บท 7: The tournament continues
Krillin is introduced to Bulma, Chichi having already met her to my surprise. I'm informed that they went to frypan mountain for one of the dragon balls and had met her there, that's how they all know each other, though Bulma is surprised to know that Chichi went off to train with us. Krillin is the only one that needs to be introduced and he's a bit sheepish when we present him as a fellow student under Master Roshi. Bulma also informs that she had gone to Master Roshi's island some time ago to visit us but nothing and no one could be found there, not even the friendly turtle. It was nice of her to come looking for us and I make sure to tell her exactly where the new house is located in case she wants to find us another time.
"How did it go in there?" Master Roshi finally asks. "Did you make it in?"
Before we can tell him the good news Bulma's the one to speak with enthusiasm.
"Of course they did," she says with the most confidence I've seen from her.
"Oh wow, it's nice to know you have that much confidence in us" I admit since I'm surprised she undoubtedly believes we've made it in as if it would be unthinkable for us to have done anything else.
"Why wouldn't I?" She grins, patting my shoulder. "I've seen what you guys can do, you're stupidly powerful"
Good point.
I grin in return, feeling really good today as things have been going smoothly so far. Bulma is staring at me, something I realize after she doesn't say anything for a while and I meet her eyes. She doesn't even try to hide it, not even looking away embarrassed or anything.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Why is it so hard for me to believe you're a girl?" Is the answer I get as she watches me more intently now. "I'm really trying here"
"You're not the only one who can't see it" I inform her as some sort of reassurance.
"Yeah, but it's weird" she groans, turning to face Kakarot, Krillin, and Chichi who converse with Master Roshi.
"It is? I've gotten used to it by now. The only one other than you who knows of my actual gender is Chichi and she realized on her own" she's very observant, I had learned with our time spent together.
"Yes it is weird because you're pretty handsome, but you're a girl, but I can't see it, which just makes it confusing" she rambles and I listen patiently. I suppose it is weird then if that's how it is for her.
"Good to know you think I'm handsome" I snort. "I always believed I was more on the cute side you know? I'm quite adorable after all"
"Yeah sure" is the sarcastic reply. "You're very adorable"
"I know you're being sarcastic and all, but I'll still take it" a compliment is a compliment after all.
She rolls her eyes but seems very amused.
"I don't remember you being this witty," she says in return.
"Hey, we hardly talked then, remember. You still don't know me after all" I point out.
"I could've known you better had you taken the time to come visit me like promised" she retorts, shooting me this accusatory glare that is a tad bit frightening, I must admit. "I was hoping you'd stop by with Kakarot too"
"I'm sorry, but I was training" I couldn't leave the island when every day is training day, but I didn't forget about it. How could I, when I'm curious about capsule corp as a whole? "After the tournament, I'll visit, I promise and this time I won't break it"
She doesn't seem to believe me but doesn't voice her doubt. She goes quiet, watching Kakarot and the others happily speak to our Master about how well they have done and how surprised they were by their new strength. I've got to admit that the training did wonders. He has not taught them a single fighting move, telling them that the training is all they had needed. He's like my master in that regard, giving us everything we need and leaving us to develop our own style of fighting.
"Hey, Bunny girl" I call to Bulma, who at first ignores me, but I'm persistent. She's reluctant when she gives me the attention I want, reminding me that she has a name and that I should use it. Yes, but bunny girl. "How much do you want to bet I win this tournament?"
"You think you can win?" She wonders. "I was leaning towards Kakarot"
Understandable since she has seen more of Kakarot than me, she doesn't know exactly how strong we are compared to each other.
"Yes, I think I can win. Kakarot is likely my biggest opponent since we're kinda even in power right now, but I do believe I can get the upper hand" I have the advantage in technique, something he does not have a lot of. Though I have seen him perform the Kamehameha wave and that is something I do not have under my belt as of yet. I've been practicing with ki balls, however, have been for some time now and I'm confident in my skill. Now if only I could learn the legendary Kamehameha wave.
"Okay, I don't know if you're cocky or not," she says thoughtfully. "What are we betting?"
"Oh I'm not sure" I shrug. I wasn't really intending to bet actual money, I just said something.
"Then why did you say that?"
"I don't know" another shrug and she's sighing. "How about you show me around West City if I win?" I've never had the chance to explore the big city, so this is a good deal in the end. "As well as capsule corp"
"Sure" she agrees with no qualms. "Do I get anything if you lose?"
"Yeah, whatever you want, though I'm not sure I can give you anything incredible" as a wanderer I don't have much of worth.
"I'll think of something"
~~~~~~~~~
Our meeting is cut short when the finals are announced, prompting us to retreat to the other contestants before they find a reason to eliminate us all. Kakarot, Krillin, Chichi, Yamcha and I are already five out of the eight contestants. The other three being some young woman, an old man that has me very suspicious, and a silent man that seems to have come from somewhere deep in the desert. Kakarot and the rest talk about one thing or another while I'm left to eye the old man that looks so familiar. His name is Jackie Chun he says and he's ki feels just like Master Roshi. So the question now is, why would Master Roshi disguise himself as someone else to enter the tournament. He could have just entered as himself, couldn't he? I'm not sure if he knows I'm on to him as he talks to me as if we have never met. The others are none the wiser, their ability to sense ki is not as developed as my own as of yet. Though I would think they'd recognize him.
"You guys found Bulma and Puar, right?" I hear Yamcha ask, pulling my attention from our disguised master for the moment. Yamcha is smiling when Kakarot nods to his question, seeming happy to have helped out. "Must've been fun"
"Yeah, it was nice seeing her again," Kakarot says happily. "She hasn't changed a bit"
"Hello!" The conversation is cut short by the appearance of a blonde man in a suit. "Participants, please gather yourselves up"
The man pulls out a whiteboard once we're gathered near him and proceeds to explain how this will all work. Like the preliminary, we will be drawing lots to see who fights who. Unlike preliminary, there is no time limit.
"Ah, excuse me, young man" Jackie Chun - or master Roshi - steps toward the man with the girl in hand. "I would like to fight this young woman"
That is Master Roshi, no doubt about it.
He's declined quickly and easily as the blonde man promptly moves on to the matter at hand.
"Namu" he calls, the silent man steps forward to draw a lot.
With draw number six he is placed in fight three against whoever is to pull number five. That's how it goes until everyone has a number and Krillin curses at his terrible luck as he had drawn one and I two. He's not the only one facing a friend, for Chichi shall fight Kakarot in the last match, something Kakarot seems to be looking forward to. Yamcha is put against Jackie Chun, a match I believe he is bound to lose. And Namu has to fight the woman I have learned to be Lan Fan. The matches are to be held immediately, only interrupted by Kakarot requesting food as he cannot fight on an empty stomach. I've learned that his voracious appetite is very much a Saiyan thing for no one in their right mind would eat before a match.
"Really Kakarot"
He grins as he's taken away to go eat while the rest of us remain, ready for the battles to come.
"Man just my luck" Krillin kicks the air in dejection. "First match in the finals and I'm facing you of all people"
"Be lucky you're not fighting Kakarot" Chichi says with an apprehensive yet somewhat anxious look as if she could hardly wait to fight him while some part of her would rather not.
"Durian is crueler than him" he accuses me right to the face.
I am not cruel, unlike Kakarot I end the fight when it goes on too long instead of dragging it out when it's clearly futile. He can't keep doing that, it's dangerous. What if his enemy pulls some dirty trick that ends with him dead?
The blonde man goes out to address the crowd while I peer through the top of the brick wall separating us. I do believe I see a giraffe in the crowd. What a weird world this is.
"Thank you all for waiting so long everyone!" His voice is rather charismatic, I must admit. "We will now begin the 21ˢᵗ world martial arts tournament!"
"Be prepared Krillin" I chuckle in pure amusement because the look on his face is priceless.
~~~~~~~~
The crowd is very loud when Krillin and I step onto the stage, cheers of all kinds filling the open air. Krillin seems as nervous as he is determined when he stands opposite me, watching me like a cat would a mouse. Rather unexpected from him, but that's good. He should not let fear get the best of him and he should not doubt his abilities no matter how incapable he believes he is. He's a very strong fighter, after all. The announcer rallies the crowd with some words, letting all know that the winner of the tournament goes home with the grand prize of 500.000 zeni. That's amazing money, and I would be lying if I said it was not appealing.
"Our contestant Krillin here happens to be one of the youngest fighters in this tournament at the tender age of thirteen" the blonde man announces.
Yes, I am completely convinced that Krillin just won't grow much in the years to come. He's a year younger than me and not even close to being my height.
"And the young man over there is only a year older than him as well as a good friend"
I think I see Chichi snicker over the wall when I'm addressed as a young man, but I promptly ignore it
"Okay people, here are the rules," the man says. "If you are knocked out of the ring, you lose. If you are knocked down for longer than a ten-second count, you also lose. You also lose if you verbally admit that you give up"
The battle has no time limit.
Great.
"Let battle number one begin!"
At the sound of the gong, the match is officially started. The crowd goes crazy with cheers and shouts, all wanting to see how this plays out. How will this play out? It truly is a question simply because I have never fought Krillin before and haven't seen him fight often enough for me to understand his fighting style.
Neither of us moves for the good half of a minute, each waiting for the other to attack first. My patience is something I pride myself on, as I have been forced to sit on a mountain - a place with very thin air - for hours, even days without moving at all. My patience cannot be outmatched by Krillin of all people. The longer we wait the more anxious he gets until he has no choice but to make the first move.
He attacks me with a flurry of punches, each strike coming harder and harder as his building momentum and speed carry him. He refuses to give me the time to counterattack, not letting up even as he switches to kicks that quickly transform into a combination of fists and feet. Holy hell, I see what he's trying to do here. But there's a big issue with this plan.
"Hey, hey" I catch his fist before he can even try to punch my face. A punch to the face is not one I like in the slightest, so that is not about to happen. "You're gonna run out of stamina before me"
He throws another punch, this one does connect straight to my nose and it's bloody painful. Hurting your nose is one of the worst pains to have experience in my opinion, because this pain is different. Trying to cope with the pain only ends with me being swept off my feet, crashing to the ground, and narrowly dodging another kick.
"Dammit, Krillin"
He looks so very proud of himself when he quickly increases the distance between us as much as he can.
"Ladies and Gentlemen it looks like Krillin has the upper hand here" the blonde man again. "Will the younger be the victor here or will Durian bounce back"
"Did you have to go for the face, Krillin?" There's blood in my hands when I try to soothe the pain and it's almost laughable. "You're lucky you don't have a nose"
He's smiling at my words, either amused or just too proud of himself at this moment. Sighing I take a single step towards him and he tenses, ready to pounce once more.
"I thought you could handle pain" he retorts despite how uneasy he is when I approach. I'll commend him for that.
"Oh yeah, I can handle some pain, doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt" I chuckle, wiping my nose for the last time before once more assuming my position. "I'll fight back this time, so don't hold back"
He takes my words to heart as the next time he overwhelms me with punches and kicks that are much, much stronger, strong enough to force me back until I'm at the edge of the ring. He goes for the final push that would send me over only for me to dodge and grab his face, slamming him into the ring with nonlethal force. Surprisingly he powers out of my grip, slipping under my legs to attack me from behind. I'm fast on my feet, spinning around to block his attack, wincing at the pain, but pushing through in favor of grabbing his arm and throwing him over my shoulder. As light as he is, he goes flying, crashing onto the ring with a grunt of pain.
"Ow," he grumbles, getting back up and dashing straight towards me with no time to rest and gather himself. He comes in with a flying kick and I step out of the way, gently leading him away with his own momentum before bringing him down on my knee. I apologize mentally, for kneeing him in the gut, but this is a fight and I refrain from hurting him too much. He seems close to emptying his stomach on the ring, heaving heavily on his hands and knees.
Things go on like this for a while, him continuously jumping at me with everything he's got, trying everything he knows and then some, but it was clear to us both that he would not be the victor here. He has been one of the most determined out of the four of us, not willing to be left in the dirt by any of us. I respect and admire that, but that doesn't mean I'll just give him the win, if anything this loss will only serve to make him work harder.
As I had stated earlier in our fight, he would run out of stamina long before I. That time had come sooner rather than later, leaving him panting and barely on his feet when I finally got him out of the ring.
"I did better than I thought I would" he smiles from his place on the ground, raising his hand for a thumbs up at me. "Next time for sure, you'll see"
"I'll be looking forward to it" I return his gesture, jumping out of the ring to help him up and pat his bald head. "Good job"
"There you have it folks!" The blonde man exclaims, causing the people to erupt in cheers. "Durian is the victor of the first match!"
"You need to get patched up, Krillin" Says Kakarot when we retreat to the back, the boy slapping Krillin on the back and almost sending him onto the floor. "Durian really did a number on you"
Krillin grumbles some complaint as he allows the other monks to carry him away for medical attention. There's not much wrong with him, safe for the few bruises he has gathered. Though I do imagine him being in a lot of pain from all the times I pummeled him.
"Congratulations Durian" Chichi appears at my side as she often does. She's very quiet when she moves, something I pat myself on the back for as I am the one who has taught her this skill.
"Thanks, Chichi, I wish you the best for your match," I say with obvious amusement to which she jabs me in the side, sending me stumbling into a wall.
I see she's still iffy about being put up against Kakarot.
"Maybe we should be wishing Yamcha luck," says Kakarot from his place on the wall, having climbed up to peer over and watch the second match. "I'm pretty sure he's up against Master Roshi"
So he realized.
"Glad to know I'm not the only one who noticed," Chichi says with relief as she joins Kakarot on the wall. "I thought it was just me. It could just be that they look incredibly alike, you know? But there's this feeling that makes me really think it's Master Roshi"
"No, that's him alright" I assure them both, also scaling the wall. "I can recognize his ki anywhere"
"Oh so that's the feeling," both Chichi and Kakarot say at once.
I grin, realizing that they can actually recognize ki, though they hadn't known this before. I knew it was a good idea to teach them the skill, it's incredibly useful.
"Do you think Yamcha can win this?"
"Nope"
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