutting across the group's route. Instantly, several reporters with cameramen surrounded the limo, waiting for the doors to open.
"Huh? Who's that?" pondered Mataro as he and Kenta moved to catch up with the others. "Come to think of it, why didn't we come in a limo? It would have saved us shoving through that." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing back towards the marketplace.
"Because of them," replied Zeang, nodding at the reporters. "A hassle, to say the least. It's actually more convenient to go through the crowd, I'd say.
"Who's in the limo, anyway?" asked Ferris, taking a step forward. His question was answered a second later as the side door of the limo swung open, and the owner stepped out. He was massive, with a chestful of muscles and a bristly thick moustache. He was also, to Blitzo's dismay, regrettably familiar.
"Mr Coster, sir," cried a reporter, shoving a microphone in the man's face. "Are the rumours that you're competing in the tournament today true? Has your back fully recovered?"
"Yes, those rumours are true," said the muscular man, grabbing onto the microphone with a meaty hand. "My back has fully healed, and I'm looking forward to kicking some arse today."
It was Baldwin Coster, a man all too familiar to the Saiyans, as well as to Zeang, Arnika, Kenta, and Ferris. Mataro, having lived underground for centuries until five years ago, was less knowledgable.
Coster was a former World Martial Arts Champion, who after winning the Championship, and feigned a back injury and had been declared by his fraud doctor to be unable to fight again, therefore granting Coster his title forever; if he couldn't fight, he couldn't lose. When the Saiyans had first arrived on Haven, it was discovered that Coster owned a Dragon Ball, and the newcomers to the planet had gone to barter if from him. After a very one-sided fight between Coster and Rhuna, the Dragon Ball had been collected.
"He's competing?" spat Arnika. "Now I wish that I had have entered, so I could beat him up myself."
"That pleasure's reserved for me," snarled Rhuna. "I half-killed him once, I'm looking forward to doing the other half…" Grumbling under her breath, the Saiyan girl cracked her knuckles (with cracks as loud as gunshots), scowling.
The two females stood, both staring with utter hatred at the man who stood before them. Coster was busy with the press, soaking up the glory and recognition, posing for shots and showing off his muscles.
"I'd take him on in an arm wrestle any day," growled Kenta, staring fiercely at the fraud in front of him.
A few minutes later, the reporters faded away, following Coster as he made his way into the stadium. After the limo pulled away, the group of superhavien fighters crossed the street and entered the stadium themselves.
"Here we are," said Ferris. "The tournament begins in one hour."
000
Wooh, it's such a relief to finally finish a bloody chapter. I know, I know, about time, eh? You know it's been THREE MONTHS since I did the first chapter? I'm ashamed! Not only that, this isn't exactly up to par with the standard I usually aim for; it just feels off to me. Maybe it's better. You tell me.
So, how'd you all like it? Yes, Zeang's advanced several levels in badass, going from one of the weakest to somewhere right near the top due to his psychic powers. Hmm...I'm thinking that I'd better update the Power Level chart, right?
Blitzo: 179,000
Makurin: 153,000
Rhuna: 140,000
Zeang: 95,000 (Physically that is; he's a lot stronger because of his mental capabilities)
Kenta: 120,000
Ferris: 145,000
Ferris (Kaio-Ken): 290,000
Geani: 123,000
Mataro: 119,000
Arasha: 120,000
Korros: 162,000
Arnika: 31,000
And, the tournament is about to begin! But who will fight who in the first round? What challenges will our heroes face? Can Coster possibly do any damage at all? And the greatest question of all; what dangers lurk at the tournament…? Find out next time on Dragon Ball X!