Thanks to The Sinful and Primordial Vortex for beta. If you don't know them, then go and check out their stories. They're really great.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or any part of the Dragon Ball franchise. If I did I'd be really awesome.
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Chapter 5 - The Tenka'ichi Budōkai Part 1
After a long embarrassing flight with Master Roshi flirting (Read: Molesting) flight attendants, and getting beat up for it, they were finally at the island where the Tenka'ichi Budōkai would take place. After descending the plane, they took a taxi to a hotel in the city where they left their belongings and changed to attire fit for the tournament. All of them were wearing the official Turtle School's uniform: an orange gi consisting of an orange tank top with matching baggy pants, blue wristbands, blue toe shoes with white socks, and a blue obi tied in a knot over the waist. On the chest, there was a small white circle with the kanji of turtle inside of it with a matching, but several times bigger, one on the back. Bulma had to admit that they all looked damn good in those uniforms.
Especially me and Kefla! Ugh! There goes my brain again!
Master Roshi, who was still wearing his suit, and Bulma would say that the man looked respectable if it weren't for his perverted attitude, hurried them up as they took another taxi to reach the stadium where the tournament was about to take place.
The stadium was quite large, and Bulma had to admit that it had a style. High stone walls surround the place with a big gate beautifully decorated with ornaments of various design motifs; Tigers, Dragons and demons. It gave the whole thing an impressive and awe-inspiring look that was reminiscent of ancient civilizations. The main building was done in a traditional style with a massive dragon head on the very top, and a big sign that had the name of the tournament on it.
Just outside the gate sat a man in front of a desk with a sign that said "Registration" on it indicating his role. Master Roshi was the first to approach the man, indicating Goku and Krillin.
"Sorry, Sir. This is the registration line," the man said as soon as he saw them before he pointed at a rather long line on the side. "Spectators' line is through there. I understand that it's quite long, but you'll only be hindering people who want to register before the deadline."
"You don't understand, Sir," said Master Roshi. "We're not spectators, but contestants."
The man raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "What? Y-You mean those two little kids?" He said pointing at Goku and Krillin who were gazing in awe at everything around them.
She saw Kefla snicker at the man calling them kids enjoying the fact that she didn't look like she was seven anymore.
Master Roshi nodded. "You'd be surprised what these two kids can do. There is no age restriction, so kindly register their names, please," he said with an undertone of anger in his words. He even released a bit of killing intent that made the man sweat and write down Goku's and Krillin's names.
Master Roshi gave a good-natured laugh as if nothing happened. "See? It wasn't difficult was it?" he said before he stepped aside for her and Kefla.
She and Kefla quickly registered their names before they followed the rest.
"Wow, don't you think there's a lot of other contestants here?" said Goku as he gazed at the people around him.
"Y-Yeah," agreed Krillin.
"Now, now. Don't get lost in the rubbernecking," said Master Roshi. "We've got to find those qualifying matches. They won't wait for anyone."
As if he was heard, a man carrying a speaker suddenly announced. "Attention! All contestants participating in the tournament! Qualifying rounds will soon begin in the competition hall!" he gestured toward a side entrance that several other people were using.
"Over there, huh?"
They moved there and waited in line. When they got close to the entrance, two other men were sitting on desks doing… Well, Bulma wasn't sure what they were doing as they just sat there looking at the contestants. As soon as Goku and Krillin got near them, they raised another fuss about their looks which irritated the two of them and amused Kefla.
"I can only accompany you this far," said Master Roshi as soon as they were about to enter. "The eight entrants who make it through the qualifiers will fight in front of the audience," he continued. "I'll be out front, so if I get to see you, then it'll be more than enough for me."
"We will do our best, Master!" exclaimed Krillin while Bulma and the rest nodded determinately along.
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Inside of the competition hall, Goku gazed all around him at the competitors. There were people of all sizes, ages, and gender here. He saw a big fat man with a mohawk, a wolf man, a gorilla, a dog man, and people who actually looked like martial artists. He was really shocked by the number of people here and the variety.
"Ehhh? All these people are contestants?"
"I'm starting to feel that we might've rushed…" said Krillin looking down.
Goku liked Krillin. He'd freely admit that he was his best male friend. Hell, Krillin had given him that nice sculpture that he made that had him, Krillin himself, Bulma, Kefla and Master Roshi on it. All the people that Goku cared deeply about.
At first, Krillin was a little haughty, but time showed that he was a nice guy. He was funny, and knew things that Goku didn't know about. His only problem was his self-confidence. Goku didn't understand why his friend always felt like he was weaker and inferior to other people. Krillin was a great guy that Goku, Kefla and Bulma liked. He was also strong, or else he wouldn't have completed Master Roshi's training alongside them. He also was good at making sculptures, something that neither he, Kefla or Bulma managed to learn. All in all, Goku didn't understand why his friend sometimes acted weak, lacked self-confidence, or doubted himself.
He didn't understand, but that didn't mean that Goku wouldn't do something about it.
Goku patted his friend on the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry, Krillin! We'll beat everyone and reach the finals! That includes you! You're strong, so don't doubt yourself!"
Krillin perked up. "You think so?"
Goku nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! Right, Bulma, Kefla?" He asked as he looked at the two of them.
Bulma and Kefla smiled and nodded, making Krillin smile, raising his head.
Goku's sight, however, stayed a little longer on Kefla and Bulma. He didn't understand it, but recently, he was feeling funny around them. He'd look at them a little longer than before, or find himself focusing on their chests, hips, or legs. He'd feel his cheeks getting warm, or a weird feeling in his stomach that he never felt before (at first he did think that he was just hungry, but eating didn't help at all). It just didn't make sense to Goku. He didn't really understand why he would want to look at Kefla's chest for example. Krillin had shown him magazines full of poor girls that didn't have any clothes, but he never really cared about them. However, he sometimes found himself sneaking glances at Bulma's and Kefla's bodies.
It drove Goku insane, wanting to understand those strange feelings. They weren't really unpleasant at all actually, but they were for sure distracting especially in training when either Bulma or Kefla would perform a move or bend down. He had entertained the thought that it might have something to do with what Bulma's mother had talked with him about (and wasn't that somehow a scary experience), but he didn't really understand why he would want to have babies with Bulma and Kefla. He didn't understand why he would want that with them, and not with the other girls he saw on tv, magazines or the streets though he figured that it was something unrelated. He didn't know who he should talk with about it, but a gut feeling told him that he shouldn't ask Master Roshi.
Shaking his head, Goku continued to look around when he noticed a strange small machine flying around. He knew not what that machine was, but he noticed that it had a red ribbon on its side with "RR" written on it. Shrugging, Goku went back to observing the place.
A man standing on one of the platforms caught his attention.
"For five years, contestants, you have trained and waited for this opportunity to compete for the title of "The Strongest Under the Heavens". You have journeyed from all the corners of the Earth. This year, we have a total of 137 masters from around the world, from whom only eight will be allowed to advance towards the final rounds. This year we will truly be honoured by a very fierce competition indeed," he said to applause from nearly everyone.
The old man continued. "Listen well, I'll explain the competition's rules. All contestants will fight atop these mats. Should you fall off, or lose consciousness, or plead mercy or cry uncle, you'll lose."
"However, you may not kill your opponents! Nor may you use weapons or items! The qualifying matches will only last one minute, and should a victor not emerge in that time we'll declare the match finished, and the victor will be decided by the judges."
He continued. "Due to the great number of contestants, the Qualifying Rounds have been divided into four blocks. Only the two ultimate victors from each block shall be named entrants in the Finals."
"One by one, please draw a slip of paper, compare the number on it to the chart, and proceed to your block."
Goku and the others proceeded to each draw a number.
"I got 93! What about you Goku?" Asked Krillin.
"70!"
"Uck! We're both in Block 3! I don't want to fight you this early, Goku!"
"That's okay," said Bulma pointing at the charts. "Look, each one of you is in a different half. You won't be facing each other in the Qualifying Rounds." Which made Krillin sigh in relief.
"What's your number, Bulma?" asked Goku.
"25. I'm in Block 4."
Goku looked at Kefla. "What about you Kefla?"
"34 in Block 2 shrimp," she said with a smirk.
Goku felt a vein burst in his head. "Just you wait until I become sixteen, Kefla!"
She leaned down bringing her face close to his, the weird feeling was back as he gazed at her smug face that was really close to his. The weird feeling in his cheeks was there too. "I'll look forward to it, Kakarot."
Goku huffed and averted his eyes. "At least now you won't claim that I beat you because you were still short when I kick your ass in the Finals."
Kefla growled, making him smirk in return. "We'll see who will kick the other's ass."
They were interrupted when one of the announcers called. "Number 70 and number 69 please up on the mat!"
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Kefla watched as Kakarot climbed up the mat with a smirk. She really enjoyed the banter with one of her best friends. She knew that she needed to milk it while she could. In general, male Saiyans were taller than the females except for a few outliers. She knew that she wasn't going to be exceptionally tall given that she had hit her first growth spurt and yet she wasn't as tall as Bulma. Not even close, but Kefla was at least happy that she had the bigger chest.
At that thought, Kefla sneaked a look at Bulma.
Her chest is still nice though… She thought before she shook her head.
That was something new that she was dealing with. She didn't really understand it. The flutter in her stomach, the heat in her cheeks and the stolen glances. The primary target was Bulma with Kakarot to a lesser extent. Though she got a feeling that would change when Kakarot hit his growth spurt. She didn't really understand it though. Was any of that natural? Why was it Kakarot and Bulma who brought out those feelings?
For Bulma, she found herself looking a lot at her when Bulma wasn't looking. She watched when Bulma bent or stretched. She felt herself laugh at the silliest thing when Bulma was the one who said it. She enjoyed cuddling with Bulma when they slept at night. Just being around her made her feel as if there were butterflies in her stomach (at first she thought it was hunger, but after eating 200 plates without it changing though she thought that it might not be the case).
Kakarot had brought similar feelings but to a lesser extent. Kefla figured that it was because he wasn't tall yet since her weirdness started after her growth spurt (admittedly before that by a few months or even longer). There were other feelings that were different. Like the time she got really angry at that hussy in FryPan Mountain who wanted to sink her claws in their Kakarot, or when she wanted to hit the girls who cooed at him and called him cute when they were in the town on the island. It was like she was protective of him. She didn't understand that Kakarot was strong, not as strong as her but still!
She understood the concept of procreation from her mother's lectures in the videos. And given that state of their race, she understood that Kakarot would have to work hard if they wanted to bring their race back. She even understood that he might need more than one woman if he wanted to bring as many young Saiyans as he could to the world.
For some reason though, Kefla felt that she needed to approve of those girls for some reason. She also understood that with her being the last female Saiyan aside from Bulma, she might need to take him as her mate as Saiyans do according to her mother. That didn't explain the problem though. Didn't explain why she would feel angry with any girl, aside from Bulma, getting close to him. Why did she have those silly feelings when it came to him or Bulma? Or why she felt the need to check the girls that could potentially help bring the Saiyans back.
Since she had those same things toward Bulma, and that was clearly a dead-end when it came to procreation. Kefla figured that those feelings and their job as Saiyans were unrelated and had nothing to do with each other at all.
Then what the hell is the reason? What are those weird things? Why am I acting like this?
Kefla thought that maybe she should take a month or two vacation from everyone to clear her thoughts. Maybe check her Attack Ball, and check if she missed something from her mother that explained all of this.
She shook her head. This wasn't the time for this and she needed to focus on the tournament. That was more important.
"Huh? That little squirt hoping to qualify?"
"What a joke?"
"69 must be a lucky son of bitch to face that little kid!"
She heard some morons insult Kakarot as he stood in front of his opponent. Kefla smirked at their stupidity, though she felt a little anger at him being insulted, they were in for a rough awakening once they saw Kakarot in action.
His opponent was a massive bald man with a massive silly moustache.
"Whot ees theese? There ees no joy een croshing soch an ant!" he said condescendingly through gritted teeth, albeit, barely. The guy looked like he was having trouble even talking.
"Oh, yeah?"
Kefla smirked at Kakarot's casual reply. He looked pretty uninterested in the whole thing.
"Start!" the judge shouted.
Kakarot was quick to move first, getting behind the massive man through under his legs. He stood for a moment waiting for the guy to notice him.
Number 69 proved himself a total moron as he looked left and right slowly. "Eh?... He vanished?"
She saw Kakarot chuckling as he yelled. "Yoo-hoo!" to grab the attention of his opponent. He made to poke his opponent with his finger, only for Number 69 to be sent flying outside the mat as soon as Kakarot's finger touched his leg.
Everyone stood frozen for a moment as they stared dumbly at the massive man who was clutching his leg, and crying in pain.
A moment later, the judge was shaken out of his stupor as he announced Kakarot as the victor.
Kefla was as surprised as the rest. She was sure Kakarot would win, but she had expected a little more… well, a fight.
She sighed in disappointment, hoping that the first match wasn't an indicator of how the rest of the tournament will be.
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"H-Hey… What just happened?"
"Man's a fool! He just lost his balance and fell!"
"Ohh… yeah ha ha ha…"
Krillin didn't really know what happened as he didn't see what Goku did from where he was standing. He walked toward Goku who just hopped off the mat.
"Man, what luck? Who thought that he'd fall over by himself?" he said to him excitedly.
Goku was looking weirdly at his hand. "'Tis not," he said.
Confused, Krillin asked. "What do you mean?"
Goku looked at him seriously as Kefla and Bulma moved closer to them. "Krillin! Unless your opponent is really strong, don't put your whole strength behind your moves!"
Krillin was even more confused now. "What the heck are you-" he was about to ask for clarification, but he was interrupted by a voice that he knew. A voice that he wished that he'd never hear again.
"Well, well. If it isn't little Krillin!"
Krillin looked back wishing that he was imagining things. Sadly he wasn't. In front of him stood two men wearing monk outfits similar to the one he wore when he arrived at Master Roshi's island. The first was a fat bald man with a thin moustache, and the second was a tall lanky bald man. The two were brothers named Shenkin and Shankin respectively. They were also Krillin's biggest bullies back at Orin Temple.
"Look at this shrimp! He thinks that he deserves to be here?" Shankin said as he punched Krillin.
"As if a dwarf like you can be a martial artist!" Shenkin stepped on Krillin, making everyone laugh.
"An orphan kid from buttfuck nowhere has no place in such an elite temple!"
….
Krillin tripped, falling to the ground face first into the meal that he was carrying. Everyone laughed at him.
Krillin looked back to see Shankin's extended leg. The asshole just smirked at him
"What are you going to do about it, weakling?"
….
Krillin groaned as he fell to the ground. Another kick in the ribs had him cry out in pain. His assailant and everyone watching just laughed.
"You have no potential, cry baby! Go back to the hole that you climbed out from!"
….
"Heh~ it's you alright!" Shenkin said.
Shankin crossed his arms, smirking. "How long has it been since you ran away from the temple crying like a little bitch?"
Krillin gulped as he took a step back. Memories overwhelmed him as he trembled. Remembering all the time he got beaten up or bullied by these two, Krillin felt as if he wasted his time training at Master Roshi.
"So, what are you doing here, cry baby?" asked Shenkin.
Shankin smirked as he patted Krillin's head with obvious haughtiness. "You couldn't possibly be trying out the Tenka'ichi Budōkai, right?"
"W-Well…"
"What a joke! I guess it didn't get through your thick skull that you've got no potential?"
"What's your number, little Krillin?" asked Shenkin.
"N-Ninety T-Three…"
Shankin perked up. "O-ho! What luck! You're my opponent! I can hardly wait~!"
"First time I've seen someone so eager to get his ass kicked," said Bulma suddenly with a haughty voice interrupting them.
Both Krillin and Shankin were startled as they looked at her in shock. "What?" asked Shankin.
"Oh, you're deaf too?" This time it was Kefla who was crossing her arms, smirking at them. "She said that Krillin will kick your ass so hard that you'll be sitting on your head for the rest of your life."
Both Shankin and Shenkin growled. "What did you just say?" Shankin then smirked. "What is this? Did little Krillin get a girlfriend? Do you like them weak and submissive, girlie? Or maybe you never knew a real man! I'll be more than happy to educate you since you're hot despite your shitty personality."
Goku, Kefla, and Bulma scowled, ready to rip the guy a new asshole, but it was someone else who talked first.
Krillin felt warm as he saw both Bulma and Kefla defend him. He saw Goku getting angry and that he wanted to say anything before he was beaten to the punch too. He was happy that his friends really cared about him. They were his best friends, and they believed in him. He wasn't going to let those guys insult them, bullies or not.
"Shut your mouth, you bastard! Don't talk about my friend like that!" roared Krillin, taking everyone by surprise.
"What did you say to me, you little bitch?"
"I said that I'll kick your ass for speaking to my friends like that! I'm not afraid of you!"
"Is that so? Good thing that our match is near. I'll teach you your place, you little bastard," said Shankin before he walked away.
Krillin turned around and bowed. "Thanks for standing up to me guys. Those two used to always bully me at the temple since I was a little kid."
Kefla waved him off. "Don't be a moron. You're our friend, of course we'll help you," she said, making him smile.
Goku nodded. "Hit them with all you've got, Krillin!"
"But you've just said-"
Goku shook his head. "Forget about that! Just give them the ass-kicking that they deserve."
"Next up!" The announcer suddenly… announced. "Number 93 and 94 please aboard!"
"That's me!" exclaimed Krillin as he quickly made his way atop the mat.
"Lucky me! I'm getting to play with my little friend again!" said Shankin as he took a stance.
Krillin just ignored him.
"Start!"
Shankin didn't waste any time as he rushed at him wanting to deliver a left hook. Krillin on the other hand was surprised. Shankin was slow. Too slow. It was as if he was moving in slow motion. Krillin simply jumped over the punch, surprising Shankin. He landed a moment later behind him and, wasting not a single moment, he launched himself at Shankin ready to deliver a kick.
Krillin's feet hit Shankin square in the chest, the latter having just turned around. Shankin's eyes bugged, spittle and a little blood flying from his mouth, and Krillin heard the sound of something breaking. Shankin's body was sent flying half the hall before crashing into the wall of the hall, breaking it, and continuing further into the horizon.
Krillin stared dumbly as the announcer… announced his victory shakenly.
He hopped off the mat to find Goku flexing his muscles. "See what I was talking about? Thanks to the old man's training, we've gotten really strong even without knowing it!"
Krillin stared dumbly at his hands. "No joking…"
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Bulma looked at her opponent. He was a dark blue-furred wolf man wearing only dark green pants. This was her first real fight. Ever. The good thing is that this was only a match for the tournament, not a fight to the death or something like that. She felt pretty confident about her chances. She had gone through the same training as the rest, and she saw how strong everyone had become. She may have started weaker than them, but that didn't mean that just anyone could defeat her. She was a Saiyan now, and a student of the Turtle School of Martial Arts.
She smiled, feeling her blood pumping in excitement. She wasn't a battle freak like Goku or Kefla, but given the chance, her blood would pump all the same.
"Start!"
Bulma didn't move as contestant number 40 rushed her with a victorious smug smile. Bulma simply gazed as the wolf man moved at such a slow speed as if he wasn't trying. He was though, she could see it, but he was nothing compared to the speed of Master Roshi, Kefla's, Goku's, Krillin's, or even hers.
The wolf man thrust his claws forward. Bulma simply sidestepped, before grabbing his outstretched arm. She didn't waste any time kicking him in the stomach, his eyes bugging and spittle flying, while making sure to hold back her strength. Bulma then proceeded to throw him out of bounds.
"Winner is Number 25!"
Bulma smiled smugly, raising a victory sign before she went back to her friends, getting hugged by Goku and Kefla. She didn't question that Kefla's hug lasted a little longer. She just enjoyed it.
Kefla was next, and her opponent was the other asshole from Krillin's bullies.
"You really want to fight? Girls don't belong here, but in the bedroom!" the fat asshole exclaimed, making Bulma scowl at him.
She saw Kefla also scowl, but she said nothing.
"Start!" the announcer exclaimed.
The fat man rushed Kefla, delivering a flurry of punches. Kefla simply dodged them all with her arms crossed.
After a few moments, the fat bald asshole was panting and sweating. Kefla uncrossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Is that all? My turn!" she said as she blurred.
Kefla punched him in the stomach, making the man hunch forward and crying out in pain. Kefla didn't stop as she thrust her knee upward, kneeing the man in the chin, and making him fly a few feet upwards. Kefla finished by spinning, and delivering a kick to the man's groin making every single male wince, and cover their groins as the fat asshole was sent flying out of bounds.
Kefla simply stood there, smirking. "Well, you don't belong here or in bed. Join your family outside in the trash where you belong," she said, making everyone laugh at the fat bully.
Kefla joined them after she was announced the victor, getting high fives from them all.
The next fight was Goku's. He was against a professional boxer. The fight ended in under 10 seconds as Goku simply knocked the man out with a kick to the chin. Next up was Krillin who fought some bald bearded dude. Again, the fight ended pretty quickly with Krillin winning using a punch and a kick.
Next was Kefla fighting against some moron from somewhere. With a feint toward the groin, she had the man whimpering and protecting his crotch before she knocked him out with a kick to the head while snickering. Bulma's next fight was a little harder. Her opponent was an unbelievably fat man that her punches and kicks were absorbed by the sheer fat around his body. Changing tactics, Bulma jumped and delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of his head that knocked him out.
They continued like this, winning one fight after the other without any problem until each of them reached the final fight of their side of the Block.
Krillin was up first against fighter Number 58. Bulma heard other contestants whisper his name in awe. Apparently, Thomas Lee was a big name martial artist and had won his fights pretty easily.
The fight began with each one of them taking his own stance. Krillin was distracted when Goku wished him good luck. Lee apparently took that chance. With a yell, he kicked Krillin pretty hard in the stomach, followed by a punch before he threw him to the ground. He finished by elbowing Krillin in the back. Lee then stood smugly as if he had just won.
"That kid looked awesome a minute ago."
"I guess it was all luck."
Bulma rolled her eyes at the morons. They just never learn.
Krillin shakenly stood up, drool coming from his mouth, his eyes unfocused as he took a wobbly step forward with his arms outstretched.
"I'm a zombie!" he said slowly, making Lee gulp while Bulma and the rest snickered at Krillin's antics.
Krillin stood straighter, looking no worse for wear, and stuck out his tongue. "… Just kidding!" taking everyone, bar his friends, by surprise.
"Man, the Invincible Old Master's training was worth it after all… That didn't hurt at all," said Krillin as he checked himself out.
Lee took a step back. "I-Impossible! No one gets up after I kick them!"
Krillin didn't appear to have heard him as he flexed, eyeing his opponent determinately.
Lee squeaked like a little girl, hiding behind the announcer. "M-Mercy! I give up!" taking Krillin by surprise.
Next up was Goku. His opponent for the final match was a master of the Lion School. Taking his signature stance (Bulma knew that from the whisperings of the morons), he scoffed as he looked at Goku.
"There is no way a lad like this can break through my Lion Fang Fu!" giving Goku a disgusting look after he took his own stance, he continued. "What a wretched defence… So full of holes!"
The Lion Master sprang into action as he attacked Goku with a right hook that Goku easily dodged by jumping.
"H-He vanished!"
"Yoo-Hoo!" Goku called out from above as he descended about to deliver a double kick to the man. He, however, managed to dodge as Goku landed simply. The man couldn't dodge Goku's follow up as he swept his foot, sending him to the ground.
Before he could get up, Goku grabbed the man's legs.
"What do you think you're-"
"Heave-Ho!" Goku didn't let him finish as he threw the man out of bounds.
"The winner is Number 70! He'll reach the Finals!" exclaimed the announcer.
Goku celebrated by getting a hug from everyone.
After Goku, it was Bulma's own turn. Her opponent was a big brown bear wearing a Karate gi. The match started with the bear attacking her several times. Either trying to carve her up with his claws or attack her with his kicks. Bulma easily dodged them all before she delivered a kick that ended the fight and saw her in the Finals.
The last of their group was Kefla.
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Kefla felt like she was dying as soon as her opponent stepped on the mat. The stench assaulting her delicate nose was like no other. Normal humans were having trouble breathing as her opponent walked toward the mat. How could she fare better when she had a nose even better than a dog's?
Kefla felt her nose burn, feeling nauseated. Her stomach churned, feeling like she was about to retch.
Her opponent was a giant of a man. Very large and fat, yet muscular man with dark skin, long unkempt black hair, a bushy black beard, and a hairy chest and forearms. He wore a pair of khaki armbands, a pair of onyx-coloured tights, and black boots with gold laces and toes. Most of his teeth were missing, and the remaining ones were stained yellow. Saliva and mucus were running down his mouth and nose.
"Ge he he he he," the man laughed. Even his laugh was disgusting.
The match started and Kefla was quickly dodging several punches from the disgusting human garbage. Seeing her avoid them, the man simply laughed.
"In that case!" he said before he opened his mouth and breathed out.
Kefla was immediately assaulted by the most disgusting smell in the world. Her eyes watered, her head was spinning, and she felt like she was going to die from the smell even while blocking her nose. The man simply laughed before he spat several phlegm shots that Kefla worked to dodge.
She knew that she needed to end this quickly or she wouldn't ever win. Her nose was too sensitive for this match. She could easily end it with a punch or kick, but Kefla would never touch the man even if the fate of the world relied on it.
Seeing that he was preparing to do some other disgusting attack, Kefla quickly fired a Ki blast that sent the disgusting trash shaped human out of bounds and through the hole that Krillin earlier made to the outside.
Kefla breathed in relief as she sunk to her knees, finally being able to breathe without fearing death. She felt like she fought the hardest battle of her life.
-]||[-
A few minutes later, they were all assembled in the main Martial Arts Hall. Aside from the four of them, there were four other entrants for the Finals.
The first person was a beautiful woman who appeared in her twenties. She wore a sleeveless pink shirt, a pair of grey pants and sneakers. She had big puffy curly orange hair, fair skin and a pair of lilac coloured eyes.
She stood leaning on the wall while being harassed by an old man.
The old man in question was wearing a black traditional Kung Fu gi. He had light silver hair and a thick white fu Manchu moustache.
"Are you a finalist too, young lady?" he said to the women in front of him.
Wait a minute… That voice… That face and moustache… Though Bulma before she sniffed the air. Her eyes widened as she recognised the smell. That's Master Roshi? What the hell is he doing here?
Deciding to leave that for later, Bulma continued to look around.
The next person was a fairly tall man with brown skin, a long face, and a small red dot on his forehead. He wore a white turban and an orange and maroon robe similar to the traditional garbs worn by Thai Buddhist monks. He was standing with his eyes closed and hands clasped in prayer. He looked quite focused in contrast to the casual attitude of everyone else.
The last finalist was a large dinosaur type beast. He resembled a pterodactyl though smaller in size, and much fatter. He also has a lone horn at the end of his snout. This was one of the Giras, a race of pterodactyl-like monster beasts that had human intelligence.
"Now hear this! All finalists please assemble!" a loud voice called out.
The voice belonged to a man that had blonde hair, wore sunglasses, and a black business suit with a red necktie.
He stood in front of a board. "We will now draw lots to determine match-ups and fight schedules. When your name is called, please come forward and draw a slip," he explained.
"Erm… ahem," the totally not Master Roshi stepped forward.
"Yes?"
He grabbed the arm of the pretty woman and dragged her to him. "I'd like to fight this young lady," he said, making Bulma roll her eyes.
The announcer looked perturbed by this. "I-I'm sorry, Sir, but no!"
After a moment, he continued. "O-Okay, then… I'll start calling out your names for you to step forward and draw your lot." He read a piece of paper that he had. "Uhm… Nam-san," he called out.
"Here," said the serious-looking man as he drew his lot. "Number 4," he announced.
The announcer went to the board to write that. "Okay, that'd be match 2."
He read the next name. "… "Kaiju" Giran," he said unsurely.
"Yo!" It seemed that was the name of the Giras from before. "Number 6."
"Okay, that'd be match number 3."
Next was Kefla. "Number 8." Which landed her in match 1.
After that, it was Krillin's turn. He got Number 7 which landed him in match 4.
"Ranfan," the announcer called, which was answered by the woman from before. She got match 1 with Kefla and number 1.
After that, it was Goku's turn who got number 3 and got matched with Giran in match 3.
Next was Bulma's turn who got number 5 and was to face Nam in match 2.
The totally not Master Roshi, who was apparently called Jackie Chun, was the last to be called. He got number 2 and was to face Krillin in the last match of the first round.
Bulma winced at that. Master Roshi was crazy strong. In fact, they had no idea how strong he really was. He was their master and the one who taught them everything, for Krillin to face him in the first match was bad luck. It wasn't that Krillin was weak, but strength and experience were on Master Roshi's side.
The final match-ups were like this:
First Round:
Match 1: Kefla vs Ranfan.
Match 2: Bulma vs Nam.
Match 3: Goku vs Giran.
Match 4: Krillin vs Jackie Chun.
Semi-Finals:
Match 5: Winner of Match 1 and Match 2.
Match 6: Winner of Match 2 and Match 4.
Finals:
Match 7: Winner of Match 6 and Match 5.
Oh. Though Bulma. If she won her first match, then that meant she'd be facing Kefla in the semi-finals. Part of her was intimidated by the difference in strength and experience, but another part of her was excited for the prospect of a good fight.
"And so, this is the schedule. Each match will be one round with no time limit! If you fall off the stage, cry uncle, or don't get up by the count of ten, then you lose!" The announcer's tone became more serious. "Also… attacking the eyes or the vulnerables is a violation!"
Goku asked. "What are the vulnerables?"
He didn't just ask that! Did I forget to teach him about the various words for that?
"In terms, you'd understand, it's your family jewels," answered the announcer.
Ranfan interjected. "Um… I thought we couldn't have jewellery…" making him fall comically.
You've got to be kidding me!
The announcer picked himself up from the ground, blushing. "A-Anyway, the matches will begin in about half an hour. Please wait until further notice…" he said while muttering what have I done to deserve this under his breath.
"Hey, what about lunch?" Goku asked the golden question.
"You want to eat… right before the match? Wouldn't you rather wait until aft-"
"We want to eat!" This time it was Goku, herself, Kefla and Krillin who said that at the same time.
"W-Well…" he looked toward an attendant. "Prepare them some lunch,'' he said, unaware of the demons he was unleashing at the kitchen's staff.
-]||[-
"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your patience! We now commence the 21st Tenka'ichi Budōkai!"
They were all standing behind a wall that separated them from the arena waiting for the start of the first match. There was a gate that allowed them to see what's going on in the arena. Men, women and kids were standing behind a low wall that separated the arena from the audience. The man was standing on the ring itself as he announced the start of the tournament.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Thank you for your patience!" he said again. "Now, the first match between contestants Kefla and Ranfan will begin!"
"Remember, the champion of this tournament will be awarded 500,000 Zeni in prize money."
The prize wasn't worth anything for someone like Bulma, but it'd be a hefty sum for anyone else.
The announcer continued. "But before the match gets underway, we have the presiding monk of this martial arts temple!"
A dog person wearing monk clothes slowly made his way to the ring. The announcer bowed for him before he gave him the microphone. "Honourable master, if you please…"
Everyone waited for a whole minute to see what words of wisdom the monk had before he uttered a single word.
"Woof!"
Making everyone fall to the ground comically.
"Now, let the games begin! Both contestants, please step forward!"
Bulma put her hands on Kefla's shoulder. "Good luck, Kefla!"
"You can do it!" said Goku.
"Kick her ass!" added Krillin.
Kefla smirked and gave them a thumbs-up before she stepped onto the ring.
"In the right corner, we have our first contestant, Kefla! She defeated everyone in the qualifiers with ease! Don't underestimate this beauty folks, or you'll have your family jewels crushed!"
Bulma snickered as she saw the men in the crowd pale and wince as they covered their groins.
"In the left corner, we have, Ranfan! She had won all her matches with grace and beauty!"
Ranfan put a hand on her cheek, acting coy as she gave Kefla a sultry look. "Be gentle with me~"
"Start!"
Ranfan winked while giggling cutely for a moment, and the next she was sending a flying kick at Kefla. Kefla easily dodged the kick but didn't attack. Ranfan, seeing her first attack fail, rushed at Kefla with a flurry of punches and kicks that Kefla either blocked or dodged.
It continued like that for a few moments until Ranfan stopped to catch her breath. Kefla immediately pounced and was about to send a punch towards Ranfan who screamed like a little girl making Kefla stop her punch just as it barely tapped her.
Ranfan started crying, much to the surprise of everyone. Kefla simply stared at her with a confused expression.
"Are you really going to cry from that?"
No one but Bulma saw the small smirk that Ranfan had at that moment. However, before she could alert Kefla, Ranfan sent a very fast punch that seemed to emit heat from the friction towards Kefla's stomach.
Kefla, however, proved her quick reflexes by blocking the punch with her palm. A bit of smoke rose from the point of impact, but Kefla was just as impassive as the start of the match. Bulma could tell that she was bored with her weak opponent.
Ranfan seemed utterly shocked that her surprise attack was blocked before she recovered taking a few steps back.
"I was going to go easy on you, but you seem to be in need of a good beating," said Kefla as she finally took a stance.
Ranfan looked taken aback for a moment before she recovered her wits. She gave Kefla another wink. "Oh, silly girl~ You think I didn't see you from the hall sneaking glances at me? I saw you checking my body several times. I can easily tell that you're interested in the other team. Lucky me~"
What! Though Bulma furiously.
"It seems that's why you've been going easy on me~" her voice takes a more seductive tone as she batted her eyelashes at Kefla. "Do you really to harm me?~ If you give up, I'm sure I'll make it worth your time~"
This bitch! Bulma growled in her mind, her teeth gritting in annoyance.
Ranfan then proceeded to take off her clothes leaving herself in her frilly pink lace lingerie. She then put her hand on her hip before striking a sexy seductive pose.
"What's the matter? You still want to hit me, Miss~?"
Kefla simply scoffed. "Please. I can freely admit that you're beautiful. However, I've seen Bulma's naked body. You think you even compare?" she said with a deadpan voice as if she was asking about the weather. Not a hint of teasing in her tone.
Bulma's face flushed atomic red as Krillin, Nam, Giran and Jackie Chun gave her weird looks.
Ranfan scowled in anger and was about to say something, but she was cut off as Kefla punched her in the stomach before finishing the fight with a karate chop. After a count to ten, Kefla was immediately announced as the victor.
Bulma facepalmed when she saw Master Roshi, or Jackie Chun, grope the downed Ranfan's butt.
"Doctor, what do you expect to learn there?" The announcer asked sarcastically.
Kefla stepped backstage to get hugged by Goku and Krillin who congratulated her on her win. Bulma only offered 'nice work' which made Kefla look at her with confusion.
"Is something wrong, Bulma?" she asked with a tilted head.
Bulma flushed darker as she remembered Kefla's words. "N-Nothing!"
Kefla looked like she was about to say something before Bulma was saved by the announcer.
"I'm sure that at least a portion of the audience enjoyed the last match," he said with a chuckle. "No matter. Now, for the second match! Contestants Nam and B-Bulma!" the announcer seemed to choke on her name much to her embarrassment. "Please make your way to the ring!"
Bulma made her way after getting well wishes from her way to the ring with pink cheeks. The name and since she was wearing the same uniform made the audience aware that this was the same Bulma that Kefla mentioned. Bulma's cheeks became darker as the catcalls sounded.
"Silence! Um… Anyway… In the left corner is our contestant, Bulma! And on the other corner, we have Nam!"
For the first time, Nam opened his eyes revealing his beady but firm eyes. His gaze was powerful and implacable. He seemed too serious for someone that was only there for a mere martial art tournament.
Interested, Bulma used one of the magic techniques that Master Roshi had taught her to peer into Nam's mind and view his memories: telepathy. Though it's called telepathy, it's a decidedly magic trick.
She saw scenes of a small village in the middle of nowhere. She saw barren lands, smoke, and fallen buildings in the middle of the desert.
"Big brother… I'm thirsty," said a half-naked malnourished kid.
…
A woman stood in front of a well. "Even this has dried up…"
An old malnourished man was trying to find something edible in a dead field. "There is no hope…the drought doesn't end… All the crops are dead…"
…
Nam was hugging the child from before, trying to comfort him. "In two months, the rainy season will come. I'll go to the city! I'll buy water!"
"But Nam! With no crops to sell, we will never be able to raise enough money to buy water for two months," said a woman that Bulma thought was his mother.
Nam was unmoved. "Then I'll enter the Tenka'ichi Budōkai, and buy it with the prize money! The fact that a tournament is around this time is a sign from the gods!"
….
"Nam! Use this money!" a middle-aged man said as he gave him a large purse. "Everyone in the village contributed to it. It's not much, but it'll pay for your journey!"
Nam bowed. "Thank you! I promise that I'll return with the water no matter what!" he said with determination.
…
Bulma frowned as she finished seeing Nam's memories. That was… unexpected. For someone like Bulma that never lacked for anything, it was eye-opening seeing people not even being able to find water to drink. She now understood Nam's intensity. Unlike others who were in the tournament to test themselves, have fun, achieve glory… etc, Nam was here fighting for the sake of the survival of his own village.
Well, he's lucky that I'm here then, she thought. Bulma wouldn't go easy on him and would fight to win. However, unknown to Nam, there was no more reason for him to fight. Bulma would take care of the problem later. She had the money and resources to spare.
She and Nam took their respective stances. She knew of his resolve, but she knew not how powerful he really was. She decided to wait for him to act first.
Nam seemed to realise that as he launched himself, attempting a dropkick. Bulma dodged it and waited for Nam's follow up attack.
Nam didn't seem to mind the first miss as he rushed at her, sending several low kicks without stopping for a moment. The kicks were fast and strong, but Bulma managed to block them with her arms though not without effort and pain.
As soon as Nam stopped, Bulma began her counter attack. She sent a flurry of punches at him; jabs, hooks, straight punches, uppercuts… etc. However, Nam managed to block them too. He staggered once or twice, and he was obviously going to suffer bruises from her punches, but nothing that would hinder him.
Nam retaliated by a low sweep that Bulma jumped over before she attacked immediately with an axe kick while still in the air.
Nam released a yell of pain as he was driven face first into the ground. He recovered quickly, however, just as Bulma touched the ground when he jumped backwards, making a decent distance between them.
Each one of them readied themselves for the start of the next round.
"I must apologise," said Nam suddenly. "After seeing the last match, and hearing what the other woman said. I thought you were the same as that city gal pretending to be a martial artist. However, you seem to be a real warrior."
Bulma smirked. "Maybe if it was me from a year ago, but I've got a wake-up call. Now, get ready to get your ass kicked."
Nam sighed. "Sorry, once I saw you as a warrior and not a woman, your fate has been sealed."
Bulma's smirk widened, feeling her blood pump. She didn't search for fights or battles, but when presented with them, she'd get excited all the same, especially since this was a non-lethal fight. She wanted to get more out of this. She knew that she was going to be mean and an asshole, but given his personality and history, it'd lead to a much fiercer fight. She could always apologise later.
"It's funny that a peasant like you thinks that he can defeat me."
"What did you say?"
Bulma giggled. "I mean, look at your body. It's like you haven't eaten for months. I'm surprised you can even move with that skinny body of yours. Do all people in your village hate food or something? Or do they like to fast all day?"
"How dare you!?" Nam growled as he sprang into action. He attacked with a volley of punches and strikes that were dodged by Bulma with some effort. His last punch was caught by Bulma who tugged him forward, making him lose his balance before she planted a left hook into his face sending him a few meters away from her.
"Is that the best you can do? I wonder if you really want to win. The prize money must be more than the worth of your entire village! Can you even comprehend that much money, peasant?"
With a roar, Nam launched himself at her again much faster than before. Kicks, punches, precision strikes. Bulma blocked and parried as best as she could, but Nam's strikes were faster and stronger than before. She was hit a couple of times without any serious pain before a kick caught her in the side of her stomach and sent her into the wall at the edge of the arena.
"Incredible! What a fight! Is this the end of it?"
Bulma stood up rubbing her stomach. "Shit, that hurts," She said before she threw herself to the side to avoid Nam's kick. She quickly recovered as she went into an attack of her own. She sent a punch into his stomach making him cough some spittle before a jab to the forehead sent him crashing into the wall.
Nam didn't stay down for more than two seconds as he attacked again. A straight punch to the forehead saw Bulma lean back, dodging it. She used her arms on the ground as leverage to jump and deliver a kick to the side of his head. However, she was unprepared for the sudden electricity that shot into her body, and the sudden loss of strength as Nam grabbed her tail, tugged it roughly before using it as leverage to crash Bulma into the wall, breaking it.
She vaguely heard the announcer talk about a jump as her strength gradually came back. She was dizzy, and her eyes unfocused. Shaking her head, she looked around and saw no sign of Nam.
"Bulma, up in the sky!" She heard the voices of Kefla, Goku and Krillin yelling.
Looking up, she saw Nam as if he was hovering for a moment in the sky before he started descending head first with his arms crossed.
"Heavenly Cross!" he yelled the name of his attack.
"Aerial battle? That was a mistake!" Shouted Bulma as she launched herself into the sky. Unlike Nam, she wasn't merely jumping but flying. In an instant, she was beside the descending Nam. She didn't give him any time to react as she kicked him in the stomach upwards. Bulma didn't stop there as she flew up, and did an axe kick that sent Nam plummeting to the ground. Bulma flew down fast, arriving before Nam. Knowing that the hard ring would break the man's body, she sent a sidekick, as soon as he was near the ring's surface, that sent him rolling onto the ground outside the ring into the soft dirt and grass until he hit the low wall that separated the audience.
Silence reigned for a moment before the stadium erupted in cheers.
"Amazing! The best match in the history of the tournament! Have you seen anything like it, folks? The winner is Bulma with an out of bounds!"
Bulma smiled, raising a victory sign before she made her way back through the gate to the backstage. She was immediately hugged by her trio of friends who congratulated her on her win.
"That was amazing, Bulma!"
"I knew you could do it!"
"You sure showed him!"
Jackie Chun, aka Master Roshi, stepped closer. "That was an impressive match, girlie. I'm sure your master is proud to teach such a talented student."
Bulma smirked. "Master? Sorry, but I'm self-taught. I wanted to learn from some guy, but he turned out to be just an old pervert," she said smugly.
Her smirk widened when she saw his eyebrow twitch and a vein burst in his forehead, but he said nothing as he walked off muttering about ungrateful brats.
"Alright, Ladies and Gentlemen! We'll take a fifteen minutes break before we continue the matches!" the announcer… announced.
Bulma saw Nam walking back inside looking down, so she walked towards him.
"What do you want?" he asked gruffly after he sensed her.
"Hey, I wanted to say sorry about what I've said before."
"W-What?" he was taken aback.
Bulma shrugged. "I wanted you to get angry to give it your best so I can have a good fight, nothing more. I didn't mean anything that I've said."
Nam's glare softened at that as he bowed. "It's okay… Congratulations on the win. You deserved it. Now I must leave…"
"You're not going to watch the rest of the matches?"
"I wish I could, but I can't afford to dally more here…"
Bulma fished out a capsule from her clothes and threw it to Nam. "Here, take this."
Nam caught it, looked at it in surprise. "A Hoi-Poi capsule? What for?"
"You're not in the desert anymore," she said, gesturing to a well. "There is free water over there, go and fill the capsule with it. It should be more than enough for two months."
Nam took a step back, his face the very definition of shock. "Y-You know! H-How?"
Bulma merely winked. "A secret makes a woman, woman," she said before her tone turned serious again. "You don't have to worry anymore. I'll be sending some guys that will look for possible groundwater reserves. I'll also see what I can do to better the soil there and possible investments to provide some jobs."
"W-What? T-That's too much. How can you accomplish all these things?"
"I happen to be the heiress of the richest family on the planet. My monthly allowance is more than enough for that. Let me do some good with it."
Nam stared at her in shock for a few moments before he bowed to her. "We're in your debt, Bulma-dono! I'll never forget this!"
She was about to tell him not to mind it when Krillin came toward them.
"What's wrong, Krillin?"
"It's Goku! His match is now, and we can't find him!"
-]||[-
Goku's eyes slowly fluttered open. His head was heavy, sight bleary and his ears were ringing. He could hear a voice yelling something, but he couldn't make sense of it. He was about to go back to sleep when he was suddenly shaken by something or someone.
He jolted wide awake to see Krillin and Kefla shaking him. "Goku, wake up!"
"W-What's the matter?" He asked sleepily.
He was dragged by his arm by Krillin before he could understand anything. "You need to wake up for your fight!"
Oh. Goku though. He was going to have a match, wasn't he?
He found himself being shoved into the ring by the announcer. "Hurry, your time is almost up!"
The announcer stared sheepishly at the crowd as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "My apologies for the delay… Contestant Goku was…"
"Man! That was a great nap!" exclaimed Goku happily making everyone fall to the ground comically.
Goku didn't pay much attention as he started doing some stretches since he just woke up. He didn't even care about Giran's taunts.
"Match 4, begin!"
"Hey, you know what this is?" Asked Giran while holding his arms outstretched with his hand half-closed.
Knowing that it was a trap, but still curious, Goku walked closer to get a good look. Suddenly, he was sent flying and crashing into the wall before falling facedown courtesy of Giran's tail attack.
"A devastating blow by Giran! Son Goku has been smashed against the wall!" Yelled the announcer enthusiastically. "Could this match end by a single blow?"
"Obviously," said Giran smugly.
Goku, still face down, sighed in disappointment knowing the difference in strength from that attack. Deciding to end it, he jumped up as if nothing happened.
The crowd gasped in shock. "Unbelievable! H-His impact shattered the wall, and yet Son Goku stands unaffected!"
Goku rushed Giran who sent a left hook at Goku. He blocked it with his arm before he punched Giran in the stomach, making his eyes bug out and for salvia to fly from his mouth. Just as Giran clutched his stomach in obvious pain, Goku cartwheeled above Giran and landed beside his tail. He proceeded to grab his tail, raise Giran in the air before he smashed him on his back into the ground. Goku didn't stop as he raised him again and smashed him another time on his front this time. He continued like that for a few moments until Giran laid there on the cracked ring, his eyes white, foam escaping his mouth as he lost his consciousness from the abuse.
A quick count of ten left Goku as the winner.
"A-Amazing! Son Goku defeated the mighty Giran with no problem! Forget his tiny body! This little guy sure packs a punch!"
The announcer continued. "Would contestants Kefla, Bulma and Krillin join Son Goku on the stage please?"
A moment later, the four of them were standing together on the ring.
"Now… I've noticed that the four of you are wearing the same uniform. It's safe to assume that you trained together, right? Which dojo did you train at?" the announcer asked Krillin who was closest to him.
"Well… we didn't train at any dojo, rather we were all trained by Master Roshi, the invincible old master."
"W-WHAT! THE TURTLE MASTER!" Yelled the shocked announcer.
The audience didn't fare any better as they started muttering.
"D-Did he just say the Turtle Master?"
"They were trained by him?"
"No wonder those kids are so good!"
The announcer leaned forward. "Y-You don't really mean the invincible Master Roshi who was called 'The God of Martial Arts', do you?"
"The one and only." Confirmed Krillin with a nod.
Kefla added. "He doesn't take any disciples anymore, but he made an exception for us because of our awesomeness."
"What a turn of events! Four disciples of the legendary master in one tournament! Who'd have imagined that? Who'd have thought it possible?... Who'd have thought that he was still alive!?"
The announcer went on for a while before he turned back to them. "Now… one last question. I noticed that the three of you," he said gesturing towards Goku, Kefla and Bulma. "Have a tail. Since Krillin doesn't, then it's safe to assume that it has nothing to do with the Turtle School's uniform, correct? Can you give us a reason for this cosplay?"
"These aren't cosplay," said Bulma.
Kefla nodded. "These tails are real."
Goku bent and brought his pants down, exposing his butt and tail. "See?"
"EEEEEEEEEEEH!? T-Those are real?... I-I see…. Well, it's time for the last match of the round," he said as he motioned for them to leave the ring. They did, leaving only Krillin there, after giving him their well wishes.
"The final match of the first round of the Finals! Between the mysterious Jackie Chun and Krillin of the Turtle School!"
Goku watched as both Krillin and Jackie Chun took their respective stances. Something about this Jackie Chun was familiar to Goku. At first, he thought that it was Master Roshi, but when he tried to confirm it with his nose, all he got was the scent of a very strong perfume. He also couldn't think of a reason why Master Roshi would be there in disguise.
The match started with Krillin rushing the old man. He sent a punch that Chun evaded easily by jumping backwards, but he didn't expect Krillin to continue with a continuous kicks attack that took him by surprise. Chun managed to dodge them too, but with much more difficulty.
Krillin's next punch was caught by Chun.
"Heh, not bad kid, actually making me use a fraction of my power!" Chun said before they disengaged.
This time, it was Chun's turn to attack as he sent a fast jab at Krillin. Krillin, however, managed to see it and avoid it.
"Ho? You saw that one?"
Krillin didn't reply as he attacked just as fast. Chun, however, blocked it and the two of them jumped back to create a distance.
"L-Ladies and Gentlemen! Something… just happened, although we aren't sure yet quite what…" said the announcer as he, and the audience failed to see the last attack.
"It's been a long time since anyone's kept up with my speed," said Chun.
"Well, I was personally trained by Master Roshi, so of course I could do it!"
"Haaa!" they both yelled as they were engaged in another fast attack.
The clash ended with both of them doing cool poses in the opposite direction before Krillin fell to his knee.
"Y-You haven't fallen from that?" exclaimed Chun in surprise.
Just when they were about to resume their fight, the announcer stepped in. "Excuse me… I really hate to interrupt in the middle of the fight, but… well, we don't have any idea of what happened in your last exchange… Could you fill us in?"
Chun nodded. "Well, if it's for television then alright… I'll only do it once though, so pay close attention."
"First, I started out like this…" Chun said as he made a pose as if he was running while screaming while Krillin did the same when Chun said. "Which Krillin opposed like so…"
"Then I went to kick him," said Chun as he raised his leg as if kicking something.
Krillin made to dock under the outstretched leg. "But I dodged the kick like so…" he then moved his hand as if punching Chun in the stomach. "And then threw a punch like so… but… he spat on my fist, so I pulled back in disgust…"
Chun took over. "In that opening, I tried a left jab, but… Krillin snorted some boogers at me, so I pulled back…"
Chun continued as he stroked his beard. "Then I decided to change tactics… Krillin also decided to ponder strategy."
Krillin perked up. "Everything to this point only took 0.2 seconds."
"Let's play rock-paper-scissors, I said," said Chun.
"I blurted out 'Sure' which was a mistake as I lost."
Chun pointed in a random direction. "Hey, look over… there!"
Krillin shook his head. "I was so mad that I outsmarted myself and looked in the other direction."
"This left him wide open! In that fateful instant, I leapt!" Chun then looked at the announcer. "Hey, lift me up for a sec, will ya?"
The announcer perked up. "Oh? The jump scene, right?" he said as he lifted Chun from the ground. "I leapt like so… And back kicked Krillin like so!" he then turned to the announcer. "Okay, now carry me over there!"
"Y-You landed right around here, right?" said the announcer as he put Chun down.
Chun nodded. "And there I was, coolness personified!"
Krillin, who was still in an unstable pose, called out. "Hey! I could use some help too!"
"So I took the kick and went flying," Krillin said as the announcer carried him. "Right about here I did a flip," he said as the announcer flipped him over. "Regained my balance and landed on my feet… the damage was done though, so I fell to one knee!"
"You expect me to believe that all of that happened in a fraction of a second?" asked the announcer.
Both of them nodded.
"THAT'S ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! THE 'STRONGEST UNDER THE HEAVENS' TOURNAMENT HAS JUST BEEN LIFTED TO A NEW LEVEL! THANK YOU!" The announcer shouted much to the agreement of the crowd that started cheering even louder than before.
Chun and Krillin posed with their hands on their hips. "Any time!"
Chun blurred suddenly as Krillin attacked. Krillin's punch passed through Chun's body
"Huh?"
Goku from his vantage point, however, saw it. "Behind you, Krillin!"
Krillin barely had any time to jump to avoid a double karate chop from Chun.
"What was that?"
"That was the Afterimage!" said Chun as he attacked again.
Krillin dodged the first attack, but he was hit by the second and sent crashing into the wall. Krillin stood up after a moment, a trail of blood falling from his busted lip.
"Come on, Krillin, you can do it!" Goku shouted to support his friend.
"Kick his wrinkled ass, Krillin!" said Bulma.
"Give it your all, Krillin!" added Kefla.
"Fine, I get it!" he yelled as he launched himself at Chun. Krillin started a series of very fierce and fast attacks. Chun managed to block most of them, but Krillin managed to score a few hits that sent Chun staggering.
Krillin didn't stop as he extended his hand. In front of it, a golden Ki ball formed. Something about it was different, Goku could feel that, but he didn't get what. It obviously took a lot out of Krillin as he was sweating as he concentrated on it.
"Ki attacks? Ha! As if your pesky attacks can do anything to me!" said Chun.
"Destructo Ball!" Krillin shouted as he launched the ball at a high speed.
Chun calmly sent a Ki blast to counter it, but much to the amazement of everyone, the ball tore through the Ki blast as if it wasn't there, and continued toward Chun.
Chun raised his arm, his palm outstretched to block it. As soon as the ball hit his palm, it exploded into a big circular explosion that prevented anyone from seeing anything. A moment later, the light died out. Chun was seen standing at the very edge of the ring, his palm was bloody, and his shirt was torn in a few places. The sleeve of the arm that he used to block the attack was completely destroyed.
"T-That's an impressive attack, Krillin," said Chun while panting slightly. "You compressed your Ki and made it rotate in the shape of a ball increasing its stability and power. Your master must be proud of you."
Krillin rubbed his neck. "T-Thanks… but I couldn't defeat you."
"No you couldn't… let's end this!" Chun exclaimed as he bounced on Krillin.
What followed was a series of attacks, dodges and parries by both contestants. Fists met fists, kicks were ducked under, and jabs were deflected. It was apparent that while Krillin landed a few impressive hits, he was struggling as the experience of Chun proved to be too much.
That continued for a few minutes before each fighter landed a few feet from the other. Krillin looked much worse than Chun did. Not that Chun was completely fine, but it was clear who the winner of the exchange was.
"Fine... Let's end this match with this attack!" Krillin said as he cupped his hands to his side taking a certain pose.
Goku perked up as he recognised what Krillin's next attack was going to be. He was even more shocked when Chun made the same pose.
"W-What? You know it too?" asked an astonished Krillin.
"Let's compare our attacks and see," replied Chun.
Golden Ki started to gather in the hands of each contestant.
They started together.
"Kaaaaaa-"
"Meeee-"
"Haaaaa-"
"Meee-"
Both of them thrust their hands together at the same time. "Haaaaaa!"
Two golden beams travelled from each person and met in the middle of the ring. A beam struggle ensued as each person tried to overpower the other's attack. They were tied for a few moments before Chun's attack proved superior as he pushed Krillin's Kamehameha. Krillin couldn't do anything as the attack hit him square on and sent him flying into the air before he crashed into the outer wall that separated the audience and the arena.
"Krillin!" Three voices sounded at the same time as the trio ran after Krillin to check up on him.
The stadium was silent for a few moments before the crowd erupted in cheers.
"Can you believe it! We have witnessed the famous Kamehameha wave with our own eyes!" the announcer exclaimed excitedly. The guy looked like he was about to explode from excitement.
At the same time, Goku and the rest reached Krillin. He was still conscious, but he looked really beaten up.
"Are you all right, Krillin?" asked a worried Goku.
Krillin winced but nodded. "Y-Yeah… I lost though."
"What are you talking about?" asked Kefla. "You were amazing! Your opponent was simply stronger. Next time, you can beat him for sure if you train!"
"Kefla is right. The fact that you did this good against someone like him is amazing in itself," said Bulma.
Krillin gave them a small smile. "T-Thanks guys…"
The announcer continued meanwhile, "They say the only person in the world that is capable of that move is the Invincible Master Roshi! And yet, today, we have discovered another two people who can do it! In all my years of watching the tournament, I never saw the Kamehameha. I never thought that I'd ever see it! But today, this dream came true thanks to those two amazing warriors!"
"The winner of this amazing match is Jackie Chun!" The crowd cheered loudly. "But please, give your respect to young Krillin for his amazing performance!" The crowd cheered even louder, making the quartet smile as Krillin had small tears in his eyes.
"NOW! Let the semi-finals begin!"
-]||[-
AN:
What is this? An update after such a short time?!
Well, my bitch of a muse decided that it wanted to write, and so I wrote around 12K in two days!
So, this is the first part of the Tenka'ichi Budōkai done!
I hope that you guys liked the fights.
Some things changed, while other things stayed roughly the same.
I tried to write Goku's, Kefla's and Bulma's inner thoughts and how they started having feelings for each other. Bulma is sexually confused, while Goku and Kefla don't really understand what they're feeling. They understand what sex is, but not love, or why people choose to be with a specific person. They need time to understand that, and maybe even advice from other people.
A few changes in the matchups from canon. Kefla and Bulma took Yamcha's and Bacterian's place in both the Finals and the Qualifying Matches.
Nam vs Bulma was my way of showing Bulma changing from her canon self. At least from how she was at the start of DB. She's more compassionate and less shallow. Her Saiyan side also changed her. While she doesn't search for fights, when she's in one, then she'll enjoy it. Bulma taunting Nam for a better fight was inspired by Goku vs Uub.
Krillin here did much better than canon. He still lost by a wide margin, but that's the difference in strength at the time. Krillin will obviously go to surpass Master Roshi by a wide, wide margin. At least here, he proved himself much better than in canon.
Next chapter we will have Goku vs Jackie Chun(Roshi) and Bulma vs Kefla. The final will most likely be in the next chapter too.
Who will win the tournament? Read the next chapter to find out… When I get to actually writing it… heh.
Thanks for reading, please review, follow and favourite!