AN: I own nothing but my soul!
I wanted to write this chapter as giving more perspective to the fighters who will be competing in the main tournament, so they'll probably come off as curbstomping the competition because I can't write fight scenes well.
On with the story!
Chapter 12: The 16 Fighters
A smile found its way to Goku's face as every single fighter in the arena began going at it to see who would stand among the top 16 and make it through the preliminaries.
'Finally! It's time to get it on!'
"YOU'RE WIDE OPEN!"
*BAM*
A quick backhand from the young saiyan warrior sent the would be attacker into the water below. Goku turned around to see who it was and gave a surprised look as he realized who it was that he quickly backhanded into the water.
"Ren...?" He didn't even notice that the boy was standing with him on the same platform. He didn't know if that was insulting to the white haired boy or if it was the result of him being not having that much presence at all.
Said boy quickly rose from the blue depths, coughing slightly before exclaiming.
"CURSE IT ALL! WHY DID I LOSE SO EASILY!?"
"Looks like we have our first elimination for the day folks! What a pathetic way to go~!" The announcer declared from his spot on in the audience stands.
"DON'T MOCK ME!"
This action was seen by several others, and that got them whispering among themselves. Goku already knew what they were talking about as they quickly surrounded him on all fronts. Moments later, they charged.
"Get him! That guy is Son Goku; one of the strongest guys here!"
"There's strength in numbers! Don't falter!"
Smiling even more as they all ganged up on him, Goku took a stance and yelled.
"Alright then, come and get me!"
*BOOM*
"Whoa! Goku-nii is sure getting fired up!"
Note noted as she watched her cousin blow away several fighters and began exchanging blows with each of them. It was clear that from the smile on his face that Goku wasn't the least bit disturbed by the fact that at least 20 people were attacking him.
Then again, given his power, she wasn't all that surprised. Being part-saiyan did have its perks after all. And being one who achieved Super Saiyan at a young age definitely had its perks.
"Excuse me."
When Note looked in front of her, she saw several burly men looking down on her due to her small stature.
"Sorry little girl, but this isn't the place for little kids like you."
"Hoh? Who are you calling a child you scruffy old man?"
"Scruffy!? I'm only 25 years old!"
*SMACK*
"And I'm a little girl who's a descendant of the great Son Goku Sr.!" Note exclaimed as she kicked said man straight in the face.
"You tell them!" A voice yelled out.
*SMASH*
The remaining men were then smashed into the ground by another contestant. This person was none other than Bloom, her good friend and rival.
"Wanna team up? Let's show these old men not to underestimate us young maidens!"
"Sure!" The two of them stood back to back as they too were surrounded by other contestants after seeing how easily they laid waste the burly men.
Most of them wore the uniform of the Turtle Hermit School, while a few others wore the uniforms of the Crane Hermit School. They all got into different firing positions, something that both girls saw as they signaled to each other.
"TRI-BEAM!"
"KAMEHAMEHA!"
*BOOM*
An explosion of different colliding energies caused dust to scatter among them. A crater was formed where both girls stood, but both couldn't be found.
"Where'd they go...!?" A turtle hermit student questioned.
"Look up!"
"What the!? Gagh!"
*BAM*
Dropping right in front of the speaker among the group, Note delivered a hard over head kick that sent the poor soul diving straight into the ground causing a hole due to the sheer strength behind the kick.
"Just so you remember! The Kamehameha is only really useful when charged with all the power you can put into it!" Note said as she looked through the hole. The remaining Turtle Hermit Students gave Note incredulous looks, the young girl seemingly oblivious to them.
*BOOM*
"Don't give advice to the enemy!" Bloom exclaimed as she sent two of their remaining assailants flying with a powerful Ki blast.
"BIG BANG ATTACK!"
*BOOM*
Several dozen fighters were sent flying as Vegeta blasted them all away with a powerful attack, a move taught to him by his grandfather, who in turn was taught his by his own father and his father before that.
"What's the matter!? Is this all you people can manage!? Show me what you're made of!"
The fighters around him all glared at Vegeta cautiously. They recognized him as the runner up in the last Junior Division six over years ago. And with videos from the that tournament and with some having attended it before, they knew first hand how powerful he had been that time. Now he was a young man, whose power growth since then was untold.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that to most of them, their chances of winning the tournament were completely screwed.
"Raargh!"
Vegeta charged at one of them and quickly a furious exchange of blows commenced. It wasn't soon after that his opponent was overwhelmed.
*BAM*
A hard punch was sent to his opponent's gut. Vegeta then put both hands together before smashing them into the water, eliminating them.
"Hah!"
*SMACK*
Hearing a contestant coming up behind him, Vegeta performed a roundhouse kick on his would be assailant. He then quickly grabbed him by the arm, before throwing over his shoulder and into another fighter.
Vegeta then raised an arm and smirked.
*BOOM*
A quick, but power blast sent both flying. The descendant of saiyan royalty turned around and gazed back at the other fighters, the smirk on his face widening as he saw the fearful looks on their faces. He hadn't had this much fun in ages!
"Here I come!"
"Aw man, Vegeta is on a rampage!" Beat whistled as he watched Vegeta manhandle every single opponent in his way. Either it was because of the alien blood in his veins or if it was his natural disposition in a fight, trying to pick a fight with the latter as he was now wasn't the smartest thing to do in a Battle Royal like this.
As he thought this, he noticed that a couple of fighters were charging towards him.
"Excuse me!"
Taking advantage of his small size compared to most of the adult sized fighters competing, Beat managed to outmaneuver each combatant while simultaneously delivering decisive blows to their weak spots, which usually a chop or kick to the back of the head.
"Hey Beat!"
Looking behind him, he saw someone wearing samurai armor complete with a mask. He was accompanied by another fighter, a female who held a sword of her own, which she used to create a Ki-infused slash, creating a torrent of energy that sent a few fighters flying.
"Hey there, Kaito. How many have you taken down?" Beat asked.
"Only a few. In a fight like this, the more guys you take down means how much of a badass you are to some. Personally, I don't really care." Kaito noted, slicing away another combatant's pants and taking advantage of their embarrassment to kick them off the platforms and into the water.
"Is that right~?" Shigure asked with a teasing tone. "Didn't you want to enter this tournament because you wanted to prove how much of a better fighter you than Son-kun?"
"Hey, this and that are different things." Kaito said as he used his sheath to smack another fighter in the face, quickly delivering a few fast paced punches as the latter was stunned, before slashing him away with a blast of energy.
"At any rate, wanna team up?" The elder boy asked. "Me and Shigure are already a team, but a third member is always nice to have around."
"Sure, why not?"
"Hah!"
*BOOM*
The trio looked to see a young white majin blasting a couple of contestants into the sky. They all recognized him as a student of the Turtle Hermit School given the martial arts uniform that he was wearing.
"Hey there Abra! Wanna team up with us?"
"Sure!" The majin boy nodded. Right now, he was having a lot of fun fighting against many different people at the same time. If it was this much fun during every tournament, then he was going to make it a point in entering them every single time.
"Sweet!" Beat smiled as they all stood with their backs turned to the other. "Let's do this then!"
"Whoa! Look at them all go~!"
Inside a private booth reserved for both the Son family and Leigh, Lala, Haruna, along with those of their age group watched in awe as each contestant in the battle royal brawled with one another, determined not to get eliminated so early in the tournament.
"I didn't realize that so many people would want to compete in the world tournament." Haruna said.
She also noticed something something about Goku that was different. He must've put it on right before the fighting began. When she realized this, a small smile appeared on her face.
"I've been meaning to ask, but what's the big deal about winning this tournament in the first place?" Risa began. "Isn't a little... pointless?"
"It's not pointless you fool." Pan reprimanded, causing the blonde to flinch slightly. "It's a matter of pride and surpassing their own limits. Isn't that right, Roshi?"
"I couldn't have said it better myself." Roshi replied. "As a former martial artist myself, I used to challenge people to fights to see how far I could go and to see how my strength compares to others. It's an indescribable feeling when you believe yourself to be at the top, whether it be good or bad.."
"If that's the case, then why are some of them ganging up on others?" Mio asked.
"That's because they're playing it smart. If there's a battle you want to win, but you have to go up against an opponent stronger than even you, then you'd have no choice other than to get help from others." Roshi replied. "That's a lesson in itself. Being able to let go of one's own pride in order defeat a stronger foe."
Then a somewhat amused smirk found its way to the elderly woman beside him.
"That and there's a prize of over ten-million zenni for the champion. Understand now why some want to win?"
"S-SERIOUSLY!?" Both girls exclaimed, having just found out about this little aspect of the tournament. Their eyes turning into money signs as they stood up looking at the elderly woman in surprise.
"You guys really didn't know?" Haruna asked. Even she knew about it.
"We didn't!" Risa began. "We just thought that what you win here is some stupid trophy or something!"
"Come on Goku! Win that money and take us all out on a vacation!" Mio cheered, and so did her blonde friend a short while later.
"You two have no sense of shame do you?" Puck stated while eyeing both girls with a blank stare on his face.
"You should see what they're like at school then." Saruyama said, though he too was cheering Goku on with the same intent as the girls.
"Just what kind of people has my brother been hanging out with?" Mikan pondered aloud, shivering somewhat at the thought.
"Hehe~! You're going to have to do better than that~!"
A certain pink majin contestant wearing a light purple outfit playfully dodged every single attack that came her way, sticking her tongue out at her opponents as she did so, taking advantage of her body's unique physiology as well.
"Damn! I heard that Majin were flexible but I didn't think it would be this much!" One contestant cried out in frustration.
"Don't let her get to you! The more annoyed you are the less chances you'll get to take her down!" Another said.
"You guys aren't bad at all actually." Vivio cheerfully said. "If it were me from six months ago, then the two of you might've been able to beat me!"
Both looked at the girl confused. What did she mean if it were her six months ago?
"Unfortunately for the two of you...!"
Without any warning, Vivio extended both her arms and grabbed both fighters by the shoulders, pulling herself towards them. Shortly, she was then right in front of the two much to their fear
"Vivio is a lot stronger than the two of you are now!"
*BOOM*
Two powerful Ki blasts to both of their stomachs sent the two fighters flying straight into the water. A few others were caught in their paths and were too sent crashing into the blue depths below.
"Uoooh~" Vivio's cousin, Juubi, looked at the onslaught with a cheerful look of her own. "Nice one Vivio!"
"Thank~!" The former smiled rather smugly as she put both hands on her waist.
"YOU'RE MINE!"
A fighter suddenly came up from behind Juubi with a sword in hand.
*SLICE*
"Ah!"
By the time Juubi was able to dodge the incoming attack by a sword wielding contestant, her hand already been severed.
In the stands, some of the audience gasped in shock at the recent turn of events.
"Eh!? It got cut off!" Lala, Risa, and Mio cried out.
"Is she going to be alright?" Haruna asked worriedly.
At the same time however, the most other members of the audience such as Pan and Roshi merely had smiles on their faces and watched on.
"You kids worry too much." The latter said said as both girls stared at him. "It's not over for her yet, look."
A stunned look appeared on the swordsman's face as soon as he saw a smiling expression on Juubi's face, looking as though she wasn't too bothered by his action.
"Too bad for you, we Majin are awesome!"
"Wha...? Guargh!"
*SMACK*
A hard hit to the back of the head caused the man to stumble forward. When he looked behind himself to see who it was that hit him.
It was an understatement to say that he was shocked when he saw Juubi's severed hand giving him a victory sign.
"What the hell is going on!?" He demanded before all of a sudden he saw the pink majin's face in front of him.
"Bye-bye~!"
*BAM*
A hard head butt to the face, causing him to flinch. She then followed up with a series of quick kicks to the torso, with the final one sending sent the fighter crashing into a wall. At that moment, Juubi's severed hand reattached itself to her arm. She then followed up with a ki blast directed at the man.
*BOOM*
The resulting explosion knocked him out of the game. Juubi then gave a victory sign to the crowd, who merely cheered at the action.
"Whoa! I didn't think that anyone could have done that~!" Lala cheered, due to it being the first time she encountered a species that were able continue on even if you were to sever their limbs. Not to mention being able to control severed limbs and then reattach it like it was nothing.
"I didn't know that the Majin were able to do that." Haruna added her piece.
"The Majin are capable of many things. What you saw just now is one of them." Pan explained before looking at the fighter who was now unconscious. "That moron probably didn't do enough research about them, which is why he lost so easily."
"To think that such a species existed on Earth." Zastin noted. "Perhaps it is time once again to revise galactic views about this planet once more."
"What would have happened if his opponent couldn't regenerate?" Puck suddenly asked.
"There's a reason why this is called the Ultimate Fighting Division. Enter at your own risk." Pan replied. "And if the fighting gets to a point where a person may die, then obviously officials are going to step in before it reaches that point. Luckily, we have Healing Tanks that allow fighters to even heal their regrow lost limbs or reattach them if said limbs are still in once piece that is."
'How dark...' Haruna, Risa, and Mio thought together. The former most especially since she realized just what kind of tournament her crush had entered. Still, she had faith that he'd pull through easily.
"Amazing. I never knew Earth had advanced to a point that regeneration of lost body parts was now possible." Zastin commented regarding the piece about the regrowing of lost limbs through healing tanks. How was it that reports on Earth being a backwater planet were so inaccurate? He'll slap the person who screwed up on this matter when he find him or her.
"Well it's not like we invented that technology." Bulma suddenly spoke up. "I think you might've already heard this. But a few decades back, aliens invaded Earth. Our fighters from back then were able to fend them off, and after the scuffle a spaceship was left behind. Because of that, Capsule Corp was able to reverse engineer the technology it had on it, with the Healing Tanks being one of them."
"Oh, then that must've been quite a fortuitous event back then." The Devilukean Commander replied. So some of Earth's technology wasn't entirely their own. Some of which was taken from other aliens races. He wondered just how much of Earth's technology was the result of earthling achievements. The Capsule mechanism he had seen some use was similar to other races, but being able to shrink just about anything and putting them in the Capsules was beyond that.
'Still, their achievements are quite impressive for a planet that is considered to be a backwater part of the galaxy.' Zastin thought. 'Undoubtedly, they'll start attracting attention from the unpleasant types. Perhaps I should increase our patrols of the planet just to be safe?'
Back to the two majin girls...
"Hehe~" Juubi smiled at her cousin. "Aren't I great~?"
"We both are!" Vivio replied with a smile of her own before it turned into one of dread. "But I do feel sorry for you..."
*BAM*
Both then kicked a fighter that charged right at them before going back to their conversation.
"Hmm? Why is that?" Juubi asked with a curious look.
"Piccolo is going to be really mad at you later. You let your guard down after all..." Her cousin explained, and soon enough a dreadful look appeared on her own face.
"Eh!? Y-You're right! He's going to kill me...!"
"Those idiots."
On the very top of the platform arena where the battles were taking place, Piccolo stood while watching the fights go on with his arms crossed. His cape flying in the air due to the strong winds.
As for the reason he stood here? It was because the preliminaries was a Battle Royal of over 300 fighters. The rules were that it would only last until 16 fighters were left standing. It was never stated however that one should eliminate contestants in order to advance.
Despite that, however, every once in a while a few fighters would notice him where he stood and try taking him on. And soon enough the Namekian warrior easily dispatched them. He didn't really mind their challenges since it gave him a quick exercise.
And because of his ability to hear things at greater distances compared to humans thanks to his Namekian biology, he overheard everything that his two students had said to one another. He was now half-tempted to intensify both of their training regimes.
"You're not going to join in on the action?"
"I could say the very same thing to you."
Piccolo turned around and saw none other than Froze standing up behind him, the young man having both his hands behind him directing a polite smile at the Namekian warrior. The former found this action to be somewhat disturbing. Although he could sense that the one in front of him wasn't all that powerful when compared to him, the fact that he couldn't really get a handle of his character irritated him somewhat.
"As much as I want to get my hands dirty, I prefer not to waste my time with small fry."
"You think that everyone fighting right now is beneath you?"
"Technically, where we're standing, they are." Froze sarcastically noted. "However, there are a few fighters here that I don't mind fighting against. Goku and Vegeta being the top of the list, with the three other Saiyans right next after them."
"Hmph. So you really are an alien." Piccolo uncrossed his arms and looked directly at Froze. "Just answer me one thing."
"Depending on the question, I might not answer." The young man replied. "Either way, you may go ahead and ask."
"Are you or are you not related to Frieza?" The Namekian questioned, getting right to the point.
"Quite the forward one, aren't you?" Froze chuckled much to Piccolo's annoyance. "Yes, I am indeed related to Frieza. I am his great-grandson after all, the current ruler of the Planet Glaeris, our home world to be exact."
"I thought so." Piccolo said. "What's with that form though? You look and even feel human in a way."
"This is just technology at work. The form you see right now is the result of a well thought out disguise." Froze explained. "Many aliens actually come to this planet wearing such disguises in order to blend in better. Haven't you realized this?"
"I have, but I didn't think it would look this convincing." The former said. "But enough of that. Why have you come to Earth?"
"Is it really such a problem that I would need to tell you that?"
"Well if you plan on conquering this planet, then it is. That and the descendants of the ones who defeated your ancestor are here. This makes you a very possible threat." Piccolo replied as he and Froze stared each other down.
A few moments of silence passed between the two before Froze began to chuckle.
"Haha... Do not fret, I know when I am beaten." He said. "Performing something as petty as revenge over the death of a person who I never even knew doesn't really matter to me."
"Is that right...?" Piccolo stated, having started to get a picture of the kind of person Froze was.
"My only real desire is to fight against Goku and Vegeta. To fight against warriors such as Super Saiyans is a rare treat, even in a world as big as our universe."
"Hmph. Why am I not surprised you even know about that?"
"Surveillance my Namekian friend. Information is also considered a form of power these days, he knows everything can plan accordingly as they say."
"Don't treat me and call me like I'm your friend. You and I don't know each other well enough." Piccolo crossed his arms.
"Grouch." Froze merely responded. "Well, so long as you don't interfere with my goal in fighting Goku and Vegeta, then you and I won't have any problems."
"And as long as you don't try to destroy the planet, conquer it or kill those boys, then I'll stay clear." The latter replied as the former went his way and put some distance between the two of them.
As much as Piccolo wanted to step in, he decided that it would be for the best to let Goku handle the situation. Especially since the boy had his own stake in it regarding that deal he made with Gid. Even though he had enough power to handle both Gid and Froze, letting the new generation handle current events was something instilled into him by his old friend, the boy's ancestor, a long time ago.
'Well, it's not like I won't step in if things get out of hand.'
'So even Froze has someone he won't mess with...'
Unknown to the two, another fighter was actually listening on them talk through a bug he threw near their location during the Battle Royal.
He looked to be a young man about the same age as Froze himself in human form, though he had dark green hair and eyes. He wore black combat vestments with emerald highlights with a sword strapped onto his back.
Currently, he was in the middle of easily thrashing his earthling opponents. He had to admit, most of them were stronger than he gave them all credit for. He was also surprised by the pink blobs known as the Majin, as he thought that only humans were the sentient species on the planet.
'Who is that Namekian? And what does Froze want with this Goku and Vegeta?'
Questions riddled his mind. He didn't actually care about Froze's reasons, but was merely curious. Either way, his target was the ruler of Glaeris. He didn't care much for people on this planet other than him.
'Goku... Goku... I think I've heard that name before.'
A flash of realization surged throughout his mind as he remembered.
'That's right! He's that guy Froze was talking to and shook hands with earlier. And I think he was the one Golden Darkness was supposed to assassinate a few months back.'
As the name of a certain blonde assassin came to mind, he then looked to the other platforms where combat took place and spotted her immediately.
*BAM* *BAM* *BAM* *BAM* *BAM* *BAM* *BAM*
"Gargh!"
Standing in the middle of a group of fighters was none other than Yami herself. The blonde haired assassin eyeing her competition as she took down several of them in quick succession. The results of her preparations and training for the tournament were paying off.
The fighters of this planet were not like other worlds. The only race that were close this level of power, or at least level of combat proficiency, were the people of Deviluke themselves, which was mostly thanks to their physiology and natural power. Here, however, most relied on technique when faced with an opponent superior to them in strength.
Then there were also the Majin. They were the most interesting bunch since she saw their strange abilities, especially with their ability to reattach or regenerate lost limbs. The only other species she knew capable of doing something similar were the Namekians, but the Majin were clearly superior in that aspect.
She could understand why her target, Son Goku, was quite powerful. Being surrounded by fighters of differing abilities would help improve his own strength. Which is why she too took the chance to learn everything she can about their techniques during the past six months.
"Try this!"
*BLAST*
"!"
*SLASH*
*BOOM*
Standing unflinchingly, Yami sliced an incoming ki-blast into two as it diverted into different directions. A trick that she learned to do during her time on Earth. Compared to other energies such as beam weaponry, Ki energy was different and couldn't be simply blocked with her trans ability.
"Damn... just what are you?" The contestant who fired the blast asked. "You're definitely no majin. The way you can shape shift might be similar, but it's different altogether."
"I am sorry, but I'm not obliged to answer that."
*SMASH*
Yami quickly appeared above her opponents before smashing them into the ground with several giant fists. Quickly taking advantage of their surprise, she then transformed her hair into giant maces, sending them colliding with other contestants.
With her lite body and speed, catching her was a nightmare for the other fighters. If it had been a life or death struggle, then the girl in front of them would have definitely been able to do them in.
*BAM* *SMACK*
A swift blow to another contestant's gut caused him to flinch, which Yami followed up on with a kick to the head.
Even when she wasn't using her trans ability, Yami's own knowledge of martial arts together with her own experience as an assassin proved to be very useful when combined with earthling teachings about combat.
The latter of which she learned... All in order to defeat that person.
"Hah!"
*BAM*
Sending another fighter into the water below, Johan Podovisky stood firm. Despite his old age, he would not let himself be so easily taken out of the competition. He had already eliminated a few dozen fighters from the competition, and as a result, other fighters were now eyeing him carefully too.
"Did I screw up here?" He wondered aloud to himself as the fighters encroached on him. Perhaps it really wasn't a good idea to make a target out of himself seeing as how he's not that young anymore.
"NOW!"
*BOOM*
A simultaneous ki-blast from each contestant that surrounded the elderly man shot at him and exploded. The fighters in question wondered if their attack managed to take out their current adversary.
As the smoke cleared, there stood Johan with both his arms crossed against each other in attempt to guard himself, an attempt which seemingly succeeded much to the disbelief of those around him.
"Tough old bastard ain't you?" One of the fighters said.
"Well I might be old, but that doesn't mean I'm weak." Johan smirked.
"COMING THROUGH!"
*CRASH*
A small crater formed on the ground where they all stood. When they looked to see what caused it, they saw a few fighters in the ground unconscious with one of them standing atop them all.
That someone was none other than Goku himself.
"Huh? Hey there Commissioner Podovisky!" The young man stepped out of the crater and went up to the elder man. The latter of which could only sigh, the boy's action having ruined the somewhat tense mood that was happening due to his standoff with the other fighters.
"You okay? How many have you taken care of?" Goku asked.
"I'm fine, though I lost count on the exact number of people I've eliminated." Johan replied before eyeing Goku's crater. "I can see that you've been busy though."
"Well not as much as a certain someone." Goku replied as he pointed a thumb at a young man with spiky hair and a widow's peak who was mowing his was through more than a dozen fighters.
"I guess so. At any rate, do you want to team up? There should only be a few fighters left by this time around." Johan gestured to the crowd of fighters around them.
"Sure! That would be great!" Goku replied enthusiastically. Johan could tell that he was enjoying every single moment of the preliminaries. Was it because of him being the descendant of two great fighters and former world champions that got him going?
It really wasn't an answer he needed answering, not with how casually the young man goaded the others into attacking.
*SLASH* *SLASH* *SLASH*
Kujou Rin quickly dashed through her opponents, taking them down while not stopping her motions. She would've appeared as though a mere blur in human eyes, even those who trained in the art of Ki.
Compared to some of the stronger fighters in the tournament, Rin actually lacked power in Ki reserves and was thus outmatched in many aspects. However, thanks to the headmaster of the Kikoukenjutsu School teaching her a few tricks, she was able to compensate the lack of power with sheer speed and technique.
Truthfully, most of the techniques she learned were more suited for ninja, and she was more like a samurai due to her preference in fighting styles.
That said, it didn't stop her from utilizing them when she needed to.
Seeing a rather large majin in front of her, she skidded to a halt as she stabbed her blade into the ground, before dragging it forward, causing dust to fly and blinding the majin in the eyes.
*SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* *BAM*
A three fold assault with her blade's sheath and a spin kick sent the Majin flying. Rin followed suit in the air before delivering a crushing blow to the gut that sent her opponent into the water, eliminating him.
"Go Rin~! Bring honor to your family and mine by defeating everyone who stands in your way~!"
In another private booth with a loudspeaker stood Saki Tenjouin together with her friend Aya, the two were currently cheering on their daily companion and dear friend.
And much to the embarrassment of the said friend, Saki had rolled out a large banner with Rin's name on it saying victory. The latter appreciated the gesture, but even she would sometimes get tired with her mistress and best friend's eccentricities.
Soon, the sun began setting as the fighting came to a close. Sixteen fighters remained and all stood together at one platform with the announcer, who held a clipboard that had the names of every contestant standing there with him.
"And there you have it folks! After a long and grueling battle, we have our sixteen competitors for the Ultimate Fighting Division!" He gestured to the fighters that were lined up. "Take a moment and savor their looks ladies and gentlemen, for one of these sixteen fighters will eventually be crowned the World Martial Arts Champion!"
"How about we get off with a little introduction first?" The announcer stated before directing a hand towards Goku himself, the boy looking quite surprised when he did so.
"First up, it's someone who looks exactly like the statue erected here in the stadium! If you all remember the 64th tournament, then you should also know that this young man is the former Junior Division Champion! The descendant of two of the Earth's most legendary fighters, let's give a round of applause for Son Goku Jr.!"
The crowd cheered loudly as Goku waved at them somewhat embarrassed. He could also see Lala and the others waving at him as well from their place in the booth that was reserved for them, his family, and Vegeta's family.
"And we also have two more descendants of the great Son Goku Sr." The announcer said he gestured to said two. "Introducing both Beat and Note! The star pupils of the Turtle Hermit School! This will be their first tournament, so how about we all cheer them on?"
Beat and Note stood nervous at the the attention they were getting. They were normally used to such things due to their way of life, but seeing so many people looking at them caused them to freeze up a little. Goku chuckled slightly at this as it reminded him of himself when he first entered the tournament six years ago.
"Next up! We have the children of the woman responsible for creating this stadium in the first place. The elder child once fought young Goku in the finals of the Junior Division and lost. But right now, it looks like he's looking to even the odds. Let's give it up for Vegeta!"
Vegeta merely raised a fist in acknowledgement of the crowds cheers before putting it down.
"Then we have the younger sister! Don't let her cute looks fool you folks, she's just as powerful and tough as her older brother. Give it up for Bloom!"
Bloom waved both her hands to the crowd, apparently not minding the attention compared to Beat and Note.
"And now, we have Majunior!" The announcer then went up to Piccolo. "May we ask where you're from good sir?"
"From Earth." Piccolo deadpanned.
"Oh, no wonder you're so green!" The announcer joked as he went over to the next few contestants.
"Next up! We have the Commissioner of the Satan City Police Department himself. He may be old enough be our grandpa, but that doesn't stop him from competing with the kids. He's also a former student of the Turtle Hermit School. Let's give it up for Johan Podovisky!"
Johan merely put both hands together and performed a bow. One could see a dozen SCPD officers holding up a banner that said "GO CHIEF!" among the crowd. It was quite obvious why they were here.
"Over here we have three young majin competitors folks. Adorable they may seem, but deadly in a fight they all are. Introducing Vivio, Juubi and Abra!"
All three waved to the crowd, clearly enjoying the attention they were receiving.
"And we also have three students from the renowned Kikoukenjutsu Sword School. These three are part of the top ten students that school has to offer! So watch out everyone else or you'll get cut! Introducing Tadashi Kaito, Himejima Shigure, and Kujou Rin!"
While Kaito was taking in all the attention with gusto, the other two merely waved to the crowd, with the latter of the trio waving specifically at her two friends, Saki and Aya, the two of which she could see from the Tenjouin booth to be waving back and cheering for her.
"We also have another person here wielding a sword." He gestured to a green haired young man. "May we ask what your name is sir? It's not listed here you see."
"It's Gato."
"Oh thank you then. From parts unknown, we have Gato! You're not part of their group are you?" The announcer asked as he pointed to Kaito, Shigure, and Rin.
"No."
"Well you're a talkative one aren't you buddy?" The former joked. "Alright, moving on."
At this point, the announcer gestured to Yami.
"From Sainan City, we have..."
When he read the name that was on the paper attached to his clipboard, he gave Yami a questioning look.
"Is Golden Darkness really your name?" He asked, taking away the microphone from his mouth.
"Yes." Yami replied in a quiet voice.
"Alright then." He replied before turning to the crowd. "This young girl standing beside me calls herself Golden Darkness! You've all seen her earlier using a strange transformation ability, so it's best not to underestimate her chances of winning. She has the eyes of a champion folks!"
The blonde merely bowed slightly in response. She didn't really like all the attention she was getting, especially given her background as an intergalactic assassin.
"Last but not least is..." The announcer once again gave questioning look, which this time was directed at Froze.
The latter merely shrugged his shoulders, figuring out what the former was going to say. The announcer merely shook his head. People these days really had the strangest names.
"Also from parts unknown. Introducing Froze! We didn't see much of this young man's fighting skills during the battle royal, so watch out boys and girls. He might take you by surprise!"
As the announcer introduced him to the crowd, Froze merely stepped forward a little before demonstrating a bow and stepped back into his spot.
As he did so, Yami couldn't help but perk an eyebrow at his name. She had sworn she had heard a name much like his before and was wondering if that same person was the one her mind was thinking about.
If so, then the chances of winning the tournament were getting harder than it already was.
There was also the person that called himself Gato. There was something eerily familiar about him, yet she couldn't exactly pinpoint why. She may find out later if she was to be paired up with him.
"Alright, now that we're done with the introductions let's all move on to the drawing of lots! It's time to find out who'll be fighting who in the first round tomorrow morning!" The announcer declared as the crowd cheered.
Soon, a tournament employee came onto the platform carrying box full of paper. The fighters lined up and soon everyone had drawn their lots.
"Alright! We have the results for the first match!"
Several screens hanging throughout the stadium lit up began showing then names of the fighters and the order they were fighting in.
"In the 1st match; we have Majin Vivio vs Tadashi Kaito!"
At that, both perked up and looked at each other.
"So I'm fighting a Majin huh? I might be in trouble here..." Kaito noted due to the fact that this would be the first time that he himself would be going up against a member of said species.
"Alright~! I get to fight first~!" Vivio on the other hand merely cheered in excitement.
"In the 2nd match; we have Golden Darkness vs Majin Juubi!"
Said blonde and majin looked at one another as they heard that. Like her cousin, the latter was looking rather excited as she was in the 2nd match, meaning there was a chance of fighting Vivio if she passes the first round.
Yami on the other hand took note that her first opponent might be a tough one as well just like Kaito did his. She'd best prepare herself when the time came and expect the unexpected.
"In the 3rd match; we have Son Goku Jr. vs Johan Podovisky!"
Said duo then looked at another.
"Looks like we're going against each other, right Commissioner Podovisky?"
"I can sense the irony since we teamed up earlier." The older man said, chuckling slightly. "Let's give them a good match, shall we Goku?"
"Right!" The young man nodded in agreement.
"In the 4th match; we have Majunior vs Gato."
At that, Gato looked somewhat distressed.
'So... I have to go up against the guy Froze didn't want to cross? That's just my luck.'
Piccolo, on the other hand, merely looked at his opponent with a suspicious look in his eye. His aura was far stronger than most people on this planet. And it was similar to Froze actually but was different.
'One of his henchmen perhaps? What's are those two up to?'
"In the 5th match; we have Vegeta Leigh vs Son Beat!"
"WHAT!? I HAVE TO GO UP AGAINST VEGETA OF ALL PEOPLE!?" The young boy cried out, his chances of winning or facing off against his older cousin disappeared from his reach at that moment.
"Hehehe..." Vegeta chuckled as he placed a hand on the distraught Beat. "Look lively Beat, because I won't be holding back on you when we fight."
"God must hate me."
"In the 6th match; we have Son Note vs Bloom Leigh!"
At the mention of their names, said girls began looking at one another with unflinching gazes.
"So... it looks like it's the two of us in the first round." The former said.
"Just so you know, being a Super Saiyan doesn't mean you can beat me." Bloom said, undeterred by her opponents power.
"We'll see about that," Note replied as she gestured to the boys. "I won't be using it anyway since we made a bet to see who among the four of us would last longer without transforming. Not that you'd know since you're not part of it anyway."
Sparks of lightning flew in between their eyes as they glared at one another. The boys knew better than to get involve, so they stayed away.
"In the 7th match; we have Kujou Rin vs Himejima Shigure!"
At that, the crowd perked up as two students of the same school were going up against each other.
"Let's not hold anything back from each other, shall we Kujou-san?"
"Let us not, Himejima-san." Rin replied with a smile. She would be looking forward to this.
"And finally! In the 8th match; we have Froze vs Majin Abra!"
Abra glanced at Froze silently as the latter directed a smile at him when he noticed his gaze. For some reason, he was having a bad feeling about Froze when normally he would be quite excited when facing a new opponent.
"With that ladies and gentlemen, the first day of the tournament comes to a close. Fighters, eat up and get a good night's rest. You all have a busy day tomorrow!"
"You guys did it~!"
As soon as they arrived at the hotel suite that both the Son and Leigh decided to share together with Goku's friends since there was more than enough room, Goku was tackled into the ground by a rather cheerful Lala. Haruna and Bloom looked at the two rather jealous of the pinkette due to her forwardness with the boy.
"Son Goku! What do you think you're doing with Lala!?" Ren cried out, having changed out of his Turtle Hermit uniform into his casual clothes. He already had gotten over his humiliating defeat at the hands of his love rival.
'How envious...' Puck, Saruyama, Roshi, and Saiba simultaneously thought. Why was it that it was guys like Goku who got all the pretty girls?
For Saiba, it was true that his own wife was quite gorgeous in her own right. But he already saw how that girl Haruna looked at his son, then there was the matter with that girl Run from earlier that day. There was also Bloom, who herself housed a rather obvious crush on Goku. Compared to his son, he wasn't that much of a chick magnet.
Perhaps he got it from his mother. After all, back in the day, she was one of the most popular girls in their school.
"Come on, Lala." He said. "Mind getting off me?"
"You guys were so cool~! It was like watching Magical Kyouko beat up the bad guys on TV!"
"But we're not magical girls." Beat muttered, somewhat offended being compared to a rather corny TV show.
"Aside from that, why did you drag me here Son Goku?"
Standing behind said young man was none other than Yami herself. The blonde looking somewhat annoyed at the person in front of her.
Earlier when the people in the stadium began dispersing for the day, her target all of a sudden dragged her by the arm and thus resulted in her standing here. She couldn't use her powers on him due to the fact that as a contestant in the main tournament, she wasn't really allowed to harm him anymore than what she tried to do in the past unless she wanted to get herself disqualified.
"Why? So you could stay with us of course." He responded as he turned around to look at her.
"I already have a place to stay. My spaceship." The blonde replied.
"Well wouldn't you like it better if you stayed with friends? After all, Lala is here. And she'd love it if you slept over." Goku said as said pinkette went over to the blonde assassin in black.
"C'mon Yami-chan! It would be a lot of fun~!"
A few moments of silence passed before Yami gave her reply. The blonde first gave of a quiet sigh before giving into the pink-haired princess' request.
"Alright... If you say so Princess."
At that moment, Yami stepped back in surprise when she noticed a certain blue haired girl standing front of her with an unsettling gaze in her eyes.
"Hello, I'm Bloom." She introduced herself. "Your transformation abilities... from what I was able to see when I first saw you when you attacked Goku-san, and from during the Battle Royal... They're based on nanomachines aren't they?"
A flash of surprise graced Yami's face when she heard the bluenette spoke. How had she known so quickly?
"I knew it~! The Majin are able to shape shift their bodies into anything they want, but your transformations are different." Bloom exclaimed in joy. "There's almost no gap in time between your transformations, and some of them are mostly instant too. Then sometimes there's that shine that appears whenever your body begins transforming. Your not using any energy I'm familiar with to transform, otherwise I would have sensed it."
She then quickly held the blonde's hands together.
"Please tell me how they work~! I've never seen nanomachines as advanced as yours before! We earthlings have them but they're mostly used for medical purposes only."
"Come on, Bloom... Don't go putting her on the spot like that, it's rude." Note said as she pulled on her rival.
As the they all began conversing with one another, with Yami being somewhat troubled by Bloom's behavior, Haruna came up in front of Goku with something to say.
"Congratulations on making it through the preliminaries Goku."
"Hmm? Ah, thanks Haruna-chan." He replied smiling at her.
"I noticed that you started wearing your bandanna again." She suddenly stated. "It really suits you, you know?"
"Thanks. I have been wearing this old thing since I was a little kid, you can also say that it's my good luck charm!" Goku replied.
Soon enough, a relaxed atmosphere set itself within the room as the group began conversing among themselves. Boys with boys, girls with girls, the adults all together, it really was a time to rest for the fighters competing tomorrow.
"Come on you all! Let's get something to eat downstairs! I heard that there's an all you can eat buffet at the cafeteria!" Saiba declared as he suddenly came into the room.
Hearing that,with most of the members of their entourage giving a collective cheer, the group headed down for their meal that night. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, so Goku and the others decided to stuff themselves full.
It was like the evening to a great battle on the horizon... a calm before the storm in a way.
END
Author's Note:
Alright, battle royal finished! Next up would be the fight between Vivio and Kaito, and maybe Yami and Juubi if I'm able to squeeze it in. The following chapters may take even longer to write since I'm not really used to writing long fight scenes and I like to ensure quality when I write something. The next few chapters may only clock around 5-6 words at best, since like I said, I'm still not used to writing long fight scenes.
Regarding Froze. Never really meant to hide his goals or the type of person he is for long. Please note that he won't be becoming a good guy nor a bad guy in the traditional sense in the long run. Make that of what you will.
Glaeris is the name of Frieza's Race mentioned in the Malaysian Dub of Cooler's Revenge. I decided to use it seeing as how referring to them as Frieza Race/Clan/Icejinian sounds a little awkward to me. They'll be referred to as Glaerisians in story with their planet referred to as Glaeris.
If you have questions, then post them as a review, PM me, or ask it on my reply page. I'll be taking a break from writing since it's vacation time for me :D It would also allow me to gather my thoughts on how to write the following chapters.