The Grand Minister waited for everyone to quiet down. Seeing the appalled looks on the contestants faces brought a little joy to him. It wasn't every day they got the chance to surprise the mortals of the Cosmos. The Deity could hear the snickers of the Omni King's behind him.
"I wonder who is going to continue!" Zeno whispered loudly to his companion.
"Yes! I wonder that as well."
"Contestants! Please make a line behind each machine, and we will let today's festivities begin! Once you've taken a turn, please head towards the waiting area." The Grand Minister gestured towards the machines, watching as all of the contestants shuffled into three separate lines. A trio of assistants manifested behind each of the machines. They were carrying clipboards with pens, in order to record the numbers.
While this wasn't their original plan, The Grand Minister came up with this solution on his own. With as many contestants as they have, they'll need to cut down the numbers quickly. This seemed like the easiest way, while it's not exactly full proof. Although the meter tests for strength, it doesn't take anything else into account.
This could prove to make the matches very interesting.
The Grand Minister looked around the tournament stage, curious as to how 'strong' the meter was going to read on the beloved Universe Seven.
"Grand Minister?" Zeni walked up, tugging on his hand gently.
"Yes, sire?"
"How do these things work?" Pointing towards the machines, Zeni looked very confused.
The High Priest smiled and gestured in the direction of the strength testers. "Each contestant is going to hit this machine as hard as they can. The white pads on the outside will absorb the shock of the hit." Just as he was explaining it to the Omni Kings, the warriors began punching the machines. Numbers began popping up above the machine. "Once the machine decides how much force was used, it'll tell us how much force was used by that number."
"So…" Zeno began connecting the dots. "The higher the number, means they're super strong right?"
"Absolutely correct." The Grand Minister smiled brightly.
"Kale.." Caulifla poked her younger sister on the shoulder repeatedly. "Who's that lady standing between Goku and Vegeta?" Unable to take her eyes away from the dark haired woman, the Saiyan girl was becoming frustrated.
"I don't know… But she kind of looks like Vegeta, doesn't she? Kale's head cocked to the side as she continued to look between the three of them. "Maybe Cabba knows?"
The two women from Universe Six ran towards their Saiyan friend. They startled him as they nearly attacked him.
"Hey Cabba!" Caulifla yelled. "Who is that girl?!"
"Huh?" the young Saiyan looked in the direction his friend was pointing. The woman looked similar to his master. "Vegeta did mention a sister the last time we met. Maybe that's her?"
"Really? A female Saiyan?" the ebony haired woman grinned.
"Yeah, he said something about her being Goku's partner."
Hmm… I wonder if that means she's been trained by both of them? Caulifla went silent as she contemplated how strong the woman was. If she sparred with Goku on a regular basis, there was no way she was weak. Maybe I'll get to face her in the Tournament!
As the trio continued to stand in line, the Saiyan woman caught a glimpse of a stern looking man in the line behind Goku and his friends. The moment Caulifla's eyes connected with his, a shiver ran up her spine. For the first time, the spiky haired girl felt a tinge of fear during a Tournament. That was a guy she needed to stay away from at all costs.
Ellery rubbed the back of her head. Ever since they began standing in line, she's felt like she's being watched. There were quite a few people waiting. However, the young woman noticed three in particular that kept looking in their direction.
"Kakarot, who are those three? They're looking over here as if they know you quite well."
Goku raised a brow as he observed the small crowd. Technically, nearly every one of them has met the Saiyan. With the exception of the four Universes that didn't compete in the tournament, he's fought against almost the whole group. However, there were three Saiyans from Universe Six that were blatantly staring at them. Goku chuckled. "Yeah, they're Saiyans just like us! Only they're from Universe Six…." The warrior waved before yelling. "Hey guys!"
"Their homeworld still exists." Vegeta mentioned with a small grin. "It's a sight to behold."
"Really?" Ellery stood in awe.
"Next in line, please!" One of the assistants called out. This alerted the group to move up, unaware that nearly every one in their line had already gone. Ellery was only one person away. Suddenly, she felt her heart begin to race. Watching the person in front of her, she noticed the number above the machine read 800,043. Wow… That's a really big number! The Saiyan woman thought to herself.
"You can do it, Princess." Goku said from behind her, giving her shoulders a quick rub before her turn.
"Thanks.." Ellery took a deep breath as she walked up to the machine.
"Whenever you're ready, ma'am." The attendant stated, not looking up from his clipboard.
The Saiyan woman closed her eyes, taking a couple of moments to focus. Letting out a yell, Ellery punched the white pad as hard as she could. She looked up, waiting for the screen to display her number.
The attendant looked up, gasping as they saw the number. "Two… Million?"
2,461,474… Ellery couldn't believe it.
"Wooo! Yeah! Way to go!" Goku was cheering for his partner happily. "That's my girl!" The arena floor was silent after the Saiyan's outburst, effectively quieting him down. Goku rubbed the back of his head as he laughed nervously.
"It's your turn, you big idiot." Vegeta nudged the taller Saiyan, his eyes rolling as he did so.
The spiky haired Saiyan nodded as he jogged towards the metal contraption. Goku shifted his weight between his feet rapidly as he did a few air jabs. The warrior needed to put everything he had into this attack. Who knows if he will even be in the top ten? The Saiyan needed to give it his all, or else he had no chance.
"Whenever you're ready." The Attendant mentioned next to him.
"HAAAAAAA!" Powering up, Goku used every amount of strength he could put into a single blow. This caused this machine to scoot across the floor at least eighteen inches. The Attendant next to the machine screamed in horror, not knowing what exactly happened. He turned to Goku with wide eyes.
Everyone in the Null realm was stunned into silence. Being the first mortal to move the strength machine caused everyone to stop what they were doing and pay attention. It took several moments for a reading to appear.
Once it did, the Attendant dropped his clipboard.
"Alright!" Goku threw his hands in the air, cheering as he happily walked away.
Ellery couldn't believe her eyes. She knew her partner was a mighty warrior. However, the young woman never would've believed he was nearly one hundred times stronger than her. Another loud noise shook Ellery from her thoughts. Seeing her brother's score nearly identical to Goku's wasn't a surprise. With as much training as they did together, it was no wonder their numbers were so close.
"I hope it'll be enough!" The spiky haired warrior mentioned as he walked into the waiting area.
"What do you mean? That's the highest score we've seen so far!" Ellery looked at her partner as if he grew two heads.
"Well…" Goku looked around the room, seeing a couple of warriors that weren't in here yet. "Jiren has yet to go. I'm pretty sure he's stronger than I am. There's other people who I've never even seen battle before! Who knows how they'll stack up to us!" A glimmer of excitement was showing in his features. Goku couldn't wait to see who he was going up against.
"Don't get too excited." Vegeta warned, taking a spot in the corner of the room. "You know how you get when it comes to these things. Don't let it cloud your judgment!"
"Oh come on!" The Saiyan laughed it off. "It's just a friendly Tournament. Besides, I bet the two of us will at least be in the top five!"
Suddenly, a loud bang erupted on the Tournament stage! Everyone shielded themselves from the debris rather easily. Once the dust settled, the contestants turned their heads towards the source of the bang.
Sinthe was standing next to a pile of rubble, his hand extended into a fist. Once he retracted it, he looked at his palm and began flexing his fingers. The warrior had a confused look on his face as he glanced in the Grand Minister's direction.
"I thought this machine was adequate enough that I could use a decent percentage of my strength. How will you get a recording now?"
The Deity was at a loss for words. "I think the breaking of our materials is sufficient for the recording. Please go with the rest of the competitors in the waiting area."
"Hn." The contestant nodded before doing as he was told. The entire Null Realm was shocked into silence.
The Grand Minister gained his composure quickly. He looked towards the contestants in the third line. "Please, if you will please find a place in the other two lines, we will finish our examination."
"He-He just…" Caulifla's jaw dropped. Her friends from Universe Six had similar looks on their faces. "The whole thing exploded!"
"There's nothing left…" Vegeta whispered.
Ellery felt her heart sink into her abdomen. An overwhelming sense of dread began to cloud her mind. The Saiyan woman looked towards the stage, looking for any sign of a reaction from her partner. However, Goku's face was stone cold as he looked in Sinthe's direction.
"Kakarot?" The Saiyan woman began feeling something from her partner she'd never experienced. Pure fear and uncertainty. "Is everything okay?"
The Saiyan warrior stayed silent as the man walked through the threshold. Their eyes met for a brief moment before Sinthe walked to the farthest corner of the room. The man took a seat on the floor, crossing his arms and his legs as his eyes closed.
Goku felt an icy shiver run down his spine. Looking down at his hands, the warrior could see them shaking. It wasn't like him to get nervous like this before a fight. Sure, there was always a little anxiousness before the fight started. However, Goku's always been able to prevail, even in the toughest of circumstances. Even if he didn't, he would have his friends behind him.
What if this time, his strength wouldn't be enough?
Kakarot, you're scaring me… The Saiyan woman couldn't help being concerned about her partner. This was just a friendly Tournament, would it really matter that much if he lost?
"Kakarot?"
The sound of Ellery's voice in his mind and aloud caused him to jump back to reality. Goku looked around, seeing his friends and family all looking at him with a look of concern. The warrior put a smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I'm fine… Just got in the zone for a minute!" Goku said, causing everyone else to stop worrying. Ellery however, was still glaring at her partner.
Around that same time, Jiren walked into the waiting area. Their gazes met. The Saiyan looked across the room towards the man in the corner. The gray warrior gave a curt nod before finding his own teammates.
Kakarot, What on Earth is going on? Ellery's voice popped into Goku's head, startling him for a moment.
I can't explain it… I've just got a bad feeling about this.
What do you mean?
I'm wondering if that's the warrior Jiren was trying to warn me about during our spar..
The one that made the test machine explode?
Goku nodded, keeping his eyes away from that corner of the room. Seeing the amount of great fighters here eased his anxieties. It was possible the two may not even match up with each other! Who knows, there are ways to win a fight other than brute strength. His oldest son, Gohan, was a perfect example of that!
However, the positive thoughts didn't ease the anxiety building up in the warrior.
Once all of the contestants were examined, their numbers documented, the Grand Minister waved towards the crowd.
"Thank you all for your patience. Now that we have our scores, it will only take us a little longer to create a roster. The contestants that didn't make the cut are welcome to join their families in the bleachers once the new list has been posted."
After several minutes, the Grand Minister returned. Walking onto the Tournament stage, the Deity held a tablet in his left hand. "Thank you for your patience! Now that the contestants have been decided, we can show the Tournament roster!"
Behind the High Priest, a large projection of his tablet was shown. The first round consisted of four fights, two of them being one-on-one battles. Vegeta, Caulifla, and Ellery were the first three to battle in the Tournament! Followed by the two, one on one battles, Goku vs Top and Jiren vs Dyspo . The final match of the round was Sinthe, Hit, and Gohan.
The Deity continued to speak through the murmurs of the crowd. "The contestants are in the waiting area, preparing for the first round! I want to thank everyone for their cooperation. The Omni Kings have also expressed their gratitude for everyone in attendance today. Please, enjoy the Tournament!"
"Wow! That's one hell of a first match!" Bulma grinned as she observed the Tournament roster. "Three Saiyans going at it."
"Ellery going up against Vegeta?" Chi-Chi looked at the roster worriedly. "I was hoping that she would make it past the first round!"
"Damn! Gohan better have a good strategy…" Videl
Do you think he has a chance? I know Gohan has fought before, but I think the other guy has this Tournament in the bag!" Jean said worriedly. "I've never seen a machine just explode like that!"
"We have." Bulma laughed. "My husband managed to do the same thing to an Earth-based model." It was then her demeanor became serious. "However, if that man is breaking one of these machines, I don't even want to imagine how strong he is."
"You're saying Papa and Grandpa could lose?" Pan asked worriedly from her mom's lap.
"They're going to try their best, sweetheart. Goku always does! And your Father won't go down without a fight either." Videl consoled her daughter. "Strength isn't everything when it comes to fighting in a Tournament like this. With the amount of rules, someone could be able to outsmart the tougher opponent.'
"Yes, but will it be enough…" Piccolo contemplated as he leaned back in his chair, an uneasy feeling settling over him. "Gohan is extremely intelligent. However, sometimes there isn't anything that can bridge the gap between two opponents.
Before the Second Tournament begins, this work will be taking a momentary hiatus. With the holidays coming up, and work beginning wholesale of my candies, I am taking some time to focus on work and my family. This is by no means the end, this work will continue! I just am not able to keep up with the weekly posting that I strive to do. Once I can find a balance once again, the works will continue!
Happy Reading Everyone!