OPENING THEME:
EPISODE 39:
BETWEEN TWO FIRES: RIVALRY OR FRIENDS
"I'm gonna win!" Ian cried out in desperation. Thriving on the surprise of the attack, he struck Wheelie with a fierce kick that sent him disappearing amongst the clouds.
The excitement came to a standstill once more and after what felt like minutes, the announcer knew he had to fill in the void.
"Well, we'll give it another thirty seconds," he alerted, "But it seems like our competitor won't be making it back after that. And if he does, he'll clearly be out of bounds which is an automatic defeat."
Regaining his confident stance, Ian smiled in earnest to the reawakened chants and appraisal.
"There's no way he's even on this island anymore," the announcer said but his euphoria died the instant he noticed a shining star in the distance. Understanding, Ian broke away to take a glance, but it forced him in a fit of the shivers.
Making his way closer, Wheelie kept steady pace as he swung his arm in awesome speed. He gave new purpose to the wheelchair as he helicoptered his way back to the ring. He greeted with a smug smile, now hovering just inches above the ring. The audience was thrown into an uproar by this feat.
"It looks like Wheelie found other means of flight!" the announcer cried out, his face etched with wonder, "This guy is filled with so many wonders!"
"I knew he would've come back," Master Roshi said excitedly, pounding a fist into his palm, "I knew it! I knew it!"
"This guy is definitely getting my attention!" Goku said as he eagerly shot forward.
"Come on, Ian," Yamcha said, tugging at his hair, his eyes wide with desperation.
Easing the intensity, Wheelie brought his momentum to a calm. In the blink of an eye, he dropped the wheelchair and fell snugly onto the seat.
"Missed me?" he said.
Growling, Ian dashed forward. Unsure of his intentions, Wheelie tried to make sense of the odd reaction. Instead of making a grab at him as he was expecting, Ian appeared suddenly from behind and had taken hold of the handgrips of the wheelchair. Chucking it forward, Ian laughed to see the chair mounted only on its caster wheels.
"What are you doing?" asked Wheelie, still sitting comfortably in his seat.
Catching on, Ian struck with both legs in quick succession to attack the hands that held on tight to the handrims. However, Wheelie was too fast. Not giving up, he tried the manoeuvre several times but each time proved the same result.
Frustrated, Ian finally released and Wheelie was brought to a hard landing but remained unfazed. And with that, Ian darted behind his opponent and tugged on his arms.
"Again, what are you doing?" asked Wheelie.
Ignoring the man, Ian set to work at the fingers and then the shoulders. Still receiving no result, he resorted to a desperate move. He eased forward, his own hands prepared to strike on either side of his victim and he went in for the kill.
"I'm not ticklish," Wheelie said in a frank tone.
"Dammit," swore Ian and he leapt back. He grabbed hold of the handgrips once more but was annoyed when the chair would not budge no matter how hard he pushed.
"Brakes," Wheelie said, showing the man the small device embedded on the wheelchair.
"Damn you!" yelled Ian, huffing and puffing.
Releasing the brake handle, Wheelie spun around to face Ian. "Seriously, what is it that you are trying to do?"
"Your little flight made me realise something. If I get you out of the wheelchair, you wouldn't have a leg to stand on," Ian shared.
"Well, thanks for stating the obvious," Wheelie said, after several seconds of pondering the marvel of the man's words. In a bold move, he flipped out of his wheelchair and landed on the stage. "You only had to ask."
Ian was too caught up in rapture, having seen the man finally separated from his wheelchair, to avoid his quick approach. On handstand, Wheelie pushed downwards before hoisting himself way up high. On his way down, he made several powerful punches to his opponent's lower half.
Overwhelmed by the onslaught, Ian bent over much to Wheelie's advantage. Tapping off with both hands the second he touched concrete again, Wheelie pounced forward. He grabbed hold of the man's head and threw him down hard onto his back. However, Wheelie was forced to land on his stomach.
Now seething in utter rage, Ian regained his footing. He wanted to be quick before Wheelie could recover from his fall. His aura charged about his hand and with an agile twist-and-flip, he struck, aiming for the head. In the nick of time, Wheelie twirled around and instead took on the attack with his legs. Smiling, Ian could not be happier to have finally dealt his opponent. However, it was short lived.
"You know I can't feel anything with my legs, right!" Wheelie said.
"Damn you!" Ian cried out.
In the midst of turning to go in for another attack, Ian was was met with burning pain across his back. With his free arm, Wheelie was much too fast for his opponent who made several attempts to strike but was slammed down each time. This spectacle was repeated for what seemed like several minutes.
Ultimately, Ian studied the man before him who was propped against one arm and casually laying there on his side. It was more than enough to frustrate him without end. Crying out in annoyance, he came to the conclusion that staying down was the better move and there he remained as the audience came to an immediate hush.
"Call it quits already!" Wheelie said defiantly.
"I won't!" Ian said, struggling to get his head up, his back quivering from the effort. It appeared that he had endured extensive damage due to his insistent attempts. Wheelie eased himself over and the two warriors now lain on their stomachs, eyed each other venomously.
"My word!" exclaimed Master Roshi, "It seems like Wheelie means for this fight to continue on even footing - or handing." He laughed openly at his own joke.
Caught up in a back and forth, Wheelie and Ian found themselves sliding around the smoothness of the concrete as they tried their best to land a punch. Not used to the strange setting, Ian soon fell short and was plummeted with blows. With extra ki gathered around his fist, Wheelie successfully sent Ian skidding off to one side and he came dangerously close to the edge of the ring.
Wheelie grabbed hold of himself by the feet and curled into a tight ball. His ki shining about him, he was soon spinning at top speed and he shot forward at his target but Ian managed to move out of the way in the nick of time. Unrelenting, Wheelie pursued, darting back and forth across the stage in awesome speed, and Ian wormed his way out of the way as best he could.
"Look, mommy! Videogame!" Pan said, grabbing hold of her mother's chin and forcing her head to and fro to follow along.
The odd spectacle came to a sudden halt when Ian managed to connect a fist to the side of Wheelie's face. And with that, the two were caught up in another round of exchanges. This time around it was more balanced with successful strikes achieved on both sides.
"Oh, boy, who's going to come out of this one!" Master Roshi cried out.
"Come on, Ian! You can do it!" Yamcha called out.
After several minutes, they withdrew. Both were panting as they laid drenched in blood. The audience quivered with anxiety and at the first sign of movement they burst into a coordinated murmur.
Ian forged his way up, crying out in pain as his hands gripped tightly at the base of his back. Straightening up, he smiled. He rested a foot on his opponent and gently rolled the man off the stage. The upsurge of applause and cheer intensified upon noticing that the fight was indeed over.
Grabbing hold of the wheelchair, Ian leapt off the stage and landed beside the fallen warrior. He bent over with a proffered hand and an endearing smile. Understanding, Wheelie took hold and the two shook hands. In swift action, Ian helped the man to his seat.
"You weren't expecting me to fight on your level, were you?" Ian said.
"I guess the kid was too caught up with the idea of winning," Master Roshi said, "If it wasn't for Wheelie, he wouldn't have figured out how to humble himself in battle."
"What do you mean, Master Roshi?" asked Goku.
"He swallowed his pride when he was forced to fight with just his hands," Master Roshi explained, "Before that, he was just a cocky son-of-a-gun." He bent over and rested a supportive arm on Yamcha's shoulder which forced him out of his trance.
"He won! He actually won!" Yamcha said, beginning to come to terms with the idea as he leapt to his feet. Pumping his fists in the air, he proudly declared, "A student of mine in the semi-finals my first year in business! I knew I could do it."
"Well done, my boy," Master Roshi said. This broke Yamcha from his private parade.
"Thank you, Master Roshi," Yamcha said, his voice laced with emotion.
"What a spectacular fight from start to finish!" the announcer exclaimed, "Both held their own but in the end it was Ian who came out as the victor!"
"Now that's what makes for a decent man," Chi-Chi said, admiring the winner as he wheeled his opponent to the inner stands.
"Two brilliant fights with Mai and now Ian heading into the semis," the announcer continued, "And we're on our way to two more right after this quick break. This is our first sponsored 45-minute intermission by HETAP, a proud sponsor of the World Martial Arts Tournament. Please do enjoy!"
The drone with the large screen blips into life and a HETAP commercial comes on.
"This thing just keeps getting more and more commercialized every time," Chi-Chi uttered in disdain.
"It ain't so bad," Goku said, "I could really use this break. Gotta pee and my belly sure is rumbling."
"Can't you ever have just a little bit more tact than that when you speak, Goku?" Chi-Chi complained. She sighed, "Well, at least bring back something for me, too."
"Me too." Gohan piped up.
"And me," Videl added, smiling from ear to ear.
"Me too, grandad," Pan said.
"Why do I have to do all the work in this family?" Goku wailed.
"Oh, look," Gohan pointed out, "You might be in luck. I'm seeing a bunch of vendors moving through the crowd. The food's coming to us after all."
"But I'm really, really hungry. Better for me to go back to the stalls. I want some of everything!"
"I'll assist you," Piccolo growled as he got to his feet.
In what seemed like no time at all, Piccolo and Goku returned laden with heavy platters topped off with a large variety of food, drinks and snacks to which everyone helped themselves.
"Good thinking to bring a bunch, Piccolo," Goku grinned mid-chew, "You were right. Everyone is now apparently hungry all of a sudden."
As the last emptied tray landed atop the stack of litter on the platters, music blasted around them and the announcer hopped back on stage, smiling from ear to ear. "And now welcome on stage for our next fight," the announcer continued, "Gadget Guy and Nigiri!"
"Oh, yeah! My son's up next!" Tien exclaimed, "You guys are gonna love him, I promise!"
"I wonder how this kid's tech will hold up against him though," Bulma said.
The contestants made their way to the stage; with Nigiri in quiet eagerness and Gadget Guy in telling worry. Once more, the female voices highlighted their love for their favourite as they chanted "Oh, Nigiri!" It would seem that they were only a small portion of the overall frenzy. The cheers and whistles magnified tenfold and Nigiri lowered his head, not too keen on the greeting.
"Whoa, they really love him, don't they!" cried out Krillin, looking around at the crowded stands as they swayed back and forth in glee to the music they made.
Raising an authoritative hand, the announcer finally got the crowd to calm down. Although, it would seem that all but two distinctive voices were apt to move to their own beat. Their dedicated screams overwhelmed the quiet as they continued their parade.
"Well, well," the announcer said, "It seems these two ladies are Nigiri's number one fans!"
A chorus of giggles forced the women to a stop. However, their embarrassed countenances were up close and personal for all to see on the large screen from the hovering drones.
"And who might you be over here on the right?" the announcer asked.
"Hi, I'm Peace. I'm Nigiri's mother!"
"What!" exclaimed Tien, almost falling out of his seat. He was so in awe of his son that he cared not to glance at the screen but after hearing that voice and that name, he was forced to take a look. He took in the sight of a beautiful woman with long, wavy red hair. An awkward smile was etched across his face as he stared on.
It would seem that Nigiri was having a hard time as well upon this realisation as he too wore a similar face. In the midst of the burst of applause, he waved over to his mother after following her lead.
"And now, who could it be that's on the left?" the announcer asked.
The drone switched from the red-head to a beautiful woman with long, straight blue hair.
"I'm Launch! And I'm here to cheer him on! Go kid, go!" she said, followed up by yet another round of solo celebration.
"What?" Tien said, gulping nothing in particular, "She's here too!"
Yamcha placed a comforting arm around his pal. "Wow! Both your girls here at once! How 'bout that!"
"Hopefully, they won't see me," Tien said, his words muddled together. However, his worst nightmare was fulfilled when the women burst into a bout of crazed waving aimed in his direction.
Everyone from the group waved back in earnest but Tien was too lost in devastation to respond as he looked from one to the other.
END THEME:
PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE
"Son Goku here! Making new friends could be pretty hard sometimes, right?"
With a heavy sigh, Tien collects himself and takes the opportunity to make a formal introduction of the newest addition to the group.
"Or...maybe not."
Gadget Guy and Nigiri are in the middle of intense dialogue like school friends catching up on old times.
"See you NEXT TIME ON DRAGONBALL SUPER: ICEBREAKER: GETTING WARMED UP"
END CREDITS: Author/Creator of the DBZ series and characters: Akira Toriyama
Author/Creator of this Story/Series; Creator of potential drama between Tien, Peace (who is Nigiri's mother) and Launch (who is here too?): Chrissi B (c) 2024