Chapter 8: Quarter Final Part 2

Yamcha and "Akane walked away from the ring towards the meeting hall. Yamcha hung his head looking dejected, the other had her hands behind her back and was regarding Yamcha with a slightly pitying look. Yamcha suddenly seemed to perk himself up and turned around to face "Akane".

"That was an amazing move. In fact I think I've heard of it, but I never dreamed I'd see it let alone be subjected to it. How does it work?" he said in genuine curiosity, his disappointment had completely vanished.

She smiled at how he rallied himself. "It's energy from within. Or rather, it makes use of both the user and the opponents inner energies. Maybe I'll teach you someday…if you're a good boy!" she added with a smile and a wink. Yamcha just gave a grin that seemed more like a grimace and laughed uneasily at her gest. This reaction seemed to sour Ranko's mood.

"Well can you blame him?" Roshi said into her mind. "Guys that age don't want to be hit on even jokingly by women old enough to be their mother."

"IT'S YOUR FAULT I LOOK THIS OLD!" she roared furiously into her head. "And just what about you, you old hypocrite!? How do you think poor Bulma feels about you constantly hitting on her when you're old enough to be her grandfather's grandfather! And that reminds me, that announcer said I looked old too! I'll have to give him a piece of my mind too!" She turned around to do just that, but the MC's voice rang out.

"All right let's keep the ball rolling! We'll take a two minute intermission as we wait for our next contestants! Aloe and Nam! Please stand ready!"

From the meeting hall both fighters walked out and stood by the canvas screen that blocked the entrance. Aloe was still gazing unblinkingly and with inexpression on her face, if there was any emotion it was curiosity. Nam, however, took no notice of her gaze and meditated while standing, eyes closed and palms together as if in prayer. This more than anything impressed Ranko and made her forget aspersions against her vanity. They were like this earlier as well; it was if Aloe was trying to draw his gaze, but he didn't have any thoughts to spare for her. Aloe suddenly seemed to give up and turned away, a slight blush on her face. This reaction made Ranko grin mischievously and she sidled up to Nam thinking she might tease him a little bit, but stopped when she felt his aura.

"This guy is absolutely sweating seriousness!" Roshi exclaimed. "I wonder what's eating him up? Everyone else is competing for fun or for the title and prize money at least. But there seems to be much more to this warrior than meets the eye." Ranko agreed and was about to respond to him when Nam suddenly spoke softly under his breath that she was barely able to hear it. "Brothers and sisters…my village…keep your strength…I have not forgotten you."

These words startled and intrigued both Ranko and Roshi. They had a silent agreement and focused their wills upon Nam's mind. Mind reading wasn't exactly an ethical trick and it only worked on people who weren't consciously aware of their surroundings, so it generally only worked on those asleep or like Nam, in deep meditation. A multitude of images and voices swam into their heads as the scene of a powerful memory played out before them like a film.

A barren desert landscape under a hot sun appeared in Ranko's mind. Trees and crops were withered and a village with small sandstone huts were bleached white in the intense heat. Shimmering heat waves distorted the air and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky.

A small boy who was skin and bones appeared before her eyes and said, "Big brother I am so thirsty!

The scene changed with a flash of white light...

"Not a single drop is left for us…" said a woman in a white robe as she looked despairingly into a dry and desolate well.

*flash*

An old man pulled a slender and dead looking vegetable from the earth, "Even the carrots are too thirsty to survive, the sun takes all!"

*flash*

Nam then appeared, "The rain season will begin in 2 months, we will buy water from the city to last us until then."

*flash*

The white robed woman who was clearly his mother appeared again, "Nam, this drought has lasted long, and we've spent all the savings we have. The crops have failed and there's nothing to buy water with."

"Then I must enter the upcoming tournament. There is a cash reward and with it I will buy us enough water to last us until the rain comes again."

*flash*

A man that looked like his father held up a small bag. "Nam, the last of our valuables are gathered in this bag so you can sell them in the city for your trip."

*flash*

"Goodbye big brother! Goodbye!" shouted the small boy hoarsely as he and the rest of the village bid sad farewells to the young man walking away into the desert. The eyes of the younger ones seemed hopeful, believing with all their hearts that Nam would never let them down. The parents and elders seemed doubtful and although they smiled as they waved, it was clear they expected him not to return. The hopeful looks of the young ones and the resigned expressions of the elders had set a fire in Nam's heart that few others have ever known. He would not fail, even if it killed him!

Suddenly the images vanished all at once and they were back behind the canvas screen with the sounds of the roaring crowd about them. The reason why became apparent immediately as Nam had opened his eyes and ceased meditating and had turned to face arena, waiting for the announcer to call and begin the match.

"My love…" Ranko sighed pityingly in her head. "Yes, our plans may have to change…" he answered sounding tired and sad.

Ranko looked over to Aloe, wondering if she could convince her to throw the match. To her surprise Aloe had resumed her gaze of Nam and it became quite clear that she was blushing…and smiling! In fact her eyes were absolutely sparkling! This unsettled Ranko as Aloe seemed to be the more stoic type of warrior and hadn't seemed the type to go boy crazy, she was the heir to the China Amazons after all. It was startling how much she looked like Shampoo when she was young. How often had she gazed at him like that, Roshi thought. Long ago when his name was still Ranma.

"Alright fight fans I think we're ready!" the MC's voice rang out. "Will Nam and Aloe please enter the ring!"

Nam and Aloe walked around opposite ends of the canvas wall and entered the ring. Nam took the east corner and Aloe took the west, they turned and faced each other. Aloe was still wearing a faint smile, but her eyes had now changed to a more serious tone as she adopted a fight stance. Nam remained as stoic as ever and took a stance as well.

"In the east corner in the orange and fuchsia robes we have Nam! And in the west corner with the lavender hair, it's Aloe! It's another battle of the sexes and I can' wait to see what they can do!" This statement was met with wild applause from the audience. The familiar drums began to beat again faster and faster and like before, stopped all at once.

"Begin!"

They both leapt into the air at the same time, both delivering a flying kick. Their legs clashed, crossed like swords in mid-air for a brief moment before breaking away and both warriors landed deftly on their feet. No sooner had they landed both warriors charged again. Aloe attempted a palm strike but was blocked, not losing any momentum she lifted her leg to try and deliver a kick, but he caught her leg. This put her slightly off balance and Nam seized his chance by throwing her leg backwards and attempted to do a knife hand chop to her neck. Aloe, however, went with the flow and using the momentum from being thrown backwards to backflip away from him. A few paces away she stood up and resumed her fighting stance.

Nam did not give her any time to think as he had leapt in the air and brought his leg down in a flying axe kick. She barely managed to dodge by doing yet another feat of acrobatics, cartwheeling to the side. He pursued her again this time succeeding in delivering a strong knife hand to her shoulder. She fell backwards but wasn't stunned, she quickly rolled away from the edge of the ring and scrambled onto one knee. Nam seized his chance while she was still unbalanced to finish it. As he raised his arms in an X shape to lash in a chopping motion with both arms, she quickly lifted herself on her hands and donkey kicked with both legs into his stomach causing him to reel backwards. He leapt back 10 feet towards the rings center and resumed a fighting stance. Aloe also stood up and resumed her stance as well, smiling more broadly than before.

"Outstanding!" the MC said into the microphone with delight. "What a clash! These two spirted warriors are giving it their all but can't seem to outdo each other!"

"I wonder why Aloe is so enthralled with Nam." Ranko wondered aloud. "She certainly isn't pulling any punches and Nam isn't holding back either. Could it be he's just her type?"

"I'm not sure." Roshi said slowly. "I've been puzzled about something since Aloe introduced herself. In my letter I requested a capable warrior, preferably an older one. Why would Shampoo send her heir?"

Back in the ring, Aloe suddenly giggled causing Nam to look momentarily disconcerted. "You're very good!" she exclaimed excitedly. "But at this rate you won't beat me, and that would be a shame. You're the best choice out of the 137 that came here! I'll come at you with my best move! Try to overcome it!"

"Best choice?" Ranko and Roshi wondered. A look of feint understanding was appearing on Ranko's face, but the idea hadn't fully formed yet. She stared at the fight with renewed interest and wondered what would happen.

Aloe closed her eyes and brought her palms together and began focusing her chi. After a brief moment she opened her eyes suddenly and ran forward. Nam took a defensive stance, ready for anything. When Aloe was less than 10 feet from him she turned left and to Nam's shock, an afterimage of Aloe stayed where she was a moment before. As she ran in a circle more copies appeared and ran with her. Nam counted nine copies circling him but couldn't decern the real one. The copies then all closed in at once and he was struck from behind. He recovered quickly and kicked at the offending copy, but his leg simply went through it. No sooner had he done this, he was struck again this time from the left, and was knocked down.

"I don't believe what I'm seeing folks! Miss Aloe has created multiple copies of herself and has thrown Nam into confusion!" the MC shouted excitedly.

"Secret Amazon Technique: Splitting Cat Hairs" Roshi observed. "A very advanced technique for one of her age."

He remembered well the first time he encountered this attack. He was still a young man of 16 when the previous leader of the amazons, Shampoo's great grandmother, was trying to force him to marry Shampoo. She was actually just testing his prowess to see if her great granddaughter had chosen well. He had overcome this technique with trickery, not skill. Many of his best techniques in the old days were thanks to the previous matriarch in fact. "Is she testing him like I was tested? For what purpose?" Ranko however, thought she knew the answer, but said nothing and waited to confirm.

At first Nam seemed to be struggling as the copies circled around him. After a few minutes of him being struck from all sides, he seemed to regain his composure and closed his eyes. Focusing intensely with his eyes still closed he delivered a powerful kick to the copy on the right. To the surprise of the crowd his foot made contact and all the copies disappeared as she was thrown back against the wall of the arena entrance. She managed to land on her feet but wobbled badly. Before she could react Nam had charged forward and delivered a knife hand blow to the back of her neck. She collapsed to the ground and didn't move.

The MC ran up to her and began counting "1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10! That's it!" "By knockout Nam is the winner!" The audience went wild.

Nam bowed to his unconscious opponent and walked stoically from the arena into the meeting hall. The medics were attempting to treat Aloe, but it wasn't necessary. After a couple of minutes she was conscious and rubbing her neck. Ranko approached Aloe and helped her to her feet. "I think I know why Shampoo sent you and not some random girl. As an amazon heiress, you're in the market for a worthy husband, aren't you?" Ranko said slyly. Aloe said nothing but winked at her. She then quite literally skipped out of the arena in search of Nam.

"Agh! Of Course!" Roshi said upset with himself. "The amazon tribe puts a huge emphasis on strength when it came to picking husbands! Even more so if it's an heiress to the matriarchy. The world martial arts tournament is the perfect hunting ground for a worthy husband!"

"And of course this is why she tested him so thoroughly." Ranko added. "If she was defeated without holding back, then by her tribe's traditions she would be justified in forcing him to marry her." Roshi seemed to grimace in her head as he had been subjected to that mindset in his youth.

Long ago when he was a lad travelling the world with his father and not long after he fell victim to the curse of the drowned girl, they had come across the amazon's secret village. He was in girl form and was challenged by the young Shampoo to a duel, a duel he, or rather she, easily won. After Shampoo had reeled to her feet, she had kissed the girl Ranma on the cheek. They then had to run for their lives because that kiss was the amazon "Kiss of Death". A vow to hunt down and kill an enemy. Eventually he and his father managed to escape her and settled at the Tendo house back in Japan.

This was a brief respite however, as she tracked them down and followed them to Japan. He met her in his male form this time, so she didn't recognize him. One thing led to another, and he ended up defeating her again, this time by accident. At first he thought he was screwed but to his surprise the young Shampoo had thrown herself into his arms and said in Chinese, "Wo Ai Ni" (I love you) and planted a huge kiss on lips in front of everyone, including Akane. He later found out the tribal law of the amazons in regard to being beaten in combat by an outsider. If that outsider is a woman, they must perform the "Kiss of Death" and do everything in their power to kill the outsider. If that outsider is a man however, she must marry him. This led to many shenanigans between her and other suitors and suitors of suitors. His whole youth wasn't a love triangle, it was a freaking dodecahedron!

Coming back to reality, Ranko followed back to the meeting hall and found a bubbly Aloe hovering around a confused looking Nam. She was calling him "Airen" (beloved), which brought back even more memories of his youth. Ranko rolled her eyes and looked around. Yamcha was talking to Krillin over in the corner. Momo was over on the other side of the room cracking his large knuckles in anticipation. Suddenly she felt something brush against her leg and make a purring sound. Her blood went completely cold as she slowly looked down and saw the stray cat that had wondered into the building. She screamed and leapt into the air so hard her head crashed into a rafter on the ceiling and she fell to the floor spread eagle with a big bump on her head and her hair standing straight up.

Everyone rushed to her looking concerned, the cat that snuck in was hissing in indignation. Krillin looked curiously at the cat and then to Ranko whom Yamcha was helping up. Ranko was still shaking and looking pale. A moment of understanding showed on Krillin's face and then turned into a face of deep contemplation as he cupped his thumb and index finger under his chin. He didn't have long to contemplate however as the MC's voice rang out again.

"Alright everyone, it's finally time for the final bout of the Quarter Finals! Let's give out a huge round of applause for Goku and Momo!"

Momo marched into the arena, spread his large white feathered wings, and gave a terrific battle cry. The audience ooed and ahhed while clapping loudly. But Goku was nowhere to be seen. The MC looked around in confusion and called Goku's name again.

"Attention Goku! It's time for your bout! If you do not report to he ring in 10 minutes you will be disqualified."

Everyone in the meeting hall scrambled around looking for Goku.

"Goku! Where are you!" Krillin shouted annoyed.

"Now what could that boy be up to?" Ranko said angrily. She seemed to have recovered from her cat scare.

"I found him! Over here!" Aloe called. She was just outside the building in the back. Goku was sitting under one of the many palm trees sleeping peacefully. Upon seeing him everyone face faulted hard, Ranko actually flew through the air.

Yamcha approached Goku and shook him. "Goku, wake up! Do you want to get disqualified?"

Goku stretched and yawned. "Goodness, I really passed out."

"You sure did! What on earth were you thinking?" Krillin said furiously.

"I'm sorry. I just came outside for a bit of fresh air. I sat down to rest under this tree and then the cool breeze, and the shade felt so nice that I just sort of passed out." Goku replied apologetically.

Suddenly the MC appeared and grabbed Goku's arm. "What are you doing here kid, you've got a match!" The MC ran so fast with Goku in tow that Goku was lifted off his feet and followed like a kite. The MC ran with Goku all the way to the arena and put him down just before they passed the canvas wall, together, they walked out onto the arena.

"Sorry for the delay folks! Certain circumstances prevented young Goku here from hearing the announcement."

"I was taking a nap!" Goku said grinning goofily. The audience faulted backwards with a THUD. Everyone except Bulma who shouted lovingly, "Goku, you goofball!" Goku just laughed innocently at the whole scene.

"Ok! Let's get this show on the road!" said the MC with a slight edge of impatience in his voice. "In the west corner it's Momo, the Chimera! And in the east corner it's Goku!" The crowd gave an immense roar of approval as the drums began again and stopped suddenly. "Begin!"

Goku charged forward and Momo tried to intercept with a wide swing of his left arm. Goku blocked it and stepped forward as Momo raised his other fist. Momo's second swing was also blocked as Goku got inside Momo's defense and delivered a powerful punch to the gut that sent him reeling backwards. Goku then leapt over Momo's head and landed behind him. Goku then made a grab for Momo's tail to try to throw him from the ring, but he quickly had to back away as the live eel that was Momo's tail snapped at him. Momo turned and attempted to stomp on Goku with a hooved foot. Goku easily dodged it and leapt up and delivered a powerful uppercut, sending him reeling again.

As Momo staggered, Goku sped behind him again. Before the eel could snap again, Goku grabbed the eel by the throat and then with his other hand put the eel over his shoulder and heaved as hard as he could. This time Goku was successful in sending Momo flying out of the ring.

"Amazing! Try as Momo might, he just can't pin down the speedy Goku! And now Goku has thrown Momo from the ring!"

No sooner had the MC said it, Momo twisted in mid-air and spread his beautiful white wings. He beat his wings and hovered for a moment before slowly floating back into the ring. He landed lightly on the ring despite his immense size and regarded Goku.

"Hmph. You are fast and small and surprisingly strong" he grunted. "But I have a good handle on your speed now, I won't be thrown from the ring again!" And with a mighty roar he charged with his head down as if to impale Goku with those massive bull horns.

The crowd gasped as Goku held his ground, not showing an ounce of fear as the beast charged.

"I can't look!" Bulma wailed.

"Oh, no!" Puar cried.

"Tell me when it's over!" Oolong said as he covered his eyes with his long pig ears.

"Get out of there!" Ranko screamed terrified.

*SLAM*

A loud gasp from the audience told Goku's friends to open their eyes. Goku had both Momo's horns in his hands. All of Goku's muscles were throbbing as he used every ounce of strength to halt the chimera's charge. Goku had lost some ground though, he had been forced to the very edge of the ring, but try as he might, Momo could not force Goku to budge another inch.

"How exhilarating!" the MC cried out with obvious fear and relief in his voice. "It looked like Goku was about to become impaled by those fierce horns, but with an amazing show of strength and courage Goku stood his ground and caught the beast by the horns! And wait…YES! Goku is pushing him back!"

And just as the MC said, Goku was indeed beginning to gain ground. His face was beat red, and his breathing was deep as he grunted and pushed. Step by step, Goku heaved with all his might, and Momo was forced back, despite his cloven hooves digging into the marble floor causing great gauges. The shock of the audience was nothing compared to the shock that Momo himself felt. Usually when he charges, his opponents try to dodge out of the way to the side. When they try that he would then use his great arms to grab them from either side. But defying logic Goku had instead caught his horns and was pushing him back!

They continued to struggle and still Goku pushed him back. When they were in the center of the ring, Momo suddenly smiled. Goku suddenly felt himself flung forward with a huge amount of force. So much so that he went sailing into the air and far out of bounds of the ring.

"Excellent strategy!" the MC said into the microphone. "Momo used the force of Goku's pushing against him and catapulted him into the air! And from the looks of it he's going to land out of bounds, this could be the end!"

Goku flailed in the air and as gravity began to take effect Goku called out desperately, "Flying Nimbus! Come to me!" Goku continued to fall and just before he hit the ground a speeding yellow cloud swooped down and caught him. "Thanks Nimbus! I was scared for a moment!" Goku said patting the yellow cloud as it ferried him back to the ring.

The crowd oohed and ahhed as the cloud touched down in the ring and Goku hopped off. Momo, however, stomped his hoof in agitation. "Cheater! That cloud is a violation! Outside tools are forbidden!"

The audience murmured uncertainly as the MC spoke; "Ladies and Gentlemen the legality of Goku's use of the cloud has been called into question. The judges, chairman and I will have a brief discussion before coming to a decision." The MC stepped out of the arena and conferred with the dogman chairman and an elderly priest. After a few moments the MC stepped back into the ring and announced, "The official ruling is that since the cloud was part of the natural setting of the sky it is not considered a tool or weapon and therefore no penalty will be imposed. However, Goku is forbidden from using the cloud for the rest of the fight."

The audience seemed to have mixed reactions to this pronouncement. Momo seemed incensed but knew it wouldn't do him any good arguing with the judges. He merely snorted angrily and resumed a ready charging stance. Goku seemed disappointed but accepted it. He thanked and hugged his faithful cloud and waved goodbye as it speed away. He then faced Momo and again resumed his fighting stance with arms outstretched as if to catch him by the horns again.

The MC walked to the edge of the ring and shouted into the microphone, "Fighters please resume the fight!"

"This time I'll put my back into it!" Momo grunted.

Momo charged again horns first, but this time he was bluffing. When Goku tried to catch this time he would reach out with his much longer arms and grab Goku. Grappling after all was a bit of a specialty with him. As he approached Goku however, Goku smiled and abandoned his stance and charged forward even faster than Krillin. And before Momo could stop himself, Goku had leapt over his head and leapt onto the back of his neck and grabbed both horns. With a large grunt of effort Goku then pulled so hard that Momo's head was pulled backwards, and yet his legs had not yet come to a stop. With his upper and lower body being pulled in two separate directions his legs swung into the air and he fell hard on his butt.

"If I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have believed it folks!" the MC yelled into the mic. "Goku just leapt onto the chimera's head like a rodeo and caused Momo to fall down!"

"I wouldn't have believed it either!" Ranko said. "That was bold!"

"Wait! I don't think he's done with him yet!" the MC suddenly cried out.

And indeed Goku hadn't stopped there. With another roar of effort Goku heaved Momo off the ground by the horns and slammed him into the ring. He yelled in effort one more time and hurled Momo off the ground and flying into the wall by the arena entrance, causing bricks and debris to fall on him. This didn't seem to have much effect though as before the MC could begin a countdown Momo was on his feet and wiping debris from his body. He couldn't pretend the blow hadn't shaken him though, it hurt. A LOT. It was nothing like the punch he felt at the beginning of the match.

"This fight is just to amazing folks!" the MC said jubilantly. "Young Goku just tossed the mighty beast Momo like a ragdoll into the wall! But Momo doesn't seem phased!" The MC then looked at Goku and blanched slightly. "What is this? Something is coming out of Goku's back!"

All eyes were drawn to Goku. Wiggling behind his back was a slender monkey like tail. Goku looked behind him and shouted with delight, "My tail! My tail grew back! I can't believe it's finally back! This is so great!" Goku then placed his tail on the ground and used it to support his whole body and balanced on it. "I always feel so much stronger when I have my tail!" He then tensed and pushed off the ground by his tail, he leapt about 15 feet in the air doing several flips in the air this way and landed back on his tail deftly. "It's almost as good as the old one! With a little practice it'll be even better!"

Not everyone, however, was as excited as Goku to see his tail grow back. Yamcha, Bulma, Oolong, and Puar in the had turned pale and were gazing fixated on Goku's tail in horror.

"Oh no! Not again!" Yamcha said terrified.

"Anyone up for a moonlight stroll tonight?" Oolong joked darkly.

"I think I'll pass…" Bulma said cowering behind the wall.

"Don't even joke about that!" Puar said shakily.

Ranko was likewise shocked but didn't seem to understand the other's fear. He had always had a tail before and though it was strange that it would spontaneously appear like this mid fight, it wasn't something to get flustered about. Krillin was utterly flabbergasted as he had never known Goku to have a tail before. Momo, who was a monster himself, wasn't impressed.

"Strange as it is that you have a tail, what you said about it is more interesting. You become stronger when your have a tail? I believe it" he said rubbing his head tenderly on the last comment. "But I'm still stronger!"

"Is that so?" Goku said suddenly serious. "Let's find out!"

Momo charged again but midway leapt into the air and took flight. He swooped down at Goku intending to crush him under hoof, but only stuck the ground as Goku dodged and vanished at the last second. Before Momo could even wonder where he went to he felt Goku's fist hit him in the face from his left. The punch packed so much force it sent him crashing to the ground. He struggled to get up and regain balance. While he was still reeling Goku approached swiftly from behind. Momo's eel tail snapped it's jaws at Goku, but he just smacked it away with enough force to knock a tooth out. The shock of this blow snapped Momo dizziness and he turned and thrust his fist at Goku with all the strength he could muster.

Goku caught Momo's arm and using his force against him, threw Momo again. This time Momo recovered quickly with the aid of his wings and landed forcefully. He tried to charge again, but only made it two steps before Goku's elbow slammed into his gut, knocking the wind from him. But Goku's combo wasn't done. As he pulled away his elbow he crouched and leapt up like a rocket, headbutting Momo in the chin. While still in the air Goku twisted in mid-air and delivered a kick into the center of Momo's forehead. Momo fell hard on his back as black lights danced in front of his eyes. Whether it was pure adrenaline or stubbornness Momo somehow stood up breathing hard, a dark bruise was on his forehead where Goku struck. Goku landed and stood a few feet away in his usual stance, waiting to see what he would do.

Momo tried to focus his eyes on Goku, but the arena was now tilted 45 degrees and there were three Goku's, then 5, then 2, then 3 again. He blinked hard trying to focus, but the world did not correct itself and his vision was turning black. He crumpled to his knees and began to waver like a flower in the wind and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"I'm sorry Master Roshi, Miss Ranko" he thought to himself. "He is…A MONSTER!"

He grinned at his private joke as his head hit the marble tile floor of the arena with his beautiful wings folded over him and eel tail unconscious and didn't move.

End of Chapter 8