The only sound in the room was the quiet snip snip of scissors across long auburn hair.
"I could have finished this off by myself…" Jazz said quietly. He kept his head still as his girlfriend, PaoPao, leaned into him for a better angle at his face.
"I wanted to do this." She smiled at Jazz, quietly blowing strands of hair from his shoulders and neck as she gently shaped his hair. The tournament was in about 4 hours, so they had plenty of time, but when the others had asked. PaoPao stated she had been busy with some last-minute work, so she had sent the twins along with everyone else. Jazz elected to stay back when PaoPao requested he remains. "Your hair is quite pretty, you know?" She giggled as she played with some locks, "some girls would probably kill for hair this soft, what's your secret?"
"Shampoos, conditioner, and bonnets to keep the moisture in." Jazz replied seriously.
"Pft…" PaoPao's laughter echoes across the room. Eventually, she set her scissors down, showing Jazz his hair through a mirror.
He raised an eyebrow when he realized that she had shaped his hair to the style he had back when he first ended up in this world when he first met PaoPao. Of course, there was a huge difference between him back then, and him now. The initially elf-like features he had inherited from his escapades back on Earth had all but worn away, leaving barely noticeable changes to his ears, eyes, nose, and jawline. His features were sharpened, both with adulthood and his different traits all about him. He had cat-like eyes, with a glare as fierce as an eagle, his skin was pure and blemishless save for a few scars here and there, and his body was shaped with muscle. Returning to his eyes, he saw he lacked the shining glint of excitement they used to once hold, now they were confident, if a bit somber, perhaps he was taking himself, and his life, a bit too seriously. "I see you are feeling a bit melancholic?" He questioned, looking up at PaoPao. She had made quite a change as well. Her fierce demeanor had mellowed out somewhat, though her eyes still contained a fierce glint to them. However, her lips bore a slight curve, as if she was ready to smile or laugh at a moment's notice. Her nostrils flared slightly as she breathed, and her pupils were unwavering as they stared into his own pupils, causing him to begin to feel self-conscious. She had a small, discolored scar on her lip, an injury from a battle, she didn't remember which battle. She'd often cover the scar with makeup before going out on press conferences but otherwise seemed unashamed of the mark. To Jazz, the scar simply reminded him of the traits he admired the most in her. Without warning, he brought his face close, and they embraced in a short kiss.
PaoPao stifled a giggle, "I take it you like the haircut?" She asked playfully.
"I love it." Jazz giggled in response. Before they could get more intimate, an alarm sounded off, warning them that they had 1 hour to get to the tournament. Jazz sighed. "I wish I could stop time sometimes."
"So do I." PaoPao agreed, smiling sadly, "but I've come to realize things are only as valuable to us as they are limited. Which is why I consider every moment with you, precious."
Jazz blushed in response to her words, "that was corny…."
"Ah, but I made you blush!" PaoPao poked Jazz's face, causing him to turn away, attempting to hide his smile. They made their way to the hangar, getting on to an aircraft. "Next stop, Papaya Island!"
…
"Please look over here! Is it true you all were responsible for stopping the Demon King?"
"Answer our questions, please? Which one of you first discovered how to use ki?"
"Is that Tail a prop? What about that third eye?"
"Are you aware that man doesn't have a nose?"
"Turtle Sage! How does it feel being voted as the world's oldest pervert for 3rd year in a row?"
"Miss Launch? Are you at all related to the blonde bandit? A woman who more than 3 years ago was responsible for the theft of the Aragoshan Diamond? Actually, more importantly, what a beautiful jewel? What is it?"
The fighters pushed through the crowd eventually. With Chiaotzu literally lifting and splitting the crowd like Moses and the Red Sea. "These guys just won't quit." He sighed.
"Thanks for the save!" Krillin gasped in indignation as he turned to look at the crowd of paparazzi and news anchors. "How rude! Just cause my nose is… well, really, really, really small doesn't mean I lack it completely! Right guys?" He turned to the others, who looked away. "Come on… right?"
"You're all such a sorry sight!" A new voice interrupted them. They turned their gaze to a green-skinned man, standing well over 6 feet tall, wearing a long white robe and turban. "The great heroes of Earth, cowed by lowbrow sycophants and cronies. Is this the culture you defeated my father over?"
"That's…" Krillin began, glaring seriously.
"The son of the demon king," Goku smirked seriously. He walked over to shake the man's hand. Piccolo slapped the hand away in annoyance.
"I'm not your friend, nor am I your rival." Piccolo growled, "I'm your executioner." He chuckled as he looked at their tense faces. "Best not forget that."
Krillin Gulped… "Um… I hope we can handle that guy…"
"He doesn't look so tough." Blonde Launch growled. "One bullet and bang, he's gone!"
"It would never be that easy." Yamcha replied, "but at the same time, we are at a tournament. Piccolo's playing by our rules. We know, that outside of our group, no one really stands a chance. Whoever fights Piccolo? Go all out at the beginning, we need to see what he is capable of. If you defeat him, so be it." Yamcha rewrapped some bandages as he looked around.
"I see a few familiar faces." Chiaotzu pointed out some familiar fighters from previous tournaments, there were regulars like King Chappa and Giran, relatively new veterans like PanPut, monks of Orrin Temple, and other familiar fighters. The champion by default of the last Tournament, Argent was sitting over in the corner.
"I wonder how strong he is," Goku looked at the man, finding him slightly familiar.
"He's probably a piece of cake." Lazuli said cracking her knuckles, "right bro?"
Lapis did not answer, he simply stared hard at Piccolo's leaving form, jaw slightly clenched. After a few more awkward seconds he looked at his sister, "I mean, maybe. He's got a decent ki signature though." He walked over to a wall to sit down.
"This place looks a little different from the last time I saw it." Chi-Chi looked around. The pavilion had been rebuilt to thrice its size, with well-furnished waiting rooms lining a massive hallway. The preliminary rings were much larger and the floor tiles were thicker.
"It feels like the place was rebuilt partially like a bomb shelter." Krillin stated, "hmm… I guess they really don't want us to break it like we did last time." He laughed a bit.
"Well, unfortunately for them, that's not possible." Tien grinned, "We will be going all out."
"You better." A familiar voice called out to them, causing Tien to flinch.
"Mercenary Tao?! M-Master Shen?" Chiaotzu called out with surprise.
Before the fighters stood the two masters of the Crane School fighting arts. They looked almost the exact same as they did when last encountered. Shen in thick shades and Mercenary Tao supplemented with cybernetics. The Z fighters would think they were looking back in time, if not for the fact both men had deep blue skin and ruby-red irises and pupils.
"You like my entourage?" A familiar voice slithered into their ears.
Tien narrowed his eyes as he spied Mei Lin, PaoPao's older sister. "What do you want?" He spat in anger. He had not forgiven the witch for her actions a few years ago, nor did he tolerate the fact that she was again making a mockery of his former masters by puppeteering their corpses. He would have charged her if not for Launch's hand on his shoulder.
"Me?" Mei Lin laughed lightly, "I'm just here to liaison with an ally, and of course, prove my superiority." She looked around, "I'm a little annoyed though, why isn't my sister here, is her life really that busy running my birthright?"
"Your friend?" Tien scoffed, "you don't have any friends, a psychopathic narcissist like you?"
Mei Lin simply grinned as she sauntered over to the son of the Demon King. "Hey, Piccolo Jr. Can I call you that?"
The green-skinned humanoid grunted in annoyance but didn't walk away from Mei Lin. "Why are you late?"
"Well, I needed to keep a low profile." She smiled as the frowns of the Dragon Team deepened. "But it was nice of you to finally reach out, y'know, the boss and I were scared you were going to go about it all alone."
Piccolo grunted again, "I'm not my father, I've learned from his mistakes."
"Of course, you've certainly surpassed your dear old pa, haven't you…" Mei Lin grinned, "so powerful, and pretty handsome to boot." She reached a hand to his face playfully. Piccolo caught her wrist, glaring at the human woman. "Not one for banter, huh?" Mei Lin's smile widened as she waited for the Namekian to let go. They stared at each other for a few seconds before he finally relinquished his grip.
"Weirdo." Blonde Launch muttered.
"I hear with my little ears a little hypocrite." Mei Lin turned to smile at Launch, "well, aren't you a pretty little thing?" She looked at Tien, "you've outdone yourself, snagging a girl like her, look at you go!" She giggled, "tell me, does she feel different when her hair turns blue?"
Tien's face twisted in hatred, Launch's grip tightened on him in response, causing the three-eyed man to stop. He turned to look at Launch, "how can you keep so…" he faltered, Launch had turned Blue, yet her expression was fierce and angry. Her normally soft features twisted into an angry glare as she stared down Mei Lin. "Disgusting woman." She said softly, "so insecure in her own weaknesses that she seeks to destroy and tear down everyone else because she's so scared of realizing just how wretched she is."
"Oh, we've got an expert psychologist?" Mei Lin grinned playfully. "Warriors, monks, idiots, and psychologists, what a fun team you've filled up."
"Oh god is it that psycho bitch?" A boisterous voice filled the room. Causing everyone to turn and look.
Krillin blinked in surprise. "Hercule?"
The tall and muscular young man grinned as he ran a hand through his dark afro. His mustache twitched slightly as he spoke. "It's been a good bit, hasn't it, guys." He laughed, "But for you, it's only been a few weeks." He turned to look at Mei Lin, "what's your name again? Mee Mee? Yeah… yeah, alright, Mee Mee." He pointed at her, "Man or woman, the CHAMP WILL TAKE YOU DOWN. DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TOUGH SHIT MEE MEE? WELL, YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A COW, A DOCILE LITTLE CREATURE, I'LL MAKE YOU MOO MOO, THEN POO POO AWAY FROM THE ARENA!"
Everyone blinked at Hercule's declaration until finally, a single voice began to chuckle. They all turned in surprise to see Piccolo, a barely hidden grin on his face. "Ridiculous little human." He smirked. "I'll kill you first."
Hercule smiled in retaliation. "You don't scare me, bastard! My teacher put your pops down, and I'll take you down!" He cracked his knuckles.
"Before things get a little too heated, how about the fighters enter their waiting rooms?" The fight announcer, a blond-haired man in his 30's stepped forward. He wore a simple black suit with a light-colored shirt underneath and a solid red tie. He was slimmer, compared to his earlier years of announcing, with a few lines here and there on his face, denoting his age. His hair however was the same bright blond color, arranged in fancy cut with a single fringe strand in the center of his widow's peak. His eyes like always were hidden in his shades.
"Oh but Mr. Announcer." Mei Lin began, pouting cutely, "I wanna keep teasing my friends."
The announcer, unfazed, looked at her. "Ma'am, while your enthusiasm is contagious, I'll ask once again, please enter your designated waiting room, lest you be disqualified from consideration."
Mei Lin's eyes narrowed. "You think this stupid tournament's rules scare me?" She hissed hotly, "In seconds I'd destroy this place in t-"
"SHUT UP!" Piccolo growled, "go do as you're told." He marched into his waiting room. Mei Lin scowled at him, then glared evilly at the Announcer before walking into her room. Shen and Tao looked at Tien, then smiled evilly as they went to their separate rooms. As the rest of the fighters began to disperse, Krillin looked at his friends.
"We've been through a lot y'know?" He smiled, "and we're gonna be through a whole lot more." He smiled, "No matter what, let's do our best." He raised his fists. The others nodded, meeting his fists with theirs. As they turned to walk into their separate rooms Krillin heard one of the girls call out to him.
"Oi!"
The bald monk turned to look at Lazuli quizzically. "You need something?"
"Try not to get yourself killed, short stack." She stuck her tongue out and entered her room.
"... I'M NOT EVEN THAT SHORT!"
"Contestant Krillin, please calm down." The announcer said quickly.
Krillin looked like he would protest, but opted to trudge into his room.
…
"You aren't going down to meet them?" Mr. Popo turned to Kami. He and the Earth's Guardian looked down on the planet from their mystical vantage point. They could see the tournament grounds as clearly as day this way, allowing them an unfettered view of everything and everyone.
Kami shook his head, he had thought to intervene in the tournament, inhabit the body of a normal man in order to confront and seal his evil half's reincarnation. However, he decided against it when he observed the three years of its development. Piccolo received much from the remains of the Red Ribbon Army and his father's memories, but Jazz's interference mellowed out the spirit of the demon king somewhat. Piccolo was by no means good, but even if he were to become victorious, his reign of the Earth would not nearly be as violent, hedonistic, or destructive. Kami chose to observe and have faith in his disciples. Mei Lin was an unwelcome variable, but even her appearance would do nothing to shake his faith in Goku and the others.
"Still, to think Tienshinhan would be the strongest." Popo shook his head. "Or perhaps, it was already ensured due to the effects of the Ultra Divine Water."
"The Ultra Divine Water unlocks the potential for power." Kami shook his head. "And potential changes when someone develops themselves, Tien was the strongest he could ever be going down his current path when he took that water, and while it will have long-lasting effects, his strength is based on his efforts. Though." Kami smiled, "the way he surpasses Goku in power isn't necessarily proof of him being the 'strongest…" Kami smiled, "especially when we also have Jazz to consider."
"I suppose you are correct, Kami." Popo laughed. "Either way, I'm certain their enemies are for a rude awakening." Kami smiled, then frowned as he dropped his staff in fear.
"K-kami?" Popo looked at his friend in concern. Kami did not answer him, instead, he stared off into the sky.
…
A private jet landed at the Papaya Island Airstrip. A crowd pressed against the red security cables, attempting to get a good view of its disembarking passengers. The first person out got mummers of recognition, but few cheers.
"Tough crowd." Jazz smiled as he turned towards the plane's other passenger.
PaoPao smiled graciously as Jazz offered her his hand. They made their way down the stairs. The crowd cheered, jeered, and otherwise made noise as they caught sight of PaoPao. The Tsukimi organization was well known across the world, during this relative time of peace, they made a name for themselves in disaster relief all across the world. PaoPao made a great effort to show that her people were not simply mercenaries. Even with the advent of more and more people training superhuman levels of strength, the warriors of Tsukimi seemed a cut above the rest. The most famous, Suchiro Taiga, often received fan letters from women, both single and married, much to the 20-year-old's consternation. Many had been disappointed when he declined to enter the Tenkaichi Budokai, even after getting an official call-out post by PanPut. However, the greatest level of fame was attributed to PaoPao, and to the majority of her friends. Only a few people didn't hear the story of the fighters storming the Red Ribbon Army Compound and capturing their soldiers and leader. And even fewer didn't know about how Son Goku put the finishing blow on the Demon King's strongest soldier, and how the group worked together to rout both the Demon King and his army when they invaded the Grood Kingdom. At the helm of this group was PaoPao Dango, daughter of a notorious assassin turned righteous hero of the world, it was a story people ate up and reveled in.
"You have your fans to Jazz." PaoPao waived at the crowd, causing them to cheer louder."
Jazz chuckled, "Most people think of me as Miguel's Bodyguard and Hercule Satan's understudy/ training partner y'know."
"And who's fault is that?" PaoPao asked. When Hercule became famous, while he alluded to having a teacher, Jazz asked him to be low-key about that person's identity, he wasn't ready, nor did he think he'd ever be ready for fame. To be fair, he had money and power, so he didn't necessarily need adoration from a ton of strangers.
"Society's" Jazz retorted, "I mean, I don't mind though, kind of wish people would stop sending me hate mail."
Every member of the dragon team had a quirk of some sort that made them famous or popular, some more than others. Tien's third eye and 'bad' attitude, avoiding paparazzi like the plague, Chiaotzu's penchant for pranks, Yamcha often training in remote locations; playing into his aloof and cool nature, Krillin having no nose and being from the famous Orrin Temple, a fact the temple milked to death to get new members, other notable quirks could be made about each member. Jazz's quirk was his ability to transform, but unfortunately for him, it ironically came to bite him in the ass a little. Imaj Erkoff, the record publisher he tormented about 6 years ago while in the form of a Balrog, hired some extensive PR teams to ruin his name once he put two and two together that Jazz was related to Miguel in some way and could transform. The effect almost put Jazz in jail once, but quick thinking from Capsule Corps' legal team saw Jazz out of jail and Imaj Erkoff in it for a long time finally. Unfortunately for Jazz, the court of public opinion was strong, and he had to also deal with the stigma of Jazz 2's 'dog boy' adventures. Jazz's eyes gleamed blue as he caught a full glass of beer with his telekinesis. Turning to his assailant, he smiled, "thanks for the drink! Unfortunately, I'm not the kind of guy to fight whilst drunk!"
PaoPao was having her own share of annoyances.
"Ms. Dango! Over here!"
"How do you feel being known as the most powerful woman on the planet?"
"Did you know some of your associates have problematic histories? How do you reconcile that?"
"Is it true you forced Suchiro to stay away from combat in order to suppress him?"
"Are you having a secret affair with Suchiro behind the back of your boyfriend?"
"Did you know your boyfriend pees on trees like a dog?"
They ignored the questions as they got into a stretch limo.
"Ms. Dango."
Jazz and PaoPao looked to their escort to the tournament grounds, a dog-faced humanoid.
"Hello, Mr. Waffles." PaoPao said, smiling. Jazz stifled a laugh, closing his eyes and breathing in in order to keep a straight face.
"I'm glad you could attend this year's Tenkaichi Budokai, you and your friends' fame brings much prestige and revenue to our tournament venue, and we appreciate the skills and abilities you all bring to the table." The dog man smiled, his jowls lifting almost comically high.
"I appreciate your gratitude, but I must ask, why did you need me to make such a grandiose entrance, I would have rather come with the majority of my companions."
The head of the Tenkaichi Budokai frowned. "It is imperative that you listen to my words." He looked on at the two very seriously. "It has come to my attention that a being matching the description of the demon king has entered the tournament, he's going under the name Ma-Junior, another person, a woman by the name of Mei Lin, has connections to the Red Ribbon Army Terrorist organization."
PaoPao looked surprised at Mei Lin's mention. "I see, thank you for your warning. Would you like me to arrange a security detail to the venue?"
"No, I believe you would normally travel with your elites, coming by jet was your way to secretly get them over, right?" The dog man smiled slyly, "that way, no one will expect the added security."
"Actually…" PaoPao smiled politely, "all I did was bring the pilot and my boyfriend." The man's face drooped. "Ah! But you don't have to worry, we'll be able to take care of everything quite easily!"
Jazz smiled and spoke up. "We'll take care of business."
The dog man smiled at Jazz, "if you are so certain, well, I'll have no choice but to believe you, you were one of the runner-ups two tournaments ago, weren't you? It was quite a stimulating battle."
Jazz scratched his nose, "...thanks…"
…
Krillin raised an eyebrow at Jazz, "really?"
Jazz smiled, "is something wrong?"
"Well, I just…" He looked at Jazz. The others looked on as well, none of them had felt Jazz's power since he left the chamber, so to feel him now was surprising. Krillin felt nervous about what to say next.
"You kinda feel really weak." Goku began, "I mean, not, 'weak' weak, you are certainly a whole lot stronger. But, did you seriously train as hard as you should have in the time chamber?"
Jazz smiled at his friends. "Yes, I did." He grinned, "and I'll kick your asses if you underestimate me."
…
Afterword:
List of Current Power levels:
Bulma, Oolong, normal People: 0-10, the population of maybe 7 billion-plus
Tsukimi Warriors: 45-120 (around 2000)
Tsukimi Elites: 200-1000 (around 300)
Talia: 1200
Suchiro Taiga: 3100
Satan Dojo Students: 20-200 (around 200)
Puar (Actually Still training): 80
Dealla: 150, raises to 600 when she transforms into a Noble Werewolf
Warrick: 250: Raises to 625 when he transforms into a Noble Werewolf
Lazuli: 850: Raises to 3400 with ultra-refined Pump Up Technique
Lapis: 1200: Raises to 3600 with Refined Pump Up Technique
Master Roshi: 1600, Raises to 3200 with his slightly refined Pump Up Technique
Blue Haired Launch: 1900, Raises to 7600 with Ultra Refined Pump Up Technique
Chiaotzu: 6000, raises to 18000 with Refined Pump Up Technique
Blond Haired Launch: 4750, raises to 19000 with Ultra Refined Pump Up Technique
PaoPao: 7200 (slowed down due to how busy her life is running her organization), raises to 21600 with Refined Pump Up technique, raises to 36000 when using Self Magic Talisman, 41,333 when using Jiang-Shi Berserker, when using both, raises to 108,000 or up to 124,000
Chi-Chi: 10800, raises to 43,200 when using Ultra Refined Pump Up Technique
Yamcha: 12000, raises to 48000 with Refined Pump Up Technique, raised to 24000 using divine wolf fang fist attack, 96000 at full power
Krillin: 30,000, raises to 120,000 with Ultra Refined Pump Up
Tien: 20,000, raises to 60,000 with Refined Pump Up, raises to 200,000 when doing fusion dance, 600,000 with both abilities. When going all Out Tien can raise his power level to a ridiculously powerful 6,000,000 by doing a double fusion dance, lasting about 10 minutes.
Goku: 36,930, raises to 147,720 with Ultra Refined Pump Up, Raises to 369,300 with Wrathful Stage 1, and 553,950 with Wrathful Stage 2, raises to 55,395 when using Monkey God Fist, all abilities: 2,215,800, then 3,323,700 (monkey god fist) respectively
Piccolo: 82,738, raises to 517,112.5 with Ultimate Full Power, unfortunately for the Namekian, he could not replicate the fusion technique
Hercule: 45,000, raises to 90,000 with a Somewhat Refined Pump Up
And finally:
Jasper(Jazz) Duncan
Age: 21 and 11 months
Hair color: Red
Skin color: white
Race: "Human"
Height: 6 feet 0.5 inches | 184.15 centimeters
Weight: 195 lbs | 88.4505 kilograms, currently weighs 1200 lbs | 544.3108 kilograms
Skills: Advanced Staff Technique, Advanced Kinjutsu (sword technique), Advanced Hand-to-Hand technique, Advanced Ki techniques, Mastered Magic Materialization
Capable of creating: Conventional Weapons, Food, and various tools (limited by his knowledge of the materials, craftsmanship, and scientific knowledge)
Weapons that can be created: Long Ruyi Jingu Bang, Long Bansho Fan, Ryu Kusanagi, Wyvern's Wind-And-Fire Wheels, Dragon's Flame-Tipped Spear, Fafnir's Gungnir, Leviathan's Trident, Jorgumandur's Svalinn, Hydra's Ancilla
Powers: Elemental Magic Materialization, Capable of summoning and freely manipulating fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, ice, smoke, and steam, capable of manipulating and stirring the growth of plant and animal life. Mastered Telekinesis.
Mastery of General Magic Concepts and abilities. mastered understanding of intermediate-level magical techniques, and an advanced understanding of advanced magical techniques.
Shapeshifting: Mastered Skill level (indefinite)
Transformation Power Techniques
Noble Werewolf: True Awakening: 6.25x power
Ultimate Full Power: A renamed form of Pump-Up/ Max Power, no longer lowers speed, instead it now grants strength and speed proportional to power gain, due to witnessing Launch's utilization of the technique, the power raised up to 6.4x
Talisman Magic: Body Enhancement: 5x Power, drains magical energy over time, lasts 30 minutes at full, before then draining ki,
1.5x level: can be used for 12 hours straight
2x level: can be used for 4 hours straight
3x: can be used for 2 hours
4x: Can be used for 1 hour
Emissive Techniques: Kamehameha, Don Don Pa, Solar Flare, Tri-Beam, Thunder Shock Surprise, Barrage Ki attack, Magic Fire Kamehameha, Thunderfire Kamehameha. Ki-Flame Sword, Marshmallow Meteor,
Body Techniques: Four Witches Technique, 12 Eyes Technique, Fusion Dance, Wolf Fang Fist, Mafuba
Blessing from a "Friend": Enhanced strength, speed, stamina, durability, and senses, capable of surviving a 2 fold fusion without extreme backlash.
Powerlevel: 4260 (suppressed)
Power of Noble Werewolf: 26,625
Power of Ultimate Full Power: 27,264
Power of Talisman: 21,300
Noble + Full Power: 170,400
Noble +Full Power + Talisman: 852,000
Fusion Dance (10x)
Double Fusion Dance (100x)
…
I'm sure you're all wondering: Why has it taken me so long to add a chapter? To that I must simply apologize, many things got in the way. But I should be back to it now.