Year 753
The tournament finals had begun. Jin had triumphed over Tenshinhan in the first match and Radditz was now about to test his strength against Gohan in the second match. Who will be the winner?
Gohan: " Go ahead, Radditz! Show me what you?ve got! "
Radditz launched himself at Gohan with a flying kick. Gohan dodged, but Radditz turned around in mid-air and kicked Gohan in the face with his other foot. Gohan jumped away and Radditz readied himself for Gohan?s attack. Gohan dashed at him and punched him in the face, followed with a punch to the stomach and finished with a blazing uppercut! Radditz?s back heavily hit the surface of the ring, but he quickly got back up. Gohan went to him again, connecting with a triple kick combo that blew Radditz away. He landed on his hands and got back on his feet. He spat blood in the crater in the ring and wiped his mouth with his left arm. He decided it was now time to get serious. He raised his right arm and fired an energy-dan. Gohan blocked it with his arms and countered with his own, which Radditz was unable to avoid.
Radditz: " You?re pretty good, Gohan-san! "
Gohan did not reply and waited for Radditz?s attack. Radditz finally came as fast as lightning. Gohan blocked Radditz?s punch, but Radditz went on with a punch in the stomach, a kick to the ribs and another kick to the chest, blowing Gohan a few meters back. Gohan stabilized and landed. He smiled and launched himself at Radditz with a dash-kick, but Radditz dodged it and hand-chopped him to the ground. Gohan got up with a surprised look on his face. He knew it was now the time for him to go full out. He tried a spin kick, which was blocked, but he came back with a punch in the face followed by a Renzoku energy-dan. Radditz was knocked away and smashed in the only wall around the tournament ring. As he got up, he felt repeated punches in his face and a kick that sent him airborne. He then felt the pain of his body falling to the floor. He stood up, but with difficulty, and, in his dizziness, he noticed Gohan staring at him a few meters away.
Gohan: " Give up, Radditz. There?s nothing you can do. "
Radditz: " I...won?t...give up. I...have to try...my best move. "
Radditz: " JYHAD ATTACK!!! " As the three beams flew toward Gohan, Piccolo came close to the ring. Gohan was caught off guard by Radditz?s attack and got hit by all three beams. The beams disappeared and Radditz looked at his opponent...still standing up with a white aura surrounding him!
Anouncer: " What an absolutely incredible attack by Radditz! Unfortunately for him, Son Gohan doesn?t seem affected!!! "
Ma: " Radditz! I told you to try this attack in desperate situations only! "
Radditz: " I...missed...? "
Ma: " You didn?t miss, Radditz! Gohan has a pure heart and won?t be affected by this attack! "
Radditz: " Ku...sooo... " Radditz collapsed on the ground.
Anouncer: " Radditz is down! Will he get back up? 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9... "
Anouncer: " 10! Son Gohan wins the match! Gohan is truly a master martial artist!!! " Gohan helped Radditz up and carried him off the ring. As the two next warriors got on the ring, the anouncer presented them.
Anouncer: " Well, let?s go on, shall we, to the next match up!!! To my left stands the impressive Ma Junior! "
Anouncer (to Piccolo): " Er...excuse me sir. Are you really a demon? "
Ma: " No, I?m just pretending. "
Anouncer: " And to my right is the handsome young man with the lavander-colored hair, Trunks! Get ready, now, and FIGHT! " Piccolo and Trunks set themselves in fighting stance, studying one another.
Pudding (in the front row): " Go Trunks-chan! Go!!! " She blew him a kiss. Trunks sent a confident wink at her.
Ma: " I know much about you, Trunks! I trained you! You can?t beat me now! "
Trunks: " You didn?t even fight against Boo, Ma Junior! You can?t be strong enough to beat me! "
Ma: " I?ll teach you some respect! YAAAH! " Piccolo connected with a hand chop, a spin kick, a headbutt and an upppercut, knocking Trunks to the ground.
Anouncer: " Trunks is down already! 1... " But Trunks got back up and dashed at Piccolo, unleashing a flurry of hits which knocked the Nameckjin down, but Piccolo isn?t so easily defeated so he quickly got back up as well. Trunks went on and grabbed him by the arm and tried to slam him out of the ring. Piccolo curled his leg around Trunks?, therefore blocking his throw and rolled on his back, throwing Trunks high in the air. Piccolo followed with a mouth blast that Trunks blocked in mid-air. He landed and dashed at Piccolo, hitting him with a few well placed hits and ending the manoeuvre with a big fireball.
Ma: " Kusooo! "
Pudding: " Wahoo! That?s my Trunks-chan!!! "
Bulma: " How can anyone be so strong, Pudding-san? "
Pudding: " I don?t know...He?s the stuff dreams are made of... "
Piccolo decided he?d use an old tactic he used against #17 a few years ago. He shot a Renzoku energy-dan at Trunks, but all fireballs missed their target.
Trunks: " Getting a little old, eh? Can?t even aim straight! " But Piccolo had something else in mind. His fireballs converged toward Trunks, creating a big explosion.
Trunks: " Ha! Ha! Ha! I?m not that stupid! " Trunks was hovering high above the ring.
Trunks: " Take this! " He shot a powerful energy-dan and the surprised Piccolo took it in the face. He retaliated with a flying kick, but Trunks grabbed his leg and threw him down, Piccolo stabilizing before he hit the ground. He looked up and saw another fireball heading his way! He tried to block it, but it was too late. The fireball?s impact sent piccolo out of the ring, to the ground.
Ma: " KUSOOO!!!!! "
Anouncer: " Ma Junior is out of the ring! Trunks is the winner of the match! "
Pudding: " Trunks-chan! " She got on the ring, put her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Trunks: " Calm down, Pudding-chan! I still have two matches to win if I want to be champion! "
Pudding: " It?s just that I?m so proud of you, my love! " Trunks looked down at Piccolo.
Ma: " I?ll get my revenge next time, Trunks! "
Trunks: " I?ll be waiting! "
Pudding went back down to the front row in the crowd and Trunks and Piccolo left the ring.
Gohan (low voice): " Why did you let him win, Piccolo-san? "
Ma: " Pudding would?ve been so disappointed if I had won... I decided to give Trunks a chance this time. "
Gohan: " ...?... " Goten and Future Trunks were both getting onto the ring. In the front row, Pudding was still cheering for her boyfriend.
Bulma (to Pudding): " Calm down, will ya! "
Noodle: " Yeah, especially now that Goten-chan is on the ring! "
Pudding: " You?re just jealous! "
Anouncer: " Well, everyone, let?s welcome our next two fighters! "
Anouncer: " To my left is Son Goten, Son Gohan?s younger brother, and to my right is, believe it or not, another handsome man for you ladies, Future Trunks! I still don?t get the name, but... "
F.Trunks: " Nobody ever asked for your opinion, buster! "
Anouncer: " Er...well...And now, you may...FIGHT! "
F.Trunks: " Gohan-san trained me, but I don?t think I?ll be up to par with you Goten-san. "
Goten: " Try your best! HAAAH! " Trunks was surprised by such a quick attack and had to fly back to the ring after being hit. After the anouncer made a comment on such an amazing ability, Goten went on with a flurry of kicks that Trunks had trouble blocking. The time traveller jumped back to try to recuperate, but Goten wasn?t stopping and went on with a combo of punches and kicks. Trunks did everything he could, but got hit by most of the attacks and was finally blown away.
Noodle: " You?re the best, Goten-chan! "
Trunks got up and tried to find a tactic he could use to beat Goten, all this while trying to avoid his constant attacks! Finally, he got an idea. As Goten tried a dash-punch, Trunks dodged him and threw his jeans jacket in Goten?s face. While Goten was surprised and momentarily stunned by the move, Trunks started circling around him faster and faster, landing punch after punch and kick after kick! Goten got rid of the jacket and tried to block Trunks?s attacks, but Trunks was getting so fast and so unblockable that Goten started becoming dizzy. He felt a powerful kick in his back which threw him down to the ground. When he turned around, he saw the deadly ki fireball coming his way. Instinctively, he raised his arms and blocked the ki attack but was nonetheless shaken the attack.
Noodle (terrified): " Goten-chan!!! "
Gohan (ringside): " You got that from your father, eh? "
F.Trunks: " You guessed it! The Cyclone Breaker! "
Goten got back up, slowly and with difficulty, and Trunks sent another fireball his way. Goten, regaining his senses, jumped to avoid it and heard it crash into the wall behind him. He took this moment to his advantage and prepared his own ki attack.
Goten: " You want to play rough, eh? "
Goten: " KAMEHAMEHA!!!!! "
Trunks produced the Barrier and was undamaged. Goten didn?t wait, though. He flew down at Trunks and hit him with a ki-powered fist. Trunks, who?s back fell to the ground, stood on his hands and used his two feet to kick Goten in the face, sending him upward.
F.Trunks: " BURNING ATTACK!!!!! "
Trunks?s blast hit Goten very hard and the boy fell heavily to the ground. He got back on his feet, struggling. He then tried to focus and regain his senses once more. Once that was done, he smiled and threw a Renzoku energy-dan at Trunks, who was forced to use the Barrier once more to protect himself.
Goten: " Gotcha! " Goten dashed at Trunks and slamed him out of the ring.
Noodle: " Hooray! Hooray for Goten-chan!!! Hooray!!! "
Anouncer: " Son Goten threw Future Trunks out of the ring! Son Goten is the winner of this match and what an incredible match it was! The two fighters used absolutely awesome techniques we never thought we?d ever see! Such power! Let?s give?em both a big hand!!! "
Gohan (to Ma): " Trunks used all of his power. Two ki attacks, two Barriers, plus the Cyclone Breaker...Goten saw that as well. "
Ma: " That wasn?t a very good tactic from Trunks. "
Gohan: " Trunks knew he couldn?t win, so he went all-out at the very beginning. "
Noodle: " Go get?em, Goten-chan! "
Anouncer: " Well, folks, the first four matches are over and we now know Son Gohan, Trunks and Son Goten all have a chance to become the new champion of the world, but Jin, our beloved champion, is also well on his way to keeping his title!!! In fact, he?s up next against Son Gohan, who easily won his first match! Let?s welcome them both to the ring! "
Anouncer: " Ladies and gentlemen! I now present to you once again, Jin, the current champion of the world!!! " The crowd heavily cheered their champion once more.
Anouncer: " And to my right, his opponent, the very impressive Son Gohan, whose talents we got a chance to admire during his first match!!! "
Anouncer: " Get ready! FIGHT! "
Son Gohan placed himself in a defensive stance. This was it. This was the time to finally test Jin in hand to hand combat. " Who is that kid? Where is he from? Why is he so strong? " Gohan told Jin to attack first. Jin dashed at Gohan and hit him with three punches in a row followed by a reversed kick. Gohan was caught by surprise by Jin?s impressive speed. He had a lot more in him than what he had shown against Tenshinhan. Gohan got up and found Jin?s attacks not as strong as he thought they would be. He then told Jin to try harder and Jin went in with a single punch, putting all of his power into it. Gohan got it in the stomach. It was good; it was strong; but it seemed Jin wasn?t as strong as Gohan thought. Jin was just a kid, after all, so it was normal his attacks weren?t as strong as an adult?s. Gohan then tried testing Jin?s ability to dodge. He tried a few different punches at different speeds to see how Jin would react. He was fast. This kid had potential, lots of it! Gohan then decided it was time to start the battle. He launched himself at Jin, connecting with a devastating headbutt! Jin grabbed on to the ground and found himself frighteningly close to the edge of the ring. Surprised, he got up and frowned menacingly.
Jin: " You?re strong. In fact, you?re too strong for me right now. I have no chance of beating you today, Son Gohan-san. You?re far stronger than you let us know last year. Why did you hide your strength from us? "
Gohan: " I?m sorry, but it?s none of your business, Jin. I have my own problems. Let?s return to the fight, shall we? "
Jin: " I cannot beat you. "
Gohan: " Do you wish to give up? "
Jin: " No! I won?t give up! I?ll do my best against you! " Jin charged up and powered up his attack. He finally threw a big beam of energy at Gohan. The half-Saiyajin countered with a Kamehameha and a ki battle began. Gohan simply tried to keep it equal, but Jin tried his all. Gohan noticed his own beam was getting shorter and shorter so he gave it more power and finally overcame Jin?s blast. The poor little boy was blown out of the ring.
Anouncer: " What a disappointment! Jin is out of the ring! Son Gohan is the winner and the first grand finalist of this tournament!!! "
Gohan thought: " Jin. Your power is awesome. You will develop it and become a great warrior, probably even better than me...some day... "
Anouncer: " Well, let?s go on with the sixth match, shall we? Trunks vs Son Goten! These two are actually best friends! How will this friendship affect their fight? We?ll know in a few moments!!! "
Anouncer: " Are you ready? FIGHT! "
Trunks: " You?re a lot weaker than I because of your last match! I?ll win easily! "
Goten: " Don?t think this?ll be such an easy fight, Trunks-kun! I?m full of surprises! "
Trunks: " So am I! "
Goten knew this wasn?t going to be easy. He had to be careful and dodge every hit, even if it meant no counter-attack. Trunks attacked first and Goten blocked all of his punches and kicks. When Goten finally was in a position to counter, Trunks jumped back to avoid him and came back with yet another flurry of hits. Goten blocked them all and finally was able to land a punch in Trunks? belly and go on with an uppercut. Trunks was blown upwards, but stabilized before hitting the ground and landed on his feet. He told Goten to come, but Goten replied he would not. Trunks tried himself again, but just as he was about to throw a punch, he stopped and threw an energy-dan instead. Goten was tricked and got hit by the low-energy fireball. Goten came back surprisingly fast, landing two kicks and a punch in Trunks? face and ending the combo with a big energy-dan! Trunks was blown back, badly hurt.
Pudding: " No! Trunks-chan! " She fainted. Seeing this, Trunks got up and jumped to catch her before she fell.
Trunks: " Don?t worry, my little pudding, I?m O.K.! " Suddenly, he heard Goten?s laughter, so he turned around to look up at him and saw him laughing like crazy and pointing at Trunks? feet. Trunks looked at his feet and when he understood it was too late!
Anouncer: " Trunks has unfortunately touched the ground outside the ring! The winner and second grand finalist of this 22nd Tenkaiichi-Budoukai is Son Goten! "
Trunks (enraged): " Why you...you...you...you beat me, Goten! "
Goten: " Ha! Ha! Ha! You were just too funny, Trunks! Ha! Ha! The look on your face when...HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! " Trunks was all red, but his girl was alright. He had no choice but to settle for that.
Anouncer: " Now that we know who the two grand finalists are, let?s cheer them up as they?re now going to fight, brother against brother, for the title of grand champion of the world! "
Anouncer: " Let?s now welcome the first grand finalist, Son Gohan! "
Anouncer: " Any words or comments before this last match, Son Gohan-san? "
Gohan: " Well, I?m quite happy and proud to be here and I hope my brother and I will have a good fight! "
Anouncer: " Well, then! Let?s cheer for the second grand finalist, Son Goten! Do you have any comments about this fight against your older brother? "
Goten: " I know my brother?s very strong, but I?ll do my best and I hope I?ll win! Besides, my flower?s counting on me! "
Anouncer: " Your flower? Oh! You mean your girlfriend! Is she here? "
Goten: " Hai! She?s the blonde with the white T-Shirt in the front row! "
Anouncer: " Oh, hi there, young lady! Whatever the outcome, I hope you?ll be satisfied with Son Goten-san?s performance on this final match of the 22nd Tenkaiichi-Budoukai!!! "
Anouncer: " So now, ladies and gentlemen, it?s time to start the grand finals!!! "
Gohan: " Goten! Think fast! " Gohan threw a seed and Goten caught it.
Goten: " A senzu seed? You have some? "
Gohan: " Hai. I went to get some before the tournament. Since you had to face stronger opponents than I, I want to give you an even chance. "
Goten: " I won?t eat it. I don?t think it?s fair for you. "
Gohan: " Alright, then. I?ll eat one, too. Now will you eat it? "
Goten: " Well...O.K.! "
They each ate one of Gohan?s senzu seeds and fully recovered from their past fights. Now, the final match could begin. Gohan and Goten set themselves in position and focused on the other fighter?s ki. Any modifications in the ki of the opponent would mean an immediate attack, but dodging or blocking the attack wasn?t always so easy. Goten was the first to try something. Gohan dodged the elbow, and tried to counter with his own, but Goten dodged as well and uppercutted his brother in the air, smashing him back to the ground with a hammer punch. As Goten landed close to him, Gohan grabbed his leg, turned around and threw him out over the crowd. Goten flew back to the ring, which gave Gohan enough time to get up and think of another strategy. He jumped high in the air and Goten matched his move. They met each other with a storm of flying fists, each blocking the other?s moves, and both safely landed back on the ground. Goten then charged his whole body with his ki energy and dashed at Gohan with a ki-powered headbutt. Gohan was surprised by the speed and got hit, but the attack was not strong enough to blow him away, so he double hand-chopped Goten in the back, knocking him to the ground. As he hit the ground, Goten dashed back and looked around him: No Gohan! He then felt being driven inside the ring by a powerful knee drop. Gohan jumped back and waited for Goten to get out of the rubble, but Goten reappeared right under Gohan with a blazing uppercut that blew Gohan away as Goten landed back on his feet.
Gohan (getting up): " You?ve become quite good, Goten. "
Goten: " You haven?t seen anything yet! "
Goten dashed at his brother with a flying kick and as Gohan blocked, Goten sent a punch in his stomach and followed with a Renzoku energy-dan. As the smoke cleared and Goten held out the peace sign, he realized Gohan had avoided the fireballs altogether. " Where is he? ", he thought, when he suddenly felt a kick of incredible power in his back! Goten was blown out of the ring and stopped his fall just a few centimeters above the ground to then float back onto the ring. The anouncer was yelling his astonishment like crazy, but Goten didn?t pay any attention to him: he had to focus on the match. Gohan was up in the air again, and prepared his next move.
Gohan: " MASENKOU!!!!! "
The beam was rather slow compared to the usual full-power Masenkou, so Goten guessed Gohan wanted him to dodge it. Instead, he decided to block it with one shoulder and surprise his brother with a Kamehameha right after the Masenkou connected.
Goten: " KAMEHAMEHA!!!!! "
But Gohan had dissapeared! Suddenly, Goten felt Gohan in his back again and turned around with a powerful back-fist, hurting his injured shoulder even more. Gohan ducked, and countered with an uppercut that sent Goten in the air, followed with a kick in the back, a hammer punch to the ground and finally, another Masenkou that sent the poor Goten crashing in what was left of the ring?s only wall. Goten struggled to get up and after the anouncer?s brief comment on such destruction, he set himself back in fighting stance, as did Gohan. This time, Goten would attack first. He flew at Gohan fist-first and as Gohan tried to dodge the punch, Goten spun on himself, kicking his brother into the sky. He charged a Kamehameha, flew close to the nearly stabilized Gohan and unleashed his energy beam. Gohan was blown back to the ground where his fall made a wide hole. He quickly jumped back out and used an uppercut to counter Goten, as he was trying a jump kick. Goten landed and immediately dashed at Gohan, trying a flurry of fists. Gohan blocked them all, but was surprised by the following kick. He quickly recovered, though, and blocked the next few hits, blowing Goten away in the end with an energy-dan.
Goten: " You?re very good, nii-chan! "
Gohan: " I know what you?re thinking, Goten, but we agreed years ago: No Super Saiyajin! "
Goten: " But they never saw one! They don?t even know about the Cell Game!...Or us!...Or Super Saiyajin! "
Gohan: " No, Goten. We must use the power of anger against our ennemies, not against ourselves. "
Goten: " You?re right, I know... "
Goten: " ...but I?ll beat you anyway...with the Power Seeker! "
Goten charged a big ball of energy in his hand. He then shot the glowing ball at Gohan. Gohan tried to destroy it with an energy-dan, but Goten shot one of his own to counter, and the surprised Gohan was caught by the glowing ball, which grew in size and surrounded him. Gohan noticed the ball was draining energy from him! He tried using a Renzoku energy-dan to break through, but the ball around him just absorbed the fireballs? energy! Gohan realized the only way to get out was to " over-feed " the ball with energy so it would blow up. Gohan focused his power, aiming for the ball around him, and when he stuck enough energy in it, it finally blew up. Gohan was also blown away by the blast and as he struggled to get back up, he got kicked on the side by one of Goten?s flying kicks, which knocked him out of the ring! Goten jumped for joy!
Gohan (to himself): " He knew the ball?s explosion would be as powerful as all the power I put into it. He took advantage of that. I was such a fool! "
Anouncer: " This ferocious attack did much damage to the poor Son Gohan, who was then knocked out of the ring! Therefore, the winner of this match and now grand champion of the world is Son Goten-san!!!!!!! " The crowd cheered their new hero as Noodle came up on the ring to throw her arms around Goten?s neck and give him a very long, passionate kiss...
The Z senshi had reunited outside the temple of the Tenkaiichi-Budoukai along with the Kame school and their sensei.
Trunks: " The next tournament is in three years... "
Jin: " I never knew you were so strong! I have to try to become stronger than you if I want to win the next tournament! "
Goten: " Do your best, kid! "
Bulma: " You?re very impressive Jin! I hope to see you at the next tournament! "
Jin: " I?ll be there for sure! "
Krilin: " I can?t win with all of you around... "
Gohan: " Don?t give up hope, Krilin! You?ll become very strong if you keep training enough! "
Gohan: " I?m surprised, Goten. You have progressed enormously in the last three years. "
Goten: " Arigatou! "
Piccolo: " Don?t think we?ll just let you win next time, though! "
Noodle: " What? Is that true, Goten-chan? They let you win? "
Goten (insulted): " Let me win? I won fair and square and nobody just " let me win ", O.K.? " The other Z senshi just burst into laughter.
Gohan: " Ha! Ha! Of course, Goten, you did win fair and square, and I?m proud you were able to surpass my level. I?ll be more prudent next time, though! Don?t think you?ll win just because of a new move! "
Noodle: " That?s better! I almost believed him! "
Goten: " So, you liked my Power Seeker? "
Gohan: " Deadly! "
Goten: " I couldn?t use it against Trunks since he already knew about it! He even helped me develop it! Doumo again, Trunks! "
Trunks: " No problem...I guess... "
Goten: " Don?t look so disappointed! You lost because you got out of the ring! The rules are the rules! "
Trunks: " I know, I know...I?m just...very disappointed... "
Pudding: " I?m so proud of you, Trunks-chan! You came to my rescue when I was in trouble! I love you my little cupcake! "
F.Trunks (low voice, to Gohan): " Noodles, Puddings and cupcakes? What's all this stupid talk o' food? "
Gohan: " Hush! "
Goten: " Anyway, let?s go celebrate! I?m paying the lunch! "
And so ended the 22nd Tenkaiichi-Budoukai in this very different timeline. But the fun will soon be over for our heroes...
To be continued in chapter 11: Danger! The Nightmare Returns!
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