"Allow me to explain the rules…"
All eyes were fixed on the Grand Minister. The man might have been short in stature, but he held a presence as large as the arena itself. The platform he was on was slowly rotating clockwise as he spoke, and he projected his voice expertly to the waiting crowd of onlookers.
"Sixteen contestants have gathered from across six separate timelines. These warriors will engage in one-on-one battles, with the victor of each match rising through the bracket after the successful elimination of their opponent. There will be fifteen matches in total, with the preliminary stage of the tournament consisting of eight matches."
Though many of the warriors present were more than acquainted with the conditions of fighting tournaments, all chose to listen with their utmost attention in order to identify even the subtlest variation in the standard rules they were accustomed to.
"The battle conditions are as follows: The rounds will begin upon my decree. A contestant is eliminated if they are knocked down for more than thirty seconds, forfeit of their own volition, or are unable to continue due to permanent incapacitation or death. Rest assured however, any who are unfortunate enough to perish will be promptly returned to life by their respective timeline's delegation."
Murmurs had broken out amongst the crowd from that declaration, including among the warriors surrounding the ring below. Those who held no knowledge of who exactly this 'Grand Minister' was were clearly unnerved. "They have that amount of control over life and death?" Uub stated aloud, clearly uneased.
"They are deities, Uub, with powers far beyond whatever we could comprehend," Piccolo replied coolly, hanging on the Grand Minister's every word. "We might be here to test our strength, but ultimately, we're just playthings to them."
"Hmph, speak for yourself, Namekian," Vegeta 1 proclaimed, aggrieved by Piccolo's tone. "These gods may stand above us and claim superiority, and yet we stun them with our strength time and time again!" He crossed his arms and glared up in defiance. "And Prince Vegeta is no one's plaything."
Being ignorant of the blasphemous mutterings below, the Grand Minister continued with vigour. "There are no set time limits for the matches, and they will simply continue until either a clear winner is established, or the match is concluded by myself on behalf of the Omni-King should a stalemate be reached. The victor will then be declared upon a majority vote by the Council of Grand Zeno!"
"Council?" Supreme Kai Shin murmured to his elder warily, peering down from their position at the top of the arena. "The seven Grand Zeno's have established such an order among themselves?"
"Grand Zeno can do whatever he wishes!" Old Kai replied harshly. "They are equal beings in the hierarchy of the multiverse. It only makes sense they make this collection of themselves an official overseeing body." His thin moustache twitched as he spoke.
"Gathering for a tournament is one thing. It's what they choose to do after this that I'm concerned about," Shin added under his breath, not daring to speak louder than a whisper.
"That concludes the basic rules of the matches." The Grand Minister finished with a nod, arms now placed behind his back. "Though additional rules can be implemented on a case-by-case basis, if they are agreed by both contestants and approved by the Council of Grand Zeno."
The Minister then seemed to pause, bowing his head and closing his eyes. Many members of the audience started to grow perplexed at his sudden change in demeanour, though many more simply sat expectantly. Several moments later, the arena was darkened by an abnormally large shadow, with a strange orange tinted glow suddenly shining from above.
All eyes turned to the sky, and focused on the seven planet sized orbs that were now orbiting the arena.
"Those are-!" Vegeta 2 blurted out, unable to say anything further,
"Woah! They're big!" Pan 1 exclaimed.
"And shiny!" Pan 2 elaborated.
Even those who had witnessed the spectacle of the Dragon Balls before stared at the sky in awe. The massive magical, wish granting artefacts had been summoned forth by the Grand Minister and now lingered in the sky majestically. A now constant reminder for the contestants below of the ultimate prize just outside of their grasp.
The Super Dragon Balls had made their debut.
"I will never get used to seeing those things," Gohan 1 muttered in wonder, eyes occasionally drifting to the four starred, planet sized ball. The shape was identical, it was just a little bigger than the one he was used to.
Pan 2 had seen Dragon Balls of all varieties. Red starred, black starred, and even cracked apart. But to see one's as large as some of the planets she had visited was awe-inspiring. The Dragon Balls were in her sight lines; and where the Dragon Balls were, a wish was always soon to follow, and she only had one on her mind.
Two areas over, even someone as self admittedly monstrous as Cell couldn't help but look to the air with a glint in his eyes. "A truly marvelous creation those balls, and to think I owe my very existence to Goku and the Red Ribbon Army's little scavenger hunt for Earth's set. Had their paths not crossed, Dr. Gero would have never taken those first steps." Cell flexed his fingers. "Perhaps I should start giving some consideration towards my inevitable wish."
Had Cell looked to his right, he would have noticed a white skinned creature emerge from the dark of the Timeline 5 entryway. Lord Frieza stepped into the orange light, looked to the sky and spread his arms wide in a grandiose display of arrogance. "Fate has drawn us back together." He addressed the inanimate floating balls as if they were his loyal subjects. "My wish was regretfully lost to me on Namek, but now I have been awarded the second chance for immortality that I so rightfully deserve!"
Frieza held in a laugh as he grinned to the objects above longingly. A grin which promptly fell when a taunting voice sounded out from the dark behind him and forced his attention. "Assuming you win the Tournament," the voice spoke, laced with venom. "And assuming you get past me."
Frieza sneered and slammed his tail against the ground. He may have been surrounded by fifteen obstacles he would have to prevail over to claim his destined prize, yet the warrior who irked him most was situated right behind him.
'You will know your place soon, brother.'
Whilst Frieza pondered traitorous thoughts, the five figures who stood shadowed in the entryway of their own Timeline's area voiced their's aloud, and looked to the Dragon Balls with considerable interest.
"It seems those folktales of wish granting orbs were true," a large, armoured and bald headed man spoke with a rough tone. "A wish upon these Dragon Balls could be just what we need to secure our reign over the universe."
"You think too small, Nappa," a much shorter man spoke, flexing his neck. "That angel creature told us there were no limits to the Dragon's wish granting abilities. Why should we settle for ruling over one universe when we now know there are several more ripe for the taking?"
Nappa chuckled, scratching his chin with his wrinkled hand. "Ha, I never thought of that." He then puffed out his chest and turned to the ring. "Man, I wish I was competing, I'm not completely out of the fight yet!"
"Age has slowed you, old man," a new voice spoke, belonging to a long haired man, his voice as cruel as the expression he held. "Best for you to sit back and leave this one to the young and able."
Nappa scoffed. "A weakling like you won't even make it past the first round!" He pointed a finger and suppressed a cough. "And don't you take that tone with me, Raditz! I might be old, but I can still kick your ass!"
"Silence," the shorter man ordered, and all present complied. He began to walk forwards into the centre of their area, and King Vegeta of the fourth Timeline grinned to himself and turned to the sky. 'These so-called gods will soon know the name Vegeta, and once I have my wish, they will fear it.'
- DB DBZ DBS DBGT -
"The champion's prize for winning the Tournament will be a wish upon the Super Dragon Balls. These devine creations can make any desire come true; a suitable reward for whoever is worthy enough to surpass this grand trial of strength."
In a sudden burst of speed, the Minister's floating platform sped over to one of the far ends of the arena, to a large ornate pillar supporting the audience stands. It was an enormous structure, flanked by the crowd on either side. As he approached, fluorescent blue lines appeared upon the white marble like surface, glowing out of the rock and soon forming into a currently blank, pyramid shaped, sixteen-man tournament bracket.
"Without further adieu, I will now announce the contestants for the first round of the Tournament of Time!"
The roar of the crowd was deafening. The citizens of six timelines cheered with glee as they eagerly awaited for the tournament they had been yearning for to finally commence.
In the warrior's rest area below; sixteen fighters waited in anticipation. Anxiously awaiting to hear their name be called aloud.
"No ballot draw?" Goku muttered to himself bemused, wondering just how exactly the selection process for the matchups was supposed to be made. He was of course used to the standard randomised selection of the World Martial Arts Tournaments held on Papaya Island. He had to shake his head to ward off any reminiscing, something he wished to avoid for the moment.
As if in answer to his query, the Grand Minister elaborated from his position next to the empty Tournament bracket. "The matchups will be decided by the Council of Grand Zeno; each having given considerable time, thought and consideration into each and every contestant in order to ensure the Tournament runs at an optimal pace."
"The blue brats are picking the lineup?" Vegeta 1 growled, clutching a fist and holding a glare. "That's absurd! They've shown blatant favouritism towards Kakarot in the past, they could just pair him up with the weakest opponents so he'll make it to the finals!"
Though Goku wouldn't have said it in the same way Vegeta had, he too had his own thoughts on the issue. "I kinda agree with you, Vegeta, if it's not a random selection, someone's got to be getting the short end of the stick." He crossed his arms in contemplation, assessing the balloting situation as best as he was able.
"Remember, Goku," Piccolo cut in, the Saiyan looking over his shoulder in reply. "Grand Zeno has a power of insight and intelligence we cannot fathom, and there's seven of him up there. Above all else, he's here to be entertained," Piccolo allowed himself to smirk. "Don't forget, you're his favourite pastime, maybe it'll be you getting the short end."
"Heh…" Goku mulled in response. "Well when you put it that way, I guess I should watch my back."
The Grand Minister floated back into the centre of the area, directly above the ring. He looked briefly to the floating palace above, and then lowered his head. The crowd was silent, as was the entire Null Realm.
"Son Goku."
The Saiyan did not so much as blink as he felt all eyes snap in his direction and gasps sound out from all around him. Goku simply stood tall, looked to the Grand Minister, and allowed a smile to form.
The Grand Minister peered down at him; a knowing gaze hidden behind his otherwise unreadable expression. "Grand Zeno has decreed that you should be called first." Upon finishing his words, a portrait of Goku appeared on the Tournament bracket situated on the wall, taking up the first empty space of the bottom row.
Though Goku was obviously aware that he was eventually going to be called to fight, he rarely had the luxury of being called first in his experience. In fact it was such an unfamiliar scenario that he actually felt a twinge of apprehension form itself in the back of his mind, an unfamiliar feeling which was soon drowned out by giddiness.
The Tournament was about to begin, how could he not be excited?
"Well then," Goku stated aloud, rolling his shoulders and arching his back. "Guess I'm up to bat first." He could have swore he heard Vegeta mutter 'favouritism' under his breath.
Flanked by his friends, he strutted up to the ring. The layout was familiar; hard stone titles, though the structure itself was circular instead of square shaped like he was accustomed to. It resembled stone, though was likely a material far stronger. Strong enough Goku hoped to hold itself together for the battles that were due to come.
There was that giddiness again.
Goku stepped into the ring, and suddenly he felt thirty years younger.
He made use of his new vantage point to observe the stands in more detail. High above the fighter's area sat his family and friends, shouting to him in encouragement. Higher still he saw old acquaintances and foes, many he was sure were looking forward to this Tournament as much as himself. He then felt himself then grow determined; he had been called to fight first in the opening round of the Tournament of a lifetime, and he did not intend to disappoint.
Goku stood firm, tightened his belt and waited for his opponent to be known.
"Round one will be between contestant Son Goku of the First Timeline." The Grand Minister's voice boomed out, drawing the focus of all present.
"Verses Uub of the Second!"
It was Goku's turn to gasp, and he turned on instinct to the waiting area he had just left. Moments ago all eyes had been on him, and now they were fixed on his alternate world student.
Uub stared forward with his mouth agape, and he met Goku's eyes. For several moments his mind went blank, and he was unable to process the thousands of stares that were now faced in his direction, nor was he able to comprehend the enormity of the situation he was now facing. He was to fight in the first match of an event so utterly overwhelming that it was almost too much to comprehend, and it would be a battle against a man who shared his loyal master's face. It was such a shock to the system that Uub was too stunned to form a rational thought.
But then Goku smiled at him, and suddenly Uub knew what he had to do.
Uub stoically marched into the ring and took up a position opposite Goku, who stood firm and confident. The Grand Minister floated in the middle above them, and appeared to be content for the two warriors below to take however long they needed to prepare themselves. The crowd similarly waited in eager anticipation, wondering just what caliber of fighters were about to reveal themselves to them.
"I can't decide if I should feel lucky or not that you are my opponent, Master Goku," Uub stated from his position at Goku's front, a small amount of sweat starting to run down from his temple.
"Hey, don't talk like that okay?" Goku replied, his tone encouraging. "You might not be my Uub, but I can tell you've got a lot of power hidden away in there." He smirked wide. "Show it to me."
Despite himself, Uub managed to smile also. "You might be a little different, but you still act like the Goku I know." Uub took a fighting stance and hardened his expression. "Let's see if you are as strong as he was!"
"That's the spirit!" Goku yelled, and took a stance of his own.
"Contestant's ready?" The Grand Minister exclaimed above, and both fighters nodded sharperly. "Then, let round one of the Tournament of Time begin!"
- DB DBZ DBS DBGT -
For Reference
Timeline 1: The Three Great Super Saiyans
Timeline 2: The Grand Tour
Timeline 3: The 'Future' Survivors
Timeline 4: The Saiyan Kingdom
Timeline 5: The Frieza Force
Timeline 6: Cell's Reign