The 25th World Martial Arts Tournament was supposed to be fun.
You know.
Relaxing stuff.
....
Back to the Arena
The tournament grounds were packed. Stands overflowing, announcers shouting, kids running around with snacks, and fighters from all over the world showing off muscles that had no idea what kind of monsters they were standing near.
Goku was practically vibrating.
"Wow! Look at all these people!" he said, grinning like a kid who'd just discovered sugar existed. "I forgot how fun this place is!"
Vegeta snorted. "Hmph. Weaklings."
Krillin adjusted his sunglasses. "C'mon, Vegeta. Try to enjoy it."
Gohan was with Videl, trying too hard to act like a normal college student instead of someone who could accidentally destroy the planet if he sneezed too hard.
Piccolo stood with arms crossed, silent as always.
And me?
I was shitting bricks.
....
I felt it.
Not normal ki.
But God ki...shit.
Two figures approached through the crowd.
One was short and pale, with white hair, and eyes that looked right at me as he smiled. The other was massive, built like a refrigerator that had decided to become a monk, following half a step behind him.
Everyone felt it.
Krillin leaned closer to me. "Uh… is it just me, or you can't sense they at all?"
"Yep," I muttered. "And I don't like it."
Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Those two… why their smiling at us."
Piccolo didn't say anything, which somehow made it worse. As he looked away in worry.
....
The pale one stopped in front of us.
He looked straight at me.
Like he known what going on.
"…Ben," he said calmly.
Every muscle in my body locked up.
"…Yeah?" I answered, trying very hard to sound like I wasn't internally screaming.
"I am Shin," he said. "I am looking forward to competing against you."
Goku blinked. "Oh! You're a fighter too?"
Shin nodded politely.
And than Shin extended his hand to me.
I hesitated for half a second.
Then shook it.
The moment our hands touched, our God ki touched.
"May the best fighter win," Shin said.
I forced a smile. "Yeah. Looking forward to it."
'Smartass, Stop Toying With Me'.
He turned and walked away, Kibito following silently.
'Wait.... why am i worried, this guy doesn't even know who Beerus is'
"I'm going to kick his teeth in." I said with vemon in my voice.
....
The tournament brackets were finally posted.
Big board. Big letters.
I stared at the list, arms crossed, squinting like that would somehow change reality.
Krillin vs. Pintar
Ben vs. Shin
Videl vs. Spopovich
Gohan (Great Saiyaman) vs. Kibito
Mr. Satan vs. Piccolo ("Ma Junior")
Goku vs. Vegeta
Mighty Mask vs. Killa
Jewel vs. Yamu
"…Yeah," I muttered. "This tournament is cursed, for sure."
Krillin leaned in. "it's not that bad, we came to have fun remember."
"i'm still kicking his ass."
Piccolo stood behind us, arms folded. "Be careful. That Shin guy...nevermind."
.....
Match 1: Krillin vs. Pintar
Krillin went first.
Honestly? He crushed it.
Pintar came in confident, muscles oiled, crowd cheering. Krillin smiled politely, bowed, and ended the match in under ten seconds with a clean, painless ring-out.
The crowd went wild.
Krillin waved awkwardly. "Heh… thanks!"
Then the announcer called my name.
....
Match 2: Ben vs. Shin
The stadium got quiet.
I stepped into the ring, rolling my shoulders. Shin followed, calm as ever, hands folded behind his back like he was attending a formal dinner instead of a fistfight.
The announcer shouted the rules.
I wasn't listening.
I was watching Shin.
I know, that he doesn't know about Beerus.
And that annoyed me.
Because this guy had scared me half to death earlier.
The bell rang.
Shin moved first.
Invisible pressure slammed into me, like a gaint hand holding me tight.
God ki restraint, on me.
FOOL.
"Oh, my, was this supposed to stop me?," I muttered.
I flexed.
The pressure shattered like glass.
Shin's eyes widened.
As i vanished.
Reappeared infont of him.
And delivered one perfectly placed kick straight into his stomach.
bom.
Shin's eyes went completely white.
He folded and hit the ground like a dropped statue.
Dead silent.
The referee blinked. "…Uh… winner, Ben?"
The crowd exploded.
I Bowed.
Kibito sprinted into the ring immediately, kneeling beside Shin, glowing with healing energy. As Shin coughed and slowly came back to consciousness, Kibito shot me the nastiest stink eye I had ever received.
I shrugged. "Don't enter the arena, if you can't take a hit."
That felt great.
....
Match 3: Videl vs. Spopovich
Then everything went downhill, form there.
Videl stepped into the ring confident.
Spopovich followed.
And immediately, my stomach dropped.
"That guy…" Krillin muttered. "Something's wrong with him."
"Maybe the HUGE M and his head" i said.
The fight started fair.
Videl landed clean hits. Dodged. Countered.
Then Spopovich stopped fighting normally.
He tanked blows he had no right surviving.
Then he grabbed her.
And didn't let go.
The crowd started cheering, at first, then slowly stopped.
Bones cracked.
Blood hit the tiles.
Videl used like a rag-doll, as she hits the tiles again, leaving even more blood.
Gohan was shaking.
"Stop it…" he whispered.
Goku put a hand on his shoulder. "Gohan..clam down, don't do it"
"No!" Gohan snapped, eyes blazing. "This isn't a fight!"
Spopovich slammed Videl into the ground again.
And again.
And again.
'Ouch poor girl, this is even more mess up, than what i remember'
The referee finally ended it.
Spopovich stood there, smiling, while medics rushed in.
Gohan's aura flared violently.
....
Match 4: Gohan vs. Kibito
Gohan entered as the Great Saiyaman, but there was no playfulness left in him.
Kibito stepped forward calmly.
The match started.
Gohan powered up.
Golden aura flared.
and full of RAGE.
Shin raised a hands.
God ki pressure locked Gohan in place.
"WHAT?!" Goku shouted.
Before anyone could react.
Spopovich and Yamu rushed in.
A device extended.
They stabbed it into Gohan's side.
His energy poured out like a flood.
When they finished, Shin dropped the restraint.
Gohan collapsed.
The two left without a word.
Ben's power level: namek saga super saiyan goku x [god ki x175,010,000]