A/N: To clear up any confusion, I'm moving the Buu saga up from when it happens in canon. The in-story reason is that they are holding a tournament to honor Mr. Satans death as well as the fact that Babidi and Dabura found their way to earth a lot sooner due to some reasons that I have hinted at and will elaborate on later. Out of story, I didn't want to do a major time skip and miss a chunk of Gohan and Zangya's life, but I also didn't want to keep inserting OC villains just to fill the gap. I will be using some of the normal humans from the canon, like Jewel and Killa but the matchups are going to be different. Last chapter stated that the tournament would be happening in a year so now everyone is a year older making Gohan 14 (Yeah, I know a year is a big skip but not in the Dragon ball series. It was either a year skip or more fluff, and I really wanted to get a move on. if you are interested, I'm planning on publishing a side story soon that goes more into the missing year). BTW, Goten and Trunks will not play a major role in this arc as they are pretty young and not yet Super Saiyan.
Some things that I am excluding from this arc:
No junior division.
No punching machine.
No fusion. (Maybe in later arcs.)
This is going to be my longest chapters yet so buckle up!
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ.
Chapter 31-Round 1
"…And so, the brave warrior had finally defeated the demon king's son."
"The warrior was daddy, wasn't it?" Goten asked excitedly.
Gohan smiled and nodded. "That's right."
"What happened next?" The little boy was practically bouncing with excitement.
"Then, the brave warrior took his princess by the hand and the two of them flew off on their magical cloud into the sunset. The end." Gohan finished telling Goten his bedtime story and started to tuck his little brother in. Goten yawned as he rubbed his eyes.
"I like that one big brother. I like it better when the demon king's son isn't a bad guy anymore though." Goten commented with a sleepy expression.
"Heheh, so do I." Gohan replied with a chuckle.
"You have a toun… A touran… A thing where you fight like dad did tomorrow, don't you?" Gohan nodded. "Are you gonna get married after like daddy and mommy then?"
Gohan couldn't help but laugh at the question. "Haha, no, I think I'm still a little young for that. Besides, it's not like that's what's supposed to happen at tournaments. I doubt the girls that participate are there to find a husband." Gohan started to take a drink from his glass of water.
"What about big sis Zangy? She'll be there. You could marry her." This caused Gohan to spit his mouthful of water out comically. He coughed and splutter, partly because of the water going down the wrong tube, but partly from embarrassment. Gohan was about to respond but his little brother was already on a different topic.
"Daddy must've been super strong, huh?"
Gohan looked at his little brother with a big smile. "Yup, he was the strongest there ever was." He proclaimed proudly. "And he always tried to do what was right, no matter how hard it was. He always put others before himself."
"Just like you, huh Gohan?"
The older brother chuckled. "I wish. I try my best, but I'm not nearly as great as dad." Gohan leaned back in his chair and the two were silent for a little bit.
"Gohan?"
"Yeah?"
"Will I ever get to meet daddy?" The innocent question caught Gohan by surprise and it brought a pained expression to his face. He didn't want to lie, but looking at those big, expectant eyes, he couldn't bring himself to tell Goten the truth. He didn't really understand the concept of death perfectly yet, after all. All he knew was that his dad wasn't there.
"How 'bout another story before you fall asleep?" Gohan tried to distract the boy.
"Oh, yeah!" Goten wigged down further into his covers. "Tell me the one where dad fights the purple lizard monster. That's my favorite."
Gohan nodded. "Far away, on a planet called Namek…"
Break
After finally getting Goten to fall asleep, Gohan quietly left his little brother's room and gently closed the door behind, making sure to not wake the little guy. He walked down the hallway toward his own room, distracted by thoughts of his late father. He got to his room and plopped down on his bed, putting his hands behind his head.
'I wish you were here dad. I'm trying, I just… I can't fill the hole you left. Goten…he needs you. So does mom… so do I.' He turned over to his side. 'Why didn't you just let us wish you back?"
Break
"Wargh!" Zangya pumped her fist as her opponent flew, screaming out of the ring.
"Victory by ring out!" Yelled a tournament official. "Red Z girl advances to the final 16!"
"Hey great job Zangya!" Gohan congratulated his friend as she jumped off the stage and landed next to him.
"Thanks rice ball. I just can't wait to get the real tournament started. All these guys were really weak." Needless to say, Zangya had breezed through the preliminaries without a problem. It was a little disappointing to her, as it seemed like the only people that would offer a decent fight would be the people she already knew.
"Well, at least you got to fight already. Everyone in my entire block decided to forfeit. Though I can't imagine why." Gohan was dead serious. He had no idea why, but as soon as they found out they would be fighting a superhero who could literally rip them in half with one punch, they decided to withdraw. He shrugged.
"Huh, that is weird." Zangya whole heartedly agreed. "But hey, none of us got put in the same block, so that's something."
"Yeah, the organizers asked me for a list of our friends who were planning to participate. Apparently, they didn't want us to fight each other till the actual tournament. More of a show, I guess."
"I'm not complaining." Zangya and Gohan started walking toward waiting room for those who passed the prelims. "It would have been really lame if I knocked you out of the tournament before it even began." She said with a grin.
"Heh, that would be a shame. Because then you'd have to leave your fantasy world because that would only ever happen in your dreams." Gohan shot back. The two continued their friendly trash talk until they came to a large open room. Some of the finalists were already waiting for the final match ups to be made. Gohan scanned the room to see if any of his friends had made it there yet. He stopped when he saw a familiar face that he did not expect to see here. "Videl?"
Standing in the corner, with two, big, bald guys, was Videl Satan. The biggest one was wearing a kind of wrestlers' singlet while the shorter bald one was wearing black gi bottoms with a purple belt. Videl was wearing a full body, black spandex suit with white boots and gloves. Gohan was surprised that she would be here. He walked over to the daughter of his Mr. Satan with a friendly smile. The three fighters growled as he approached. "It is you! How're you doing?" Videl continued to glare at him. Gohan went on, oblivious to her rage. As far as he was concerned, she had no reason to be mad at him anymore, so he didn't notice the look of hatred in her eyes. He leaned in closer for a whisper. "So, is your dad here? is he in disguise?" Gohan looked around to see if he could spot Hercule, but as soon as he looked away, Videl grabbed the front of his shirt in a violent fashion. "Hey!"
"I thought I told you to never show your face in my presence." Videl growled out, surprising Gohan with her hostility. Before he could respond another voice, far more dangerous than Videl's cut through the air.
"Let. Him. Go." Zangya stood beside Gohan and gave a death glare that would have given Frieza nightmares. "Now!"
To her credit, Videl didn't look away, though she did take a step backwards. "Or what?"
Zangyas eyes narrowed further. "Or I'll make you, little girl."
Gohan wasn't scared of Videl, but he was frightened of what Zangya might do to her. He really didn't feel like getting the Dragon balls right now. He tried to think of something to diffuse the situation. Luckily, he didn't have to as Videl, very wisely, decided to comply with Zangya's demand.
"Watch yourself in the ring, gold boy." Videl threatened, then she turned her back on him. Gohan wanted to ask why she was so hostile, but Zangya pulled him away.
After the two were halfway across the room, Gohan asked "What was that about?"
"Tch. Beats me, but that b!(+# better watch herself. I don't care if she is the buffoon's daughter." 'Nobody tries to threaten my Gohan.' She added to herself.
"Did you notice that M on her forehead though?" Gohan wondered. "All three of them had it."
"I wasn't really paying attention to their heads, Gohan. They were all too ugly to look at. Especially her." Gohan had never seen Zangya so heated. The reason for her anger was simple. The look in Videls eyes was not mere anger. It was madness. The same look a rabid dog has. The same look that Bojack got when he was on a rampage. That look was dangerous in a person because you never knew what they were going to do. The fact that a look like that was aimed at someone dear to her…
"You ok Zangya?" He asked with concern.
She took a deep breath. "Yeah. I just hope I don't get matched up with her."
"Why?" Gohan looked at her confused. "I mean, I can tell she's gotten stronger, but she's still no match for you."
"Because" Zangya said with a dark look. "I don't want to be disqualified. Murder isn't allowed in this tournament, after all."
Gohan didn't know what to say to that. Luckily, the tension was broken by a familiar voice. "HEY! Gohan! Zangya! Over here!" The two looked over and saw Krillin waving to them with 18 standing beside him with her arms folded. The cyborg gave them a smile and a nod as they approached. "Glad to see you guys made it through." Gohan said when they reached their friends.
"HAH! You must be joking?" Gohan looked to see Vegeta leaning up against a pillar. "Did you really think any of these weaklings would be able to pose a challenge?" He asked, referring to the other contestants.
"Oh, hey Vegeta. I didn't see you back there. Glad you could make it." Gohan greeted the older Saiyan.
"That's a first." Commented 18 drily. "Someone's glad to see Vegeta." Krillin tried hard to stifle a laugh and was promptly hit on the head by the Saiyan prince. A big red bump started to grow from the monks, once again, bald head.
"That's because unlike you weaklings, the boy might actually be able to keep up with me. It isn't my fault you're all nothing but cannon fodder." Vegeta explained.
"Gohan's right 18." Piccolo came walking up to them with his weighted clothes on. "It's good that he's here. When else am I going to get a chance to knock him down a peg." Vegeta stared the namekian down, who met his gaze with a challenging smile.
"Hey Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan greeted his mentor. "How were the preliminaries for you?"
Piccolo returned his students greeting. "Hey Gohan. Pretty dull. Although, there was some interesting fighters in the surrounding blocks." Piccolo jerked his head to a wall by which three fighters were gathered. One was tall and red skinned with long white hair. The other was short and purple with a white spikey mohawk. Both were wearing some formal eastern looking clothes and had earrings which hung from their pointy ears. The third man was dressed the same as the other two, but not much else could be discerned. He was wearing a hood and a toy plastic mask that was designed to look like a cartoonish monkey. Above his head was a glowing golden ring.
"Be careful of them. They are more powerful than they appear." Piccolo warned.
"Yeah, I can tell." Gohan replied. "Cool! Looks like this tournament will be more than just us after all!" He said excitedly. As he looked at the trio, he focused on the masked one. Something seemed familiar, but he just couldn't place what.
"Hey! It is you!" A Blonde man wearing a suit and sunglasses came walking quickly towards the Z fighters. "Krillin! And…" He turned to Piccolo who said "Majunior."
"Right, right, I could never forget a guy like you! Wow I'm so glad you guys decided to come back, these tournaments have been capital B boring!" Krillin just laughed and Piccolo smiled at the compliment. "So, I don't see Goku, is he coming later?" The mood of the Z fighters suddenly shifted to a somber one.
"Well, actually, Goku won't be coming." Krillin stated.
"What!? Aw, why not!?"
"My father died in the Cell games." Gohan explained.
"So, it was you guys that took that monster down." He spoke. "I knew it couldn't have been Mr. Satan. I'm sorry to hear Goku didn't make it through." He offered his sincere condolences. "You're his Son?" He asked Gohan, who responded with a nod. "Well, your father was a great fighter. If you're anything like your him, this will be a tournament for the ages!" He perked back up. "Listen, I got some business I need to attend to, I'll see you guys later. Just try not to blow up the ring this time, ok?"
"We'll try." Piccolo said with a smile.
"That's the attitude this tournament's been missing!" The announcer yelled excitedly while leaving the Z fighters.
"Are you ok Gohan?" Zangya asked. She knew it was sometimes hard for him to talk about his father. He gave her a genuine smile. "I'm just glad there's somebody else who realizes how great my dad was."
"Attention! Attention Fighters!" The announcer called from the center of the room. "Please gather around me so we can determine the brackets." All the competitors made their way towards him. "Fantastic. Now, we are going to draw lots to see who will fight who in the first round. Before we do, just a quick recap on the rules. No hitting below the belt" (18 rolled her eyes) "and no killing. Unnecessary brutality and deadly force is also prohibited," (Vegeta clicked his tongue.) "as are weapons of any kind. This is a 16-man, single elimination tournament. A fighter will lose if they land out of the ring, they stay down for a ten count, they get knocked out or they concede the match. Now, please come forward when your name is called so you can draw your number. First up, Killa!" A black man with his hands wrapped in bandages came forward and drew a green ball out of a box on the table next to the announcer. "Magic Number 3." Killa spoke fast and showed his number to the official.
"Ok, next up is Kibito!" The red man came forward and drew the number 11. He was followed by Krillin. "Number 5. Not bad." Krillin said, glad he wasn't fighting first.
"The Gold Fighter!" Gohan stepped forward. Both he and Zangya decided to use their alter egos in the tournament, for no other reason than it seemed like a fun idea. "Gold fighter is number 16!" The short purple warrior, Shin, drew the number 1, Spopovitch took 4 and Jewel took the number 10. "Alright, next up is the Great Saiyaman." The fighter who was wearing a monkey mask stepped forward. Gohan paid special attention as the mysterious warrior reached into the box. "And Saiyaman is number 15!" The masked man looked at Gohan and the young warrior looked back. Unexpectedly, the man offered a bow to his young opponent. Gohan was startled but bowed back with a smile. Videl was called up next.
"So, that's Hercules daughter huh?" Piccolo asked.
"Yeah, but she's way more intense than he is." Gohan replied.
"What? no way!" Krillin yelled in surprise. "That's Hercules daughter? Who knew he could have such a looker for a daughter!" This comment earned him a hit from both 18 and Zangya. "OW! Geez what was that for?"
"She's a kid." 18 said plainly at the same time that Zangya said "She's not a looker."
Videl got 13 while Pintar pulled the number 2. Vegeta was next and got number 8. Krillin wiped his brow and sighed in relief that He was not matched up with the Saiyan. Mighty mask pulled out a 14, 18 got number 12 and Piccolo grabbed 7. He looked at his number and smirked at Vegeta who returned the expression. "Looks like this tournament is about to be short one namekian." He quipped.
"Miss Red Z girl, you're up next." Zangya went up to the box and pulled out the number 9. Followed by Yamu who got 6.
"Alrighty then, that's the last fighter. Here's the final bracket. First match, Shin vs Pintar! Second match, Killa vs Spopovitch! Third we have Krillin vs Yamu! Fourth is Majunior and Vegeta! Followed by our fifth match, The red Z girl and Jewel! Kibito and Miss 18 will fight in the sixth bout and Miss Videl Satan will battle Mighty Mask in the seventh. The final match up of round one will be The Gold fighter vs the great Saiyaman!" The fighters looked at their opponents, sizing each other up.
"Alright, now we can get this party started!" The announcer yelled. "Standby in the waiting area and we will call your name when we are ready for you." Most of the fighters went back to where they were before, except for Gohan. He walked over to the Great Saiyaman.
"Hey." He greeted his opponent. "I just wanted to say, that is a really cool name! How did you come up with it!?" The warrior stayed silent. Gohan wondered if he had offended Saiyaman in some way. "Um, well, anyway, good luck in the match. I'm looking forward to it." He held out his hand to the masked fighter and this time his gesture was reciprocated. While shaking hands, Gohan felt that same familiarity he sensed before, but still had no idea where he could have seen this guy. He broke the handshake and went back to join his friends.
Break
"LADIES AND GENTLE MAN! WELCOME TO THE WORLD MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT!" the announcer shouted into his microphone, to the cheers of the thousands of people in the stands. "The matches are set, and boy do we have an exciting line up for you! Not only do we have the Gold fighter and his partner, the Red Z girl," this brought on a new barrage of cheers from the fans of the two heroes. "We also have some great martial artists, including the old champ's daughter VIDEL SATAN!" This caused some cheers as well as some gossiping.
"Oh wow, the champ's daughter!? This is going to be good!"
"I hope she fights against the Gold fighter. That would be awesome!"
The announcer continued. "But before we get started, let us pay tribute to a man who gave his life to protect our home. A moment of silence for the late world champion, Mr. Satan." The crowd went quiet and bowed their heads in respect. "Well, as the Champ would say, this tournament aint for praying, it's for fighting! So, without further ado, let's get the first match started! Give a big round of applause for our first two fighters, Shin and PINTAAARR!"
This introduction brought the audience back to life and the two named fighters made their way to the center of the ring. Pintar, a large, fat fighter, with dark skin and a ponytail, decided he would trash talk to the smaller man. "Oh, little purple man, you won't know what hit you! You might as well go home and cry to your mommy! You cannot hope to match up to my great stature!" He leered at the shin who just stood there calmly.
"It is unwise to judge an opponent's strength by their size." Was all Shin said, causing the rotund giant in front of him to laugh.
"OHOHOHOOO! You think you can beat me!? I will show you what you have to look forward too!" Pintar then began a series of flips and gymnastic maneuvers around the ring. While he was doing so, Shin moved his hand slightly and when he did, Pintar was thrown, mid-jump, out of the ring and into the wall. "I believe that is a ring out." Shin declared and he calmly walked out of the ring.
"Um… well, it looks like Pintar slipped and fell out of the ring on accident, so SHIN IS THE WINNER!" The crowd laughed at the idiocy of the large fighter for falling out of the ring by showing off. They didn't really understand what Shin had done. But the Z fighters did. Each of them eyed the purple fighter carefully as he walked past them. They knew, just as Piccolo had predicted, that there was more to these fighters than meets the eye.
"Alright folks," the announcer continued. "Our next bout is bound to be a good one. In the last tournament these two fighters gave an excellent show! Please welcome, KILLA and SPOPOVITCH!" As their names were called, both of them exited the waiting area. "Spopovitch was a finalist in the last tournament, where the only thing that stopped him from taking home the title, was Mr. Satan himself! Although his opponent didn't make it to the finals, Killa is himself a force to be reckoned with! This will be one to watch folks! Who will come out on top in what is possibly the most even matchup in this tournament!?"
The two fighters stood center ring and the announcer ran off to the side. "Fighters… BEGIN!"
Killa immediately rushed at Spopovitch and started pounding away at his midsection. The crowd was cheering like crazy for what they believed would be a great match. Spopovitch, on the other hand, just stood there, smiling maliciously at his opponent. Killa saw the look of bloodlust in his eyes and jumped back to put some distance between the two. He hopped in place, keeping his guard up, but Spopovitch made no sign of attacking. Once Killa caught his breath, he dove back in, trying to chop the giant down. After a few seconds of letting Killa attack, Spopovitch started walking forward. The crowd was amazed by his resistance to the brawler's attacks. As he walked forward, Killa kept up his assault, but he was forced to retreat while doing so. Every step the bald giant took forward was one that Killa had to take back until, finally, he was nearing the edge of the ring. Killa was too seasoned a fighter to be ringed out so easily, so he tried to duck around to the side. Unfortunately, Spopovitch wasn't going to let him get away so easily. He reached out his massive hand and grabbed Killa by the throat, picked him up, and slammed him into the ring, cracking one of the tiles.
A collective hiss of sympathy ran through the crowd. Even from a distance the spectators could tell that did some serious damage to Killa. Spopovitch picked his victim back up, choking him until the officials were about to intervene. Before they could, Killa lost consciousness and Spopovitch tossed him out of the ring. A medic ran to check on the downed opponent. After declaring that he wasn't dead, Spopovitch was announced the winner. The crowd's reaction was mixed. Some were simply surprised that Spopovitch had gotten so much stronger. They didn't necessarily think his actions were bad. Uncalled for maybe, but it was a fight after all. Others in the crowd were appalled at the lack of sportsmanship and booed him as he left the ring.
"Hmm. He's strong for a regular human." Piccolo commented. "What do you think Gohan?"
"I think that you need to watch your step out there Krillin." Gohan warned his friend.
"What? Oh, come on Gohan, have a little faith in me, will ya?" Krillin was a little disappointed that his friends thought so little of him. "I mean, I know I'm not anywhere near your level, but I can take on these bozos. I mean, sure, they're strong, but you know I've gone against stronger."
"It isn't their strength that concerns me." Gohan replied ominously. Something definitely felt off about those two. The way they acted, that 'M' on their heads. Even their energy felt weird.
"Gohan's right Krillin." Piccolo said. "Even if they aren't a major threat, it's always good to be cautious."
Krillin nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's true."
"Hm," laughed Vegeta. "Don't worry Bald man, even you can take out that weakling's little friend."
"Really? Uh, wow, thanks Vegeta." Krillin said, surprised by the show of faith by Vegeta.
"No problem. The namekian won't be enough of warm up for me after all, I'll need you to help me finish it."
"Uh… wait, what?"
"We'll see about that." Piccolo interjected. "Maybe we should ask 18 what happens when you underestimate an opponent."
Krillin looked between the namekian and the Saiyan and realized, for the first time, that if he won his first match, he would have to fight one of them in the second round.
Vegeta scowled, but Zangya couldn't help herself and asked "So, what does happen when you underestimate an opponent?"
18 placed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You get your arm broken. Right Vegeta." The Saiyan prince just growled in response. Zangya patted him on the back, surprising him. "It's alright Vegeta!" She said brightly. "I'm sure you'll do just find against Piccolo." Then she leaned over and whispered to Piccolo, though it was loud enough for the others to hear. "You totally got this Big Green."
"Thanks, but I'm not going by big green either." Piccolo stated.
"Right, right." She nodded and leaned over to Gohan. "That's a maybe on Big green."
Gohan laughed along with Zangya, while Vegeta pouted and Krillin stressed about whoever his next opponent would be.
"Meanwhile, the tile that was cracked had been repaired and the next match was called. Krillin walked up onto the ring followed by Yamu.
'If Vegeta wins, then he's just gonna use me to clean his gloves off. Piccolo isn't much better though. Hey, maybe they'll just do a double knockout! That would be perfect!'
Krillin was too worried about the future, that he didn't hear the announcer start the match. Yamu came at him full force, hitting the bald midget square in the face and knocking him back. Krillin did a backflip and landed on his feet. Yamu didn't give him time to rest, however, and came at Krillin with another swing. This time, he managed to block it. Yamu kept pouring on the attacks and Krillin kept blocking. 'Vegeta or Piccolo, Final flash or Special beam canon? Death or death?' "GARG! EITHER WAY I'M SCREWED!" This outburst came as he dodged a blow and landed a devastating punch to Yamu's stomach. He followed up with a downward vertical elbow strike tohis opponents back, sending Yamu crashing into the ring, breaking several tiles.
"AND YAMU IS DOWN AFTER AN INCREDIBLE COUNTERATTACK FROM KRILLIN! ONE! TWO!" the announcer started counting, but Krillin looked far from happy. "Great, just 8 seconds closer to death and counting." He mumbled to himself.
"THREE! FOUR! Oh, hold the phone! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! YAMU IS ACTUALLY GETTING BACK UP!" Yamu slowly got back up to his feet, with barely a scratch on him.
"Huh?" Krillin articulated somewhat disappointedly. "I guess, I was holding back too much." The battle continued, only this time, Krillin didn't let Yamu get a hit on him, neither did he let him set the pace. The man tried to launch another assault only for Krillin to cut him off with a kick from below which sent him flying into the air. Krillin jumped up and hammer fisted the taller bald man down, sending Yamu crashing down to the exact same place that he had before. "There, that should do it." He said while dusting his hands together. "AND HE IS DOWN AGAIN! ONE! Will he be able to get back up this time? TWO! This doesn't look good for Yamu folks. "THREE! FOUR! FIVE! SIX! OH, I DO NOT BELIEVE IT!"
Yamu was, once again, able to raise himself, still sporting his ghoulish grin.
"I don't understand." 18 said to the group. "Is Krillin just holding back to make a good show? I know he's stronger than this."
"I think that's part of it." Replied Gohan. "He definitely doesn't want to do any lasting damage, so he's gotta be careful. But more than that, I think I was right about these guys. They definitely aren't normal."
Back in the ring, Krillin couldn't believe his bad luck. He wasn't worried about this guy beating him, he was just starting to get embarrassed that he hadn't beaten this guy yet. "Alright, you asked for it!" He flew toward Yamu, who wasn't able to respond quick enough and received a roundhouse kick to the face. The kick was strong enough that it sent him flying out of the ring and crashing into the brick wall headfirst. "Oh yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!" His celebration was cut short as the medics cleared the pile of bricks away to reveal that Yamu's head was on Backwards. Krillin's heart sank. "Oh no… I-I didn't mean to… I just…"
"Oh no…" The Announcer said with genuine sorrow. "I-it looks as though Krillin's kick has inadvertently k-killed Yamu." The audience was dead quiet. "I'm sorry Krillin, but this means that you are dis…" He was interrupted by a blood curdling scream from the audience. The announcer, Krillin and everyone else in the audience looked in terror. Even the Z fighters were stunned, as Yamu stood up, grabbed his head and spun it back around in a grotesque manner. "Oh man, I think I'm gonna be sick." Krillin voiced the thoughts of the rest of the crowd. He ran off stage to find a place to throw up.
"Uh…um… I-I guess since Yamu is not dead, Krillin wins by ring-out." The announcer tried to take it in stride. He had seen weirder things after all.
Gohan stared over at Yamu, who didn't seem bothered by the fact that he just lost. Let alone the fact that he should be dead and wasn't. He then slowly turned his gaze over to where Videl was standing with Spopovitch. He narrowed his eyes and she smirked at him. 'That's right Goldy, be afraid. Just you wait. You haven't seen anything yet'
Break
The first three matches brought a great deal of concern to Gohan. He could sense that something was off about the three warriors with the 'M' on their forehead. It wasn't that they were strong enough to be a threat, but there was something, otherworldly about their power. Something dark and sinister. Something… Foreboding. There were also the other three warriors in the strange clothes. Were these three connected to the other three? He couldn't be certain of much when it came to these two parties. In fact, the only thing he could be certain of, was that he could give up any hope he had of this being a normal tournament.
"I don't really see what the big deal is. So, the bald one almost killed someone. Good for him. It's about time if you ask me."
"Good thing nobody asked you then." 18 remarked, earning a glare from the Saiyan prince.
"Vegeta, I think that you are kind of missing the point." Gohan tried to reason with the older man.
"No, the 'point' of this is to determine who the strongest is. So, let's get on with the tournament and stop worrying about a weakling, who is clearly not dead."
Piccolo nodded. "For once, I agree with you." He started walking out onto the stage and without a word Vegeta followed him. They walked past the announcer and into their positions, leaving a ten-foot space between them.
"Um, excuse me, but I haven't called your bout yet. You guys need to go back to the waiting area." The announcer told them. "We are waiting on the repair crew to fix the tiles."
"Hmph. I wouldn't bother with that if I were you." Vegeta said with a chuckle. His aura flared as he dropped to his fighting stance.
"He's right." Piccolo agreed. "It would just be a waste of time. You're going to have a whole lot more to replace by the time we're done." The namekian readied himself for the fight as well. The energy that danced between the two fighters was electric. The intensity drew the attention of the crowd, many of whom were about to leave for the concession stand. Even the spectators could tell that this match was not one they wanted to miss.
The announcer stood between them, looking bewildered, until two voices rang out in the stadium.
"GO DADDY! YOU CAN BEAT HIM!"
"YOU GOT THIS VEGETA! TRY NOT TO HURT HIM TOO BADLY!"
Trunks and Bulma were waving their hands, cheering Vegeta on.
This brought the tension down slightly. With a shrug of his shoulders, the announcer made a decision. "What the heck, Let the fourth match between Vegeta and Majunior BEGIN!" He quickly ran off the stage, sensing that standing anywhere near a fight between these two would not be a good idea.
Despite the match officially starting, the two warriors stayed motionless. "Nice little cheering section you got over there." Piccolo remarked.
"Well, the woman is a genius. She's smart enough to know who the winner is going to be. Though, I don't think it would be hard to figure out with an outcome this obvious."
Another second went by as the stare down continued. Then another, and another. The spectators started to wonder if maybe they should have gotten those nachos after all when the two warriors just disappeared.
""HAAHH!"" Both piccolo and Vegeta yelled as they reappeared, their fists making contact on each-others guard. They both retracted their fists, only to continue their attacks. Piccolo threw a punch at Vegeta's face. Vegeta ducked and tried to sweep kick his opponent's legs, but the namekian jumped to avoid it. He came back at the Saiyan prince with a knife hand that burrowed into the ring floor as Vegeta jumped back to avoid the strike. He was about to lunge back at the green man when a green arm suddenly shot out of the ground and grabbed him by the ankle. Piccolo started to retract his arm, pulling Vegetas feet out from under him as the green, snake-like arm broke through the tiles. Piccolo was ready to strike with his free hand, but Vegeta twisted in mid-air, used a hand to push of the ring floor so he was flying even faster toward the namekian and aimed a kick to his face. Piccolo released his hold and leaned back as the Saiyan prince missed his mark and flew over his head, landing on the other side of him.
Piccolo quickly turned just to see Vegeta coming at him full speed. He decided to back up and create some space, but the saiyan pursued his quarry with a quick series of punches and kicks, all of which Piccolo parried or dodged while backing up. Piccolo evaded an elbow to his head by performing a revers spin kick. Vegeta caught the kick, only for the green man to use his other foot to aim for his face. Vegeta brought his hand up to block it but the force still sent him skidding several feet. When he stopped sliding, Piccolo aimed one hand at Vegeta and formed a small energy ball. Vegeta quickly let go of the namekians foot and charged a blast of his own. The two fired simultaneously. Neither one was very powerful, just a quick blast, but the resulting explosion when the two balls met was enough to send shockwaves through the entire arena.
When the smoke cleared, it was apparent that the ring had received a fair bit of damage. Tiles all over were broken or missing, there was a huge scorch mark where the blast had happened, and the two fighters stood in the midst, with their breathing slightly heavier than normal.
This whole exchange took place in the space of less than a minute. The audience was left in awe. Most of them only saw blurs and flashes. They could hardly comprehend what they had witnessed. What they did comprehend was, this fight was awesome!"
"More, WE WANT MORE!"
"GET HIM GREEN GUY"
"YOU GO SPIKEY DUDE!"
The announcer decided this was the time to put in his two cents. "AMAZING! This tournament has not seen a performance like that in many years! Truly, these warriors are forces to be reckoned with! But who will come out on top!?"
The warriors didn't rest for long. Whether it was the roar of the crowds or their own lust for battle, they jumped right back at each other's throats.
"Wow! Vegeta's actually pretty good. I thought he was all talk." Zangya, who had never seen Vegeta fight (except when he got wrecked by Broly) was genuinely impressed that he was keeping up with Piccolo, who she knew from experience was the real deal in terms of fighting prowess.
"Yeah, Vegeta's definitely gotten stronger, that's for sure." Gohan agreed. "But so has Mr. Piccolo. This match is far from over."
Krillin, who had returned from the bathroom, saw this fierce exchange and felt his life flash before him. "Well, that settles it. I'm dead."
"Ugh!" 18 rolled her eyes. "Why do you always have to be so negative?" She asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance.
"Um… well, I guess I could keep praying for a double knock out."
The cyborg sighed. "You are unbelievable."
The display put on by Piccolo and Vegeta, brought every true warrior's (Except Krillin's) blood to boil with excitement. Especially a certain monkey masked individual.
Back in the ring, Vegeta and Piccolo broke apart for the second time. "Heheh, not Bad Namekian. You're tougher than I gave you credit for. Why don't you take off those weights of yours and you might make me break a sweat?"
Piccolo chuckled in reply. "Maybe if you weren't so easy to handle, I might consider it."
"Oh, get it. Are you just trying to hold on to your last pathetic excuse for when you lose? I suppose it would be embarrassing for you if you went all out and got beaten by me while I'm not even trying."
"Is that why you haven't gone super Saiyan yet?" Piccolo asked with a smile.
"HA! Like I need that form to take care of you!"
"How about this, I bet I can make you transform before I have to remove my weights."
"Oh, getting cocky aren't we?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Let's see where all that confidence is coming from then."
Piccolo grinned wickedly. "You asked for it." He disappeared and reappeared in front of Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince couldn't help but notice that the namekian had suddenly gotten faster. Now, Vegeta was on the retreat as Piccolo came at him with everything he had. He even started to make his arms more elastic, which made it far more difficult for Vegeta to read his movements. The Saiyan decided it was time to take this battle airborne. He flew up high with Piccolo hot on his trail. Vegeta quickly spun around and kicked, only for his attack to pass through an after image left by his opponent. Piccolo appeared at his back and brought both hands down on the Saiyan prince, sending him careening down toward the ground. Vegeta fired a blast as he fell, which was batted away by Piccolo and exploded in the sky like a firework.
Piccolo flew towards Vegeta, who landed and rebounded back at Piccolo. When the two reached each other, the Saiyan kicked the green man, only for it to pass through another after image. He turned around and blocked Piccolo as he was about to land a karate chop. "You really think the same trick would work twice!?" He aimed another blow only too be disappointed as it passed through yet another afterimage.
"THIRD TIMES THE CHARM!" The namekian yelled as he landed an elbow on his opponent, Putting his face in the ground. Vegeta quickly got up, only to be faced with a few dozen copies of Piccolo all jumping around in opposing directions. Vegeta looked left, right behind and above. He couldn't tell which one was the real one. The constant movement and the cheap tricks only served to infuriate him. Instead of relying on just his eyes, he tried to sense the namekians Ki. "Found you!" He yelled as he grabbed the real one by the face and many of the after images disappeared. "You thought your pathetic technique would beat me?"
"No, but this one might!" A second piccolo rammed into his back and a third landed a kick on his side. Vegeta was swarmed by three Piccolo's and was having a difficult time keeping up.
"NICE ONE MR. PICCOLO!" Gohan cheered. "Combining the multiform with the after image was a stroke of genius!"
Zangya nodded her agreement. "Piccolo always has been good at strategy."
Meanwhile, Vegeta was having a hard time keeping up. Each one may only have 1/3 of the originals power, but the way that they were moving in sync, combined with the fact that with every hit from his opponent came a new spike in rage, this strategy was fairly disorienting for Vegeta. He tried to fight all of them but was on the losing side. His rage kept building higher and higher, infuriated that he was being bested by this lower lifeform using a rudimentary technique. It was only a matter of time until…
"HRYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
The three Piccolos were blown away as Vegeta unleashed his super Saiyan form. "Hah, hah, hah…" He breathed heavily. Piccolo descended from the sky and his two counterparts fused back into him. "Well, looks like I win the bet." Piccolo smirked as he began to remove his weights.
Vegeta fixed him with a death glare. "Congratulations. You've succeeded in invoking my wrath."
Many in the audience were confused by Vegeta's transformation. "Hey, isn't that the same thing that the Gold fighter does with his hair?"
"Hey, yeah. NOT COOL DUDE! WHY YOU TRYIN TO TAKE THE GOLD FIGHTERS GIMMICK HUH!?"
"YEAH! WE THOUGHt THE FIGHT WAS COOL BEFORE, BUT NOW YOU'RE JUST A WANNABE!"
A vein was about to burst in Vegetas temple. "Grrr, SHUTUP!" He yelled over the crowd. "I OBTAINED THIS TRANSFORMATION LONG BEFORE THAT HALFBREED BRAT DID!"
In the waiting room, Spopovitch and Yamu were about to strike, but they were stopped by Videl. "No. not him." They looked at her questioningly. "Trust me. Someone with even more energy will appear. When he does, that's when we strike."
Piccolo was slightly amused at the jeering of the crowd. But jokes aside, this was still a fight. He tossed his weighted clothes off the side of the ring, causing them to sink into a small crater. He cracked his neck and turned to Vegeta. "Now, where were we?"
Vegeta grinned maliciously. "You were about to be beaten within an inch of your life green man."
Without further ado, the warriors went at each other for the third time and final time. This time, nobody in the audience could even see the fighters' movements. A blur zipped around the arena in flashes of green and gold. Both warriors found it harder to land a solid hit than ever before. The more they fought, the more damaged the ring became. Cracks came with every attack. Even though the two warriors were mostly even, Vegeta was gaining the upper hand. His pride had been damaged. His wrath had been invoked and he would not be made a fool of! He would not lose here! Not until he reached the top!
With a powerful punch, Vegeta landed a hit on Piccolo's guard. The hit impacted with such force, that it sent Piccolo flying away from him. He put all his energy into stopping, which finally he did. Piccolo couldn't help but smile. It felt good to push past your limits. To fight opponents who would let you give your all and give their all in return. To live in the heat of battle! To…
"Majunior is out of the ring! Vegeta is the winner!"
""WHAT!""
Piccolo looked down at where he was standing. True enough, he had landed on the edge of the stands. "Oh…" he said lamely.
"WOOHOO! THAT'S MY DADDY! HE WON!" Trunks yelled, though he was the only one who was celebrating. Everyone else in the audience was left frustrated by that anticlimactic finish.
"Well, I… Guess Piccolo lost." Gohan said with a stupefied expression. "Hahaha, well, that's a tournament for you!" The teen laughed.
"That's lame." Zangya said. "Piccolo could have won if it weren't for these stupid rules."
"That's kind of what makes it interesting though." Gohan replied cheerfully. He liked these battles that weren't life and death. That didn't wager the fate of the world on the outcome.
Krillin was close to wetting his pants since Vegeta had just been denied a satisfying victory and would likely take it out on him.
"…" Piccolo didn't really know what to say. This was the second time he had lost by ring out. He smiled at the thought. "I guess I've still got a lot more training to do." He hopped off the stand railing and went to pick up his weights.
Vegeta descended, landing on the arena with a thoughtful expression. "Good match Vegeta." Piccolo approached him, now with his shoulder pads and turban back on. "Next time you won't be so lucky."
The proud prince stared at him before smiling. "Heh, don't get a big head namekian, you were only saved by a technicality."
"I could say the same to you." Piccolo replied.
The prince glared at the green man. "Tch. It doesn't matter, you were never on my radar to begin with." Then he walked off stage. Piccolo, who didn't really expect any display of sportsmanship from Vegeta in the first place, followed the prince back to his friends.
Break
"Phew." Bulma exhaled.
"Wow, that was a really close one. I was sure that Piccolo would come out on top." Chichi said.
"Ha! Not a chance against my Vegeta." Bulma replied proudly.
"Well, I'm just glad that nobody got hurt. What do you think Broly?" Chichi turned around to the large Saiyan behind them.
"I think that it was a close fight. Both of them have improved since the last time I… Um…"
"Nearly killed them and tried to enslave the planet?" Bulma offered.
"R-right… Sorry about that. Again."
"Hey, it's alright." Chichi shrugged. "I mean, if we held a grudge against everyone who wanted to conquer/destroy the earth, we wouldn't have many friends at all."
"You know," said Bulma thoughtfully, "It's a little sad how true that statement is. There's Piccolo, Vegeta, 18, Zangya…"
"Oh, speaking of Zangya." Chichi pointed to the young blue girl as she walked out into the ring. She was followed by a blonde pretty boy holding a rose.
"I'm glad we didn't have to wait too long for the ring to be repaired." Said Chichi and Bulma looked smug.
"Well, you can just thank capsule technology for that. We do sponsor the tournament after all. After the last time, we thought it would be good to have a backup ring. Especially considering who's fighting."
Broly took a deep breath. "GO ZANGYA!" He bellowed, shaking the entire stadium and drawing looks of disbelief from those around him. Zangya responded with a smile and a wave.
"Wow Broly. You and Zangya got something Going on?" Bulma asked slyly.
Broly was about to reply that she was a good friend, when Chichi cut in
"Not a chance, my money's on Gohan. I mean, they're practically inseparable."
"And you're ok with that?" Bulma asked in disbelief.
"I mean, better her, than some hussy off the streets. At least Zangya is a well behaved and intelligent girl."
As if to disprove her point, the fifth match got started.
"Blue is such an exotic color." Jewel spoke in, what he thought was, a seductive voice.
"Thanks, it's uh, my skin, you know."
"Tell me darling, why don't you ditch the Gold Fighter and come with me after I beat you. You can even bring that pretty blonde friend of yours." Zangya couldn't help but laugh.
"HA, no offense, but I don't swing that way. I'm pretty sure that 18 isn't into girls either. Thanks anyway."
"What!" Jewel yelled, clearly outraged. "You- you think I'm a girl!?"
"Well… Aren't you?" Zangya was confused. "I mean, Jewel is a girl's name after all."
"I-it is not!" The 'man' stomped his foot like a child. "Oh, you're going to regret saying that." Then he smirked. "And I'll make sure you keep regretting it all night long."
Zangya's eyes narrowed. She looked over at the announcer. "Excuse me?"
"Um, yes miss?"
"That rule about hitting below the belt. What would happen if I, you know, accidentally broke it?"
"Well, in that case you would be issued an official warning and the next time…"
"Great!" She crossed the distance between her and Jewel in a flash and she kicked… I mean, her leg landed accidentally between his legs with no small amount of force. Jewel sunk to his knees and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he keeled over. Jewel would forevermore be known as, Jeweless.
The announcer took this all in stride. "Ok, so that's a warning for the Red Z girl and a win for the Red Z girl.
Zangya bowed. "Thank you." Then she walked off stage, making sure to step on Jewel on her way.
Bulma couldn't help but comment. "What was that about being well behaved?"
"I also said intelligent. Besides, he probably had it coming." Chichi replied with a shrug.
Broly had never been afraid of Zangya before, but now, staring at the soulless heap that was Jewel, he found new reason to fear the female Hera.
"Well then, let's not dwell on that anymore." The announcer said as Jeweless was taken off on a stretcher. "Next up we have miss number 18 and Kibito."
Kibito and 18 stood in the ring. The announcer was about to begin the match when. "I forfeit." Kibito said.
"I-I'm sorry?" The announcer asked.
"I concede to the young lady."
18 just shrugged. "Whatever." Then she started to walk back when she heard booing. Not from the stands, but from the waiting area.
"BOO NO FORFEITS BOO!" Zangya seemed rather upset that 18 wasn't fighting. Gohan looked over at his friend and wondered how she justified her booing after all those times she surrendered after he was about to turn the tides.
"Zangya, forfeits are part of the rules. It's a legitimate thing."
"Well, yeah, but that's so lame! Imagine you had a manga and then it builds up to this super important tournament and all that happened is every match is a forfeit except for Krillin("Wait why me?") who beats up a fat guy?"
"Well, I guess that would be pretty annoying." Gohan conceded.
"Exactly!" Zangya exclaimed. If there was a screen, both of them would have looked out at the audience. Lookin' at you, canon.
"Anyway, I guess it's alright. I get to fight 18 in the next round. And I'm sure everyone is looking forward to that."
"Better prepare yourself Z. Krillin's been teaching me new moves."
"Gross."
"Not those kinds of…" 18's cheeks started to turn pink.
"Looks like the buffoon's daughter is up next." Zangya cut off her friend while trying to keep her mouth from twitching. She loved being able to get the better of 18. Then she saw Videl walk past and her mouth formed a hard line. She didn't miss the death glare she gave to Gohan when she passed by.
Unlike Zangya, the crowd welcomed the Champs daughter with a standing ovation. Orange star academy had organized a cheering section for Gohan, but when they saw Videl, they went wild. One blonde in particular was excited to see her old friend. "VIDEL! HEY VIDEL OVER HERE!"
Erasa yelled to get her friends attention. When Videl finally glanced her way, Erasa couldn't help but recoil. She had never seen such a look on Videls face, let alone aimed at her. She looked away almost immediately, but Erasa couldn't let go of her fear. What had happened to her best friend?
Mighty mask, a goofy looking man in a cape and cowl, made his way over to the young woman. He held out his hand. "Ms. Satan. I was a big fan of your dads. It will be an honor to fight you. Just don't think that I'll be holding back." Videl took his hand in her own and squeezed. Mighty mask couldn't help but wince in pain. "Neither will I." She replied.
The match started and Mighty mask started bouncing around Videl, trying to confuse her with fancy footwork. When Videl gave no reaction, he started to make his way slowly towards her. His approach was stopped as she warped right in front of him. Mighty mask was so surprised that he jumped back.
"Hey, did you see that? Videl's almost as fast as Those other guys."
"Yeah, I can't wait till she fights the Gold fighter!"
The crowd began chanting Videl's name over and over again, like they used to do for her father.
Mighty mask tried his strategy of jumping around again, only for Videl to appear in front of him once more. This time, he threw out his strongest punch, but his fist was caught by Videl like it was thrown by an infant. She leered at her opponent and started to squeeze. As she did so, a series of cracking sounds were heard, and a scream escaped from Mighty mask as he fell to his knees.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"Shut up!" Videl kicked him in the jaw, sending him flying high in the sky. Had he landed from such a height, he likely would have died, but Videl flew up and caught him by the wrist. "Let's just take this stupid thing off then." She violently ripped the mask away from the rest of his costume. "Oh, wow, you're an ugly SOB." She laughed at his appearance as blood dripped from his mouth. "You were a fan of my father's huh? Well let me give you an autograph!" She proceeded to mercilessly pummel Mighty mask in mid-air. The audience was no longer cheering for her. Her brutality was nothing like how the champ's daughter should have acted. Nobody knew what to do as they all watched, speechless. The man was clearly unconscious, but Videl didn't care. She laughed hysterically as she pounded away at the poor man's face. "AHAHA! Isn't this fun!? Let's see how long you can last!"
Several seconds went by and the sounds of heavy blows echoed through the stadium. "SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!" A spectator yelled, wishing for the brutality to stop. Fortunately, someone was already doing something.
"Stop it Videl." Gohan ordered suddenly appearing behind her.
"Well, well, if it isn't the gold fighter." She finally stopped punching her opponent. "Up here for a photo op hero boy?" Gohan didn't look amused.
"He's beaten and unconscious. You've already won, just leave him be." He tried to reason, though his eyes were dangerous and held no room for compromise.
"Oh? So, now you're a judge and a participant? What's next, gonna name yourself king furry?" Gohan stayed silent. "The match isn't over until an official declares it over. So, get out of my match!"
Gohan refused to move. Videl grinned. "Unless you want to try and stop me by force and be disqualified, but we both know you're too much of a glory hound to do that." Gohan looked at her with pity. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I'll get to you in the next round so…" With no wasted movement, Gohan grabbed Mighty mask away from Videl. He was so fast that she didn't even notice he moved until she saw her hand was empty. "What the! How did you…" Gohan paid her no mind, as he slowly dropped down to the ring and laid Mighty mask down gently. A team of paramedics rushed to the downed man to get him to emergency care. "Hold up." Gohan stopped them from moving him.
"Son, this man needs intensive care immediately." Gohan could tell just by looking at him that he was in bad shape. Luckily, Piccolo had given both himself and Zangya a single senzu just in case. He pulled the bean out from his belt and placed it in the man's mouth and forced him to chew. The magic of the bean worked quickly, and the wounds of the man just disappeared. Mighty mask sat up suddenly, shocking the paramedics as well as Videl. Gohan smiled at the man and offered him a hand. "Are you alright?" Mighty mask didn't remember what happened after he was kicked in the jaw and now the gold fighter was asking if he was ok. What on earth did he miss? He took hold of Gohan's hand and was pulled up by the teen.
Seeing that the fighter was ok, the crowd cheered on the Gold fighter. That was cut short as Videl landed angrily. "THIS IS BULLS***!" She yelled. "He interrupted my match! He should be disqualified!"
"Um. Well, I guess technically…" the announcer was cut off by a rain of boos from the crowd. They had just witnessed the Gold fighter save a man from being beaten to death. There was no way they were going to stand for his disqualification.
"YOU CAN'T KICK HIM OUT!"
"HE JUST BROUGHT THAT GUY BACK FROM THE BRINK OF DEATH!"
"THIS TOURNAMENT IS BOGUS! IT'S THE OFFICIALS FAULT FOR NOT STOPPING IT SOONER!"
"IF HE LEAVES, WE ALL LEAVE!"
"LET HIM STAY!" "LET HIM STAY!" "LET HIM STAY!"
The chanting continued, which surprised Gohan. He did what he did fully expecting to be disqualified. No way was he going to let a poor man be beaten to death. Not when he could stop it. No tournament was worth a man's life. The fact that so many people supported him was no small comfort to him. On the other hand, the chanting only served to infuriate the already enraged Videl.
Amidst the chanting, a monk in orange robes delivered a piece of paper to the announcer. "Ladies and gentlemen! It seems that the officials have made a ruling of this matter!" The crowd quieted down, eager to hear the decision. "It seems that due to extenuating circumstances, namely, the fight being too far away for the officials to see leading to a lack of action on the judges' part, The Gold fighter acted as a good Samaritan, in the best interest of the tournament, and prevented a catastrophe. He will not be disqualified!" Cheers erupted louder than before. "As for Miss Satan…" The crowd once again went silent. "It is ruled that her actions likely constituted unnecessary brutality and deadly force, however, once again due to the fact that she was too far away to see, she will not be disqualified and will instead be given a warning. She will also advance to the next round."
The crowd's reaction to this was mixed. Some thought that she should have been kicked out. Others thought that the ruling was pretty fair and just wanted to get to the next round. As for Gohan and Videl, they stood in the ring staring each other down for what seemed like forever. Videl finally broke the standoff and walked off the stage, stopping by Gohan's side and saying "You know what? I'm glad they didn't kick you out. Otherwise, I might not get the chance to tear you apart. You got lucky this time. Be sure you make it to the next round. I look forward to showing everyone what a fraud you really are." She bumped his shoulder on the way past and exited the ring.
Break
The great saiyaman leaned down to whisper to Shin. "See, what did I tell you? You don't have anything to worry about. Not with him."
Shin smiled. "Perhaps you are right. But now you have a fight to get to, don't you 'Great Saiyaman'?"
The masked fighter nodded and made his way out to the ring. He passed the Z fighters and gave a nod. Zangya called out to him. "Hey, monkey man. Just a fair warning out there, you better give it your all, or you won't last two seconds. Give him a good fight, ok?"
Saiyaman turned around and said in a voice that shocked all of them minus Zangya. "Believe me, I don't intend to hold back." Then he continued walking.
"Wait? That couldn't have been… could it?" Krillin asked in disbelief.
"Let's just wait and see." Piccolo said evenly. Though a smile tugged at his lips.
The great Saiyaman walked out to meet Gohan, who was already on the stage.
"FOLKS I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR THE FINAL FIGHT OF ROUND ONE! First, we have the mysterious, masked, Great Saiyaman, who breezed his way through the Preliminaries without taking so much as a single hit! His opponent is well known for his heroic deeds. When he's not working hard in school, he's saving the planet from all manner of monstrosities! You know him, you love him, PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR THE GOLD FIGHTEEEERRRR!"
The cheers from the crowd could be heard from miles away. This was what they had come to see. The real Gold fighter in action!
"YOU GOT THIS SWEETY! TAKE THIS WORTHLESS BUM OUT!"
"GO BIG BROTHER!" Goten and Chichi cheered excitedly for Gohan. The two fighters took their positions and bowed, before getting into their stances. Seeing the man in front of him in that stance, Gohan was once again overcome with a sense of familiarity. He knew this man from somewhere. But where? He might have figured it out with another second of thought, but he didn't have that luxury. The great saiyaman closed the distance between them in a flash and threw a right hook at Gohan's head. Gohan reacted quickly by diverting the fist with his open hand and followed up with a high kick. The masked fighter used the momentum of Gohan pushing his fist to spin around, bringing his leg up and using it to match the oncoming kick with his own, sending a shockwave out into the crowd.
Gohan was only slightly surprised that Saiyaman was able to match him in the exchange. He knew that this wasn't a fighter to be underestimated. More than anything though, he was excited. Fighting with people who didn't want to kill you was actually pretty fun. He knew that from sparring with Zangya and Piccolo, but this was the first time in a long time that he battled with a powerful stranger who wasn't trying to threaten earth.
Gohan brought his leg back down and threw a few quick jabs. The masked fighter weaved his head side to side and avoided each jab but was forced to jump back when Gohan threw a powerful straight punch. Gohan let the man retreat and waited for just the right moment. The great saiyaman landed, but his toe barely touched the ground when Gohan appeared there, sweeping his feet out from under him. The fighter caught himself with his hand but left his midsection wide open for Gohan to strike from his low stance with a side punch. The strike hit dead center and Saiyaman went flying away, spinning in mid-air and landing on one knee, with one hand on the ground and another rubbing his stomach.
Gohan smiled at the masked fighter. It wasn't a cocky smile, but rather a smile of pure enjoyment. "You aren't going to quit on me now, are you?" The teen asked. Saiyaman shook his head and stood up, retaking his stance. "Good. Then let's keep going." Saiyaman nodded and no sooner did he do so than he disappeared. Gohan kept his guard up, thinking that the fighter would reappear at any second. He knew this trick. The fighter was hiding his presence. He had to rely on more than his physical senses to find him. Gohan closed his eyes.
"Left!" Gohan raised his left arm and took a blow on his forearm. "GOT YOU!" The teen twisted his arm around and grabbed Saiyaman by the wrist, stepped in, grabbed his upper arm, and judo flipped his opponent in a perfect overhead arc. Somehow, the fighter was able to move his body so that he landed on his feet and used his free hand to attack Gohan. The gold fighter caught his fist in his hand and squeezed, know having control of both his opponents' arms. He brought the great Saiyaman in close and landed a knee to his gut, then began to spin the grown man around, finally releasing him into the air. He flipped over several times before he finally steadied himself in mid-air. Gohan flew up toward his opponent, only for the man to place his hands in front of his face and yelled "SOLAR FLARE!" The technique itself surprised Gohan almost as much as the blinding light that it created did. He held his arm over his eye, but he was already affected by the attack.
Saiyaman appeared at Gohans side and landed a kick that sent him falling near the edge of the stadium. Gohan landed with a tuck and roll, but funnily enough, the roll brought him to the edge of the ring and he nearly fell off. "Ngyaaahah!" He yelled as he comically flailed his arms, finally regaining his balance and stepping back to safety. He breathed out a sigh of relief and glared at his opponent, who was still floating in the air.
"How the Hera does this guy know the solar flare!?" Zangya asked. She thought that this would be a one-sided fight, but this guy was better than she thought.
"Hm," Piccolo smiled. "Yeah, that seems just like him."
Krillin nodded. "I-I can't believe he's back. I wonder why he's wearing the mask though?"
Zangya was confused. "Wait, you know this guy? Who is he?"
"Just wait. You'll see."
Vegeta stared up at the masked fighter and clenched his fists, along with his jaw. 'Can it really be him? What is he doing here?"
Meanwhile, Gohan was trying to come up with a strategy. His opponent was a lot better than he expected. He even had some interesting techniques. He needed to unmask this guy. He flew up until he became level with the great saiyaman. "Hey, who are you really?"
The masked man stayed silent. "Come on! I know I know you from somewhere, just take of the mask." The warrior just shook his head. "Hmph, alright, if you won't take it off then I will!" He lunged at the masked man and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks that Saiyaman could barely keep up with. Every now and then, Gohan would make a grab for the mask and the fighter would pull away, only for Gohan to pursue more vehemently than before. He continued to pour on the attacks and the masked fighter could do nothing against the intensity of the assault. Gohan knew he was getting the best of him and decided to make one last attempt. He reached out to grab the mask and made contact with the plastic. Just as his fingers were about to close around the mask, the great saiyaman disappeared and instantly reappeared at the stage below, trying hard to catch his breath.
'Instant transmission huh? Just who are you?' Gohan thought as he landed on the stage as well. "Alright, no more games. It's time to end this." Gohan charged the man who had not yet caught his breath. This time, the great saiyaman wasn't even able to dodge a single strike and had to resort to only blocking. Even this wasn't enough, as Gohan's barrage was more ferocious than ever and even the hits that didn't land cleanly were doing a fair bit of damage. The great saiyaman couldn't take anymore punishment, so once more, he teleported away from his opponent and took refuge in the air.
"Oh no you don't!" Gohan wasn't about to let him have time to breath. He charged upward at full speed but stopped suddenly when the warrior brought both hands to his side while cupping them. "No way! Th-that's…"
"KAAMEEEHAAAAAMEEEEEEE…" Gohan barely got over his shock on the second 'mee' and tried to make a Kamehameha of his own to counter the attack. Unfortunately, the great saiyaman didn't give him time. Right before he was about to release the attack, he teleported to Gohan's side and released the blast. "HAAAAAAA!" Gohan barely had time to put up his hands as the blue energy came at him. The blast impacted against his palms and started to push him back. Gohan was struggling, but for now, he was keeping the beam at bay. "GnGNHGNGA!" He struggled to push back, but the warrior kept putting more power into his attack pushing the teen Saiyan even further away. He thought for sure he would come out on top in this exchange, but then, with a wild shout, Gohan threw the beam skyward. "HRAAAH!" The Kamehameha wave flew up like a volleyball off of Gohans hands. The great saiyaman was shocked at the development, as were the rest of the Z fighters. To block a beam like that at point blank range, and then redirect it, was an amazing feat, even for Gohan. The demi saiyan didn't waste any time, however. He took advantage of his stunned opponents unprepared state and charged in, delivering a sideways jack hammer fist that sent the masked fighter crashing to the ground, just outside of the arena. The fighter landed so hard that a dust cloud was kicked up.
"OH YEAH! THAT'S MAH BOY!" Chichi jumped to her feet. "THAT IS MY SON! THAT CAME OUT OF ME!" Chichi could be heard yelling in the audience. Goten laughed and Clapped his hands. "Yeah! I knew he would do it! hahaha!"
"Oh man! That was amazing! I can't believe that Gohan did that!" Krillin said with excitement.
"He really has come a long way. It makes you wonder what would happen if this weren't a tournament." Piccolo added with a hint of pride.
"So, is anyone going to tell me who this guy is?" Zangya asked impatiently. "The suspense is killing me!"
Gohan landed on the edge of the ring and waited for the dust to settle. When it did, he saw the Great saiyaman sitting in a crater, rubbing his head. "Alright, the match is over. Take your mask off and show your face!" Gohan ordered, though he already had a pretty good idea of who it was.
The great Saiyaman stood up, removed his mask and drew back his hood. Beneath the disguise was a familiar spikey hairdo and a grinning face. Tears came to Gohan's eyes as he looked at the man he hadn't seen in years.
"Hiya son!" Goku waved, grinning cheerfully.
"Dad…" Gohan choked out through his tears.
End chapter
A/N:Whaaat? The great saiyaman is actually Goku? Who could have guessed that plot twist? Probably everyone who reads this. That's why I made this chapter so long, I didn't want to draw out the conclusion if it was obvious to the readers. Still, I hope you liked the twist, even if it was predictable from the beginning of the chapter. I also hope you enjoyed the fights. I know that Vegeta vs Piccolo was anticlimactic, but I couldn't think of another way to end it without something serious happening. Like someone dying. It's never clear how much weight Piccolo has on him, but I'm making it a comparable change to a transformation when he removes them. Otherwise, what's the point. Not saying it's as strong a change as super Saiyan, just comparable.
Videl is acting pretty crazy here, but she is under the influence of Babidi so she's going to be a bit out of character. When a spectator says that she is as fast as Piccolo and Vegeta, that is not meant to be a statement on her actual speed. I don't think that a normal human could tell the difference between someone as fast as, say, Raditz or Nappa, and Dyspo. That's my opinion anyway. So, she's fast, but not near the level of Piccolo and Vegeta.
Also, I had Kibito forfeit because he does nothing anyway. I don't think that a fight between 18 and him would be very interesting and I didn't want to waste time on it. Also, it allowed me to make that remark about the canon. Now, I love Dragonball Z and I have nothing but respect for Akira Toriyama, but I remember seeing this tournament in canon for the first time and being so annoyed. Maybe that's just me though. Well, that's it.