Chapter 7 – "A grand reunion of family and friends! Warriors gather at the Tournament."
Trunks falters
"It's going to sting, but it'll do the trick," said Marron. Working with a brontosaurus leg practically twice her overall size looked like the most arduous task she'd have to face for the day. Combined with watching Goten spar with his friend Trunks, she wanted to ensure that the health of this majestic beast did not leave her offspring in a state of worry.
The brontosaurus calf nuzzled his head against the mother's front leg while she allowed Marron to apply special medicinal leaves to the wound. The mother nearly kicked Marron as a reaction when the first leaf went over the cut, leaving half of it uncovered. "Easy there. You're doing fine," Marron reminded the brontosaurus in a soothing voice. She gently patted the leg above the injury.
Sometime before, the brontosaurus had involved herself in a stampede of triceratops, one of whose horns had sliced her leg as she protected her young. The second island that Goten and Marron were assigned to protect had more creatures than the main island their mentor and employer, Android 17, had been running for years. She had to manage the stampede and the frightened brontosaurus clan while Trunks and Goten halted their training to chase off a Tyrannosaurus that found itself a home on the herbivores' island. One good punch knocked the carnivore out so they could bring it to a separate island so it wouldn't prey on other animals so often.
Once Marron applied the second leaf, she wrapped gauze around the leg to hold them in place until she was certain she had used enough. "That should hold it," she said, patting the secured bandage. Wiping sweat from her brow, she gave the mother a thumbs up. "All good down here!"
The brontosaurus calf approached her and reached up with his neck to lick her face. "Okay! Okay, you're welcome!" Marron laughed, scratching the calf on the head behind the ears. She wiped her face and waved at the mother. "Make sure you run out of the way of the stampede rather than in front of it. It doesn't end well for you guys."
The mother grunted at Marron before she led her young back into the trees to reunite with her tribe as her way of saying goodbye and thanks for the medical treatment.
As she washed her hands and face along the nearest river, she eyed one of her rings, the most important ring she would ever wear. In her younger years, she regarded her parents as a strong family unit, unable to be separated by anything, no matter what. Through thick and thin, Krillin and 18 were able to give her the best life she could dream of. She did worry at one point whether her nose would grow out, but 18 assured her that she would have her nose as she grew older. She did keep her father's eyes and sense of bravery, especially in the face of many threats that her uncle 17 had to deal with. But she also had her mother's gentle spirit and dedication to those she cared for the most. That came in the guise of Goten, a friend she had grown close to as she worked with him on the Monster Island and subsequently named Dinosaur Island.
After their families participated in the Tournament of Power, they elected to continue helping 17 manage Monster Island, and any other island greedy Poachers could get their hands on. The more often she worked with Goten as they grew older, the closer they became as friends until she was the first to confess her feelings for him. She credited her affection to Goten's love for nature, the animals that inhabited the island, and even the mysterious Cell Juniors that played around on Monster Island. Trunks put his faith in the couple to keep up their efforts while he worked back at Capsule Corporation.
When Trunks brought news of the World Martial Arts Tournament and Hercule's resignation as Champion, he expected Goten to participate. Goten had considered it, but Marron could tell his job on the Islands meant more to him than winning prize money. "Well, if I win, I'll give it to you," Trunks said to them.
It wasn't until several months into their training that Goten proposed to Marron under a starlit sky along the coast of their favorite beach on Dinosaur Island, presenting a beautiful diamond engagement ring he saved up to buy. She still regarded that ring with disbelief, unable to process what had happened, but knew she was excited to spend the rest of her life with Goten. Breaking the news to her parents was another joyous occasion. Krillin bragged that it meant he and Goku's friendship would become akin to brothers in a way. 18, on the other hand, worried about what sort of wedding dress she'd need to get for her. Marron suggested she could wear 18's dress, only for her mother to dismiss it outright. "Tell you what. I'll fight in the Tournament and win the prize money for the best dress you'll ever wear in your life. Goten will be amazed by how good you'll look in it."
Uncle 17 wasn't as expressive but gladly offered space on Monster Island for the wedding ceremony to take place. "You two have been my best understudies, and it would be an honor to see you two joined together. You deserve it," he said to them when informed of their engagement.
Placing the ring back on her dried hand, she giggled. Cherishing it close to her heart, she glanced up only to see Trunks sent flying down to the ocean below, causing a massive splash that nearly made her wet again. She sighed, palming her head. "Dear, oh dear."
Another benefit of spending so much time with Goten was the amount of learning she did with him. Learning to use and control ki, fighting, and eventually flying helped her keep up with her fiancé as they traveled between islands to monitor and aid Uncle 17.
She flew to Goten. "How many is that now?" she asked, referencing the number of times Trunks got dunked into the ocean by Goten. The shaggy-haired son of Goku, looking unprofessional with his torn uniform, counted on his hand until he had to use two hands. "I lost count around seven or eight times. I can't remember."
"Poor guy's losing his fighting spirit," Marron realized, shaking her head. Goten pondered for a moment, ultimately shaking his head, too. "Nah, I think we overtrained ourselves."
"Two days before The World Tournament? That's cutting it awful close," Marron said, which made her fiancé wince. "Maybe…?"
Trunks's head emerged from below, coughing and sputtering salt water before he swam to the beach. He crawled out and flopped onto his back, out of breath. The couple landed to stare at him from behind his head. "Are you okay, Trunks?" Marron asked.
"No more baths, please. I think I'm good," Trunks said with a chuckle.
As Goten pulled him to his feet, Marron brushed the sand off his gi. "What am I gonna do with you?" she said to him, then turned to Goten. "To both of you. Uncle 17's gonna catch you hell if he sees you looking ragged like that. How many times am I going to remind you not to train in your work uniform?"
"Sorry!" Goten said, imitating his father's aloofness when apologetic. Hand behind his head, he examined the tears from the shirt. "It's not that bad."
Marron gave him a look. "No, no, no. No exceptions. You," she said to Goten, "go change into a new uniform." She then looked at Trunks. "And you go dry up. I'll finish up here."
"Okay!" Goten said, waving before he flew to a cottage that doubled as a base of operations for Dinosaur Island. Marron stopped Trunks before he took off after him. "Hold up."
"I need to dry up, though. I can't afford to get sick right before the Tournament," Trunks informed her, but Marron only shook her head.
"The only sickness I've been seeing you suffer these past few months has been lovesickness. Don't think I haven't been paying attention, mister," Marron explained, which netted a look from a face framed by dripping wet blue hair.
"Aw, come on, Marron. Can't this wait?" he asked.
"It's not healthy to keep that bottled up inside you," Marron said. She brushed a stray portion of sand off his clothes. "Either you nip this in the bud and accept she's not coming back, or you do everything you can to go find her and talk things out like responsible adults."
She waved at him to follow her. "Stop blaming yourself for Mai leaving, got it? Goten probably doesn't see it, but a woman's intuition never lies."
She glanced behind her to wink at Trunks before picking up speed to reach the cottage. Trunks pursed his lips but eventually followed. "You're going to be the best wife he's ever going to have, that's for sure," Trunks said, which brought a smile to her face.
Broly's family arrives on Earth
As much of a blessing as Motherhood was for Cheelai, it didn't come without its headaches. Her twin boys had already left before dawn, so who knows where they could've gone this time. The only other bundle of joy in her life, Arugula, barely left her room for anything other than food or clinging to her mother and father.
She knocked on her daughter's door. "Arugula, it's time to get ready," she reminded her before inspecting everything in each room to ensure nothing was left out of place. Entering room by room, she was pleased that at least the bathroom and kitchen were organized and cleaned. Bok and Choi's door was closed, which was odd considering they tended to leave the door open before they headed out for the day. "Are you two still in there?" she asked, curious. No answer.
She scoffed loudly. "Why can't any of you stay in one place in this house?!"
Since her room was across from the boys' room, she decided to forgo waiting and worked on picking up stray clothing items off the floor to stuff them in the dresser. She felt a slim degree of heat rise in her cheeks when one of her undergarments was hanging off the door handle. She quickly discarded it in the dresser without saying a word.
Once the floor was clear and the bed made, she attempted again to get her children to focus on preparing for the journey to planet Earth. It was a cool May morning with dew drops falling off the grass, and a thin layer of mist cast over the horizon before the sun's rays warmed the ground. Spring morning walks were her favorite with Broly and Arugula, who'd perch herself on her father's shoulders to get the best view from above. They'd walk for hours across valleys, rivers, and forests, none of which had names in particular until they decided to let Arugula name them. "Pretty" was the operative word she'd use for each area they visited, so by the time they crossed "Pretty river three," she was napping on Broly's shoulders, forcing the trio to return home via "Pretty valley two."
"Arugula, I'm not going to repeat myself," Cheelai said, knocking louder on her door. After a few seconds, she sighed heavily, entering the room. "Sweetie, why didn't you answer when I called you?"
The girl, a spitting image of Cheelai with white hair and light cream-green skin, was in the middle of coloring one of her pictures with a red crayon. Legs kicking freely, she was surprised to see her mother hovering over her.
Cheelai inspected the picture. "What's that you're drawing?" Based on her daughter's reaction, Cheelai figured Arugula was engrossed in this picture she was working on, tuning out every other noise except the scratching of her crayon across the paper.
"The red girl," said Arugula, pointing at her. "She protects by fighting the kitty with sword teeth."
"Kitty with sword teeth…?" Cheelai said, raising an eyebrow. On closer inspection, it looked like a sabretooth lion, but seeing the word "kitty" scribbled over the yellow image with curved teeth she labeled "sord teef" would seem to allude to such an animal. She pored over the "Redd Gril" above Arugula's red girl drawing and saw that she had put something orange on the girl's head. "What's that? A hat?" Cheelai asked.
"Mm! The red girl has an orange hat on her head," Arugula said, then pointed at the image behind the red girl. Cheelai's eyes lit up when she figured out who the drawing of it was. "Arugula, is that you behind the red girl?"
Arugula poked the image, nodding. "Mm! The red girl saves me from the sword kitty."
Warmth returned to her cheeks, watching her daughter continue coloring the image. She saw other pictures her daughter had drawn of other people in them. "Wow, you've been busy this morning."
She saw one of Bok and Choi – the latter with his unmistakable mohawk – where Choi was holding a large fish twice his size over his head and an angry-looking Lemo – angry eyebrows and all — shaking his fists at them. It brought a chuckle to Cheelai before she lay the page down to see what else Arugula had been working on.
She paused after observing several pages to ponder whether she had seen these replicated in real life. She considered asking Arugula if she had seen these scenes before and wanted to make drawings of them but knew getting everyone ready to leave took priority.
"Let's put these away, sweetie," Cheelai said, easing the page Arugula was currently working on out of her hands. "I want your room tidied up before we put the house in its capsule, okay?"
"Okay!"
That was one problem sorted out.
Now to find everyone else.
When she opened the door to Bok and Choi's room, she let out an ear-piercing shriek. A six-legged lizard with wings flew around the room, freaking her out. Flying creatures weren't her strong suit, but at least they weren't giant-sized insects like the kind she had to face long ago on Vampa.
"Shoo! Shoo!" she yelled, flailing her hands at the lizard. It perched on the top bunk of the boys' bed with Choi's name carved in the wood. She shrieked and slammed the door before it hissed and flew in her direction. She instinctively backed so much that she nearly tripped over a vase stand, catching the vase before it fell to the floor. Easing it back onto its stand, Cheelai was breathing frantically, both out of terror and irrational anger, ready to direct at the boys for bringing wildlife into the house.
She kicked the front door open. "BOK! CHOI! I WANT YOU BACK IN THIS HOUSE, NOW!"
Her anger caught Broly off-guard as he was seen walking home with an associate dressed in blue gi; the man she remembered was named Goku. He had stopped by a few months ago to talk about this Tournament that she was frantically preparing for. However, it took some coaxing by Broly and the boys to convince her to allow them to participate. She was still apprehensive about their Saiyan blood making them crave fighting, of which she was relieved that it hadn't transferred to Arugula. The girl was too shy to approach anything other than her toys and artwork.
Broly looked like he was the one Cheelai yelled at rather than the boys, with Goku forced to take a step back. Her voice also spooked many cattle, forcing them to flee to the open fields. Several farm animals hurried off, leaving a dejected Lemo to stare blankly at them before giving Cheelai a look.
"Was that really necessary?" Lemo said, prodding his ear canal with a finger. "I don't want the animals running like a bat out of hell while we're gone."
Cheelai stalked towards Lemo, who backed away in a panic before she grabbed him by his overalls. "Forget the animals that are out there! I want the freakish animal flying in my children's bedroom out of the house!"
Lemo's face went a shade pale. "Alright, alright. I'll find the boys and tell them to get whatever creature it is out of their room."
She released her grip, breathing a heavy sigh. "Sorry about that. I only hope for the time being that Arugula will stay outside the house."
"Still won't come out of her room, huh?" Lemo said, peeking over her shoulder at the house. Cheelai threw her arms up. "Can ya blame her? Seren's population is whatever you see before you, plus the hide-and-seek champions exploring the wilderness to God knows where! I don't see much opportunity to socialize."
"Don't ya worry about any of that!" Goku interjected. "Earth's got a lotta people you can meet, not just my family and friends!"
It would be nice to meet Bulma again after so many years, having only been relegated to communicating over a long-range device. Seeing her and many others again in person would be a welcome change of pace and give her hope that it would help Arugula overcome her shyness.
"Hey, aren't ya worried about some of your animals running off like that?" Goku asked, pointing at the random stray cows grazing the fields.
Lemo glanced once before shrugging. "And who's going to tend after them while we're away? It's not like they're going to fly off the planet. Besides, remember we agreed on a week including this Tournament thing?"
The week-long break from Seren was more Cheelai's idea, which she reminded the present company with a look. A week would give them enough time to socialize and make new friends for Arugula and the boys to keep in touch with so there could be more playdates in the future. At least, that was her grand plan when agreeing to this Tournament idea. Catching up with Bulma and the others to discuss motherhood experiences would be a treat, giving her a chance to meet their children.
Bok and Choi walked over the horizon up a hill between the cows. Choi held a fish at least three times his size over his head triumphantly, while Bok had an array of smaller-sized fish slung over his shoulder. "Hey, Uncle Lemo! We got the best haul in weeks!" shouted Choi.
"You little ingrates!" Lemo shouted as he stalked to the pair. "Wasting time fishing when we're supposed to be ready to leave with Goku!"
He then pointed to the house. "And another thing! How many times do I have to tell you both to stop bringing critters into the house as pets! Your mother's livid!"
Watching Lemo scold Bok and Choi made Cheelai gradually realize something. Arugula drew a picture of this exact scenario earlier. She quickly averted her eyes to avoid garnering attention and dismissed this as mere coincidence. Instead, she changed her focus on the boys, marching toward them.
"Give Lemo the fish and march your butts back in that house to clean your room, NOW!" she told them, which took them by surprise. "And I want that ugly flying thing out of there!" she added as she spun to march back to the house.
"I told you the iguana was a bad idea, Choi," Bok whispered to his brother. Cheelai glanced back to shoot them a dangerous look before she slammed the front door behind her. Rather than continue with the scolding and preparation, she slumped on the sofa and buried her face in her hands, groaning. When she heard scratching behind Bok and Choi's door, she glared back at it. "Oh, don't you start."
A few moments later, Bok and Choi were the first to enter the house, passing by the living room with a quick apology to Cheelai before retreating to their bedroom. Choi caught the iguana before it flew out, causing Cheelai to bolt onto the sofa with a cushion in her hands to defend herself. She stared at Choi as he hastily brought the creature out via the front door and let it fly away. "If I ever see another thing like that in the house, you'll spend the next month in your room. No training, no fighting, no fishing, nothing! Do I make myself clear?!" Cheelai said as she took Choi's arm. While nowhere close to her son's strength, she ensured her tone would at least have some effect.
"Okay, no more lizards in the house. Sheesh," Choi said, pulling his arm away. Cheelai slumped back down, resting her head on her hand. He listens to Broly and does what he tells him to do. So why can't I have the same effect?
Behind the door, she could hear the boys discussing what happened, with Choi relenting from the sounds of their muffled conversation. If Broly wasn't around to get through to Choi, at least Bok had the good sense to bring him down a peg.
Broly entered shortly afterward, which was the best sight Cheelai could want for today. She leaped from the sofa to wrap her arms around her husband, kissing him repeatedly. Clearing her throat, she eased herself down from him. "Sorry," she chuckled.
She remained close, wrapping her small frame around him. Broly's size dwarfed her completely, but it was one of those endearing charms she loved about him. She felt safe with him and knew her children felt safe with him. Still, it was difficult keeping a secret from Goku and his friends regarding Broly. If only they knew the real reason he chose not to fight.
But there lay another problem that Cheelai found equally difficult to breach. She looked back at the boys' bedroom.
"What are we going to do?" she asked Broly.
"About what?"
"Choi," she said, nodding behind her. "I worry he'll make us look bad in front of everyone."
"Let me take care of that. Choi will not be alone, and we will make sure he does not behave inappropriately," Broly assured her. It was bold of him to declare such a thing, yet Cheelai could not ease the pressure this new experience would bring. She wanted to present herself as a capable mother in front of Bulma and the others after so long. Forced to watch a troublesome child behave poorly with strangers was something she dreaded. When Broly lay a hand on her head, she grinned. "Thank you," she told him.
Broly oversaw the final preparations, ensuring that Bok and Choi wouldn't leave the house until their room was organized. Cheelai double-checked and was relieved they listened to their father. She was in the middle of brushing Arugula's hair when Bok and Choi walked past her with bags slung over their shoulders.
"What are you two doing?" she asked them.
"Packing, like you asked," Bok replied.
"We're putting the house in its capsule. You can leave your stuff in the room," she assured them.
"So you made us waste our time cleaning for nothing," Choi said in a huff before spinning around back to the bedroom.
"I'm confused," Bok said. Cheelai stroked her son's cheek. "It's fine. The plan all along was to bring the house with us to Earth. We're bringing a part of Seren so we don't feel homesick."
Bok's eyes lit up. "So that's what you meant when you said that. Sorry, we got confused, mom."
He kissed her on the cheek before retreating to leave his bag behind. Choi stormed out of the house, ignoring Cheelai and Arugula. After her hair was brushed, Arugula hopped off Cheelai's lap. "Ready for a big trip, sweetie?"
Arugula's eyes shifted around the house before she gave her mother a small nod. Cheelai lifted her chin. "It's okay. We'll ensure it's not as big and scary as you think."
As she stepped out of the house, holding Arugula's hand, Lemo passed a box wrapped in a silk cloth. "Hold onto this for me, would you?" he said.
Lemo had an armful of various boxes, which Cheelai assumed were full of capsules. The storage shed and freezer were packed in their respective capsules, and other outdoor furniture items were added to the same box. Several boxes were slung over his shoulders when he had everything stored, the bulk of it being food he had slaved for over a week to prepare for the long trip.
"Why are you carrying all that for? Leave some for Broly, for crying out loud!" Cheelai cried, reaching for one of the harnesses. Lemo gently slapped her hand away. "No, no, I got this. Broly needs to keep those two in check, so they don't cause any problems."
He alluded to Choi standing in place by Broly's hand, forcing the boy to stare ahead with his arms crossed. Bok, meanwhile, was seated cross-legged on the grass, twirling a few blades out of boredom.
"Stand back," Lemo instructed Cheelai. She lifted Arugula into her arms and watched as Lemo pressed a large rectangular button on the side of the house. Cheelai would never understand the mystery of this capsule technology; only she was thankful to Bulma's company for creating something versatile and useful that made life for them incredibly easy.
The house disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving a bottle-sized capsule on the ground labeled "H-03" on the front in a yellow background. Lemo took the stored house and pocketed it before approaching Goku, Broly, and the boys. Arugula hugged Cheelai tightly as they walked toward the others.
Broly rested his hand on her shoulder while still holding Choi. Bok was on his feet, holding Choi's hand while his other hand was on Lemo's shoulder. Goku offered his free hand to Lemo while using his other to bring his index and forefinger to his forehead.
"I completely forgot what teleporting feels like," Cheelai said, referring to the first time she had been teleported from one location to another across the cosmos. She watched Goku focus for what seemed like forever until his eyebrows twitched as if to indicate he had his target.
"H-hey, what's with the scenery…?" Choi asked before the group was teleported off Seren to Earth.
Meeting the Competition and Gifts Given
Each time Uub glanced over at Pan, he was amazed that she had kept up with his speed as they traveled around the planet. What looked like two blurs soaring across the sky to the onlookers below, the two flying in the air were racing each other to see who would complete the most laps around Earth first.
"I hope you're keeping count, Uub because that was lap number nine hundred and ninety-nine!" Pan shouted before she burst forward to gain the lead. Uub grinned and channeled ki to give himself a burst of speed to surpass Pan, waving at her. "See you back at Mount Paozu, Pan!"
"H-hey!"
Pan channeled ki into catching up, but the two regarded their race too indifferently to be competitive. Soaring through the skies around Earth gave them enough time to see everything below, circling the planet at different angles to observe different towns, cities, islands, landscapes, oceans, and billions of inhabitants.
They occasionally flew over the clouds to pass Dende's lookout, which brought the God of Earth and his assistant, Mr. Popo, out of the temple to wave at them. Subsequent passes had them pass Korin's tower, home of a mysterious white talking cat and his companion, a portly bearded man with a katana at his side eating from a large pot. Waving at the pair, they only had a brief moment to watch them fly by before they were long gone.
The pair continued, soaring above the four great Metro Quadrant cities with each lap. Pan mentioned how tempting it was to pay a visit to Bulla at Capsule Corporation but instead wanted to keep the anticipation at its highest when they'd finally meet each other again at Papaya Island for the Tournament.
Their faces lit up when a familiar ki materialized in their senses. "Yes! Grandpa's back!" shouted Pan. Uub nodded. "Mount Paozu, just as he said. I guess everyone's gathering there for tonight before we all go together."
"Except Papa has to wait until the day after before he can go," Pan said. Uub expected annoyance in her tone, but she was remarkably calm. "He has to teach a biology seminar on how bees as a collective can have similar features to us humans. But mama promised me that he'd take his first vacation after so they'll get to watch us fight."
Something else caught their attention once they sensed other ki signatures with Goku. "Woah. Do you feel that, Uub?"
"Yeah."
Whatever this ki was, it was huge and imposing. Three of them, to be exact. Uub wondered if these were going to be fighters participating as well? Whoever they were, they were strong, no question about it.
There was a sizeable group of people with Goku when they made landfall. Uub paused to filter the ki signatures and narrowed them down. The biggest one was the large man with eyes and hair color similar to Goku's. That must be his Saiyan friend.
The other two were boys who looked slightly disoriented, probably due to their first experience teleporting from one location to another. Uub did not have fond memories of his first time using Instantaneous Movement, leaving him nauseous. Goku told him it took a couple of tries to adjust to the sudden shift of location.
Piccolo, alone as usual, sat cross-legged against the base of a tree out of the harsh rays of sunlight. Uub decided to greet him first.
"Hey, Piccolo. We're done," he said. The Namekian grinned. "You're moving much faster than before. Both of you."
"Thanks, Uncle Piccolo!" Pan shouted. She pointed to the group with Goku. "So, who are all those people?"
"Only one way to find out," Uub replied. "Master!"
Goku waved back. "Heya! Good timing!"
The presence of new faces helped take Uub's mind off his experiences back then at the Lookout. Those thoughts of Buu had been suppressed during his training in the Room of Spirit and Time while learning a new technique from Goku. But it wasn't just Goku helping him re-focus his mind and body. Pan's comforting nature as a close friend and Piccolo's knack for meditation to calm the mind and spirit have been assets for Uub. But he knew he'd have to face the creature himself when they head to Papaya Island tomorrow to register. Taking his mind off Buu wasn't the same as facing the pink creature in person. "Best to get it out of the way as early as possible," Pan had told him one day while in the room.
But meeting Buu came later. Right now, he'd want to introduce himself. "Hey there," he said to the two boys. "I'm Uub. I take it you're both going to participate in the Tournament?"
"Yes, we're—"
"Yeah, and I'm gonna win it." Uub wasn't sure what looked more pronounced for a kid with such a slim build. The kid's mohawk or his brash attitude? Uub immediately could tell this one was overconfident by how easily he cut off the other. By the looks of their facial features, they'd have to be brothers. Twins, like Coco and Natta.
"Choi, your brother was talking," said the large Saiyan, whom Uub assumed was their father. "Don't interrupt."
The boy named Choi was slightly put off by his father's voice but walked it off with his hands behind his head, eyeing Uub as he passed by.
"Sorry about that," said the other brother. "My name's Bok. It's our first time visiting this planet."
He offered his hand for Uub to shake, and when Uub took it, he was surprised the kid had a strong grip for his age. "I hope you'll enjoy staying here," Uub told him.
"I know my brother likes to brag and get his word in, but we were encouraged to participate by Kakarrot over there. All he had to say was there would be a Tournament, and both Choi and I were all for it, even though he had to explain it to us first," Bok explained.
Uub glanced back at Goku. "Kakarrot…? I thought his name was Goku."
"It is his Saiyan name," said their father. "I'm Broly. This is Cheelai, my wife, and the girl in her arms is our daughter, Arugula."
Uub bowed at the pair. "Pleased to meet you both."
Pan joined the group to introduce herself, waving at everyone. "Oh, this is my friend Pan. She's also participating in the tournament," Uub told them, introducing her.
An audible scoff from Choi had Bok give him a look, but it was too late as the lankier brother circled the two. "Huh. Is this a joke? A shrimp girl fighting in the Tournament?" Choi boasted.
He looked back and forth between her and Uub. "You probably could hold your own, mohawk, or should I say faux-hawk. But against Bok and I? Fat chance. You're too weak to keep up with us, and the shrimp would probably break down and cry after the first punch."
"Who do you think you're talking to, you brat?!" Pan yelled, hands on her hips. "I'll give you something to cry about!"
Uub raised his hand. "Pan, calm down. Master Goku said to expect people like him at the Tournament. Don't let it get to your head."
Though Uub had to ease the tension, he knew his words weren't merely for show. There was something about Choi that hid a great deal of skill in how he presented himself. One look at the muscle definition on both Bok and Choi told Uub he'd have to be on his guard at all times if he ever fought them.
"Choi," said a man in a toque. He had been standing behind Choi long enough to slap him in the back of the head. "Stop acting like an idiot and help me set up our house."
Choi sighed, rubbing the back of his head, and followed the orange-skinned man slinging several boxes over his shoulders. "That's Uncle Lemo, by the way. He's the only one other than dad who can keep Choi in check," Bok explained, but Pan still scoffed.
"That doesn't excuse the fact he's acting like a huge brat!" she shouted at Choi, crossing her arms. She gave him the stink eye when he glanced behind at them.
"I'm really sorry you had to experience that," Bok continued. "My brother can be a handful, but he's fiercely loyal to his family."
"We'll see about that," Pan said. After a few short breaths to calm herself, she spotted the little girl in Cheelai's arms and went a shade of red in her cheeks. "Oh wow, what a cute girl! What's your name?" she asked her.
"A-Arugula…," the girl whispered. She tucked her head back into Cheelai's shoulder. "And how old are you?" Pan added.
"F-four," the girl whispered, though nearly inaudible.
"Arugula, it's okay. You can say hi to the new people," Cheelai assured her. She eased her down to the ground, but the girl immediately hid her face again in Cheelai's dress. "You'll have to excuse her. She's extremely shy."
"I know what it's like to be shy. Lots of new things that are big and possibly scary, huh?" Pan said, leaning at eye-level with Arugula. The girl turned her head slightly and nodded. "But don't worry, because I'll show you that everything around here isn't so big and scary." She then offered her hand. "I'm Pan. Do you want to be friends?"
Arugula first looked at the ground before looking up at her mother. "The nice girl wants to be friends, sweetie."
"Friends…?"
"Yeah! We can be best friends if you want. I have lots of stuff you can play with," Pan said. It never ceased to amaze Uub how quickly Pan made new friends with strangers, especially when it came to young kids in his village. They had a blast playing games with Pan, and a quilt was crafted with everyone on it sewn by the older women to honor their time spent together.
Arugula was slow to reach out with her hand but eventually took Pan's. She wrapped her other hand around Arugula's, smiling. "We're going to have a lot of fun together, I promise."
Arugula still looked lost as her eyes took in the sights around her. "This place is called Mount Paozu," Pan told her.
"Mount Powtsu," Arugula repeated, sort of. Pan took her for a brief stroll to show her Goku's house and the small trail that would lead them to her house. Arugula pointed at many things, asking questions which Pan happily answered. Bok, Cheelai, and Broly were left astounded at the sight.
"I can't believe it," said Cheelai. She and Broly looked to Uub. "She's very good with children."
Uub didn't need a mirror to tell he went red in the face. "Well, she's had practice with the children at my village. I also have three brothers and one sister in my family who've considered her one of their own."
When the two girls returned, Pan lowered herself to eye-level with Arugula. "Wait here. I want to give you something. I'll be right back, okay?"
Arugula nodded happily. Lemo could be heard in the back yelling at Bok to lend him a hand in preparing dinner, while Goku had to contend with Chichi's surprise at seeing so many people show up out of the blue with him. The spry housewife pointed out Lemo with a look of reminiscence and marched over to re-introduce herself. Uub watched the back-and-forth as their brief chat escalated into a debate on who was cooking dinner for everyone. Lemo patted his house-sized refrigeration unit constructed for him by Capsule Corporation and assured Chichi that food from Seren was lightyears ahead of Earth's cuisine. He wanted her to take a break so he could treat everyone.
The "debate" ended up a distraction for Choi to play hide-and-seek in the trees with Bok. Lemo yelled at the pair, forcing Broly to intervene and halt the shenanigans, grabbing the boys before they could run off. Cheelai glared disapprovingly at Choi. "I'm so embarrassed right now," she whispered.
Uub took note of it, figuring that Choi would be an incredibly nimble fighter at the Tournament. "I can start to see what kind of fighters those two will be," Uub said to Cheelai. "Does their sister watch them fight?"
Cheelai rolled her eyes. "She watched one fight but then spent the rest of it hiding in my dress because she didn't like it."
She glanced over to where Arugula was, only to see the girl had wandered off. "Arugula?" She then looked around. "Arugula?! Where'd you go?!"
Sensing the panic in her voice, Uub realized that the girl was out of his sight too. "We were too distracted! Arugula!"
Cheelai and Uub called out for Arugula until Piccolo approached them, pointing to his left. "You can both relax. She's over to the left of Goku's house."
Hand to her chest, Cheelai was relieved. "Oh, thank you. Everyone's off doing their own thing. I feel terrible for taking my eyes off her briefly."
"I used to have that problem with Pan when she was a baby. But I can always hear where she's going," he told them, pointing to his ears. Uub was relieved that someone was monitoring the goings-on around the area.
Pan returned with a stuffed brontosaurus in her arms. "I'm back! Where's Arugula?"
"She's not that far off. Something near Goku's house must've made her curious," Uub told her.
Pan held the stuffed animal up. "Took me forever to find him! Arugula! I got you something!"
Pan called out to the girl, who spun to face Pan. From behind, a sabretooth mountain lion sprung from the thicket of trees, salivating at the mouth. Uub could faintly hear the sound of menacing laughter from the predator before it sprinted towards Arugula.
"Arugula!" Cheelai screamed. Pan was the first to act and act quickly. Tossing the stuffed animal to Uub, she zipped straight to the mountain lion to sock it with a punch, sending the animal flying far into the mountain range before landing on the ground. Cheelai immediately rushed to pick her daughter up to hold her tightly. "Oh my god…!"
It took a moment before Cheelai paused while hugging Arugula to stare at Pan. She had enough time to change into casual wear, donning a red t-shirt, light blue denim pants, and an orange bandana Uub recognized as Pan's favorite set of clothes. When Cheelai set Arugula back down, she stared at the whole situation. Her cries had alerted the others, but Uub could see something else was bothering her. "Are you okay?" Uub asked her.
Cheelai glanced back, surprised. "Huh? Oh, y-yes. Thank you so much for saving my sweetie," Cheelai said to Pan, taking her hand between hers.
Pan went red in the face. "There's always a stray mountain lion or two around here that we have to keep at bay. Uncle Piccolo chased quite a few away in my early years."
"Pan-Pan? Where did the sword kitty go?" Arugula asked, tugging at Pan's t-shirt.
"It was a mean sword kitty," Pan replied. "He was going to hurt you, so I made it go away." She then paused, blinking. "Wait, did you just say 'Pan-Pan…?'"
The girl couldn't resist squealing, even redder in the face, as she wrapped her arms around Arugula. "She's so cute!"
Still red in the face, Pan quickly rose to clear her throat. She snatched the brontosaurus from Uub's hand and passed it to Arugula. "In any case, I brought this for you."
Arugula's eyes lit up when she held the stuffed brontosaurus. "His name is Mister Bronto," Pan told her.
"Mister Bronto?"
Pan nodded. "Yep! Mister Bronto is a brave warrior. He protects you from monsters. He even protects you when you sleep, so no bad dreams attack. He kept me safe, so I know he will keep you safe."
Arugula hugged Mister Bronto tightly. "Thank you, Pan-Pan," she said excitedly. Uub gave Pan a thumbs-up.
"Well, since everyone's outside, why don't we all have dinner in the open?" Lemo offered.
"At least let me help you cook, Mr. Lemo," Chichi said. Before Lemo could protest, she began shoving him back to the house they had set up near Goku's. "Seriously, Chichi! I'm able to cook all of it myself!"
"None of that, mister! You're getting help, and that's final! Pan, sweetie, will you give us an extra pair of hands to prep and set the table?"
Pan and Uub exchanged looks. "I'll help too, Miss Chichi," Uub offered. Pan led Arugula back to Cheelai, who promptly lifted her into her arms. "This way, I won't let you out of my sight," she told her daughter.
As sunlight diminished, Cheelai and Arugula busied themselves, watching the emergence of fireflies around the area. One landed on Arugula's hand, which spooked her at first before Cheelai assured her that they weren't dangerous creatures like the mountain lion.
Bok and Choi changed their plans to spar with Piccolo while Goku and Broly observed. They gave the Namekian a handful with their display of unity and strength as they fought together. Uub occasionally glanced at the fight a few times, sensing the twins' ki. When they were done, Piccolo had taken his share of bumps, which were more noticeable than Bok's and Choi's. They're good, Uub thought. He could see that Goku had a satisfied look on his face, as though he expected Uub to study their brief fight to understand their power should he ever fight them in the Tournament.
Dinner involved more Saiyans than Chichi was used to. Four hybrid Saiyans and two pure-blooded ones devoured each plateful and bowlful of food she and Lemo prepped. Even Arugula, in her tiny frame, ate a large share. Pan couldn't help staring at Choi, still unnerved by his behavior earlier, which prompted Uub to calm her down so she could eat properly. The main course consisted of the largest salmon Uub had ever seen caught. Lemo said it was thanks to Bok and Choi that he was able to prep this "Big Big Salmon," as Arugula called it. He also explained how the girl ended up naming many of the animals on Seren while out on a hike with Cheelai and Broly.
Once everyone was done, Chichi took Lemo's hands, red in the face. "Your planet's food is the best I've ever tasted. How could I ever replicate that for my Goku?"
Lemo chuckled proudly. "You needn't worry about that, Miss Chichi. I've brought you herbs and spices I discovered while exploring Seren that'll elevate your food to astronomical levels."
"I have to agree with Mister Lemo," Uub said. "The quality was unlike anything I've ever had before. I'm almost embarrassed to demand more of that, but I shouldn't overlook what we have here on Earth."
"It happens, kiddo," Lemo said. "It's even kept my youthful figure intact!"
Lemo barked a laugh, which prompted Cheelai to elbow him in the ribs, shooting him a look. She turned to Uub and Pan. "It was wonderful meeting you all. I hope things don't get too exciting for everyone at that Tournament tomorrow."
"I'll say!" Goku interjected, wrapping his arms around Pan and Uub. "I may not be fightin' in this, but watching all those fights is just as excitin'!"
"If Uncle Lemo's cooking impressed you, you haven't seen anything yet. Don't get too overwhelmed by our display of strength," Choi boasted, knocking fists with Bok. "I look forward to taking either of you down in the first match."
"Hah! Don't underestimate what we can bring, brat!" Pan shouted back before sticking out her tongue. Choi's smile vanished, leaving the two staring at each other before Broly hovered over Choi. "Behave," was all he said.
Choi glanced up, scoffed, and turned around. Bok gave Pan an apologetic look before he joined his brother while Broly tailed the kids to keep an eye on them.
Cheelai held her daughter, long since passed out from eating, before waving at the three of them. She then waved at Chichi and Lemo before retiring to their house. "Too much food knocks this little one out, but Uncle Lemo's cooking always does the trick."
Uub noticed that Arugula still held onto Mister Bronto in her arm while sucking on her thumb, a habit she still hadn't broken free of.
Once the table had been cleared, Pan turned to Uub. "I promised mama and papa that I'd see them before tomorrow, so I'll be spending the night there. I'll be here bright and early next morning, though."
Uub and Pan bumped fists. "Sure thing. Thanks for saving that girl's life. And for making a new friend."
"I'd try and be friends with Bok, but that means having to deal with his bratty twin brother," Pan said, staring at the extra Capsule house. "The more he acts like that, the more I want to humiliate him at the Tournament."
"Pan," Uub sighed. "I get that he'll be difficult, but don't underestimate his skill. Those two are incredible fighters, which makes me believe they trained a lot with each other to learn how to fight. Master Goku often said that it's inherent in Saiyans. But I don't see much of that in their father, Broly."
They wanted to ask Piccolo how he assessed the boys' skill, but he had already left some time ago back to his residence. Goku approached them, which prompted a hug from Pan before she began running off down the trail. "Good night, Grandpa! Good night, Uub! See you both, bright and early!"
"They're a unique family," Uub said of Broly's family. "Those twins are strong."
"Yeah," Goku said, leading Uub back to his house. Uub wondered how much Goku assessed their skill on his own while watching them spar with Piccolo. Was he onto something that Uub hadn't noticed at first? He felt they weren't giving it their all, which didn't surprise him. But he was curious as to the true nature of their strength or which brother was stronger. As boastful as Choi acts, Uub couldn't shake the feeling that he was the more dangerous of the two. They've never participated in a Tournament, which meant he was concerned they wouldn't know how to restrain themselves when things escalated during an actual fight. He hoped Goku was certain of his decision to invite them to participate.
"You're going to be tested a lot, Uub. But I know you're prepared for it," Goku said. "Plus, I got ya something."
Uub's eyebrows rose. "A present? But it's not my birthday, Master."
Goku chuckled. "I know that. But it's something I want you to have before we go tomorrow."
Uub anticipated something good as Goku led him to the living room. On the coffee table was a box with a red ribbon. Unwrapping the ribbon, Uub lifted the lid to reveal a set of orange and blue gi. He pulled the orange-colored top with an emblem representing the Turtle Hermit school on the front and the back. The gi also included wrist bands and boots, which had some weight to them when he lifted them out of the box.
Uub pondered the sight of this gi for a moment. He'd seen pictures framed in Goku's house of his Master wearing this set, holding a young Gohan in his arms while Chichi had her arms diligently wrapped around him. The happy family had many pictures framed and hung on walls and end tables which reminded Uub of his family back home, only they didn't have a camera. All he had were the precious memories he cherished of his parents while looking after his siblings.
"Master, I don't know what to say," Uub said, holding Goku's old gi in his hands with a sense of nostalgia. "Thank you so much."
"You're a student of the Old-Timer, just like I was," Goku said with a grin. "It only makes sense that you wear the emblem proudly as you fight."
"I will, Master," Uub said. He placed the items back in the box before closing the lid. He regarded the box for a while, thinking about all that he had learned from Goku over the years to the time spent in the Room of Spirit and Time learning a new technique. He thought of how hard he and Pan had been training and how caring she had been during difficult times when he'd wake in a cold sweat from a nightmare.
The nightmares of his encounter with Buu in the Time Room weren't as frequent thanks to Pan, but they still troubled him. He began looking towards tomorrow with both anticipation and uncertainty.
Papaya Island
The day finally arrived for so many people around the globe. Papaya Island was now the most popular tourist attraction for visitors and those vying to become the new World Champion of Combat sports and be declared the "Best Under the Heavens."
Martial artists all over trained day and night once Hercule broadcasted his retirement to the world. Warriors lifted weights, ran marathons, swam oceans while defying predators around them, climbed mountains, and endured rigorous tests of punishment to toughen their bodies, all with that singular goal in mind.
For Bulla, hers was a matter of personal pride. Sacrificing her social life to focus solely on becoming stronger and smarter, her first World Tournament had her excitedly glued to the window, looking outside. There had to be cute boys she could be friends with unless her father intervened. If there were young fighters like her and Pan, she'd have a shot at scoring a date afterward. But first, she needed to make her first impression count. A first-round loss would devastate her pride and quest for a potential boyfriend.
The mood in the aircraft Bulma drove was so somber that Bulla swore they were going to a funeral instead of a major global event. "Why the long faces, everyone? This will be the best day of my life besides my birthday! C'mon, let's get excited!"
"Settle down," piped her father, Vegeta. He didn't look at her, but his tone ordered her to her seat. Pouting, Bulla crossed her arms, staring blankly ahead at Gemini, who had been stoic the entire trip. "Why can't you be excited, Gemini?"
"I am expecting an exceptional performance from you, Miss Bulla," said the android, which made her roll her eyes.
"I know that. But I at least want you to look like you're pumped about this," Bulla said, eyeing her parents.
"Your father's only like this because Trunks didn't want to travel with us. He said we could go on ahead," Bulma told her. Vegeta scoffed, mouthing, "that brat."
Bulma and Bulla eyed each other, tightening their mouths. It was hard thinking about Trunks without noting his mood when they met him at Dinosaur Island with Goten and Marron. Trunks looked distant and out of place for someone geared up to participate in the Tournament. Vegeta said nothing and waited in the aircraft while Bulma wondered if something was wrong.
Bulla knew, though. It was Mai; she was sure of it. All signs pointed to that damn woman living freely in that thick head of Trunks's. If her brother failed to qualify, she'd blame both of them.
Something took her mind off of her brother when she sensed a group of ki signatures appearing ahead on the island. "Mama! I can sense Pan and the others! They're on the island!"
She fought the urge to meet Pan yesterday but wanted their reunion to be more significant when they gathered together on the island.
"You can do whatever you want after registering," Vegeta reminded her. Bulla nodded. "I wish I could register you, Gemini, but I don't know what their policy is on robots."
"They let Android 18 participate," Bulma said as an aside. Bulla pondered it for a moment, shaking her head. "Wouldn't she be an exception since she's technically still human, only enhanced with cybernetics?"
"Worry about that later, Bulla," Bulma told her.
Gemini glanced at her. "I have no intention to participate. My function was to assist in Miss Bulla's training."
Bulla looked away, embarrassed, but clapped her hands together. "I don't want that to be your sole intention, Gemini. I can get you accustomed to plenty of things, so you have options later!"
Her assertion brought a smile to the android's face. "Thank you."
"Papaya Island, dead ahead," said Bulma as she pulled the thruster to speed up the aircraft.
Once the craft was parked, Bulla was the first to climb out with her bag slung around her shoulder. Vegeta eyed the group led by Goku along with a few new faces save a couple he remembered from years ago. Others had arrived as well, notably Android 18 and Krillin.
"Vegeta! Hey!" shouted Goku, jogging to meet them. Bulla searched for Pan, who was holding hands with a little white-haired girl. She waved at the new group before they took off, electing to stay behind. Bulla knew she had sensed her ki approaching and couldn't wait to meet her again.
"Bulla!" Pan shouted, sprinting towards her. Bulla met her halfway to embrace her friend, overjoyed to hold her again after months. "I've missed you so much!" they said together.
"Pan! I'm going to register. Don't wait up too long!" Uub called out. "Master, are you coming?"
"Yeah! Been nice seeing you all again! See you soon!" Goku said, waving as he ran to join up with Uub.
When Bulla turned to see Android 18, she regarded the android with admiration. It was more out of her love for science and robotics that she could see a live flesh-and-blood artificial human with a mind of her own rather than a calm and cool woman with beautiful features.
"Want to wait for my stubborn brother to make his way here?" Bulla asked Pan with a hint of sarcasm.
Pan giggled. "You sound like you want to fight him in the first round."
"I could be fighting anybody in the first round," Bulla said. "But I know I'm going to win, though."
"Huh? Where'd Uncle Piccolo go?" Pan asked, searching the parking area. "I don't see your dad either."
"Papa never stands around long enough. He's probably off to see those people you were with."
Pan nodded, pointing in their direction. "You should meet them soon. You'll like them. Well, except for that one brat they have among them."
Pan made a disgusted face, forcing a mild chuckle from Bulla. She led Pan to meet Android 18 and Krillin as they were busy observing Goku's group make their way to the registry kiosk.
"You sure you don't want to stay and watch?" 18 asked him.
The short man with a salt-and-pepper hair and broom-shaped mustache combo politely shook his head, waving her off. "You know I only had enough time to bring you here before I go back to work."
"Was worth a try," 18 said, smiling. She patted her husband's hair before giving him a kiss. Bulla waved at the couple. "Hi, there!"
"Ah, Bulla! It's good to see you! You've grown up a lot since I last saw you guys at Capsule Corps.!" Krillin said. He enthusiastically offered his hand for Bulla to shake. "Ready for your first Tournament?"
"You're looking at the next World Champion," Bulla replied, pointing a thumb at herself. Krillin couldn't help but chuckle. "Yep! You have your father's confidence."
"Sometimes a little too much of it," Bulma piped in after she placed the aircraft back in its capsule. From behind her, Gemini casually walked up to the group. Krillin was the first to let out a surprised cry, staring wide-eyed. 18 raised an eyebrow, confused until she too saw Gemini and gasped, hands to her mouth. "Oh my gosh…!" whispered 18. "16? Is it really you…?"
"Um," Bulla started but was cut off with a look from Bulma, who shook her head. She turned to Pan. "What's going on? Did they know Gemini?"
"I think I remember Papa talking about an android like him when he was younger, but he didn't say much else," Pan explained. "I guess they were friends before?"
"I honestly thought you couldn't rebuild him," 18 said to Bulma. The android's eyes were moist, ready to burst. She approached Gemini, reaching out with a hand. "16? Do you, do you remember us?"
"I was constructed from an old model of the one you designated as Number 16. I do not have his memories stored in my processor," Gemini explained.
"No, I-I suppose you wouldn't. He wasn't salvageable, was he?" 18 asked Bulma.
"If his memory circuits weren't fried, I would not have hesitated to install them. I'm sorry," she said.
18 shook her head, wiping her eyes. "It's okay. I'm glad that some version of 16 is alive and well again." She laid her hand on his chest plate. "He would've been okay with this."
Krillin approached Gemini and offered his hand. "You may not know us, big guy, but it's good to see a familiar face from our end. I suppose I should thank you, Bulma, for rebuilding him."
Bulla clutched her chest from viewing the heartbreaking scene. Pan leaned over, tilting her head. "Are you okay?"
"I've been so stupid," Bulla said. She stared at the ground. "I should've known he had friends before I impatiently asked him to be rebuilt. I could've done something with his memory chip or helped salvage some memory of his friends instead of building one from scratch. I'm so stupid."
"Hey, don't say that," Pan said. "It's not your fault. Don't beat yourself up so much before you, well, beat someone else up."
Bulla approached 18 and took her hand. She couldn't lift her head to look at her. "I'm sorry I didn't consider that he had friends before I asked him to be rebuilt. Please forgive my stupid decision."
"You didn't do anything stupid, Bulla," Krillin said. She glanced up to see him smiling ear to ear. "You gave him a second life and a chance to start things over. I know he'll have a great life with you and your family."
"Of course, we'll forgive you, kid," 18 said, grinning as well. "Krillin's right. It caught us off-guard, but I think you made the right decision. Don't be so hard on yourself, got it?"
Bulla wiped her face, nodding. "I won't. Thank you."
Bulma hugged her daughter. "Go on and register before they close."
"You heard her," Pan said excitedly. "Let's go show them what us girls are capable of."
Bulla blinked a few stray tears away before sharing her friend's excitement. "You better believe it!"
Bulma turned to 18. "I suppose you'll want to acquaint yourself with Gemini on the way?"
18 paused before she turned to Krillin. "I'd like that, actually."
"Good luck in the Tournament," Krillin said. He shared another kiss with 18 before returning to his vehicle to leave. Waving goodbye, 18 looked red-faced at Gemini, unable to formulate a question to ask him as they followed Bulla and Pan.
The Discovery
Watching Goku dodge and weave his body through the crowd was mesmerizing to avoid bumping into anyone. His natural affinity for Ultra Instinct must be working in high gear in such an environment, Uub wondered.
When they stopped at the kiosk, Uub's jaw dropped at the length of the line that stretched further than he could see. "Did we arrive too late…?"
"It'll be fine. As long as you get in line, they'll get you registered. Look, Broly's kids are already ahead," said Goku, pointing out Bok and Choi leaning against the wall between fighters.
"About time you slowpokes showed up," Choi said.
Bok rolled his eyes and gestured to his side. "We saved you and Pan a spot."
"No, we didn't," Choi interjected.
"Yes, we did," Bok said, glaring at his brother.
"First come, first served, brother. Back to the line, slowpoke," Choi said, thumbing in the direction past the fighters. Bok scoffed, then sighed. "Sorry."
"It's alright. We'll be fine," said Uub as he continued walking along the line of fighters.
When they drew closer to the tail of the line, Uub spotted Broly, Lemo, and Cheelai, who had Arugula in her arms.
"Where'd Vegeta go?" Goku asked. "Wasn't he with you?"
"He spoke to us briefly," Lemo said. "But then he looked at Broly and sort of stormed off, disgusted."
"Huh?"
"He didn't like the idea that Broly stopped fighting but didn't stay to listen to him explain his reasoning behind his decision," he explained. Goku glanced at Broly, but the larger Saiyan didn't seem phased by the off-putting attitude Vegeta displayed.
Uub was still curious about a Saiyan like Broly deciding not to fight. Rather than ask, he signaled Goku. "I should join the line."
Walking past another fifty fighters, Uub finally reached the end of the line before more fighters joined behind him. When Pan and Bulla arrived, they stopped to introduce Bulla to Broly's family before Pan had to pull her friend away to join the line, standing beside Uub. "Choi didn't want to let us wait with them," he said to the girls.
"Damn that brat!" Pan shouted, which spooked the fighters behind her. "Sorry!" she quickly added with a smile, waving at them.
"He doesn't sound like the best of people to get along with, I gather?" Bulla asked.
Pan scoffed loudly. "He's the worst person to get along with! He makes me want to fight him even more!"
"There's still time to give him a good blow to the head before you register," Bulla said. "You won't get disqualified."
Pan pondered it before Uub cleared his throat. "Let's be civil about this. He's difficult, I know. But I want us to maintain a good attitude throughout this Tournament so we can show our opponents that we're honorable."
"Well, you can be honorable all you want, Uub. I want to drop his butt out of the ring and rub that title belt in his face," Pan said, arms crossed. Uub sighed, realizing it was going to be an uphill battle.
"Hey!" Goku called out to them. "They started the registration! Good luck, you guys!"
"Alright!" Bulla shouted, pumping her fist in the air. "We've trained hard for this moment. Let's give it our all, you two!"
Placing her hand out, Pan and Uub laid their hands on top of hers. "To victory."
"To victory," Pan repeated. The girls waited for Uub to join in. "To a good fight," he said.
"Figures," Pan said, looking at Bulla. "He's Grandpa's student, after all."
"Papa would say to victory as well, and the pride of the Saiyan warrior," said Bulla.
"I know Uncle Piccolo believes in victory, too," said Pan, eyeing Uub.
"You're not heeding Master's advice, though!" Uub told them as they brushed past him once the line began to move. "H-hey! Wait up!"
Goku and Piccolo waited for them at the entrance near the registry kiosk. Two hours passed as fighter after fighter signed their registration form until it was Pan's turn. Once she was done, Bulla was next, followed by Uub. Bulla stretched her arms out, relieved to move around freely again.
"Got some time to kill before they start the preliminaries. Let's go play some games, Pan!" Bulla said, pulling Pan's arm.
"I wanted to spend time with Arugula," Pan replied, pointing back at Broly's family. "Don't you want to play games with her, too?"
"As long as we all get ice cream after, I'm good," Bulla said. The girls nodded and sprang back the other way. Uub had to step back to avoid getting himself bowled over. "Pan's taken a liking to that girl a lot."
"Now that you're registered let's find us a place to eat!" Goku said, hands behind his head.
Uub pointed at the entrance.
"I shouldn't stray too far from here. I'll eat after the preliminaries," he told Goku.
Uub had another reason why he was apprehensive about moving around with Goku. Past his Master and Piccolo, he saw a tall, slim pink creature with a purple cape and gold-colored boxing gloves standing beside Hercule, who was in the middle of signing autographs and posing for photographs with long-time fans. There even was a large group across from him with signs and banners all reading "Champion Buu."
"Hey, there's Hercule and Buu! Let's go say hi!" Goku shouted, beckoning Uub to join him. Uub tried to resist but realized his feet had already begun moving as Goku pulled him to follow. He glanced at Piccolo and noticed the Namekian had a look of uncertainty he directed towards Goku.
Uub positioned himself behind Goku to obscure Buu's view, hoping Hercule's friend didn't notice him. When they stopped among the fans, Hercule paused to recognize Goku. "Oh! Glad you made it, Goku!"
"Hey there! I can't believe the number of people gathered this time!" Goku said.
Fans gave him dirty looks. "Hey! Don't butt in like that, mister!" "Wait your turn!" "You're not a premium member of Buu's Championship Club! Beat it!"
In fact, several dozen of Buu's Fanclub stared at Goku, ready to boot him away. Hercule waved his hands in the air, slightly annoyed at the angered mob. "Everyone, calm down! He's a dear friend of mine and Buu's! He's helped me a lot when I was saving the world, so I want you all to extend your kindness to him, got it?!"
Uub used this moment to slip away from the commotion, walking briskly to avoid engaging Hercule and Buu, leaving the fiasco for Goku to deal with. Once he was far enough, he slowed his pace until he began catching the other sights of the Tournament festivities, such as carnival rides and games, concession stands, and clowns selling balloons to children. If he had money, he would've bought something to give Arugula when he saw her again. Instead, his ki sense suddenly spiked to an unknown presence. What was that?
It was faint, whatever it was, but something appearing out of thin air alerting him in such a fashion wasn't something he could ignore. He searched the area for the source of that strange yet weak ki until he rounded a corner and found a body lying face-down on the ground. Uub rolled the body over onto its back and gasped at the sight of blood caked to the individual's face and arms, one swollen eye shut. He checked for a pulse and was relieved that there was still one.
"I have to do something quickly," Uub said. He turned back and waved his arms to signal Goku. "Master! Come quick! Someone is dying over here!"
Goku paused as he spoke to Hercule, and immediately his face changed to look serious. He bolted to Uub's location, where Piccolo joined them as he landed next to Uub. Piccolo was surprised at the body, whereas Goku was confused despite his expression.
"Master? Is something wrong?" Uub asked. Goku said nothing.
"Master…?"