Disclaimer

Dragon Ball Z © 1999 BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA/TOEI ANIMATION/FUNimation/Akira Toriyama. No copyright infringement is intended, or should be inferred. All original characters belong to me, but that is all I'm laying claim to.

1/25/2011: Doing a massive edit on ALL chapters for some noted typos, spelling errors, and other things. Not much in the way of content changes, maybe some re-wording, but that's all. I am just not happy finding errors, but I am a little OCD and correct my published books, so . . . Yeah.

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"Tholi...?"

"Yes?" Tholi asked, watching the young woman tie the drawstrings of her pants.

"Nothing. I was just thinking," she said softly, tucking the smooth black silk of the sleeveless gi into her pants.

"Here, let me fix your hair. You do not want it flying in your face in the middle of the match, "the girl turned and looked at her soberly, Tholi gave her a gentle smile, wondering what had happened to the vibrant young woman she remembered.

She used to be so full of life, now she only lives for the tournaments. Something has to be done. I hope that Solaria will give me a sign, Tholi thought. Surely the goddess will tell me what to do, she did before when she allowed- Well, there is no reason dwelling in the past.

Tholi pulled her long hair back and secured it in a high ponytail, the ends still falling to her waist.

"There, that is done," Tholi said noticing her eyes were closed and she was bouncing her leg in nervous agitation, "What is wrong?"

"Nervous," she replied, opening her eyes and staring at the ground.

"About what?"

"Don't know. I just have that feeling again," she answered getting up and crossing her arms.

Standing, the girl was as tall as Tholi, and she would only get taller. Tholi studied her face and saw something she knew. Maybe...

"Did you have another dream?"

She only nodded and Tholi decided she would have to prod her for the answer she wanted.

"What did you see?"

She had just opened her mouth when a worker poked his head inside the tent, "Miss Sensono, it's time for your match."

"Watch yourself, and do not get distracted by anything," Tholi said as the girl walked out.

She turned around and gave her a feeble smile; it was more than she felt like doing, but she knew Tholi was worried about her. Following the man past rows of tents, she saw many of them were in the process of being taken down. Walking through the contestant entrance of the stadium, she heard the announcer beginning to work the crowd.

"And now, the Three Time World Champion of the Women's World Martial Arts Tournament . . . NO-ZO-MI SEN-SO-NOOO!" The crowd rose to its feet as she headed for the ring, which was no more than a large square of hard packed earth marked off with chalk.

She made her way to the center and looked at the crowd casually, waiting for the official. Nozomi studied her opponent as the announcer went over the statistics for the both of them. The woman was Nozomi's height, but of better build than her. The pitiful excuse of a "trainer" that her parents had sent her to kept her on the verge of starvation supposedly to keep her from developing too much muscle mass, and to keep her under control, among other things. The woman was wearing a blue tank top and matching silk shorts that contrasted against her medium length orange hair. She glared at Nozomi with large black eyes, and Nozomi merely stared blankly back at her.

The official raised his hand and the crowd grew quiet. As his hand dropped, the orange-headed woman leaped at Nozomi, throwing a punch at her face. She easily blocked it and punched her in the stomach, turning around to face the woman again. Instead, she fell and laid there a moment, getting her wind back. Nozomi let her, as it was only fair. It would be a hollow victory if she hit her while she was down. This wasn't war; it was a game, at least to her.

Something caught her eye and she turned her head for a second. She looked into the crowd and noticed a man standing there, he had caught her attention, for no reason other than he was tall, green, and was wearing a cape and turban. Her eyes opened wide as she thought she recognized him, but the next thing she knew she was holding her own stomach. In the split second she had been distracted, the other woman had taken the opportunity and punched her. Before Nozomi could retaliate, she was kicked to the ground. Pushing up to her hands and knees, she trying to get her senses back in order when she was kicked in the stomach and knocked onto her back.

She opened her eyes just in time to catch a foot a centimeter away from her face. Pushing the woman back a few feet, she quickly got up as a rush of adrenaline coursed through her body. She had still most of what little energy she had, and was cursing herself for letting her opponent get any hits in at all.

The woman rushed Nozomi again, and all she could do was block and wait for an opening. When she did find one, she couldn't get in a solid hit while she herself was being pummeled. Her right eye was already swollen shut and her lip and nose were bleeding down her face, but even so, she wasn't going to give up until she was knocked unconscious or killed, whichever came first.

Finally, with almost all of her energy spent, she rushed the woman in a last ditch move that no one in their right mind would have tried. Nozomi feigned a punch and flipped deftly over the woman's head as she blocked what would never come, and landed behind her facing her back. As the woman turned around, she reached back and punched her as hard as she could in her face, knocking her out cold.

"The championship goes to Nozomi Sensono, now the Four Time World Champion of the Women's Worldwide Martial Arts Tournament!" the announcer yelled over the deafening crowd. She followed the official to the judges' stand and got her check. Four million zenni, the highest purse she had received. She remembered the man she had seen and anger turned her blood cold. It quickly left as she saw two of the temple girls coming toward her to lead her back to the tent.

xx

"Ouch!" Nozomi said as one of the girls opened her swollen eye and flushed it out with salt water. The girl glanced at her, but said nothing, Nozomi wasn't inviting any conversation and her cry had broken the tense silence. The girl left and Nozomi rested her sore face in her equally sore hands as Tholi walked in.

"What did I tell you?" the woman asked sternly, hands on her hips, "You were doing well until you got distracted."

"Yeah."

"Well, what was it?"

"Nothing."

"That could have cost you a lot more than the championship," Tholi scolded harshly, looking at Nozomi's beaten face.

"I know."

"You never take your eyes off your opponent."

"I know that Tholi," Nozomi said quietly. She was getting angry with the woman for the first time in her life.

"If you were not so thin, you could have taken those blows."

"I can't help being skinny."

"If you would eat more..."

"It's hard to do that when you're only allowed to eat once a day! Don't you think I know that I'm too thin?" Nozomi yelled, and flinched as though she'd been hit, "I'm sorry Tholi. I didn't mean to shout."

"Look, I want you to stay in here and replay that fight and identify all of your mistakes. Because that was the worst match I have ever seen," Tholi ordered. She then turned and left the tent.

The sun beat down on a tall, cross looking figure standing outside the tent. Several of the temple girls were standing in a group near him, unsure of what to do. Tholi saw him and walked over, stopping to tell the girls not to bother Nozomi. They filed into their section of the tent, and Tholi turned back to him, bowing in greeting.

"I really do not know what happened today, she really is a much better fighter than that," she tried to explain. The figure remained silent, studying the woman, "The reason I asked you here is to see if you would be interested in training her for the next Tournament. Of course, you will be paid very well and I will provide you with a place to stay and train her. I would train her myself, but I have my duties and the Temple to look after. She is very undisciplined I'm afraid, but if she is not trained properly, she'll never reach her de- never reach her full potential. Please take the offer," Tholi explained, almost pleading.

"Fine, but forget the money, I have no use for it," she heard him say; he himself was shocked at his answer.

"Thank you, I'll give you directions to where you'll be staying. I'll have Nozomi there by Friday," Tholi said," Hold on one minute and I'll get those directions, Mister...?"

"Piccolo, just Piccolo," he said.

Tholi looked at him a moment, then went back into the tent for a pen and paper.