Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball.
Betaed by: Zim'sMostLoyalServant and a friend.
Last Time:
The second round of the Budokai kicked off, matching Goku up with Ranfan. After getting over some nerves, the recently-shaved woman gave Goku a spirited fight, but it seemed she still had a long way to go to catch up to Goku. However, a desperate grab as the fight seemed settled turned the tide, and Ranfan to her shock won, by a tail!
Next up was a grudge match between the vengeful Tien and the noble warrior Bora. Tien's pride took some hits as Bora proved far more capable than the three-eyed warrior expected. And Bora revealed a previously unknown technique to all the competitors, giving Tien's attack back with interest. But that still wasn't enough to bring Tien down, and the match ended with Bora's defeat.
The second round has not been good to Goku and his friends so far, what awaits as the carnage continues? Find out now, on Dragon Ball: Intended Journey!
Chapter 10
Kame School Counterattack
Just try to Keep Good Turtles Down!
"Alright, time for some community service, quality time with the elderly," Launch chuckled, punching her palm. Goku frowned, kicking his legs in the air from his perch on the dividing wall.
"Man! I wish I was still in it. So many strong guys left to go," he complained.
"Then work on that tail or something, kiddo," Launch said, ruffling his hair.
"Yeah Goku, Ranfan beat you fair and square; you said so yourself. Nothing to do now but cheer on our friends," Krillin said, arms crossed and nodding.
"Now Krillin, it's not easy to train a tail," Chichi reminded him.
"I'm trying to look cool here," Krillin grumbled.
"...seeing all of this, I'm wondering if it would be worth it for me to even try again," Mai wondered.
"What are you talking about, Mai? They've all grown so much from the last tournament, no reason you can't grow more too," Yamcha said.
"Glad you said it, Yam guy, I'm not very patient with quitter talk," Launch said, surprising Yamcha by being next to him and cuffing him on the shoulder.
"On the contrary, your wheel-bound friend I'd say is simply sensible," Shen declared, "If you cannot defeat opponents in a tournament like this where so many rules restrict your opponents' options, you have no future as warriors, outside the ring or in it."
"See? If the bad guy agrees with you, that's a sure sign you need to ditch that attitude," Launch said, pointing to Shen, who flinched at that.
"Ignoring my threats? Well, you won't be able to ignore me in the ring. You'll soon see what real champion material looks like," he grinned.
"If you think you can intimidate this woman by talking, you need better glasses and a hearing aid," Yamcha said.
Shen huffed and walked off. Yamcha watched him go stoically, then blushed furiously as Launch put a peck on his cheek.
"Aren't you being sweet today?" she said, "Ranfan managed an upset with some good luck, maybe I can send that codger to the retirement home with some of that."
"Will Master Shen and Son Launch please report to the ring!?" the Announcer called while Launch left Yamcha sputtering.
X X X
"Here we have them, folks! The blonde battler who came to this tournament on the Turtle School wave last tournament and went on to be the first woman to be declared Strongest Under the Heavens! She's dispelled any doubt on her merit by settling her feud with the mighty Jackie Chun, now she's here to see if she can pull a double-header as champion! Let's hear it for Son Launch!"
The crowd roared approval, quite a few banners even popping up to wave, to the fighter's surprise.
"But her challenger is nothing to sneeze at, folks! Forget old school, this man is a legendary school unto himself! We've seen his students, we've even seen him, but I think we all know he's got more tricks up those billowy sleeves. Here he is, the man, the legend, Master Shen the Tsuru Senin!"
Shen looked over the cheers for him, and turned to smile at Launch.
"I count more banners for me," he remarked.
"Ah, they don't know ya," Launch said, saluting him with one finger.
"Alright then, you know the rules; any questions?" the announcer asked.
"No," the two said in sync.
"Very well, then. Let the second round, third match, BEGIN!"
'These Cranes are all about bags of tricks. That Tien's an exception, being quite the bruiser too. And this guy doesn't strike me as the type to practice what he preaches. So, nail him quick before he can settle on a strategy!'
"Rocket Launch!" she yelled, bursting across the space between them. Shen's lips twitched, and he leapt up and to the side, twisting. His kick connected with the arm Launch raised to block it, and she was sent tumbling on the tiles.
"Tch," Shen's mustache twitched.
'He countered that by the numbers, and that kick... Crap, guess he really does have more than just tricks.'
"You know, few things are more annoying than seeing a rip-off, one of them is a bad rip-off," Shen said, extending a finger.
"Heh, let's see if your original recipe beats my spicy remix," Launch said, charging her Ki Pistol.
"Things have escalated quickly, folks! As Shen prepares to fire off his Dodon Ray, Launch prepares to counter with her own variation of that technique. Who will prevail in this clash? The aged veteran or the young contender!?"
"Dodonpa!/Ki Pistol!" they shouted together. The charged ki blasts struck each other between the two and exploded, the audience crying out and turning their faces away while the announcer struggled to stay on his feet.
"Perfect cover for a follow-up attack,' Shen thought, dashing through the crackling air, arms raised defensively, carving a path through the heat with air-dispersing jabs and billowing ki.
"Hmm?" he went, pausing as he reached the spot Launch had been standing and found no one there. As the smoke cleared, he turned and saw her standing where he had just been, spotting him.
"You tried to sneak attack me!" they said together, pointing accusingly.
"Looks like while Launch went high, leaping over the smoke, Shen went low. I guess great minds think alike?" the announcer observed.
"Rocket Launch!" Launch yelled, charging at Shen, then taking to the air with a burst of speed. Shen caught her fist in one hand and twisted. Launch moved with the twist, breaking free to spin in the air and chamber a kick toward his head. Shen deflected it, knocking her back. Launch landed on her feet, only to be forced back by a series of jabs as Shen advanced on her.
"Shen seems to have seized the momentum in this match," the announcer declared.
"Heh, I admit, coming here I had hoped to fight either the so-called champion or Jackie Chun, but it's a pleasure to see my master have a chance to properly display his skill," Tien said next to Chiaotzu.
"Not concerned?" Tenron asked.
"Hardly, that woman is certainly strong, but she's hardly capable of bringing down the great Tsuru Senin," Tien said.
"Don't be so sure," Goku said solemnly, getting everyone's attention.
Launch cried out as Shen swiftly changed from jabs to land a kick, striking her knee and sending her to her arms and knees.
"You were saying?" Tien chuckled.
Shen went to strike her in the head with a jab, and took her punch on the nose, stumbling back. Smirking, Launch popped to her feet, shaking out her struck leg.
"Yeah, that Crane guy may be strong, but he doesn't seem that tough. And Launch has been sparring with me for years."
"And Goku hits as hard as Chichi, at least," Krillin stated.
"What's the matter, old timer? Cracking already, can't take what you dish out? Your flunky said Bora was being a glass cannon earlier, but I'm thinking that applies to you, too. You're less of a great fighter and more of a squishy wizard who used to take martial arts classes," Launch laughed as Shen backed up, holding his nose while she slowly advanced. He pulled his hand away from the bloodied nose, which had stopped, and grit his teeth.
"You mock my mastery of martial arts? Frail, am I? I'll break you over my knee like the impudent child you are," he seethed. Putting his palms together, he stopped and veins started popping on his forehead.
"Hey, is that...?" Mai asked.
Shen's body expanded in a burst, the baggy clothing now strained by muscle and the additional height nearly bringing him face-to-face with Launch and exposing toned, unshaved calves. Launch grimaced, taking a step back, with Shen grinning, rolling back the sleeves on his uniform.
"I normally view such a hands-on approach as beneath me these days, but I'm willing to dust it off to shove those words back down your throat. Or are you so scared you want to just call it quits?"
"...That is creepy with that tiny old man head!" Launch shouted, grimacing.
"What?" Shen said, shades slipping a bit.
"Sweet Guardian of the Earth, can't you old masters do something about your heads and faces to make the contrast a bit less squicky? I mean, it's like a bad fake photo coming to life from an old guy submitting photos to a dating service or something. Just creepy."
"...I am going to enjoy this," Shen said, cracking his knuckles.
With a burst of speed, Shen closed the distance, Launch blocking his jab with her arm but flinching as the blow pushed her back. Grinning, Shen followed up and began a combo, forcing her back and barely deflecting the blows.
"You seem to be wearing down," Shen mocked. Launch kicked back, springing into the air, with her landing and rushing toward Shen. The Crane Hermit grabbed her knee in his palm before it hit his face. And her elbow came down on top of his head, making his crane hat look like it had been stepped on.
As Shen flinched, Launch kicked off his chest. Shen growled and took his hat off, barely glancing at it before throwing it aside, with Tien reaching up to catch it with ease as it zipped by him.
"You are a pest," Shen declared, charging a Dodonpa with each hand.
Launch didn't answer, blurring out of sight. Shen glanced around and pointed his right finger down, shooting the arena floor. As smoke covered the arena and debris rained, he rose up above the cloud, one attack still charged. His free hand blocked as Launch burst from the smoke and dust below, and he fired his attack into her face, only for her to blur out. Pivoting as if on a hinge, he struck out and struck Launch in the stomach with a jab that made her bend around the blow.
"Heh," Shen sneered. Then drew back as Launch grabbed his elbow with one hand and thrust her hand into his face, practically poking him in the forehead with a finger charged for a Ki Pistol.
"Sh-!"
BOOM
The smoke was blown away, Shen extending an arm to this side, having seemingly blown it away. His shades were cracked, and as everyone watched, they shattered and slowly fell to the ground with a tinkling sound. Plucking the frames from his face, Shen tossed them aside and glared at Launch.
He blurred out of sight, and Launch turned to face him as he popped back into sight, only to disappear again. Buff Shens appeared around her, posed to attack. Then a kick took her in the side, sending her into a punch and then a palm strike to the chest.
"Rocket L-" Launch jumped up, only for Shen to grab her ankle and slam her into the ground. The Crane Hermit leapt back, steam rising from his currently broad shoulders. He tore off his tattered shirt, showing a less buff physique than Chun, but still impressive as steam rose off him.
"Who's the glass cannon now?" he demanded. Launch got to her feet, spat blood to the side, and dusted herself off.
"Well, I guess it's a fight after all," Launch said, and threw back her head, laughing as she gathered a Dodon blast on both her index fingers, and then her thumbs, and all her fingers igniting, ki arcing across her like lightning.
"What the heck! Are you trying to blow yourself up?" Shen demanded.
"Ohh, guess you never had the moxy to master this!? Well, you can try it on for size!" Launch yelled over the wind circulating around her.
"It's impossible to direct that much ki with precision!" Shen protested. Launch grinned, showing off too many of her teeth, and clenched her fists, which became enveloped in a pulsing sphere of ki.
"Good thing I'm not going for accuracy. Meet the Ki Shotgun, try and dodge this!"
'It's a bluff! One of Roshi's little scouts would never endanger the crowd with such a wild technique,' Shen assured himself, glancing to her fellow Turtles in the stands. He expected to see calm from a well-rehearsed bluff. But they looked scandalized, except the boy.
"Launch can be mean when she's excited," he giggled. Those words struck Shen like a sheet of ice water. And realized she'd flickered out of sight, save for the trails of ki, like neon lines in the air. He turned as she appeared practically in his face.
"Ki Shotgun!" She yelled, firing it off in Shen's face.
The crowd yelled in excitement as the ki blasts raced overhead, Shen blinking in relief at barely dodging it. Then his foot hit the ground, and he realized Launch was still tailing him, her left fist still engulfed in light. She hadn't fired both barrels.
She punched him, with him barely deflecting the blow, so only half the blast took him in the face.
BOOM
The smoke cleared to Launch gasping for breath, clearly struggling to hold a stance, and other wisps were blown away to show a deflated Shen flat on his back.
"Incredible! Shen is down! Is today the day we see a legend fall?"
"Master..." Tien said, while even Tenron joined the others in applause. Which was cut off as Shen clapped his hands together over his chest and stood up with unnatural rigidity, like a rake that had been stepped on. Grinding his teeth and bleeding from one closed eye, with an array of bruises rising on his neck, Shen breathed hard and fast.
"Girl. You. Die!" Shen declared, putting his hands through a rapid set of seals as sparks shot from across his body. Then his hands came together in a triangle. Tien and Roshi both gasped at that.
"Shen! Don't! This isn't worth anyone's life, not even your own!" Roshi pleaded.
"Launch, forfeit! You'll die if that connects!" Yurin screamed from the crowd, as Shen kept powering up.
"I won't let him shoot then! Rocket Launch!" She burst into motion. And Shen vanished to appear above her, grinning like a devil, catching her in the center of the triangle he had formed.
"KI KO-" Shen yelled, only to stop.
The old man hung in the air, and Launch leapt clear. With a cough, he moved again, hands breaking the seal and the aura dispersing.
"What?" he gasped. Then Launch's kick took him in the side, sending him careening into the border wall to fall onto the grass.
"It's over! Shen is out. The Crane Hermit had her in his sights for some seemingly-dreaded move! But it seems he briefly blacked out before using it, giving just enough of an opening for Launch to seal her victory. What a match!"
"...How dare you?" Shen growled under his breath, pushing himself up from the grass. He looked past his opponent raising a fist to the crowd's applause, and past Roshi's other students. His glare was on Chiaotzu, who lowered his finger while Tien said something Shen couldn't catch to him. But his expression was relieved approval.
'How dare you steal my victory Tienshenhan?' Shen thought furiously. Getting to his feet, he backhanded away the two medical monks daring to approach him. In furious silence, he climbed over the wall, and the crowd parted for him.
'I need to calm down and heal. Yes, the crane awaits the right moment to strike, he does not chase the frog through the marsh,' he thought with forced calm as he walked out of the tournament grounds.
'You have good students Shen,' Roshi spoke to his mind.
"...Bah," Shen said, hailing a cab.
X X X
"Well, it's me up next," Chichi nodded to herself.
"Well, I hope you are more of a workout than the last turtle I stepped on," Vendetta said, walking past her. Chichi glared at his back.
"You got this, Chichi," Krillin told her. Mai rolled up next to her.
"I know you're stronger than me, but be careful. That guy's like those Cranes, he's going to go nasty first chance he gets," Mai warned.
"Yeah, but I get to avenge what he put you through, Mai. I'm not going to go easy on him either," Chichi said.
Vendetta paused next to Goku and Launch.
"Soon the time for subterfuge will be done. I look forward to making you both pay for everything," he glared at them. Goku tilted his head, while Launch raised an eyebrow.
"Did we beat this guy up, Launch?" Goku asked.
"Eh, maybe. The mooks kind of blur together. Did you used to wear a lot more leather or something?" Launch asked. Vendetta glared and stomped into the arena, throwing off his jacket and hat back into the spectator area.
"And here we have our first cyborg contestant. He's no meek trailblazer, who has shown he's ready and willing to go far to secure victory. Let's hear it for the vicious Vendetta!" the announcer proclaimed. There was a very mild scattering of applause.
Vendetta smirked, running a metal hand through his red hair.
"That's fine, only fools need the love of the ignorant feeble masses," he said, his voice projecting.
"You suck!" Someone yelled from the crowd.
"And here she is! Yet another student of the Muten Roshi, and daughter of the legendary Ox King, but she's not content to ride on fame by association. Here to carve her own story by the might of her fists, welcome Chichi of the House of the Ox!"
Chichi blinked at the thunderous applause; it was hard to make out her father's shouts, even as he waved his banner with Princess Misa on his shoulder.
"Heh, they love her, maybe in part because they hate him. But hey, our little Chichi's all grown up. You two ever going follow her lead?" Launch joked, lightly bopping Goku and Krillin on the heads as they watched to either side of her.
"I guess so," Goku said.
"Girls mature quicker than boys," Krillin said.
"Princess Misa tells me that girl fought demons and won, even trading blows with a prince of their world and surviving. It will be interesting to see if she is able to stand up to one enhanced by modern science," Chin said.
"Ancient power, new power. This is a contest for strengths, skills, and cunning; may the more worthy prevail," Bora said, entering from the temple with a slight limp, Ranfan supporting him with a smile under his right arm. It wasn't clear if he needed it, but Launch and Bulma grinned at the fact Bora was allowing it.
"I wondered where you had gone," Yamcha said to Ranfan with a smile.
"Are you alright, Mr. Bora?" Mai asked, the monk following behind setting down a stool large enough for Bora to sit on at the ringside.
"I'll be feeling that fight for quite a while, but nothing proper treatment and a bit of rest can't fix," Bora said. He caught Tien looking at him; the three-eyed man gave a dismissive huff, then moved to stand by the railing.
"Oh good, we're not too late. I wanna see if that robot man coughs blood or oil," Ranfan quipped.
Meanwhile, in the crowd:
Suno sat on Eighter's shoulders, waiting for the match to start.
"So, you think the Red Ribbon built that guy, Eighter?" she asked.
"You don't build a cyborg, Suno, you modify it," the Mayor corrected, standing next to them, standing tiptoe to try and get the best view of the fight.
"I hope not. I hear the Red Ribbon is still around, but only a fraction of what it once was. I'd hoped they lost their science division; I'd hate to think what people like them would do with even worse weapons than they had in the Tower," Eighter said.
X X X
"Begin!" the announcer yelled, chopping the air.
"So, going to come at me like another angry hummingbird?" Vendetta asked, arms crossed.
"I'm no bird with hollow bones ready to crack, ya jerk. I'm the daughter of the Ox!" Chichi said, charging him straight on.
"Futile," he smirked, getting into a boxing stance.
"That might not be the best idea," Bulma admitted.
"Heheheh," Krillin laughed, getting everyone but Goku's attention.
Silver swung out in a blur of a punch, hitting Chichi on the cheek. And got hit in his own face at the same time. Both fighters staggered back from the hit.
"Gah, not just freakishly tall, are you?" Vendetta said, rubbing his cheek. Chichi didn't bother rubbing hers, giving him a small smile.
"You call that a punch?" she asked, taking a stance again.
"Don't mock me!" Silver said, rushing at her, swinging a punch. Chichi caught it on her forearm, blocking it and deflecting him away. He almost stumbled, and her foot caught him in the chest, ringing loudly against the visible metal plating.
'Barefoot?' he realized, and she withdrew, leaving a footprint on his metal plating.
"Here I come!" she said.
"And here I go!" Vendetta said, as his torso spun around, stopping her short. Chichi blinked as he extended his arms and started blurring into motion while his legs remained firmly planted.
"Now that's just freaky," Chichi cringed. Vendetta bent his legs and leapt the distance, catching Chichi by surprise, landing multiple blows on her chest and face before a chop to the neck sent her staggering away. His upper body slowed, glowing red eye wide, leaving a trail before he audibly clicked back into place.
"Hahaha, I used to think tricks like that were ridiculous, but with the crap you martial artists pull, it's downright par for the course, isn't it?" he said as Chichi picked herself up. Legs blurring with speed, he kicked Chichi in the back of her head, sending her sprawling. As she landed, her bun came undone, letting a spiky mane spill out pooling around her.
"Ah, trying to cover a bad hair day with a bun, eh? Guess your hick kingdom doesn't have stylists?"
Chichi slammed a foot into the ground before standing up, bangs that nearly touched her collarbone framing her face, and hair reaching far past her waist.
"Don't insult ma kingdom. You already hurt ma friend. Na you're going to really pay," she said angrily. With a roar, she charged again as Vendetta grinned readily, raising an arm to block it despite her speed. And an explosion erupted from the impact.
Vendetta cried out in surprise and fear, staggering back. The metal arm was cracked and sparking, while smoke swirled around Chichi's fist.
"Ah never could get tha Kamehameha like Krillin. But I found this by accident in Demon World and mastered it," She said, clenching her fists.
"She's releasing ki energy she builds up from the point of impact, using the impact force as a catalyst! Why didn't I think of that?" Roshi said, shades slipping down his nose.
"Heheh, if that's all Vendetta has, he's scrap. If you fight Chichi in a slugfest and she isn't worried about hurting you like Master Chin, it's not going to end well," Krillin chuckled darkly.
"So, Master, all that effort, and she was just holding back her real arsenal?" Tenron said with a smile to Chin. Chin just sighed.
"Well, I already realized my time was done..." he said.
"Think she'll teach me that move?" Ranfan asked Krillin.
"Uh, do you want it? I mean, she's fighting shoeless because it blows up her shoes and other-"
BOOM BOOM BOOMBOOMBOOM
Chichi and Silver traded blows, with him blocking punches and kicks with his arms and knees, but the fiery explosive force sending him back.
"Curse you!" he screamed as she let up, his singed human arm lunging out toward her face. She grabbed the arm; no explosion followed, but she pulled him in close with a grim expression as his organic eye widened, and headbutted him in the face.
BOOM
Bleeding from the nose and his face charred black and bruised, Vendetta fell back to clack onto the ground, his body riddled with burned, bruised, and bleeding skin and sparking electronics surrounded with skin peeled back to reveal more.
"What a brutal display! If Vendetta thought he was going to steamroll his way through the tournament, his steamroller just went up against a tank! Let's see if it's over! One! Two! Three-!"
"NO!" Vendetta yelled, a burst of fire beneath him sending him to his feet as a thruster was revealed on his back.
"Hey, is that legal?!" Bulma yelled.
"Uh, good question. On the one hand, I'm pretty sure he wasn't born with thrusters, but he only used it to-" the announcer said, pulling a rulebook out of somewhere and starting to flip through it.
He was cut off as Vendetta screamed in fury. Pointing not at Chichi but Goku and Launch.
"You think you can just beat me down and brush me aside!? You don't remember me, you say!? Well, I could never forget you. My perfect life of villainy in the Red Ribbon Army was destroyed by you in mere minutes. I had power, wealth, the privilege to beat men into the dirt every day and execute my men at will! Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get that far!? How many I had to crush and suck up to!?"
"Don't know, don't care," Launch said, half-eyed.
"He must not have been very strong. Did you work in Muscle Tower?!" Goku called.
"No, I did not serve under White!"
"Was it that Blue guy? I think he had some guys with him before our big fight," Launch asked, hands to her mouth.
Vendetta practically spasmed in the face, teeth grinding.
"Is the fight still on?" Chichi asked the Announcer.
"Well, I'm still checking the rules. But if it's not explicitly forbidden, I'm inclined to give it a one-time exception."
"Fine by me. I can take him."
"...Take me? You insignificant little hilly jenny or whatever you are! I am Silver, Colonel Silver of the Red Ribbon Army! I let myself become a guinea pig to mad scientists all so I could survive and take my revenge on all who wronged me. And you, who weren't even on my list, think you can stop me!? DIE!" he said, firing the broken fist from his prosthetic wrist. Chichi barely deflected the surprise blow, and he was in her face, teeth still clenched, eye glowing and wide, a blade erupting from the stump. Chichi stepped back, but the slash still went through her gi, cutting across her stomach diagonally.
"Chichi!" several voices called from the contestants and crowd.
"FOUL! Vendetta, er, SILVER HAS BROKEN THE RULES! THIS MATCH IS OVER!" the Announcer said. Silver turned on him, and Chichi stepped between him and Silver, catching the punch from his remaining fist on her crossed arms.
"TO HFIL WITH THIS TOURNAMENT! I AM GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOU, STARTING WITH THIS MONKEY GIRL!" Silver roared. Chichi punched him in the face, the blow exploding.
"GUYS! DON"T INTERFERE! I've got this!" she called. Stopping other contestants on the ring's edge and her father, who was practically trampling audience members.
"Throw it, Krillin!" she called as she caught Silver's blade in a clap of her hands and snapped it off to drop to the ground.
"HYPERGUN SURPRISE!" Silver yelled, as ports opened across his torso and fired off. Chichi's palms blurred before her, explosions erupting before she planted her hands on her hips. And let the spent bullets clatter to the ground.
"Uh, no. It can't be, those..."
"Worked on people like me three years ago? You're outdated, metal man," Chichi sneered, taking care to drop her accent as she enunciated the sentence. A capsule flew through the air from Krillin, which she caught and pressed.
"This is no longer a match, it's a fight. And you've tried to kill me. I've been waiting for a worthy target to use this on in earnest," Chichi said, the smoke from the capsule dispersing to reveal a white and grey warhammer that she casually held in one hand.
"A hammer?" Silver asked.
"And it multiplies ki channeled through it!" Chichi said, charging him and swinging low. Silver's eyes widened; he turned to run, and Chichi missed his back to land her blow.
BOOOOM
"She got him!" Goku cheered.
"She's a bit scary," Mai gulped.
"Right!" Yamcha said.
"...I kind of like it," Tenron admitted.
"I thought you liked traditional business lady girls," Chin remarked.
"I do, but I'm starting to think it's powerful women in general," Tenron admitted, gulping slightly.
"Too much information!" Mai protested.
"It is not! Do go on, without the haircut, you might be datable," Bulma said, sliding next to Tenron, who sweatdropped.
The smoke cleared in the ring, showing Chichi with her hammer resting on her shoulder, and Silver face down on the ground, his legs gone and seeming to have been mostly metal, judging by more oil than blood spilling out.
"It's over. The police are probably going to arrest you for being part of the Red Ribbon, not to mention this. They might be willing to fix your legs if you cooperate," Chichi said, before sighing in weariness, her posture loosening.
No one expected the damaged cyborg to laugh. But laugh he did, and pushed himself over, dragging himself to face her.
"Over? Yes, I suppose it is. But if you think I'm going to just let you brush me aside like some bit villain in some comic book, you're wrong. It's 'over' for all of you!" he said, his red eye rapidly blinking.
"Drat! Time to jet!" Candi said in the audience. Pulling a cord on her backpack, it ripped apart, revealing a rocket pack, which she pulled a rod with a joy stick from in a smooth motion.
"Bye, sports people!" she yelled, before pressing a red button on the stick, igniting the rocket and shooting into the sky with a cry of "wahoo".
"Run, everyone! He's going to self-destruct!" Eighter yelled, waving his hands frantically and scooping the Mayor up his big arms.
"Hahaha! Don't bother! Most of this city is coming to HFIL with me!" Sliver cackled, eye flashing faster.
"I think not," Tien said, surprising everyone at his sudden position in front of the beaten cyborg. Reaching down, he grabbed the man by his mostly intact belt and easily lifted him off the ground one-handed.
"What are you doing!?" Silver yelled.
"Going up!" Tien smirked, kicking off the ground and rising rapidly. As he rose, he twisted in the air to swing Silver around, building force.
"This tournament belongs to the Crane School, fool. We were willing to let you thin the herd of rivals, but I won't allow you to destroy the stage we are destined to shine on. If you're so weak to rush toward death, have some class and do it alone!" Tien said, releasing his grip with a final spin.
Screaming in rage, Silver flew up and hurtled into the atmosphere, piercing a cloud and his scream lost to the wind. Tien smirked as the thunder of his explosion dispersed the clouds, turning the sky red and black.
"Sound and fury, signifying nothing. A fitting epitaph, if anyone cared to give you a headstone," Tien chuckled, floating back down toward the ground. He touched down to a silent arena.
Which then burst into applause, stunning Tien.
"What a match! What a round, what a twist! After presenting himself as a heel among heels, Tienshenhan has saved us all from the wrath of a confessed terrorist! To make it official, Chichi has won her match, which ends the second round. The stage is set for tomorrow at noon for the semifinals, with Ranfan, Tienshenhan, Son Launch, and Chichi! Is it wrong that I'm hoping tomorrow will be less exciting than today!?" the announcer called the cheering crowd.
And so, the second round of the 22nd Budokai came to a close.
Author's Notes:
Another chapter down, hope you enjoyed it.
No special announcements or notes this time so; long days and pleasant nights to you all.