Note: Due to formatting problems with FF.net, I am now instituting page
breaks, so whenever you see this UFO-like doohickey: you
know the scene has changed.
Dragon Ball Z, The Error Saga, Episode 2: A New Challenger Approaches!
Ryu had been circling the roads at LAX for fifteen minutes. If he couldn't find him soon, they'd miss the flight. "Where is he... There! Ha ha! Ken!"
Ryu stopped his car at the curb near his friend Mr. Masters. Ken reached to open the passenger door, being a mock gentleman for Sakura. She beat him to it, throwing open the door and seeming to fly from the seat into his arms in an awkward glomp. Ken looked from the schoolgirl to his grinning friend with an expression of shock. He set Sakura down and pushed her away. ("Hey! There's a newsstand! Maybe they'll have the new Fighting Monthly. It's supposed to have an interview with Kyo and Benimaru!") "So, is it good to be going home again?" Asked Ken, sliding in next to Ryu as he put the car in gear again, heading for the parking garage. "The best. I'm ready for anything."
"Remember the Millionaire Fighting tournament?" "Oh, yeah."
"You owned back there." "Kyo put up a good fight."
"What, are you kidding? You drove him into the ground."
"Not really..."
"Ryu, you destroyed the cage."
"Yes, but..."
"You threw Kyo into the stands."
"I think he's still angry about that..."
"You sent thirty people to the hospital with a stray blast."
"Was it thirty?" "You need to watch yourself, at this tournament. You have to make sure you don't loose control."
Ryu parked the car and turned off the engine. He was suddenly very grim and silent.
"The dark Hadou."
"Yeah."
Ken leaned back in his seat.
"I remember seeing you loose control once. Ryu, that can't happen again. You can't loose yourself to the darkness again."
"I know."
"Be careful. Just... just don't loose your head out there."
"I know!"
Ryu slapped the steering wheel in frustration.
"Look, I have enough control in the ring. Do you know why I haven't been fighting lately, Ken, do you? Because I'm afraid I'll loose it! This is my next step in controlling the dark hadou inside me! I can do this, and I will do this, so trust me!"
Ken nodded.
"All right. I trust you."
"Good. Let's go."
They opened the car doors and set off for the tournament.
"Ryu-sensei? Ken-kun? Where did you GOOOOOO?!"
Sakura clutched her new magazine close to her chest, looking frantically for the two fighters.
The arena was packed. Thousands had come to witness Hercule's latest fight. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, making his last appearance before the World Martial Arts tournament, in the red corner, Mr. Satan himself, Hercule!"
The applause was deafening. Hercule strode to the center of the ring. Standing in the other corner, Joe hopped from one foot to the other, loosening up for the blows to come. Terry Bogard stood on the outside of the ropes. Joe leaned in close to ask his friend.
"How broke are we again?" "Flat broke." Terry replied. "Broke enough that I have to lose?" "He's paying us more than we would get if you win, and between a hotel, food-"
"Hey, you're getting your own food money this time, I'm not falling for that again."
"-and the entrance fee, we need it! So go out there and get your ass kicked!"
"You're a true friend, Terry."
"And you hate me. I know."
Hercule began his obligatory speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a preview of the matches to come here at this World Arts Martial Tournament!"
("Uh, sir, that's 'World Martial-")
"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking! Now, uh, where was I... Oh yeah! I will grind this poor weakling's bones down so hard he'll have to label them 'just add water'! And when I get to the tournament, I promise to fight my first three opponents with one hand behind my back! Uh huh! But first, you all want to see this little girly boy get put through the Hercule machine, right?!"
("All right. Money or not, I'm gonna' kill him."
"Hey, hey! Easy!") The two fighters strode out to the center of the ring.
"I want a good clean fight, no low blows, no eye rakes, just kicks and punches. We clear? Shake hands."
Joe dropped his fists onto Hercule's hard enough for an audible crack to be heard coming from Mr. Satan's wrists. He grinned as the big man bit his lower lip and struggled to hold back tears.
"That was for the thing about my bones." They walked back to their respective corners.
Ding ding!
And ran out fighting. Hercule snapped kick after kick across Joe's midsection. Joe kept an eye on the clock outside the ring. Taking the shots like nothing, he started to waver on his feet, letting each new kick push him halfway across the ring. With five seconds left, he dropped to the mat, amidst scores of cheers.
"One... two... three... four... five... six..."
Ding!
Joe exaggerated a painful climb to his feet and wobbled back to his corner.
"Wow, you're doing a good job out there, buddy." Terry said as Joe dropped onto the stool. Joe nodded and took sip of water.
"Ready for more?" Ding ding! Joe didn't answer. He exploded from the corner and started to take more hits from Hercule. He watched the clock. When it had run down to five seconds again...
WHAM!
Very suddenly, Hercule was down on the mat, twitching. Joe brought his leg back down.
"And that was for calling me a girly boy!" Ding!
He dropped onto the stool in his corner.
"Joe, you idiot!"
"He'll be fine. I think."
Ding Ding!
"Gotta' go."
Joe sat down in the center of the ring. Hercule could barely stand. Joe sighed and laid back on the ground, folding his arms behind his head. The ref looked at him and shrugged.
"One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten! Hercule is the winner!"
"I won? Huh? Uh, yeah! Yeah, I won... I..."
Hercule collapsed on the mat, unconscious. Joe shook his head and rolled out of the ring. Terry met him at the apron.
"Come on. Let's go get something to eat, I'm starving."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to Budokai!"
Cheers sounded from the stands, filled with thousands of screaming fans. The ring announcer stood in the center of the ring, one arm in the air, the other holding the microphone to his mouth. It was all here again. Everything just like it had been. The greatest fighters from around the world, the yells of the hawkers, the budokai ring exactly where it had stood before. He loved this job. It was like a festival of combat! Hey, that was a good one...
"Are you ready for this festival of combat?!" The cheers rose higher. 'I've still got it', he thought. "Well, get ready for our opening show! Before we start of with the new junior division, Mr. Satan, Hercule himself will give us a wonderful display! I will break one hundred boards with one hundred blows in thirty seconds! Let's give him a big round of applause!"
The Z Fighters reached the Budokai grounds and went their seperate ways. Gohan left with Videl to get snacks for watching the junior division. Goku went with Vegeta to take a look at the match postings, Chi Chi and Bulma took their respective children to register, and Yamacha and Tien went to take their seats. Gohan left with Videl to get snacks for watching the junior division. As soon as they turned the corner, Gohan grinned and donned his turban and sunglasses. Videl smiled. He struck a ridiculous pose.
"Now, the Great Saiyaman will win this tournament for justice! Freedom! And all that is good and right!"
Videl grabbed him by the ear and began dragging him towards a vendor.
"First you're buying me popcorn!" "Owie owie owie! Let go!"
Not too far away from them a trio wandered about, two of them were obviously fighters from how they dressed. The third was a demented schoolgirl wearing wrist guards. She looked around in the glut of teenage schoolgirl hyperactivity. "Hot dogs, pocky, carnival games, ooh, is he a fighter? Is she fighting? You can take them all, right Ken-kun?" She didn't wait for his answer. "Mr. Satan T-Shirts! Wow! And the Mr. Satan smash-up doll! And..."
She spotted a certain couple at the popcorn stand.
"Is that... is that..."
Ryu and Ken followed her eyes. They brimmed with tears of absolute fangirl worship. She let loose an ear-piercing fangirl scream, ran, and dove around The Great Saiyaman's ankles.
"It's The Great Saiyaman! Oh my God!"
Before Gohan quite realized what was happening, she was up and whirling around him, grabbing his cheeks and arms in ways he would probably protest if he wasn't so confused.
"It's really you! You're not cosplaying, are you?"
"Uh..."
"Can I have a picture? An autograph? A kiss? I'm your biggest fan!"
("I thought she was YOUR biggest fan." Ken whispered. "Remind me why I'm teaching her.")
"Uh... I guess a picture can't hurt..."
Another fangirls scream. Videl began giving Gohan that look. You know the look. The 'end this now' look. A sweatdrop trickled down The Great Saiyaman's forehead. From nowhere Sakura produced a camera and took a quick polaroid. She hadn't even waited for it to develop before she thrust it at him with a pen. She smiled.
"My name is Sakura."
He hastily scribbled her name and his and handed it back to her. Being a super hero had it's perks, but only when his girlfriend wasn't around. Not that he ever engaged in any indecency with his fans. That was very un- Saiyaman like. But he thought that Videl might start breathing fire any moment. He could see it was already blazing in her eyes and some steam was starting to shoot out her ears. If he didn't end this soon, she might grab his ear again. "Are you fighting?"
"Well, yes..."
Another fangirl scream. "I am too!"
"Uh, Sakura..." Ryu meant to interrupt. He was still trying to convince her not to fight in this. It was just a bad idea. She ignored him. Eighteen. She could legally sign herself up. There was nothing he could do. "Well, uh, that's great. Gottagobye!"
And with a fantastic 'kapwing', The Great Saiyaman made a mad dash for anywhere that wasn't there.
Vegeta eyed the Board. He could see the first round of matches in the adult class.
(Sam McHatten vs. Ivan Postyalevich) (Vegeta Briefs Vs. Yamacha) (Antonio De la Vega Vs. Krillin) (Juuhachigou Vs. Keanu Leshkov) (Terry Bogard Vs. Marcus Bridger) (Kyo Vs. King) (The Great Saiyaman Vs. Joe) (Sakura Kasugano vs. Videl) (Hercule, 'Mr. Satan' Vs. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) A/N: Sorry. Couldn't resist. Come on. You saw that coming. (Ken Masters Vs. Benimaru) (Tien Vs. John Guile) (Goku vs. Yushiro Takegawa) (Chi Chi Vs. Chun-Li Xiang)
And so on and so forth with a few hundred other individuals. Another duo approached, looking over the board. One of them bumped Vegeta rather hard. "Watch it!" He ordered. "You watch it." Mumbled the man. As many know, this is one of the things that you don't say to Vegeta. He had to be sure he'd heard it.
"What did you say?!"
"I said watch it." The man seemed to be reciting the weather as he looked over the board intently.
"Hey, Ryu, here you are."
"Really? Who am I up against?"
"Some no-name from Korea. Hey, Kyo's here too!" Vegeta was getting infuriated.
"Do you dare speak to the mighty Vegeta like that?!"
Ken took a step away from the now thouroughly enraged Saiyan.
"Uh, well..."
"If you want me to move, why don't you get a haircut first? You look ridiculous."
Ken's face went from amused surprise to pure business. Okay, now it was personal.
"Yeah?! Have you looked in a mirror lately? The blow dryer has a 'low' setting!"
"Your face looks like it was hit by a truck!"
"Your clothes would be perfect in a retro bar!"
"You probably can't even spell 'weakling'!"
"Your ego needs some deflating!"
"Uh, Ken..."
"Vegeta..."
"BACK OFF!"
Both the fighters' counterparts raised their hands and took a few steps back from the developing brawl.
"No one can stop me! Take this!"
Vegeta snapped a kick at Ken's head. It connected with... a block? But... but... "Is that all you've got?" Ken grinned from beneath his forearm, raised to guard against Vegeta's crashing heel that still rested across it. "It can't be!" "Come on. Put your fists where your mouth is."
Vegeta yelled and let loose a flurry of bows. Ken moved faster than the eye can see, just barely keeping up with the Prince. Ken saw an opening.
WHAM!
Vegeta flew through a wall. Lying among the rubble, his eyes widened in shock.
"That... that was..."
"Let that be a lesson to you." Ken said between deep breaths. Nice workout, fighting this guy. He voiced what he very suddenly wanted. "I'll see you in the ring. C'mon, Ryu, let's go watch the kiddie fights." Vegeta's mouth opened and closed soundlessly, then he stood. He was going to kill that punk. He was sure of it. Goku fought very, very hard to suppress a smile. He snorted a little. Vegeta glared daggers at him.
"Kakkarot, don't... even."
Goku nodded.
"Oh, no problem. I'd never dream of telling anybody what just happened."
"If you do, I will kill you."
"Right, right. Goten's going to beat Trunks."
"Ha! Your son is of inferior blood! Trunks is the son of a Saiyan Prince!"
"Want to make a wager?"
"Gambling is for weaklings."
"Of course. I mean, what if Trunks lost? How would you explain it to Bulma?"
"Trunks will not lose!"
"Right, right."
"A meal on the loser."
Goku grinned.
"You're on!"
They headed for their seats.
"I'M FIGHTING WHO?!"
"Well, uh, that what she said her name is, and I guess that you'll be fighting her in the first round, so..."
"Good."
"Good?"
"I'll rip her limb from limb."
"Uh... you know, as a champion of justice and all, I can't allow... owie owie owie okay okay!"
Vega watched them all, dressed as he would always be for a fight. He wore his claw now, but he would have to use special thin wires once he made it into the ring, as weapons were not allowed. The judges would never see them though, so small as they were. The were a gift to him, from Bison. He found them so much less beautiful, but they were all he had. He watched her. Certainly, she was the not weakest of them. Not the easiest prey. Not to mention that she was beautiful, in a way. Not like Chun-Li, no, but after being thrown out a twelfth story window by the woman, he'd decided to try his luck elsewhere. He smiled behind his mask. After his match, he would wait for the perfect moment, then strike.
Next time, on Dragon Ball Z: It's an all-out battle of warriors to see who will come out on top. With the first round of matches about to begin, and a display of the strength of the Street Fighters, the world martial arts tournament is shaping up to be a doozy. And what's Vega doing here anyway? Who is his new obsession, is it one of the Z Fighters, or maybe another? Find out next time, on Dragon Ball Z: Let the Games Begin!
Dragon Ball Z, The Error Saga, Episode 2: A New Challenger Approaches!
Ryu had been circling the roads at LAX for fifteen minutes. If he couldn't find him soon, they'd miss the flight. "Where is he... There! Ha ha! Ken!"
Ryu stopped his car at the curb near his friend Mr. Masters. Ken reached to open the passenger door, being a mock gentleman for Sakura. She beat him to it, throwing open the door and seeming to fly from the seat into his arms in an awkward glomp. Ken looked from the schoolgirl to his grinning friend with an expression of shock. He set Sakura down and pushed her away. ("Hey! There's a newsstand! Maybe they'll have the new Fighting Monthly. It's supposed to have an interview with Kyo and Benimaru!") "So, is it good to be going home again?" Asked Ken, sliding in next to Ryu as he put the car in gear again, heading for the parking garage. "The best. I'm ready for anything."
"Remember the Millionaire Fighting tournament?" "Oh, yeah."
"You owned back there." "Kyo put up a good fight."
"What, are you kidding? You drove him into the ground."
"Not really..."
"Ryu, you destroyed the cage."
"Yes, but..."
"You threw Kyo into the stands."
"I think he's still angry about that..."
"You sent thirty people to the hospital with a stray blast."
"Was it thirty?" "You need to watch yourself, at this tournament. You have to make sure you don't loose control."
Ryu parked the car and turned off the engine. He was suddenly very grim and silent.
"The dark Hadou."
"Yeah."
Ken leaned back in his seat.
"I remember seeing you loose control once. Ryu, that can't happen again. You can't loose yourself to the darkness again."
"I know."
"Be careful. Just... just don't loose your head out there."
"I know!"
Ryu slapped the steering wheel in frustration.
"Look, I have enough control in the ring. Do you know why I haven't been fighting lately, Ken, do you? Because I'm afraid I'll loose it! This is my next step in controlling the dark hadou inside me! I can do this, and I will do this, so trust me!"
Ken nodded.
"All right. I trust you."
"Good. Let's go."
They opened the car doors and set off for the tournament.
"Ryu-sensei? Ken-kun? Where did you GOOOOOO?!"
Sakura clutched her new magazine close to her chest, looking frantically for the two fighters.
The arena was packed. Thousands had come to witness Hercule's latest fight. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, making his last appearance before the World Martial Arts tournament, in the red corner, Mr. Satan himself, Hercule!"
The applause was deafening. Hercule strode to the center of the ring. Standing in the other corner, Joe hopped from one foot to the other, loosening up for the blows to come. Terry Bogard stood on the outside of the ropes. Joe leaned in close to ask his friend.
"How broke are we again?" "Flat broke." Terry replied. "Broke enough that I have to lose?" "He's paying us more than we would get if you win, and between a hotel, food-"
"Hey, you're getting your own food money this time, I'm not falling for that again."
"-and the entrance fee, we need it! So go out there and get your ass kicked!"
"You're a true friend, Terry."
"And you hate me. I know."
Hercule began his obligatory speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a preview of the matches to come here at this World Arts Martial Tournament!"
("Uh, sir, that's 'World Martial-")
"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking! Now, uh, where was I... Oh yeah! I will grind this poor weakling's bones down so hard he'll have to label them 'just add water'! And when I get to the tournament, I promise to fight my first three opponents with one hand behind my back! Uh huh! But first, you all want to see this little girly boy get put through the Hercule machine, right?!"
("All right. Money or not, I'm gonna' kill him."
"Hey, hey! Easy!") The two fighters strode out to the center of the ring.
"I want a good clean fight, no low blows, no eye rakes, just kicks and punches. We clear? Shake hands."
Joe dropped his fists onto Hercule's hard enough for an audible crack to be heard coming from Mr. Satan's wrists. He grinned as the big man bit his lower lip and struggled to hold back tears.
"That was for the thing about my bones." They walked back to their respective corners.
Ding ding!
And ran out fighting. Hercule snapped kick after kick across Joe's midsection. Joe kept an eye on the clock outside the ring. Taking the shots like nothing, he started to waver on his feet, letting each new kick push him halfway across the ring. With five seconds left, he dropped to the mat, amidst scores of cheers.
"One... two... three... four... five... six..."
Ding!
Joe exaggerated a painful climb to his feet and wobbled back to his corner.
"Wow, you're doing a good job out there, buddy." Terry said as Joe dropped onto the stool. Joe nodded and took sip of water.
"Ready for more?" Ding ding! Joe didn't answer. He exploded from the corner and started to take more hits from Hercule. He watched the clock. When it had run down to five seconds again...
WHAM!
Very suddenly, Hercule was down on the mat, twitching. Joe brought his leg back down.
"And that was for calling me a girly boy!" Ding!
He dropped onto the stool in his corner.
"Joe, you idiot!"
"He'll be fine. I think."
Ding Ding!
"Gotta' go."
Joe sat down in the center of the ring. Hercule could barely stand. Joe sighed and laid back on the ground, folding his arms behind his head. The ref looked at him and shrugged.
"One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten! Hercule is the winner!"
"I won? Huh? Uh, yeah! Yeah, I won... I..."
Hercule collapsed on the mat, unconscious. Joe shook his head and rolled out of the ring. Terry met him at the apron.
"Come on. Let's go get something to eat, I'm starving."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to Budokai!"
Cheers sounded from the stands, filled with thousands of screaming fans. The ring announcer stood in the center of the ring, one arm in the air, the other holding the microphone to his mouth. It was all here again. Everything just like it had been. The greatest fighters from around the world, the yells of the hawkers, the budokai ring exactly where it had stood before. He loved this job. It was like a festival of combat! Hey, that was a good one...
"Are you ready for this festival of combat?!" The cheers rose higher. 'I've still got it', he thought. "Well, get ready for our opening show! Before we start of with the new junior division, Mr. Satan, Hercule himself will give us a wonderful display! I will break one hundred boards with one hundred blows in thirty seconds! Let's give him a big round of applause!"
The Z Fighters reached the Budokai grounds and went their seperate ways. Gohan left with Videl to get snacks for watching the junior division. Goku went with Vegeta to take a look at the match postings, Chi Chi and Bulma took their respective children to register, and Yamacha and Tien went to take their seats. Gohan left with Videl to get snacks for watching the junior division. As soon as they turned the corner, Gohan grinned and donned his turban and sunglasses. Videl smiled. He struck a ridiculous pose.
"Now, the Great Saiyaman will win this tournament for justice! Freedom! And all that is good and right!"
Videl grabbed him by the ear and began dragging him towards a vendor.
"First you're buying me popcorn!" "Owie owie owie! Let go!"
Not too far away from them a trio wandered about, two of them were obviously fighters from how they dressed. The third was a demented schoolgirl wearing wrist guards. She looked around in the glut of teenage schoolgirl hyperactivity. "Hot dogs, pocky, carnival games, ooh, is he a fighter? Is she fighting? You can take them all, right Ken-kun?" She didn't wait for his answer. "Mr. Satan T-Shirts! Wow! And the Mr. Satan smash-up doll! And..."
She spotted a certain couple at the popcorn stand.
"Is that... is that..."
Ryu and Ken followed her eyes. They brimmed with tears of absolute fangirl worship. She let loose an ear-piercing fangirl scream, ran, and dove around The Great Saiyaman's ankles.
"It's The Great Saiyaman! Oh my God!"
Before Gohan quite realized what was happening, she was up and whirling around him, grabbing his cheeks and arms in ways he would probably protest if he wasn't so confused.
"It's really you! You're not cosplaying, are you?"
"Uh..."
"Can I have a picture? An autograph? A kiss? I'm your biggest fan!"
("I thought she was YOUR biggest fan." Ken whispered. "Remind me why I'm teaching her.")
"Uh... I guess a picture can't hurt..."
Another fangirls scream. Videl began giving Gohan that look. You know the look. The 'end this now' look. A sweatdrop trickled down The Great Saiyaman's forehead. From nowhere Sakura produced a camera and took a quick polaroid. She hadn't even waited for it to develop before she thrust it at him with a pen. She smiled.
"My name is Sakura."
He hastily scribbled her name and his and handed it back to her. Being a super hero had it's perks, but only when his girlfriend wasn't around. Not that he ever engaged in any indecency with his fans. That was very un- Saiyaman like. But he thought that Videl might start breathing fire any moment. He could see it was already blazing in her eyes and some steam was starting to shoot out her ears. If he didn't end this soon, she might grab his ear again. "Are you fighting?"
"Well, yes..."
Another fangirl scream. "I am too!"
"Uh, Sakura..." Ryu meant to interrupt. He was still trying to convince her not to fight in this. It was just a bad idea. She ignored him. Eighteen. She could legally sign herself up. There was nothing he could do. "Well, uh, that's great. Gottagobye!"
And with a fantastic 'kapwing', The Great Saiyaman made a mad dash for anywhere that wasn't there.
Vegeta eyed the Board. He could see the first round of matches in the adult class.
(Sam McHatten vs. Ivan Postyalevich) (Vegeta Briefs Vs. Yamacha) (Antonio De la Vega Vs. Krillin) (Juuhachigou Vs. Keanu Leshkov) (Terry Bogard Vs. Marcus Bridger) (Kyo Vs. King) (The Great Saiyaman Vs. Joe) (Sakura Kasugano vs. Videl) (Hercule, 'Mr. Satan' Vs. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) A/N: Sorry. Couldn't resist. Come on. You saw that coming. (Ken Masters Vs. Benimaru) (Tien Vs. John Guile) (Goku vs. Yushiro Takegawa) (Chi Chi Vs. Chun-Li Xiang)
And so on and so forth with a few hundred other individuals. Another duo approached, looking over the board. One of them bumped Vegeta rather hard. "Watch it!" He ordered. "You watch it." Mumbled the man. As many know, this is one of the things that you don't say to Vegeta. He had to be sure he'd heard it.
"What did you say?!"
"I said watch it." The man seemed to be reciting the weather as he looked over the board intently.
"Hey, Ryu, here you are."
"Really? Who am I up against?"
"Some no-name from Korea. Hey, Kyo's here too!" Vegeta was getting infuriated.
"Do you dare speak to the mighty Vegeta like that?!"
Ken took a step away from the now thouroughly enraged Saiyan.
"Uh, well..."
"If you want me to move, why don't you get a haircut first? You look ridiculous."
Ken's face went from amused surprise to pure business. Okay, now it was personal.
"Yeah?! Have you looked in a mirror lately? The blow dryer has a 'low' setting!"
"Your face looks like it was hit by a truck!"
"Your clothes would be perfect in a retro bar!"
"You probably can't even spell 'weakling'!"
"Your ego needs some deflating!"
"Uh, Ken..."
"Vegeta..."
"BACK OFF!"
Both the fighters' counterparts raised their hands and took a few steps back from the developing brawl.
"No one can stop me! Take this!"
Vegeta snapped a kick at Ken's head. It connected with... a block? But... but... "Is that all you've got?" Ken grinned from beneath his forearm, raised to guard against Vegeta's crashing heel that still rested across it. "It can't be!" "Come on. Put your fists where your mouth is."
Vegeta yelled and let loose a flurry of bows. Ken moved faster than the eye can see, just barely keeping up with the Prince. Ken saw an opening.
WHAM!
Vegeta flew through a wall. Lying among the rubble, his eyes widened in shock.
"That... that was..."
"Let that be a lesson to you." Ken said between deep breaths. Nice workout, fighting this guy. He voiced what he very suddenly wanted. "I'll see you in the ring. C'mon, Ryu, let's go watch the kiddie fights." Vegeta's mouth opened and closed soundlessly, then he stood. He was going to kill that punk. He was sure of it. Goku fought very, very hard to suppress a smile. He snorted a little. Vegeta glared daggers at him.
"Kakkarot, don't... even."
Goku nodded.
"Oh, no problem. I'd never dream of telling anybody what just happened."
"If you do, I will kill you."
"Right, right. Goten's going to beat Trunks."
"Ha! Your son is of inferior blood! Trunks is the son of a Saiyan Prince!"
"Want to make a wager?"
"Gambling is for weaklings."
"Of course. I mean, what if Trunks lost? How would you explain it to Bulma?"
"Trunks will not lose!"
"Right, right."
"A meal on the loser."
Goku grinned.
"You're on!"
They headed for their seats.
"I'M FIGHTING WHO?!"
"Well, uh, that what she said her name is, and I guess that you'll be fighting her in the first round, so..."
"Good."
"Good?"
"I'll rip her limb from limb."
"Uh... you know, as a champion of justice and all, I can't allow... owie owie owie okay okay!"
Vega watched them all, dressed as he would always be for a fight. He wore his claw now, but he would have to use special thin wires once he made it into the ring, as weapons were not allowed. The judges would never see them though, so small as they were. The were a gift to him, from Bison. He found them so much less beautiful, but they were all he had. He watched her. Certainly, she was the not weakest of them. Not the easiest prey. Not to mention that she was beautiful, in a way. Not like Chun-Li, no, but after being thrown out a twelfth story window by the woman, he'd decided to try his luck elsewhere. He smiled behind his mask. After his match, he would wait for the perfect moment, then strike.
Next time, on Dragon Ball Z: It's an all-out battle of warriors to see who will come out on top. With the first round of matches about to begin, and a display of the strength of the Street Fighters, the world martial arts tournament is shaping up to be a doozy. And what's Vega doing here anyway? Who is his new obsession, is it one of the Z Fighters, or maybe another? Find out next time, on Dragon Ball Z: Let the Games Begin!