"Dang it..." Gohan mumbled, his shoulders low and arms folded across his chest. "He lost."
Beside him, he could hear Vegeta chuckling. "If Kakarot were here I would rub it in his idiotic face," he said, side-eyeing Gohan. "Speaking of which, I intend on fighting you in this tournament Gohan."
"H- huh? You are?" Gohan was surprised; he and Vegeta weren't particularly close. In fact, they'd probably exchanged less than twelve sentences since Goku's death. To think Vegeta wanted to fight him, smiling as he proclaimed so...
"Why, of course. You are Kakarot's son after all. If I can't fight him, I'll have to settle for the next best thing. Besides, back then, you were stronger than us both. Still, just looking at you, I can tell you've let yourself go. I hope you can prove me wrong. Anyway, I've seen enough. I hear there's a buffet somewhere in the venue," Vegeta said before walking away, leaving Gohan to ponder his words.
"Hey, wait up!" Krillin said, chasing after him; he too sought the buffet. As did the rest of the Z-Fighters who followed behind.
'He's right, I haven't been training like I should have, but I never needed to. There hasn't been a big threat in seven years. Still, he's right. I need to take things more seriously, just in case.'
"Who's Kakarot?" Videl asked. "I thought your dad's name was Goku."
"That's my dad's other name. He's not from around here," Gohan told her. After all this time, she still hadn't a clue that Gohan had the blood of beings from another world. He planned on keeping a secret for as long as possible.
"Anyway, a buffet, huh? I mean, I am a bit hungry," Gohan said, stepping in the direction his friends disappeared off to.
"Well, don't you wanna see Trunks fight my dad?" Videl asked; the winner of the junior division would be given the chance to fight Mr. Satan himself. However, this was the last thing Gohan wanted to waste his time doing.
"I think I'll pass. It wouldn't be much of a fair fight anyway," Gohan said offhandedly.
"Hmm. I guess you're right," Videl whispered; however, she imagined her father winning the fight.
Minutes later, Gohan and his friends were all seen stuffing their faces inside the venue's buffet, whose sweet and savory scent motivated them to eat to their heart's content. Videl was in disbelief at how much food Gohan and his friends were able to stuff inside of themselves as if their stomachs were bottomless pits. She heard Krillin mention something about a 'Saiyan appetite' and figured that must be the country where Gohan's father was from.
After their bellies were filled, the crew waltzed out of the buffet and chatted beneath the beaming sun, discussing their hopes for the oncoming tournament. "So long as I don't have to fight any of you guys during the first round, I'll be satisfied," Krillin said. That sentiment wouldn't be as tangible once he saw the two mysterious figures approaching them.
Two pink-skinned gentlemen approached them, one being even taller than Piccolo, appearing old and wise, especially due to his traditional, yet unfamiliar-looking garbs. Beside him, his tiny companion levitated just a few inches from the ground, floating toward Gohan with a smile.
"Gohan... these guys have some weird vibes..." Videl said as the tinier one continued to inch closer toward the Saiyan.
"Good afternoon. Would you happen to be, Son Gohan?" the stranger asked.
Instantly, Gohan's lax, curious face was wiped clean, replaced with a harsh, steely glare. He wondered how this mysterious man could have possibly known his name, especially with his Great Saiyaman disguise concealing his face.
"Who's asking?" Gohan growled. This stranger reminded him of Frieza in the way that he carried himself. Those confident, glassy eyes and arrogant smirk accompanied by his body language were that of a planet-conquering villain. If he were looking for a fight, Gohan was prepared to give it to him.
"My name is Shin. You see, Son Gohan, your reputation as a great fighter precedes you. I was hoping that I would fight you in the tournament. I'd like to see if the rumors about you were true," Shin said, still with confident eyes.
"How would you know? I haven't entered any tournaments. All but one. Even then, Mr. Satan was the one who defeated Cell," Gohan said.
Videl looked up at Gohan curiously. 'Gohan was in the Cell Games?'
Shin looked at Videl for a moment before glaring back at Gohan. 'I see, so that's what most people believe...'
"I see..." Shin said. "Well, either way, your performance back then was impressive. I hope that today will result in quite a challenging bout between us, don't you agree?"
Gohan said nothing; his brows were furrowed still and his fists were tight.
"I've traveled a long way for this tournament. As a big fan of yours, I'm glad to have finally met you," Shin said, offering his hand to Gohan. The Saiyan was reluctant at first, but he took the young man's hand regardless. As they shook hands, Gohan could feel Shin's grip tighten, and the young man's face began to scrunch in delight as he chuckled to himself.
Gohan looked down at his hand for a moment and Shin released his hold on him.
"Good day..." said the young man before walking away with his companion. As they disappeared into the distance, Gohan couldn't shake this sinister feeling bubbling around him.
"I don't like this. Those guys are strong," Piccolo said.
"You're telling me..." Gohan added, still watching with furrowed brows. "I guess that's to be expected. It is a tournament after all."
"Even you guys think they're strong? I mean, I figured you'd mop the floor with those weirdos," Krillin told them, judging solely by their appearance.
"We'll find out soon enough," Vegeta chimed in. "I'll take either one on. Doesn't matter to me."
Gohan and the others continued forward; eventually, they were shown the seeding of the bracket. To Vegeta's joy, he would be taking on Gohan during the first round, which was all that mattered to him. Still, before that, there were three fights scheduled ahead. Krillin and his opponent Pintar would be the opening act.
The moment Krillin and Pintar emerged from the stage entrance, the exceedingly obese, brown-skinned man pushed Krillin to the side, knocking him off balance. "Sorry, didn't see you down there, little man..."
"Geez..." Krillin said, rubbing the back of his head.
The two strode to the arena; Pintar fed off the crowd's energy, screaming as he reached center stage. Krillin sighed, shaking his head, knowing that all of the theatrics were a waste of time. He could hear the crowd already dismissing him due to his size, but he was used to this already.
The announcer commenced the fight; of course, Pintar continued to spew his confident words. "Go ahead, I'll give you one free hit," he said.
"Ok," Krillin said before punching Pintar in the gut using only a fraction of his power. The fat fighter folded in on himself, Krillin's fist disappearing into the fat of his belly. As Pintar shrieked as a little girl would, Krillin slapped him repeatedly with the back of his hand before booting him off the stage with a single kick.
And just like that, the first match was already over.
"Out of the ring!" said the announcer. "Krillin wins!"
The crowd burst as Krillin walked off the stage, a modest smile resting on his face. Once he'd arrived at the waiting room, he immediately began teasing the Namekian. "Well, sorry Piccolo, the crowd is waiting for their next victim. Better get out there."
Piccolo was sweating bullets, his green skin glistening as if he were in a sauna. He glared at Krillin, saying nothing. Krillin read the room, seeing that none but him were smiling. All of them had their sights on Piccolo's next opponent, Shin.
Piccolo and Shin walked out into the arena, the Namekian's heart racing as he stood next to the little guy with a massive aura. As they walked side by side, Shin chuckled to himself, making Piccolo wonder just who the hell this guy really was.
Eventually, the two were standing face to face inside the arena. Shin grinned at the Namekian, but Piccolo did not return the gesture. He glared at the young man, reading his strange attire and earrings for a clue about his origins.
"Begin!" said the announcer, but no one moved. Piccolo tried to steady his breaths, but he couldn't shake this spinning sensation within him, as if he were falling from a great height with no control or ability to fly.
'I know this kind of energy...' Piccolo thought. He searched the deepest depths of his memory for who this person could possibly remind him of, and then it hit him. However, to his dismay, Shin giggled, as if to say he was right.
'Why.... why is he here?' Piccolo wondered.
"You'll know soon enough," Shin told him. "But for now, let's enjoy our match." And with that, Piccolo had enough. He wouldn't even try to fight someone of this caliber; not if it meant putting his life on the line.
"I forfeit," he said. Without hesitation, he walked off the stage and toward the waiting room.
"What..." Gohan muttered. "Piccolo is quitting?"
Shin giggled to himself. 'I guess it makes sense that the guardian of this planet would know who I am,' he thought.
"Piccolo, was the guy that strong?" Gohan asked.
"Yes, stronger than you could ever imagine," he said.
"Seriously?" Krillin said, looking around the room at the shared ghastly expressions. "But... I have to fight him next..."
With that said, Krillin's confidence had finally waned. Still, the tournament must go on and Videl was up next. Her name and her opponent's were called and she began making her way toward the ring. "Wish me luck, Gohan! I can't wait to see you in the second round," she said with her thumb held high before confidently marching out of the waiting area.
"Good luck out there, Videl," he said bashfully. Vegeta glared at him for a moment, though his eyes almost instantly darted toward the stage again.
Though Videl was confident in her abilities, Vegeta couldn't help but feel as if something was off about Spopovich. He was less worried about Videl and more curious about what Spopovich was hiding.
He'd get his answer soon enough as the two fighters would be exchanging blows in just a few moments.