Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Chapter 159: The Tournament Begins!

Papaya Island, a certain ghastly beach house…

As the sun rose over the eastern sea, driving away the inky blackness of night, Spopovich and Yamu both watched with hateful smiles. They had received nothing but praise from their master and his two stalwart attendants the previous night. They would work just as hard to impress today.

For today was the day. The end of the world.

At the Papaya Rittz…

The Capsule Corp synchronized alarm clocks all went off in unison and the tournament contenders were up and out of bed in an instant. The doors slammed open, and the Z-Fighters flooded into the common area, surrounded by their groggy and slightly hungover comrades who would be taking up the spectator's stands.

Goku was filling his face with a variety of breakfast foods, enjoying a refreshing morning with Goten and Chika while Chi-Chi worked her magic in the kitchen. Krillin and Android 18 sat next to him, spending their little bit of free time for the day with their daughter while she ate her breakfast.

Android 17, meanwhile, was sitting on a sectional sofa with his wife and kids still trying to fully wake up. Android 16 sat next to him, conversing with Suno, Yamcha, Puar, and Gine about how to most efficiently keep track of all the kids. Koriocha, her arm still in a sling and Ranch's toque still on her head, was sitting in 16's lap, nodding off with a cup of orange juice in her free hand. On the opposite couch, Ox-King and Oolong enjoyed a bit of the hair-of-the-dog with Master Roshi, the consequence of enjoying fine alcohol on Bulma's dime.

The doors to the balcony splayed wide open and Piccolo stood there, peering out over the expanse of Papaya Island and enjoying the salty sea breeze. He took in a deep breath and then let it out.

Piccolo's opponent for the day, Vegeta, was about as far from the Namekian as he could get within their hotel room, sitting on the end of his bed and brushing his teeth while Bulma gave Bulla another lecture about being a good sport toward her friends. Bulma wagged her finger. "If Piccolo beats your father today, you don't boo him, young lady!"

Vegeta rapidly nodded his head. Bulma turned to glare at him and, in the same instant, he began to shake it instead.

In the room next door, Tien also sat on his bed, slowly cracking his neck as Chiaotzu rubbed muscle cream on his shoulders. "Remember, be careful out there today! As great a shape as you still are, you're not a twenty-something anymore, Tien."

Tien groaned. "Don't remind me..."

In the doorway, Blonde Launch chuckled. "Are you sure you two ain't married? This is married couple behavior~!"

Tien shook his head, still shaking off the whiskey of the previous night. "I don't do relationships or-"

Blonde Launch rolled her eyes. "Or romance. Yada yada! I know!"

She walked into the room and set a huge plate of eggs and chopped vegetables and a glass of orange juice in front of Tien. "There's bacon and all that crap out there when you're ready, but make sure you get the good shit in ya before ya eat anything greasy!"

Tien sighed, but then smiled back at his longtime friend. "Thanks, Launch. How's Raditz?"

She sighed and shrugged. "I... dunno. He wanted to have a talk with Ranch last night, but she avoided him like the plague. I... I just don't know. I'm probably a bad wife and a worse mother."

Chiaotzu shook his head. "Don't say that! There's a lot going on right now."

Tien sighed. "Do you want me to try and talk to Raditz? I know he's not in the best place emotionally or mentally these days, but I might be able to offer more than Goku or Vegeta do. I mean, I can relate with him in being underestimated."

Blonde Launch glanced away, crossing her arms over her chest. She thought about everything that she knew about her husband, the stuff Raditz told her in confidence and the stuff she had overheard or extrapolated. She sighed. "Lemme gauge what's up with him and I'll talk to you after the tournament, okay?"

Tien nodded. "Of course."

The blonde bandit smiled, leaning down and kissing Tien's shiny, bald head. "Thanks, Tien. Love ya!"

Tien smiled and then began to tuck into his breakfast. He needed all the strength he could build for the battles ahead. Satisfied, Launch left Tien's room and started walking toward her own. In a flash, Trunks and Ranch ran by, each of them holding what looked like wadded up bedding. Blonde Launch sneezed as a hair tickled her nose and her hair turned blue. Blue Launch turned and called. "Ranch, wait! Your father-"

The door to the suite slammed and Trunks and Ranch were gone. Bulma came running out shortly after. "Launch, did you see where our kids went? It looked like they were running off with two armfuls of hotel bedding!"

Blue Launch pointed to the door. Bulma growled. "Damn it! Those two better not destroy those sheets! The deposit on this hotel room wasn't cheap!"

Bulma ran to the door, flinging in open and running out into the hall in a hopeless attempt to catch up to the little delinquents.

Blue Launch sighed and walked into her room, finding Raditz dressing himself in a three-piece suit: white pants with brown shoes, a black button-up shirt and a teal suit jacket. As usual, Raditz was struggling to tie his black silk tie, so Blue Launch stepped in to help. In spite of himself, the Saiyan smiled. "Th-Thanks. You're always there to help me..."

Hearing Raditz say that was almost enough to make Blue Launch cry, but she stifled her tears as she pulled Raditz's tie tight. She loved him so much, and yet she had watched him suffer for almost 7 years. Him and Ranch both. And all she had ever been able to do was fruitlessly beg them to try and connect. Some help she actually was. Blue Launch looked up at Raditz and smiled. "... I love you, Raditz."

He pulled her close. "I love you too."

Finally, across the way, Gohan was standing in his private little room and adjusting his Saiyaman outfit. He groaned as he put on the cheap sunglasses and tightened the bandana. "Damn it. I shoulda asked that Silas guy if I coulda borrowed his goggles. I miss my helmet..."

As Gohan continued whining about tournament rules forbidding his Saiyaman helmet, his cell phone buzzed and he picked it up. It was a text message from Jeice, a picture it seemed. Gohan opened the text and a smile spread across his face. He chuckled. "Lookin' dapper, boys! Lookin' really dapper!"

The half-Saiyan was giggling with glee as he sent back at least a dozen emojis. Then, he heard his mother call. "Okay! Everything is cooked! Come and get it before Goku makes it disappear!"

Gohan cringed, a serious threat if he ever heard one. He shoved his phone into his tunic and ran to go claim some breakfast.

The Z-Fighters all gathered in the full kitchen, around the massive island where Chi-Chi had laid her ginormous breakfast spread. All of them, except for the missing Trunks and Ranch, enjoyed a morning of friendship and comradery. Laughter filled the room as the warriors exchanged laughter, banter, and the occasional mean-spirited barb. Chi-Chi scowled as she looked at the tournament roster on the website. "That 'Gyuhime' woman pisses me off more than that Mr. Satan oaf..."

Roshi cackled. "But you gotta admit, it sure is a sexy outfit! Heck, substitute the fake horns with those beauties you keep hidden under that hair buns, and I bet you'd look even sexier wearing that~"

In response to this latest perversion, Chi-Chi picked up a skillet and bashed Roshi over the top of the head with it. Vegeta pointed. "Take notes, Bulla. You imitate Kakarot's wife if that lecher ever tries anything on you."

Bulla nodded and saluted. "Yes, sir!"

Off in the corner, Piccolo stood drinking from a massive bottle of mineral water. Gohan leaned on the wall next to him. "What's up, Piccolo? Something on your mind?"

Piccolo sighed. "I have a bad feeling about today, like we're currently standing in the calm before the storm. Something is going to happen, but I have no clue what."

Gohan nodded. "I understand what you mean. I'm worried about a lot of things today..."

And then, Gohan pulled out his phone and texted a good morning message in his, Videl, Erasa, and Sharpner's group chat. Gohan sighed again. His girlfriend was one of the things he was most worried about.

At Mr. Satan's beach house…

Videl felt her phone buzz and pulled it out to have a look. She smiled at Gohan's good morning message, including an attached pic of his father and that Vegeta guy fighting over the last sausage on a platter. This was quickly followed up by a pic from Erasa and Sharpner, enjoying an Island Platter at Papaya Pancakes. Videl sighed, wishing she had joined them. But this morning she had something more important to do.

Videl texted everyone back, saying that she'd see Gohan later, and then walked upstairs to the guest room. She slowly pushed it open, seeing Caroni and Piiza both slumbering in chairs laid next to the bed. Laying in the bed was Pirozhki, his neck in a heavy brace and his face covered in bandages. Spopovich had crushed Pirozhki's head inside his helmet, and then twisted his neck for good measure. While relieved to know Pirozhki was alive and would recover, Videl felt a searing amount of hate in her chest for that lumbering bastard and his stupid forehead tattoo. Taking a deep breath, Videl marched over to Pirozhki's side and whispered. "Don't worry, Uncle Pirozhki. I'll kick that guy's ass!"

It had taken a full night of arguing with her father, Miss Komori, Caroni, Piiza, Erasa, Sharpener, AND Gohan to convince them to stop harassing her about forfeiting her match. She wouldn't let this stand. Spopovich had brutalized someone she loved. She would make sure that, by the end of the day, he would pay for what he did!

At the tournament gates…

Videl had stopped at a crepes stand on the boardwalk and gotten herself two peanut butter and bacon crepes for breakfast. Washing the quick meal down with a mango smoothie, she was ready to face the day. As she approached the tournament gates, she smiled. There was Gohan's group, all gathered around the entrance and sharing some final pleasantries. Gohan's mother was adjusting his bandana, trying her best to help him keep his disguise in place. Goku was, as usual, playing around with the kids.

Videl marched up and smiled. "Hey, everybody!"

The Z-Fighters turned to Videl and the one they called 17 smirked. "Heya!"

The rest of Gohan's little group quickly approached Videl, giving their good morning greetings and various shows of comradery. Finally, Videl approached her boyfriend, standing on her tiptoes to receive a kiss. Chika squealed. "Aww~ Gohan's in love~!"

Gohan groaned, blushing. "I'm the Great Saiyaman right now, Chika..."

"Yeah, Chika, you have to respect his right to his privacy! Can't have the paparazzi invading Mt. Paozu~"

Videl and Gohan turned to see Sharpner and Erasa walking up. As Erasa knelt and gave Chika a friendly hug, which was quickly returned. Sharpner offered a fist bump to each of his friends. "Good luck in the tournament today, you guys! You both better make it to the finals~"

Erasa smirked. "Wouldn't that be an exciting match? I hope it happens~"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Not bloody likely..."

Bulma slapped his arm. "Don't be rude to Gohan's friends!"

Finally, after a bit more joking around, Gohan's friend and family entered through the spectator's gate, shouting last words of encouragement for all their beloved participants. Videl cocked her head and turned to Gohan. "Where are Trunks and Ranch?

Gohan shrugged, as Mighty Mask stumbled through the competitor's gate right behind him. "We have no idea. But they can take care of themselves. They're tough."

Goku cracked his neck, looking genuinely excited. "Finally! Another World Tournament!"

The competing Z-Fighters all nodded, each of them adopted a confident grin. Goku pointed through the gate. "Let's go, gang! We have a tournament to win!"

The group walked through together, marching with purpose down the flagstone path toward the building that served as the fighter's waiting area. Videl punched her fist into her hand. "First Spopovich then..."

She looked back at Tien and Android 17, narrowing her eyes. "One of you..."

17 nervously chuckled, holding his hands up. "Hold on, killer! Don't get ahead of yourself! Let me beat Tien first~"

Tien snorted. "Yeah, she's getting ahead of herself."

Videl ignored them. "And then, after that..."

She turned and glared at Krillin, Piccolo, and Vegeta. "Then one of you three."

Krillin cringed. "Yeesh, do Saiyans ever date women that aren't totally terrifying?!"

Gohan growled under his breath. "Shut up, Krillin..."

Goku frowned. "Hey, my mom isn't scary! She's really nice!"

Videl turned and looked at Goku and Gohan. "And then, my final hurdle is one of you two!"

Android 18 sighed. "I'm already being written out of things. Great. Why did I put on this whole outfit this morning?"

Videl gasped, turning to 18. "N-No! I'm sorry! I'm not, like, discounting you or anything! I just..."

18 chuckled. "Relax. I'm joking. But you should also stay on your toes. Cuz, I might just beat the hell out of Goku and Gohan and then you have to get by me~"

Videl flinched. "I-I think I'd prefer it if I faced one of the other two. No offense, but Erasa's told me how scary you can be..."

She gave a nervous, little laugh. "Like, Krillin must be a Saiyan too! Whatever that means..."

Vegeta brayed out a brackish little laugh. "HA!"

Goku smiled. "I think I'd like to face you in the finals, Videl. We could have our rematch from last time. I can feel that you've become a lot, lot stronger since then."

Videl turned to Goku. "You think so?"

Goku nodded. "Know so. Like, you can tell just by looking at you that you've come to some sort of breakthrough."

Videl's confident smile reemerged. "Damn straight. You'd better watch your ass, all of you!"

Piccolo nodded. "Noted."

The group rounded a corner, and the waiting area came into sight. Soon enough, the tournament would officially begin. As they continued their march, however, Goku suddenly came to a stop. "Huh?"

Everyone else stopped. Gohan cocked his head. "Something wrong, Dad?"

The sound of boots clicking against the flagstones rang out and everyone turned toward the waiting area again. Where there was nothing before, now there stood the ethereal forms of Shin and Kibito. The two strange fighters both stood there, their eyes locked onto the Z-Fighters. Piccolo gritted his teeth, focusing his glare on the shorter of the two. There was still something he couldn't quite place about Shin that made him uneasy.

After a moment, Shin marched forward, his boots seemed to almost purposefully be making a clicking sound with each step. The fighter smiled, scanning his eyes over each of the Z-Fighters in a slow, deliberate stroke. The first person he spoke to was Krillin. "I am looking forward to our bout today. I have heard nothing but good things about the frequent tournament competitor known as Krillin."

Krillin flinched. "O-Oh! Right. Um... looking forward to fighting you too!"

Almost as if on instinct, 18 placed her hand on Krilin's shoulder and gripped it tight. She narrowed her eyes at Shin. The short, purple man then turned his attention directly to Goku, offering his hand. "And, of course, it's a pleasure to meet the legendary Son Goku~"

Goku nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah! Nice to meet you too, bu-"

The moment Goku touched Shin's hand, his voice stopped in its tracks. Shin smiled and gave the Saiyan's hand a firm shake. "Yes. A pleasure indeed. I look forward to getting to know you more in the future, Mr. Goku."

Shin released Goku's hand and turned his back to the Z-Fighters. "I wish you all the best of luck! Have a good match Piccolo Jr., Vegeta IV, Videl Hercule, Tien Shinhan, Lapis Lazarus, Lazuli Lazarus, and Son Gohan."

The other Z-Fighters' eyes went wide. Shin walked past Kibito and the larger man followed along wordlessly. After a moment, both fighters disappeared into the fighter's waiting area. No one spoke for the longest time, Goku looked down at his hand, his palm seemed to tingle where Shin had touched it. Finally, Videl spoke. "He knows my real surname. Even in school, I'm listed as Videl Satan. My Dad changed our family name when he got famous..."

Piccolo growled. Vegeta, 17, and 18 all scowled. Gohan shuffled uncomfortably. Krillin groaned. "Oh... why do I always have to fight the mysterious, creepy drifters? Jackie Chun, Chiaotzu, Piccolo, and now this guy..."

Vegeta glared over at Goku. "Kakarot. Why are you staring at your hand like a drooling invalid?"

Goku gripped his fist. "S-Sorry. I just... feel like I've met him before..."

Finally, Gohan spoke up. "Well, that weirdness aside, it's still tournament day and I'm still excited! Let's hurry to the waiting area!"

Slowly, the rest of the Z-Fighters agreed and continued their walk.

Meanwhile, in Satan City…

Gunfire rattled off through the air as Golden Joe and the Suggins Gang fired at the waiting, almost helpless police. Golden Joe himself hooted, howling to the sky like a wolf. "THE TOURNAMENT IS THE PERFECT TIME FOR A CRIME SPREE, BOYS! LET'S BLEED THIS TOWN DRY!"

Newly-demoted Detective Akai Tomato hunkered down behind her car, rapidly thumbing bullets into her service pistol. "Damn it! They always go nuts when Mr. Satan leaves town, but this is crazy!"

The officer next to her stood up to return fire and ate three bullets, two shredding his hat and one piercing his shoulder. "AGH!"

The officer fell and Tomato immediately dragged him into deeper cover. "Hey! You okay?!"

He groaned. "We might be in some real shit, Commissioner Tomato..."

Tomato shook her head, yanking off her tie and using it to messily bind his wound shut. "Detective Tomato! And don't talk like that! We'll-"

Another officer cried out. "THEY HAVE A GODDAMNED RPG!"

An explosion rocked the front of Tomato's patrol car, blowing the entire front end into pieces. She was almost blown over, but managed to catch herself. With a growl of frustration, she grabbed the injured officer next to her and slung him over her shoulder. "C'mon! We're-"

She turned and there was one of the Suggins goons, aiming a shotgun right in her face. He cackled and put his finger on the trigger. "Die, pig!"

Tomato shoved the injured man behind her, facing death as she at least tried to save his life. However, before the trigger could be pulled, a blue flash crashed into the crook and sent him flying into the wrought-iron fence in front of the bank. The goon gave a hollow wheeze, and then fell unconscious. All the gunfire stopped. The cops looked at the massive, blue shape in front of their former commissioner.

Golden Joe and his gang all stared in disbelief. The gangster shrugged his shoulders. "What the hell is this?!"

The blue being struck a pose. "Flowing like the chill windsss of the North! I am ssswift justice! The ssserulean champion of the sssquad, I AM SSSAIYA SSSAPPHIRE!"

Immediately following that, a yellow hulk fell from the sky and crushed the Suggins gang's getaway truck, striking a pose. "SOLID AS THE MOUNTAINS OF THE EAST! I AM THE IMMOVABLE FORCE OF JUSTICE! THE AMBER-GOLD CHAMPION OF THE SQUAD! I AM SAIYA TOPAZ!"

In a flash, a shorter green soldier appeared behind Golden Joe, grabbed his arms into a lock and shoved him to the ground. The chubby, green vigilante stood atop his toppled foe and struck a pose. "Vibrant as the forests of the West! I am the creeping hand of hidden justice! The verdant champion of the squad! I AM SAIYA EMERALD!"

Finally, a red warrior landed on the street, standing between the injured law enforcement and the wicked criminals that would defy them. "Burning like the volcanoes of the South! I am the burning light of justice for this wretched world! The crimson avenger and leader of the squad! I AM SAIYA RUBY!"

Tomato gasped in shock, taking in the costumes of these four, masked heroes. They were all dressed in the same garb as Saiyaman, but each favoring a single color!

The four new heroes grouped together, striking a combined pose that could only serve to assure that they had the situation under control. The four of them shouted in unison. "WE ARE THE SAIYA SENTAI SQUAD!"

The rest of the cops seemed very unimpressed, but Tomato's eyes burst into clouds of sparkles. "OMAIGAWD! NEW SUPERHEROES!"

In the World Tournament spectator stands…

Bulma sipped her orange soda as Raditz watched the phone over her shoulder, four foil wrapped hot dogs sitting in his lap. The overweight Saiyan took a bite and spoke as he chewed. "What the hell is that?"

Bulma sipped. "Apparently, Gohan hired some temps to protect Satan City while the tournament was happening..."

Raditz nodded. "Hm."

They both sat there, watching the news feed on Bulma's phone. She turned to him. "Do they look familiar to you? They feel familiar..."

Raditz nodded. "I was just thinking the same thing, but I can't place it. Something is... familiar... though."

The two of them stared at the phone for another long minute, and then they both shrugged. Bulma put away her phone and Raditz ate the rest of his hot dog in one bite each. "Only 15 more minutes until things start..."

Ox-King and Android 16 both picked up two kids, Ushio setting Goten on his right shoulder and Chika on his left. 16 placed Marron on his right shoulder and Bulla on his left. Chika and Marron smiled at each other and held hands.

At the front of the crowd, Mr. Satan happily took his new seat. A superior upgrade to his spot during the Junior Division, Mr. Satan was now sitting in a massive throne in front of all the fans so that he would have a front-row seat to see who would be facing him in the grand finale this evening.

On the outside, Mr. Satan was his usual braggadocious self. And the crowd was eating it up with their cheers and adulation. On the inside, however, Mark was panicking like crazy. 'They're here! I can't believe they're here! Why can't the Cell Games just fade into history where it belongs?!'

In the ring, Vale was performing a mic check, gargling a small cup of seltzer and making sure his voice was as strong as possible. Today was the big day! In 10 minutes, the World Martial Arts Tournament would commence!

In the contestant's waiting area…

10 minutes quickly passed. All the competitors were gathered in the waiting area, listening to Vale give his spirited introduction, followed by the roar of the crowd. The Z-Fighters, Shin and Kibito, Mighty Mask, Spike the Devilman, Gyuhime the Cow Princess, and Spopovich and Yamu all stood in a silent tension.

Videl glared out of the corner of her eye at Spopovich, only to find him staring right back at her with barely contained rage. For just a moment, Videl lost her nerve. But, she quickly regained it. She mumbled to herself. "Stare all you want, I'm gonna kick your ass..."

Outside, Vale continued to talk and hype up the crowd. Vegeta groaned. "He's droning on and on and on..."

18 raised an eyebrow. "Is our dearest little prince feeling inconvenienced?"

Vegeta was blunt. "I have to piss."

18 rolled her eyes. "Then piss! It's not like you're first up! You have plenty of time!"

Vegeta nodded. "That's actually a fair point."

Then, he stalked out of the waiting area in search of a bathroom. 18 turned to Piccolo. "Well? Where's my gratitude? I just saved you from a ring accident, cuz Vegeta's apparently a 4-year-old in need of a teacher pass."

Piccolo smirked. "I'll send you one of those fruit bouquet things in the mail."

Once again, the mood had become light. Despite all the strangeness they had observed the past 2 days, the Z-Fighters were still quite excited for everything that laid ahead. The only person still in a funk seemed to be Krillin, who was shuffling in place and stealing furtive glances at Shin over his shoulder.

Goku frowned. "You okay, buddy?"

Krillin sighed. "Just... nervous."

Goku looked from Krillin to Shin and sighed. "Yeah, I feel ya. That guy is weird."

Krillin closed his eyes. Goku smiled and slapped him on the back. "Hey! Cheer up! You and I have been training together since we learned this tournament was happening! If there's anyone I'm sure could beat that guy in a fair fight, it's you, Krillin!"

Finally, Krillin managed a smile. He looked up at his best friend and chuckled. "Well, Goku, if you're saying that then I guess I can go out and give my best effort~"

In the tournament ring…

Vale held the microphone up to his mouth. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's get the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament underway!"

The crowd roared and Vale pointed to the waiting area. "If our first two fighters would so kindly join us, we can get the first match started! It's Shin vs Krillin!"

As the crowd cheered and chanted, Krillin and his opponent both walked out. Vale smirked. "Now Krillin is a face that should be very familiar to long-time tournament fans! He first joined our humble lineage all the way back at the 21st Tournament at the tender age of 12, where he made it to the quarter finals in an excellent showing against Jackie Chun! Following that, he would reach his tournament peak in a semifinals classic against future champion, Son Goku! His last appearance was in the 23rd tournament, making a valiant effort against eventual finalist, Ma Junior! Following a pass in joining the 24th tournament, is this Krillin's year to go all the way?!"

The crowd roared in approval and Krillin smiled, thrusting his fist into the air.

Vale continued. "As for our other contestant, this is Shin's first tournament appearance! He's a mysterious man with an enigmatic mystique! But, he clearly expects success as he boldly strides to the ring! Let's hear it for Shin!"

The crowd cheered again, and Shin looked up at them, giving a smile and a tiny wave.

The two opponents entered the ring and stood across from one another. Krillin took on a fighting stance and Shin stood very formally, arms straight at his sides.

Vale cried out. "Fighters ready?!"

Krillin gave a curt nod. Shin smiled. Vale thrust his hand into the air. "BEGIN!"

And then, before the echo of Vale's voice died out, Krillin's eyes rolled into the back of his head and a small bubbly froth spurted from the corner of his mouth. Krillin fell forward onto his face and laid there, motionless. Shin smiled and closed his eyes. "Oh dear. He seems to be unwell."

The entire crowd was silent. Vale stared in disbelief. "Krillin...?"

The announcer walked over and gave Krillin a shake. The former monk didn't move. Vale sighed, looking worried. "L-Ladies and gentlemen... Krillin seems to have passed out! Unfortunately, in this situation, we will have to declare Shin as the winner!"

In the contestant's waiting area…

Shin walked into the back room and an energy-coated fist rocketed toward his face. All at once, Goku and Kibito both stepped in, Kibito shielding the shorter man and Goku grabbing Android 18's wrist. Shin looked over and found himself staring into a furious, vengeful scowl. 18 snarled. "WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU LITTLE CREEP?!"

17 stepped forward, glaring at the Saiyan. "Goku. Hands off my sister."

Goku nodded and released 18, but still made sure that he stood between her and Shin. The rest of the Z-Fighters locked their angry glares on Shin. He and Kibito stared right back. Shortly after, the medical staff came marching in with the unconscious Krillin on a stretcher. Quickly, Tien stepped into their path. "Thank you for your service, but we'll take care of him."

At first, the medics seemed unsure. But then, feeling the tension in the room, they simply nodded and left Krillin lying in Tien's arms. The three-eyed warrior walked over to a nearby bench and laid Krillin on it. He motioned. "18!"

18 sneered at Shin with pure hate. And then, she broke away and ran over to her fallen spouse. Piccolo followed, placing his hand on Krillin's forehead and closing his eyes. After a moment, Piccolo turned to the others. "Perfectly healthy. Just in a full state of unconsciousness. Like someone shut off his brain and it's slowly turning back on."

Goku turned and nodded to Piccolo, a look of relief clear on his face. Then, he turned his attention back to Shin. "What's your game here? What are we doing?"

Finally, Shin smiled. "You will know soon."

Then, he and Kibito marched off to a lonely corner of the waiting area. The rest of the Z-Fighters migrated over to check on Krillin.

Off on their own, Mighty Mask were both pretty concerned. As the crowd outside jeered, and Vale tried to get them to settle down, Trunks and Ranch spoke to each other in quiet whispers. Ranch frowned. "I hope Krillin is okay..."

Trunks sighed. "P-Piccolo said he's fine. So, he's probably fine. Piccolo's one of the smart adults..."

At the same time, both kids were very nervous. If they didn't have a disguise to maintain, they would both be over there as well, checking on one of the kind adults that worked to make their lives nice. Trunks groaned. "That short guy is creepy as hell..."

Ranch nodded. "Yeah. I don't like him."

Outside, the crowd had calmed down and Vale spoke into his mic. "Now then, ladies and gentlemen, let's all try to be sensitive to the medical needs of our competitors! Krillin might be under the weather today, but he still deserves all our support as the tournament veteran that he is!"

The crowd cheered, but with less vigor than normal. Vale nodded. "Okay! Let's move on to the next match! If our competitors would please join us in the ring, we can get the second bout started! It's Junior vs Vegeta!"

On the other side of the room, Piccolo nodded. "I guess I'm up."

The Namekian squared his shoulders, taking a deep breath and letting it slowly out. No time for Krillin. No time for the mysterious Shin. This was something that required his focus. After all, he had been looking forward to this fight for far longer than he had been thinking about this mere tournament.

As Piccolo passed Mighty Mask, on his way out the door, Trunks quickly began to panic. "Oh crap!"

Ranch looked up at him. "What?"

Trunks hastily began to look around. "M-My dad still isn't back from the bathroom!"

In the spectator's stands…

Marron was still misty-eyed, sniffling as Chika hugged her tight. "Daddy..."

Android 16, serving as Marron's seat, seemed genuinely furious at whatever Shin had done. Unlike everyone else who relied on Ki sense, 16 had actual scanners built into his eyes. He saw Krillin's brain waves suddenly cease, an unnatural phenomenon to say the least. Keeping his composure, 16 offered up Marron's ice cream cone and she took it, sadly licking it as Chika patted her head.

Bulla scowled. "What happened?! Daddy always says that Krillin is one of his stronger peons. Why did he just fall over like that?!"

Yamcha frowned. "I dunno, Bulla. Something seems off about that..."

Chiaotzu grimaced. "It felt off too. Like, a storm surge just ran through the ring and Krillin collapsed..."

Yamcha looked over at his companion. "I didn't feel anything."

Chiaotzu shook his head. "You wouldn't. It wasn't Ki. It was... psychic energy, or something close to it..."

Raditz sighed. "Great. A psychic. Looks like Piccolo or Vegeta have their work cut out for them..."

Piccolo had completed his stroll to the ring and was now standing there, waiting. Roshi frowned. "Where is Vegeta? It's been a short while since he was called out..."

Bulma groaned. "Jeez. He'd better not get counted out. I'll never hear the end of it if he loses this thing for himself..."

In the ring…

Piccolo and Vale both stood waiting in the ring. The announcer, feeling the crowd start to get restless, turned to Piccolo. "H-Hey, where is he?"

Piccolo shrugged. "He said he had to use the restroom. I don't think he was expecting Krillin to go down so quickly."

Vale groaned. "Sorry, but we have rules, Junior. I can't just flaunt them like this. I have to start counting."

Piccolo closed his eyes. "You're a man doing a job. If Vegeta can't be prompt, he has no one to blame but himself."

The announcer watched as Piccolo crossed his arms over his chest and groaned. "Off to a great start..."

Vale raised the microphone to his mouth. "Ladies and gentleman, unfortunately Vegeta's absence is forcing my hand! We will now do a ten-count and, should he not be in the ring at that point, the victory will go to Junior by default!"

The crowd began to boo and jeer and Vale nodded. "P-Please be patient, everyone!"

Vale jabbed his finger into the air and slowly began the count. "One!... Two!... Three!... Four!..."

Piccolo's ear twitched.

"Five!... Six!... Seven!..."

In the contestant's waiting area…

The Z-Fighters were all restless as they watched Vale count. 18 growled. "What the hell, Vegeta?!"

Videl looked disappointed. "Where is he?! It can't take this long to pee!"

Out in the ring, Vale shouted. "Eight!..."

And then, to the surprise of nearly everyone, a massive gust of wind shot through the waiting area and something blasted through at a blistering speed. Goku smiled. "Alright! This is gonna be fun~"

In the ring…

Vale looked genuinely devastated as he thrust his finger into the air. "Nine!... Aaannnd te-"

And then, the blur rushed into the ring with all the force of a speeding comet. Piccolo stood still as a statue, thrusting his hand out at the last second and catching a gloved fist in his open palm. The sheer force of the strike sent out a shockwave that nearly blew everyone in the stands out of their seats.

Vale went flying out of the ring and landed with a thud on the grass. Immediately, in spite of the pain in his hip, the announcer stood up and shouted into the mic. "What the devil was that?!"

He gasped. In the middle of the ring, Piccolo stood stalwart. His cape was still flapping around behind him. Standing right in front of him was the smirking, cackling Vegeta. "Forgive my tardiness, Namekian! I wasn't expecting such a quick turnover from the last match!"

Piccolo gave the prince a harsh shove, sending him sliding back. He took a fighting stance and glared at Vegeta. "Don't waste your breath. All that matters is the fight. I've been looking forward to taking you down a peg since the day you stepped into my life!"

Vegeta adopted his most aggressive stance. "Then by all means, green man, bring me your all!"

Seeing how raring to go the two competitors were, Vale chose to skip over their personal histories. Instead, with a hearty smile on his face, the announcer shouted into the mic. "VEGETA VS. JUNIOR! THE SECOND MATCH OF THE 25TH WORLD MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT BEGINS NOW!"