Chapter 74: Tenkaichi Budokai
Damn it, 75 chapters is a milestone if I say it is, and we're reaching it soon.
Neeeeeeeeeeeeew fanart. Pretty cool drawing of Raditz's new look by BlueFire67, which you can find on deviantART. Goes by Elbadj on the DBM comments section.
Random thought: Notice how Vegeta's voice gradually changed a bit as he became a protagonist? Piccolo's too, come to think of it...and Tien...anyway. I reckon Raditz's voice by now sounds at least a little more like Yusuke (protagonist of Yu Yu Hakusho)—for reference, by the way, both Yusuke and Raditz were voiced by Justin Cook. Who also voiced Super Buu, incidentally.
Finally, I'd just like to clarify something for one reviewer: Nail went inside with the rest. He did not stay behind. Re-read the end of chapter 73 if it helps.
A gentle murmur swept across the crowd as Goten and Break faced off.
"...where did they come from..."
"...juniors were mostly boring last time, but this..."
"...ten zeni on the girl!"
"Weird hair on the boy, huh?" "Looks familiar, actually..."
Break raised one arm in front of her, the other stretched out behind. "Are you gonna attack me, or what?"
"Thought I'd let you go first," Goten replied, smiling and standing passively, scarcely looking like he was in the biggest fight of his life.
"Whatever you say." Break kicked off the ground, dashing towards Goten, who grinned as he sprang into motion.
"Psyche!" He swung his arms forwards. "Kamekameha!"
Standing in the competitors' block, Goku groaned. "No, we've gone over this! He still can't say it right...!"
Break skidded to a halt, startled, and dropped to the floor. The beam sailed over her head, then suddenly banked in mid-air and shot off in a completely different direction, proceeding to bounce off in another every few seconds. It carved a groove in the ground, narrowly missed taking the announcer's head off, then finally hit the wall in front of the spectators, detonating.
"G...Goten...!" Gohan hissed. "That idiot..."
Goten lowered his arms, perplexed. "Huh...still need to work on that."
"Your guard's down!" Break darted forwards, kicking Goten in the head and staggering him back. He recovered, blocking her other leg as it swung at him, grabbing her by the ankle and swinging her to the floor. She bounced off the ring, propelling herself up into the air, and he followed.
Trunks watched in awe. "They're moving so fast..."
The two fighters worked their way up, steadily higher, rapidly exchanging indecisive blows. He landed a punch across her face, breaking past her guard, and she kicked him in the side as she flinched back, spinning him around. Taking advantage, she quickly recovered and elbowed him in the back. He flipped forwards in the air, coming back around to face her upside-down and renewing his assault from the strange position. The odd tactic worked, and Break was forced onto the defensive, finding herself hard-pressed to hold off his rapid series of attacks. She was slowly pushed down, towards the ground outside the ring. Inches from a ring-out, she whipped one arm out, pulling him up by the ankle until his face was level with hers, then headbutted him, following up with a kick to his body that knocked him back into the centre of the ring.
Goten grumbled as he stood, hearing her approach. "Trunks was right...you got pretty good since I saw you last."
"And you're not as sloppy as usual, Goten." Break raised a clenched hand towards him. "Ready? Or are you hungry, like always?"
"Let's go!" Goten rushed her, throwing a few quick jabs which she easily blocked. She counterattacked, but overbalanced, and he ducked under her swing. He grabbed both legs, pulling them out from under her and beginning to swing her in a circle around him. "And one...two..."
"Stop it...!"
"...Three!" On the third full rotation, Goten let go, sending Break sailing off into the air. The audience, as one, held their breaths...then exhaled as she pushed off the air, flying back at Goten and swinging for his head. He ducked again, and she flew past him, landing behind him. He straightened up, just as she swung around, firing off a two-handed energy blast, completely engulfing him.
She stepped back, wiping her forehead, then froze before a smile could creep onto her face. "Hey...that light..." A golden glow was coming from within the smoke cloud. "Oh, he didn't..."
Goten flung his arms out, an omnidirectional ki wave blowing the smoke away and revealing his Super Saiyan transformation. "Heh heh..."
Break groaned. "Idiot."
Gohan punched the wall, knocking a hole through it. "Goten...! I thought we were clear on this, no Super Saiyans at the tournament!"
Videl nodded. "Because it's the one thing you can't teach anyone, right? Nobody's going to be surprised that we can fly or whatever anymore, but you didn't want anybody to know about your...y'know, heritage..."
"That's exactly it. I mean, after the whole Gold Fighter business..."
"Yeesh." Videl patted Gohan on the shoulder. "Don't remind me."
Some time ago...
Gohan walked down the busy high street on his way to school, having abandoned flying at the edge of the city. So on my first day at school, Hell is loosed on the Earth. Hopefully the second will...
"Help! Somebody help me!"
"Quiet, you! Nobody move!"
Gohan rolled his eyes. Oh, come on! Hmm...my name isn't really mentioned very often around the whole Cell thing, and I've grown up since I was on TV...I doubt anybody would recognise me. Might be nice to keep that anonymity, so-oo...
He hurriedly transformed into a Super Saiyan, after making sure nobody was watching. This should make sure I don't get recognised. I also don't think Super Saiyans have ever been caught on camera...
"All right, we got it all!" One thief called to the leader. "Let's get outta here before the pigs show!"
"You heard him, boys, let's...uh?" The lead gangster stopped in his tracks—a strange youth with spiky blond hair had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, blocking his path. Gohan had made sure to hide his tail with his schoolbag—socially acceptable it may have been, but it was pretty distinctive.
"You'd better put all that money back," he said quietly, so only the lead crook could hear him. "The person who runs this shop probably won't be able to feed their family without it."
"So what? It ain't my problem!" The man raised his gun. "Move yer ass, 'fore I—whuh?!" This particularly interesting noise was caused by Gohan crushing his gun-barrel in one hand.
Still almost in a whisper, Gohan said, "Some people, I just don't understand."
"I got him!" A second thief leapt up next to Gohan, opening fire, but the Super Saiyan idly reached out with his other hand and caught each bullet in mid-flight, before crushing them into powder and letting them fall to the ground. On second thoughts, maybe going the 'silent avenger' route would look cooler... He punched the leader to the ground, jumping over to the second man and kicking him in the stomach, taking him down too. The remaining thieves piled into their car with all the money they could lay their hands on, but Gohan appeared in front of the vehicle, reaching in and pulling the engine out. Setting it down beside him, he calmly turned the car upside-down and turned to leave as the police began to swarm the scene. He brushed aside anybody trying to ask him questions, looking for a place to change back, when he spotted Videl round the corner.
She saw Gohan, opened her mouth to say hello, saw his panicked expression, and rethought her choice of words. "Uh...who are you supposed to be?" she asked, feigning confusion for the bystanders around them. "I just heard this was happening on the police radio band...I don't need your help fighting crime, okay?"
Gohan shrugged, maintaining his silent front, and flew off. Thanks, Videl. She's a smart one...instantly realising what was going on like that...
Of course I figured it out, she thought as he left. Why would he need to transform against some random guys with guns? Honestly, he looked so worried, like I was going to give the whole game away. Credit me with some intelligence.
Videl checked in on Gohan later that day, after school. She found him at his house, posing in front of a full-length mirror in a ridiculous green outfit. "What. I...what...are you doing." She finally managed.
"Huh? Oh, well...I thought I might need a better disguise if I plan to keep stopping crime like that." Gohan nodded, waving the antennae on his space-biker helmet, and leapt into another Ginyu-Force-reminiscent pose, bright red cape flowing out behind him. "So I asked Bulma for a superhero costume, and she designed this for me! Look." He pressed a button on his watch, and in a puff of smoke, he was back in his normal outfit. "Quick-change! Neat, huh?" He pressed it again, switching back to the superhero clothes.
Videl sighed. Oh boy. "What are you gonna call yourself, then?"
"Hmm...I hadn't thought of that. Oh!" He snapped his fingers. "The, uh, the...the Sa...the Great Saiya...Saiyaman! The Great Saiyaman!" He grinned proudly.
Videl walked up to him, rapping her knuckles on his helmet. "Let me break it to you gently...the name is stupid. The outfit is stupid. The poses are stupid."
Gohan took his helmet off, his face falling. "Aw, you think so?"
"Yeah." She shrugged. "Sorry, but if not me today, it'd be somebody else tomorrow."
"Meh." He switched back to his school outfit.
"They're calling you the Gold Fighter, by the way," she remembered. "After today."
"Oh..." Gohan scratched his head. "That makes sense, I guess. You know...come to think of it, that's a pretty good name..."
"Better than 'the Great Saiyaman'..." she agreed, smiling archly. "A couple of people saw your Orange Star High School badge, though...better be careful in future."
"Hence the costume."
"Get a new one. I'm sure you can get that watch set to another outfit."
And so, the Gold Fighter continued to pursue his crimefighting career, in a less laughable, Videl-approved costume—more streamlined, and mostly black with gold highlights. Sunglasses and gloves completed the disguise, leaving his distinctive, titular hair showing.
And now, Goten had just transformed in front of an audience of hundreds, if not thousands.
Gohan and Videl were, understandably, not happy.
"Hey, no fair," Break complained. "Well, guess I can't help it now..." Grunting slightly, she went Super Saiyan herself.
"Okay, let's fight for real now!" Goten readied himself for another charge, but this time Break took the offensive, and the two of them vanished from normal human eyesight as they battled around the ring.
"Is...Is everybody else seeing this?" The announcer wondered, then regained his composure. "Uh, whatever just happened, the fight is now even more intense than before! I can't see them fighting, but I can hear those impacts—in fact, I can practically feel them!" Indeed, the entire stadium was shaking as the two fighters' fists and feet collided at ultra-high speed, with enough force to level cities.
They reappeared high above the ring, hitting each other simultaneously. Break tried to follow up, and Goten ducked back, kicking her higher up into the air. Gritting his teeth in a moment of intense concentration, he fired an energy blast up after her, keeping his other hand out to the side to steady himself in the air.
Break, still dazed from his attack, spotted the attack coming. Can't...dodge it...I have to...! She mentally reached deep into her spirit, closing in on the thing that lurked within—
Break! Don't!
The voice was immediately familiar. D...Daddy?
Hey, I promised, didn't I? Break, listen...don't use that power. You're not ready yet.
But...I have to win!
And you can. But you'll have to learn how to control that monster within—if you use it now, you'll be regretting it for a long time. You will win this fight, and without using any higher level.
How do you know?
Because your opponent, much like his father, is an idiot. Oh...and lighten up, would ya?
At that point, the mental communication was severed as Goten's blast hit home. The world momentarily went black, then as she managed to open her eyes, began to spin alarmingly. A second or so later, she hit the ground with a sudden lurch.
Goten rubbed his nose, landing opposite her. "How'd you like that?" No response. "Uh...Break? You okay?" She groaned, reached out with a shaking hand. Then it fell still, and she turned back to normal.
The announcer scuttled up to them. "And Break is down! One! Two! Three!"
Goten crouched by her. "Break? Hey, say something! I didn't mean to hurt you for real!"
"Four! Five!"
Goten's voice shook. "C'mon, please move!"
"If you say so!" Break snapped back into Super Saiyan in an instant, grabbing hold of Goten's outstretched arm and heaving him over her head.
"N...Never mind, then." The announcer leaned in for a closer look as Break smashed Goten into the ground, cracking the ring's surface. "It seems that was just a ruse, and she's back on the attack!"
Break drove Goten further into the ground, breaking right through the ring into the ground below, then let go. He coughed dirt, trying to stand, then panicked as she hurled an energy ball down at him. "Wah!" He vanished, putting on a burst of speed, then appeared in mid-air. "Missed me!" he taunted.
Unfortunately for him, Break had planned on him escaping in this way, and promptly flew in from behind him, kicking him in the back and propelling him away towards the stands. He tumbled through the air, frantically trying to recover, and members of the audience scrambled to get out of his flight path. With a great effort, Goten finally managed to stop his flight, just inches from touching the stands and a ring-out. "Phew..." At this moment, Break appeared above him, placing both hands on his head and shoving him down until he was practically sitting in the seat below. "Aw, c'mon!"
Goku sighed. "Ahh...he lost..."
"Well, there's always next time," Gohan said cheerfully.
Krillin whistled. "Those two really are something. I'm glad I don't have to fight either of 'em!"
"Nope, all we've got to worry about is the grown-up version," Videl chuckled.
"Don't remind me," Krillin groaned.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Break—the World Tournament junior champion!" The announcer, having ducked aside to check his moustache, was back and leading Goten and Break off the stage. "We'll be back shortly, with the main competition. All awards for both divisions will be given out at the end."
The preliminary lots were drawn to determine fight order, and Chiaotzu ensured with his psychic abilities that none of the eight ki-trained fighters would face each other until the finals. As such, the preliminaries were fairly simple—the eight breezed through their matches against 'normal' martial artists, including those two or three times their own size and weight. Hercule, of course, did his hamming-it-up shtick, dragging out fights a little before finishing an opponent with a showy—and completely unnecessary—'finishing move' (often consisting of nothing more than a fancy name for a simple punch or kick). The two 'M'-marked brutes (whose names were given as Spopovich—the larger one—and Yamu) fought with ruthless efficiency, choking enemies or crushing them to the floor until they surrendered or passed out, or simply hurling them out of the ring.
"I'm pleased to tell you all that the preliminaries are over," the announcer said, "and we will now draw lots for the quarter-final matches! Contestant Yamu, please come forward and take a number." The eight finalists each drew their numbers—and this time, the selection truly was random—and the four matches were decided as follows:
Match 1: Goku vs Videl
Match 2: Spopovich vs Hercule
Match 3: Krillin vs Gohan
Match 4: Eighteen vs Yamu
"Great." Videl fastened her fingerless gloves on. "Just wonderful. I get to fight your dad. The guy who defeated Cell."
Gohan shrugged. "Sorry, Videl. Nothing I can do..."
"I guess I'd have had to fight him, or somebody insanely strong, eventually...well. Might as well give it a try."
"Hey, uh..." Gohan tried not to blush. "...um...Videl..."
"What?" She tuned back, curious, a little hopeful maybe.
"I, uh...good luck," he finished lamely, then chanced a kiss on her cheek. He braced for an assault, physical or verbal. On cue, she thumped him on the head.
"You dumbass! Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to do that?!"
"I...you...what?" He laughed. "You could've done it yourself, you know."
"Are you kidding? The shock would have killed you." She returned the kiss. "Now quit distracting me, I have to go get beaten up by an invincible alien."
"And let the first match...begin!"
Goku walked slowly towards Videl, stretching. "So...you want me to get it over with, or shall we make it look like a close fi—gyah!" He yelled as Videl rushed him. He backed away, blocking each attack calmly and methodically. She kept up her fast-paced assault. "Uh, Videl...how long are you gonna keep this—" She broke away, backflipping to the other side of the ring, breathing hard.
"Damn...you didn't even break a sweat..."
"You do move pretty fast for a human with only a few years' training." Goku gave a thumbs-up. "It's impressive!"
"Hmm..." Videl considered something for a few seconds. "Can you do me a favour? Show me your full power. In this form, at least."
"All right." Goku raised his arms slightly, spreading his feet out and furrowing his brow. "Haaaah..." White energy began to blaze around him, lighting up the ring. Gales of wind blew out in every direction, flattening the trees that surrounded the stadium.
"Everyone hold on to something!" The announcer shouted, taking cover. The audience hung grimly to their seats, eyes fixed on Goku's growing power.
Eventually, he stopped, and the destructive waves subsided. Dazzling light shone from every inch of him. "You happy now?"
Videl lowered her arms, opened her eyes wide. "That's...a lot..."
"What, you thought Gohan was the strongest in the world or something?"
"I was never quite sure, but if you're like this in base, and you can transform just like him...that about settles it."
"Well." Goku raised one arm. "Shall I finish this?"
"Go ahead and try!" Videl crossed her arms in front of her face. Goku swung his arm forwards, unleashing a kiai that blasted Videl straight back into the wall protecting the audience, breaking it down.
"Out of bounds!" the announcer declared, seeing Videl sprawled amidst the wreckage of the wall. She shook her head, slowly clambering to her feet. "In an incredible turn of events, contestant and former champion Goku knocked our former junior champion, Videl, out of the ring with a simple gesture! I've seen a lot of crazy moves in my time, but this is a new one!"
As Videl left, he continued talking, motioning Goku to stay in the ring and climbing up to stand next to him. "Could contestant Hercule please take the stage? Mr. Hercule Satan?" Hearing the call, Hercule jogged up and jumped onto the ring opposite Goku and the announcer. "Thank you, sir. Now...Goku, you've just fought; Hercule, you're about to. You're both former world champions. Can I get your opinions on the competition this year?"
"Well—" Goku began.
"You most certainly can!" Hercule butted in. "Well, some of them are pretty impressive, I'll give you that. But I wouldn't expect a change of champion—I've been undergoing the kind of training that would make any normal man sweat blood and throw up their own small intestine!" He pointed aggressively at Goku. "And as for you and your hair-gel, I look forward to showing you just what the new and improved Hercule Satan can do, when we meet in the ring!"
Goku pushed the pointing finger away. "Looking forward to it. I'd better go—you're up, champ."
"But—wait!" The announcer followed Goku , microphone thrust out in front of him. "Your opinion on the—"
"Yeah, they're pretty decent. I know a couple of 'em myself, they're great fighters. Oh, and Hercule's here, too." With that remark, he left the ring to an even split of cheers and boos.
"Now, I'm sure you all remember Hercule as the winner of the previous tournament. Up against him this round is Spopovich, who he defeated last time—but from the looks of it, Spopovich has gone through some big changes since then!"
Hercule frowned, circling his leering opponent. He sure has...for one thing, what happened to all that hair?
Spopovich cracked his knuckles, keeping his eyes fixed on Hercule. His lips cracked in a hollow smile.
Raditz and Launch descended into the spaceship, touching down on the circular-patterned floor not far below. Nail, Kaioshin and Kibito soon followed. The room was oblong, just big enough not to be claustrophobic, and decorated mostly in light colours with the occasional black panel.
"Well...this is homely," Launch murmured.
"So what happens now?" Raditz asked nobody in particular, walking towards the centre of the chamber. "I can just blast through the floor if—"
"That will not be necessary." They turned at the grating, nasal voice, seeing a grey-skinned humanoid creature with an elongated head stretching back a couple of feet from his face. He wore a black combat suit with white armour-plating. As expected, the 'M' brand was present on his forehead. "My name is Pui Pui, and I will be your opponent—and that means not a single one of you will leave this room alive."
"Opponent?" Nail asked.
"Indeed. There are three stages in this ship which you must pass through to reach my master Babidi. This is stage one."
Raditz tilted his head slightly. "What's the purpose of this whole set-up?"
"Every bit of energy lost or used by any of you while fighting us...it'll all go towards reviving Majin Buu!"
"I see." He looked back over his shoulder. "Hey, guys—let me fight him."
"Knock yourself out," Nail said, shrugging. "I couldn't care less."
"Hold it." Launch put a hand on Raditz's shoulder as he took the first step towards Pui Pui. "There are three stages, right? Odds are they're saving the best 'till last."
Raditz considered this. "Good point. That Dabura guy, for instance..."
"Right." She stepped in front of him. "I'm still up for a good fight, so I might as well take on somebody I might actually stand a chance against..."
"All right, go for it."
"What's this?" Pui Pui frowned. "Just one of you? You'd better take me seriously—no single one of you fools has any chance to defeat me alone!"
"He has a point," Kaioshin warned. "Babidi recruits the deadliest warriors from around the universe...and once they're enslaved by his magic, they grow even more powerful! Don't take him lightly."
"Give me a break." Launch turned to Pui Pui, raising one fist. "You don't seem like the type to be easily intimidated by tough words...so I'll just let my fists do the talking."
"Just try—you won't even lay a finger on me, and every blow of mine will feed your energy to Buu!"
"Believe what you want."
Far below, in the bowels of the ship, two stoic figures observed all this.
"Master Babidi, if you had let me be the fighter for the first stage, this would have been over quickly. The one that deflected my attack...he at least, if perhaps not the others, has the strength to defeat Pui Pui with ease."
"I simply wanted to test their strength, Dabura. It'll give you a chance to study your energy. And I don't care what happens to Pui Pui...next to you, he's nothing. And once I have Buu as well...I'll be unstoppable!" The wizard paused. "Still. I'm worried about this transforming fighter. As you said, he deflected your blast. Will he be a problem?"
Dabura chuckled. "Of course not. I have yet to use anywhere near my full power."
"Hercule...Spopovich...begin!"
Pui Pui stamped the ground. "Come at me!"
So logistics for this bit is hard, because I'm trying to line the two story threads up to arrive at a particular moment when they intersect. This is gonna lead to probably spending more time at the tournament than the spaceship next chapter, at least.
Loving all the guesswork on who's going to get Majin-ised...keep them coming!
Q: is zarbon stronger then frieza or is he weaker
A: Weaker than full-power Frieza...stronger than 3rd form Frieza. He's somewhere between almost-50%-Frieza-level, and almost-100%-Frieza-level.
Q: Also why don't you think the Supreme Kai knew about Goku in canon?
A: Because Supreme Kai is an idiot.
Q: Around what saga would you say Goku's Power is? Obviously he is below his Buu saga power (in canon) but how does he compare to Majin Buu (Chubby). A Super Saiyan 3 pretty much outclasses Buu, but would you say they are both equal to Full Power SSJ2 ( if its possible)?
A: Goku's power isn't far below his canon Buu saga power. Only a little due to lack of SSJ3...he's had seven years to train this form, after all, and...well...he's Goku. I'd say full-power SSJ2 (Majin Vegeta or canon Goku) outclasses Fat Buu by a little bit, but regeneration and stuff makes up for that...so, overall Buu can beat just about any SSJ2.
Q: Also... wow, this Break is just about a Grade-A b****
A: Yes. Yes, she is. At least, she likes to act like it.
Q: Will you give goten a bigger roll? Like him ascending to super saiyan 2, because he trained with his dad. He would be stronger than canon goten right?
A: FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON KYLE HEBERT IMPRESSIONS!
Q: So, are the men in black gonna be a problem later?
A: If so, not a very effective one, eh?
Q: I was also intrigued that Janemba seems to be something of a code word, setting up some future event (a connection with the Sleeping One perhaps?)
A: Good guess. Correct guess, though? I won't say.
Q: So with Old Kai out of the sword, why isn't Raditz Mystic? Could it be his own pride?
A: Now there's a good question. Which will be answered in, I'd estimate, 3 to 5 chapters. Maybe. Rough guess. Don't get mad if it's more or less than that.
Q: Andddd Done... just caught up on your story and i have to say it's my 2nd favorite out of all fanfics( It might move to 3rd as i'm about to get into DBM and I hear good things). BTtL and BoD makes it hard to watch cannon DBZ. I feel like they missed out on so many possibilities, especially with Launch she kinda just dissipated from the story.
A: Um...if you say so. Thanks! I expect you'll like DBM, it's pretty good.
(A couple of people left reviews like this, saying they loved the story so much they were sad canon missed some of this stuff...thanks, guys! I appreciate it!)
Q: I liked the Dr. Who reference at the end (you a 10 or 11 fan?)
A: I almost don't want to say...I know people have strong feelings on this subject. But...this is a DBZ fic, not a Doctor Who one, so I don't imagine a disagreement with any readers over DW will affect the actual story, right?
...Right, guys?
Eh. Eleven. Though I've liked every Doctor I've encountered (which, admittedly, is only 1, 4, 9, 10 and 11...)
Sorry, no Kai for now, I know it's been a while. But I'm just flat out of inspiration for that. On the bright side, I'm still full of ideas in regards to the main story.
If anybody can think of any extras, specials or anything like that they want me to run in this space, tell me your ideas!
One more thing! That Break Through the Limit/Sins of the Father (whichisastoryyoushouldallread*cough*) crossover I talked about aaaaages ago? Might still eventually happen.
Wait, no, two more things! Best Served Cold chapter 4 is mostly done. The glacier marches on!