The Saiyan Gamer


Chapter 22: The Tournament of Strength

Omato stood in the center of the three, and to the left, a smaller red-head stood. My younger brother, if I had to guess. To the right of Omato was a face that I regularly have dreamt about breaking. And much to my growing anger, she was staring directly at me with an ear-to-ear grin.

"It is my pleasure to announce the start of this year's Tournament of Strength!" Omato yelled, his voice carrying through the air with ease. The crowd erupted into excited yelling until Omato lifted his hand and they calmed down again.

"I know, I know. I won't keep you much longer," He promised. "This year is a very special year! For the first time in 15 years, Bardock has entered our village, and two of his sons will be participating."

The response from the crowd was immediate. They cheered for what felt like ten minutes, and all the while, Bardock kept a straight face. When it died down, Omato continued, saying, "Now, follow me to the location for the first event."


"Be careful what you do out there, Sprout."

We had been flying for almost an hour when Bardock pulled me to the side with a serious expression on his face. My eyebrows furrowed after his warning.

"I don't know what you mean," I replied, more than a little confused.

"I mean, be careful who you kill," Bardock clarified, but even that didn't make much sense to me. "Preferably, don't kill at all."

"Why? I thought killing was allowed?"

"It is, but… Well, you've never lived in a village before so you wouldn't understand," Bardock began to explain. "Out on your purge, you only had to look out for yourself, and since you've been back it has kind of been the same with the exception of us. But once you finish this tournament you'll be a part of Omato village, and living in a village is different."

I listened quietly. "How?"

"Well, a village is more than just a lot of people living in the same area. It's a complicated web of friends, families, and strangers all co-existing and growing together," He continued. "Even though most are too hard-headed to admit it to themselves, Saiyans do care about their families and friends. That is even more true in a village."

"If you go in there and kill a bunch of people, you're bound to make enemies. Your position as the son of the Chief is a powerful position, but it won't stop an angry Saiyan from trying to kill you," He said. "Just be careful, alright?"

"Hmm," I crossed my arms and stared forward. "Alright."


It didn't take long after that to reach an abandoned city. It looked more like a Tuffle city than a Saiyan city, with dozens of high-rise buildings scattered across the large area. A lot of the buildings had holes in them, and some of the smaller ones were completely crushed.

Using Observe on the city revealed that it had been a Tuffle city, but was destroyed in the Great War and abandoned since. Now it was only used on occasion for certain events like this one, which explained the massive amounts of damage to it.

"Now that we're all here, let me explain the first stage!" Omato spoke up once everyone had settled at the entrance. "This event will be a variant of capture the flag."

He then went on to explain the rules, and it only got me more excited. Everyone started off with one flag, which was a small, square piece of fabric. To win, you had to collect four other flags by any means necessary, and then bring all three to the entrance of the city to pass. However, there was a catch.

Third and second-class Saiyans were having their tournament together, so the power levels ranged from 0 to 3000. Those with a power level below 1000 would be given a black flag, those between 1000 and 2000 a red flag, and those above, a green one. For someone with a red flag, a green flag counted as two flags, and for those with a black flag, a red flag meant two and a green flag meant three. This gave those with a lower power level a reason to try to fight above their weight class, which provided more entertainment for those watching.

For me, that meant a black flag only counted as 0.5, and therefore a waste of my time unless I had no other option.

There was a 3-day time limit, and if you didn't return to the entrance by then, you were out.

By the time he was finished explaining it all, I could feel the bones in my body vibrating in excitement. I wasn't only thinking about the fights ahead, but also about the experience that I would inevitably get. How much stronger I would become.

"We will give you two hours to head to the entrance and register. There we will split up into your classes," He said, and immediately after, people started swarming to the entrance. I turned to face Kakarot, but he was gone immediately.

"You haven't actually played capture the flag before, have you Sprout?" Turles asked from my other side.

"Nope, but it seems pretty simple if you ask me," I replied.

"It does, but it won't be as easy as you think," He told me. "Capture the flag is usually a team-based game. Dad says that no one really cares about the first trial, so people aren't ashamed of working together to pass it."

"I see. So I'm at a disadvantage considering I'm an outsider."

"Exactly," Turles sighed. "But I'm sure you'll be fine. Besides, you do have Kakarot and Leeku, if you can find them. Good luck."

I opened my mouth to respond, but a powerful hand clamped down on my shoulder. When I turned, where I expected to see Bardock, Omato was looking down at me. "When did y-"

"I'll bring you down to register so you can skip those ridiculous lines," He told me, his eyes sweeping over me and then down at the people. "Let me introduce you properly to your siblings."

"Wai-" I didn't have time to protest, and in a flash of movement, we were standing in front of Brussel and who I assumed was my little brother.

"Hey, runt," Brussel chuckled deeply as she looked down at me, her lips curled into a smile. "Got to admit, I'm surprised that you're alive. I definitely lost that bet."

"Hm," The younger boy frowned, looking me up and down. "You're shorter than I thought you'd be."

Like a flood, my anger towards Brussel was unleashed. My expression must have been murderous, however, because before I could launch an attack at her, Omato's two strong hands clamped down on my shoulders, keeping me in place.

"Alright, alright," Omato chuckled heartily. "You two can fight another time. Spout's going to need his energy for the first trial."

My teeth hurt from how hard I was grinding them together, but I really didn't have a choice in the matter. While I tried to calm down, I read both of their character sheets.

Level ?

Root

Species - Saiyan

Gender - Male

Age - 10

Reputation - Neutral

Power Level - ?

Root is a mischievous, yet lazy Saiyan boy. While he does enjoy fighting, he doesn't see the point in killing for no reason. He returned from his purge when he was four years old, achieving one of the fastest records in history.

Root isn't sure how to feel about you yet. While he's always wanted a brother, he hopes that you will be strong enough to fight without him having to worry about hurting you.

He is currently excited to see how you do in the tournament.

What a surprise, I can hardly read any of his information. I grumbled to myself, before examining Brusell.

Level ?

Brussel

Species - Saiyan

Gender - Female

Age - 18

Reputation - Liked

Power Level - ?

Brusell is a sadistic Saiyan, who loves to see people in pain, Saiyan or Non-Saiyan. She is not known for allowing her enemies to live and is approaching her tenth purge.

Brusell likes you simply because you surprised her by surviving in the forest and standing up to her the day you met.

She is currently hoping that you'll react violently to her so she has an excuse to humiliate you.

That's a funny way of showing you like someone. I narrowed my eyes at her but took a deep breath to calm down.

"Name's Root," The smaller boy said, arms still crossed.

"Sprout," I replied, looking down at my brother. "And you're shorter than me, so you can't say shit."

"I'm 10 and I'm almost your height," He retorted quickly. "Aren't you 14?"

15 now, but he doesn't need to know that. I'd turned 15 during the mission to kill The Six. "Whatever."

He eyed me once again up and down, before turning to Omato. "Can I go now? I'm starving."

"Go ahead," He waved Root off, who he didn't waste any time flying away.

"You gonna ignore me, punk?" Brusell asked, leaning forward so that she was in punching distance. "Come on, hit me."

I opened my mouth to respond, but Omato beat me to it. "Stop provoking your brother."

She leaned back, still grinning. "Whatever you say, old man. I'm out of here."

My anger subsided as I watched her flying off. Not long after she was gone, Omato chuckled deeply and let go of my shoulders.

"You've got a lot of killer intent towards her. It rolled off of you like waves," Omato said. "That's good. You have your Saiyan pride intact."

"One day, I'm going to kill her," I said flatly, staring off in the direction she went in.

"I wouldn't blame you," He laughed. "She's too much like your mother."

Speaking of my mother. "Where is she anyway?"

Omato frowned deeply, before saying, "She decided to go on a mission off-world."

"That's stupid, considering me passing this tournament was her test," I said, an annoyance building inside me.

"That's your mother for you," He sighed. "Anyways, here is where you'll register. Once you register, you can either wait, or you can enter the arena, as long as you don't attack anyone until the two hours are up."

"Alright," I replied, looking up at him. "This'll be a piece of cake."

He let out a loud laugh, a grin now plastering his face. "Keep that same confidence, kid! I'll be watching."

A warmth filled me, overshadowing any other feelings I had concerning the Saiyan. With my confidence bolstered even further, I looked ahead of me and walked up to a guy, who was sitting at a desk with a scouter on his head.

When I reached him, he offered me a brief nod, before touching the side of his scouter. After acknowledging the number that popped up, he handed me a red flag and pointed me in the direction of the entrance.

I was only a few steps away from the entrance when I was stopped by the feeling of Zaria's mind linking with me from a distance. I looked up and saw her far above me, watching me with Turles, Bardock, Gine, and Raditz.

'I'd say good luck, but I don't think you need it,' She said.

'Well, I appreciate the confidence,' I thought back. 'See you in three days.'


I was hidden away at the top of a dilapidated sky-rise building when the signal for the start of the trial went off. It was like a crack of thunder, and the second it was gone, the sound of explosions followed. I sat comfortably on a chair that I'd crafted out of some rubble and looked out of a window at all the chaos unfolding.

I wasn't at all surprised to see Kakarot hurrying into a fight, flying off into the distance after someone. Leeku was nowhere to be seen but considering that my only possible allies here were Kakarot and Leeku, the green dot on the other end of the map must have been her.

A few hours passed as I just enjoyed watching the various fight and thought of a plan. When the fighting subsided and moved onto another side of the city, I settled down on an idea that I liked.

The buildup to the tournament had gotten me far too excited to just go and team up with Kakarot and Leeku right off the bat, so I decided that before I joined them, I'd at least have two flags or the equivalent of two. I'll either have to fight two Saiyans with a power level below 2000, or one above.

Before I could think further on it, a chime rang out and a notification popped up.

Mission Created!

Pass The First Trial!

Pass the first trial with four flags!

Additional Objective: Pass the first round with 10 flags! (+5000 EXP)

Additional Objective: Pass the first round with 20 flags! (+5000 EXP)

Ect...

Reward:

20,000 EXP

Massive Reputation Increase With Your Blood Relatives.

Massive Reputation increased with Omato City residents.

Well, this changes things a little... I stood up and stretched, a smile growing on my face. Let's get this party started.


POV Change

"Think they'll be okay?"

Zaria watched from the skies, her eyes scanning the vast battlefield. Bardock floated next to her, but he was far from relaxed. Outwardly, sure, but inside his soul was the bright color of anxiety and worry. His eyes were constantly jumping between Kakarot's location, to where they'd last seen Sprout.

"They'll be fine. They're strong," He said confidently, although his soul spoke very differently.

"Do you plan on joining the tournament later on?" She asked as she began to search for Sprout. It didn't take her long to find his bright, multicolored soul making his way down a tall building, his soul itching for a fight in contrast to the calm of the last few hours.

"I'm not sure yet," He said honestly. "There's a lot of money that can be won, and I'd be sure to win if I enter. But I haven't let loose in years."

"I see…" She nodded her head, her eyes not leaving Sprout now that she'd found him again.

All was silent for a few minutes, before Bardock finally spoke up again, with a warning. "You'll need to get stronger."

She wasn't at all surprised that he noticed. From the moment that she met him, she could tell that Bardock was an observant man. She didn't reply immediately, but eventually said, "I know."

He looked over at her, a curious look in his eye. "You do?

"I do," She repeated. "Back in Mossgrove city, I wasn't sure how Leeku felt for him. I doubt even she is sure. But today there was a clear difference."

"It won't just be her," Bardock said. "He's so determined to prove himself, there's no way that he won't do well in this trial. Because of that, other women will start noticing him too."

"I don't mind sharing," She said smoothly.

"That isn't the problem," He warned. "Saiyans aren't known for settling down with one mate, but the strongest one gets the most attention. If dozens of girls are prying for his attention, how much of it do you think you'll manage to keep? That isn't even talking about the crazy ones who will kill their competition."

"I see…" She said, her eyes narrowing in thought. "I didn't realize."

"Turles told me that Sprout was given a book on getting stronger. I'd check that out if I were you," Bardock insisted. "Besides that though, you should strengthen your magical side."

"Unfortunately, I don't know how," She said, a hint of sadness striking her heart. "I don't remember much at all before my time on the Juggernaught, including what else I can do with my magic and how to get stronger."

Bardock was silent for a moment, before saying, "I knew a few magical Saiyans during the war, and a lot of them lived in a village north of here a few hours. I haven't been there since, but maybe your answers are there."

"Maybe," She said. The idea excited her, but she squashed down her hope in a second. If they were alive, they would have found her already.

"I'll tell you what," Bardock began slowly. "After the tournament is over, there will be a two-week break. One of those days I'll take you up there to see if we can find anything. Deal?"

She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing further. "Why? What benefit is that to you?"

He scoffed, before looking away again, back at the city. "Consider it my thanks for saving my son."

She didn't respond immediately, but when she did, she asked, "How did you get so strong?"

"I was born strong," He said. "The stronger you are, the bigger your Zenkai. And well, that war was a long, painful Zenkai."

"So you don't know any alternative way of gaining strength?" She pressed.

"Nope. But Gune was extremely weak before, so whatever is in that book must be something."

She went silent and simultaneously, they both decided to watch the trial in silence. Unfortunately for Bardock, someone had other plans for him.

"Ah, so there you are," The voice of another came from behind them. When they both turned, a tall redhead was watching them with a slight smile on his face.

Sprout's dad. She realized as he approached Bardock.

"Mind if we have a chat, as old friends?" Omato asked Bardock, who seemed more than a little annoyed all of a sudden.

"Not like I can deny you after you made an exception by allowing my boys to participate," He replied, his expression flat. "Zaria, do you mind if we have a moment?"

She nodded without hesitation, floating away from them so that she couldn't hear their conversation. Her attention went right back down, and finding Sprout was much easier this time.


"Would you like a glass of wine?"

The silence was harsher than words. Bardock just stared ahead at the trial, ignoring the question until Omato sighed and withdrew the glass.

"You did agree to talk, no point being silent now," Omato said, before taking a sip of his own drink. The cup sparkled in the dim light of the twilight sky. "Once we were really good friends, you know?"

"I seem to remember an act of betrayal somewhere in the middle of all of that," Bardock said, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"Betrayal? Hardly," Omato sighed as he span the glass in his hand. "I changed my mind at the last minute and didn't have time to tell you. Hardly a reason to go sulking off on that mountain for sixteen years."

"You changed your mind from not wanting to commit genocide on a universal scale to suddenly being okay with it?" Bardock asked sarcastically. "No, you lied to me so that I wouldn't go off and find others that would have declined Vegeta's plans."

"You know as well as I do that no one else would have been able to stop it," The village chief said firmly. "The decision was left to us three, and no matter who you could have brought to the table, it wouldn't have been enough."

"It should have been," Bardock scowled as he spoke. "Our race loves violence, but others do not need to suffer because of that."

"But it isn't just for that reason and you know that," The redhead retorted quickly. "If it was just for fun, we could just fight each other. In fact, the number of things I could buy with the money I use to buy and fuel those space pods would blow your mind. It isn't just for fun, or to satisfy our thirst for violence, and you know that."

Bardock didn't take his eyes off of the city. "It doesn't matter. The ends don't always justify the means."

"Well, sorry to say, old friend, but this time it does," Omato said. He drained his glass, before sighing and throwing it behind him. "The kids who do survive their purges come back way stronger than the kids in our generation. They don't hesitate to kill, and some even come back with mastery of the Oozaru form. They're perfect for what's coming."

This time, Bardock didn't have a quick response. Instead, he frowned and crossed his arms. "And what if it doesn't come?"

Omato scoffed. "It is coming. You know it, stop acting like a child and face reality. You can't hide on that mountain forever and pretend like the rest of the world doesn't exist. If you aren't careful, it'll come back and bite you in the ass."

Bardock turned his head, his eyes meeting Omato's. "I'm not ignoring it. It's just… There's nothing I can do."

"Nothing that that you can do?" Omato asked, a sarcastic tone and a heavy frown on his face. "Come on, Bardock. You were well on the way to uniting the entire Saiyan race under your strength. We could have formed a real empire, united and ready to take out the Tuffles."

"I wouldn't have wanted it," He said. "The war taught me many things, one of which being that I will not kill people who are simply trying to survive."

"And what if they are trying to exterminate us? What then?" Omato asked, floating closer to Bardock. "Are you going to get off of your mountain then?"

Bardock stayed silent, but the look in his eyes was enough of an answer for Omato. Their eyes stayed locked for a few seconds longer before Omato broke contact and turned to face the city.

"My people in Mossgrove are telling me that something big is in the works. I'm not sure what it is, but you need to be prepared," Omato began, only to stop when the saw the look on Bardock's face. "You already knew, didn't you?"

"Not exactly," Bardock said, but Omato understood immediately.

"Your visions," Omato realized. "What did you see?"

"I'm not too sure myself," Bardock frowned. "But I could feel something coming. Something catastrophic."

"Well, that's not ominous at all," Omato stroked his beard gently. "We have to be prepared."

"We're as prepared as we can be. You and Vegeta made sure of that."

"You can never be prepared enough," Omato hummed under his breath. "Especially with Tuffles."

Bardock couldn't help but chuckle dryly under his breath. "You're right there."


And the tournament finally begins! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I know you were probably expecting some fighting in this chapter, so sorry to disappoint. However, there will be plenty of fighting for the next 11 or so chapters (I've already written and proofread the entire arc). Because of this, I am contemplating changing my release schedule to every four or five days, instead of seven. Let me know in the reviews that you think! Also, let me know your predictions for this arc and beyond!