Dragon Ball: Legacy Chapter 33 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you a new chapter! The Main Tournament begins, and it’s one hell of a loaded list! Six out of the eight spots are Turtle School Disciples…technically seven, because of Master Roshi, but no one knows that…yet. But as Tien reports Taopaipai’s death and Chiaotzu reports his defeat, what will Tsuru Sen’nin’s reaction be? Just who will face who in the coming matches?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 33 – Rivalry of Martial Schools

Tsuru Sen’nin, Shen to those that knew his given name, felt a cold anger in his chest at what his best disciple had just told him. “My brother…dead?”

Tien nodded his head, looking grim at the loss of the only other master of the Crane School. “Yes, master. I heard it directly from the culprit himself, that Son Goku person.”

“So that’s why he hasn’t even called in the last couple of years…” Tsuru Sen’nin said with a near hiss. “And by a Turtle School disciple at that!” His hands clenched into fists so tightly that all of his knuckles audibly popped. “And YOU!!!” He shouted at Chiaotzu, his glare burning into his short disciple through his black glasses. “How could you lose to one of those TURTLE SCHOOL DISCIPLES?!”

Chiaotzu flinched, closing his eyes and trembling slightly. “I-I’m sorry, master!” He apologized, bowing at the waist in an almost ninety-degree angle.

Tsuru Sen’nin looked like he was a second away from hitting his disciple, but he let out a long, hissing exhale to regain some of his composure. “We WILL even the score.” He looked up into Tien’s three eyes. “Defeat the Turtle School disciples, cripple them! And kill the one called Son Goku!”

Tien blinked at the order, his expression wavering for a brief instant before he schooled it into a fierce and determined look. “Yes, master.”

“Your punishment will be dealt with later, Chiaotzu.” Tsuru Sen’nin said coldly to his other disciple. “For now, follow me.”

“Yes, master.” Chiaotzu said, his eyes on the floor as he followed behind the old man on the way to the seating around the main tournament stage.

-Competitor’s Hall-

Krillin grinned at his friends as they all stood in the large hall, waiting to draw lots to determine their placement in the main tournament. “So, who wants to fight who?”

“I’ll fight any of ya.” Launch said with a challenging grin.

“I’d fight all of you, if they’d let me!” Caulifla said with one fist raised in front of her and a smirk on her face.

Bulma laughed lightly. “That could be fun. But we have two opponents that aren’t from our school.”

Kale nodded in agreement with Bulma. “She’s right.” She glanced over at Jackie Chun. “I wouldn’t mind fighting the current champion.”

“Me too!” Goku smiled widely. “I want to see if I can beat him this time!”

Tien scoffed from where he was standing not too far away. “How amazing. The entire sluggish turtle team survived. The quality of competition really must be dropping here.”

Launch scoffed right back at him. “Says the guy that only made it because of luck.”

“We saw what happens when a Crane School disciple fights a Turtle School disciple!” Caulifla said with a wave of her hand;; as if the other school wasn’t worth the time.

“Heh. I look forward to settling this dispute in front of the crowd.” Tien said cooly, confidence practically radiating off of him.

The arrival of the blonde-haired referee man in his black suit, followed by a few of the temple monks, made everyone stop talking.

“Alright! Would all of our competitors please listen!” The referee called out, and seeing that he had everyone’s attention already, he continued on. “We’ll be choosing your match opponent and fighting order via lottery! When your name is called, please come forward and draw your lot!” He looked at the list of names on his clipboard and nodded once. “Let’s start with our returning champion, Jackie Chun!”

“At your service.” Jackie Chun said as he walked forward and reached into the box of papers. “Hmm, I’m number four, it seems.” He showed the paper with the number on it to the monks and the referee.

The referee turned to the board with the bracket on it and wrote Jackie’s name at the bottom. “That’s gonna be match two.” He glanced at his clipboard again. “Next, we have Launch.”

Launch stepped up and put her hand into the box for a second before pulling out her paper. “Heh! Number one!” She showed off the paper with a grin.

“That’s match one.” The referee wrote the name on the farthest left of the bracket. “Next, Kale.”

“Right!” Kale walked up and picked a paper from the box. “Number seven!” She smiled at the lucky number.

The referee nodded as he wrote Kale’s name on the far right. “That’ll be the fourth match.” He looked at the list and called for the next fighter. “Tenshinhan?”

Tien stepped forward. “Here.” He put his hand in the box and hoped he didn’t get paired with Jackie Chun right away, as he wanted to study the current champion’s moves and techniques first. “Heh!” he showed the paper to the Turtle School first, more specifically, he showed it to Launch.

“Um…” The referee stepped to the side and forward to be able to see the number on the paper. “…number two, first match against Launch.” He moved back to the board and wrote Tien’s name in the first match bracket.

Launch grinned and punched her right fist into her left palm. “Perfect.” She was looking forward to shutting the Crane School disciple’s mouth.

The referee moved things along, familiar with such displays at the tournament. “Next up, Krillin!”

“Yo!” Krillin said as he stepped forward. He was quietly happy that the monk holding the box didn’t have to stoop down for him to reach it this time around. He may not have grown as tall as the others, but he definitely wasn’t the short kid he’d been three years ago. “Number six!” He showed the paper to the referee.

“Our first match three contestant.” The referee was glad to have a name in all four matches now. “Next is… Caulifla.”

Caulifla grinned and walked forward. “Give me a good one!” She reached into the box and grabbed the first paper she felt. “Number three!” She beamed and shot a look at Jackie Chun. “You’re going down, old man!”

Jackie Chun chuckled. “Hohoho… We’ll see about that, young lady.”

The referee quickly wrote down Caulifla’s name and called for the next person. “Bulma?”

“Right here.” Bulma raised her arm a little as she stepped up and put her hand in the box. Pulling out a paper, she raised one eyebrow at it. “Number eight.”

“Fourth match against Kale.” The referee nodded as he wrote Bulma’s name next to Kale’s.

Kale and Bulma shot each other with challenging grins, both looking forward to their rematch from the last Tenka’ichi Budokai.

Krillin looked at Goku and sighed. “That’s just my luck.”

“I get to fight Krillin, then, right?” Goku saw the only blank spot left on the bracket. “Alright! This is gonna be great!”

Despite himself, Krillin couldn’t help but smile at how much Goku was clearly looking forward to their match. “Don’t think you’re getting past me, Goku!” He said with confidence, some of it empty bravado, but he recalled his three years of training while wandering the world and all the things he’d learned. ‘I can do this! Goku is strong, but I know him well! He has weaknesses that I don’t!’

“I’ll do my best!” Goku declared with a big grin on his face.

“Okay, we have our matches!” The referee said with a smile for the fighters. “The rules of the main tournament are as follows: each match is a single bout with no time limit, if you fall out of bounds, plead for mercy, or stay down for a ten-count, you lose. Weapons are forbidden, and no blows to the ‘junk’ or the eyes.”

All eight of the competitors nodded in understanding.

The referee nodded back to them. “The main tournament will begin in thirty minutes. When you hear your name called over the speakers, approach the ring for your match.” He looked at Goku, Bulma, Caulifla, and Kale. “Do you four want to eat before the matches this time?”

“Yes, please!” Bulma, Kale, and Goku said at the same time.

“Heck yeah!” Caulifla said with a grin.

“Make it five!” Launch called out.

The referee looked at Launch before giving a half-shrug. “Please take them to the dining hall.” He requested of one of the monks.

The monk nodded and then turned to bow to the five fighters. “Please, follow me.”

“You’re all crazy.” Krillin shook his head at his friends eating right before their matches, even if he knew that it wouldn’t hurt them.

“I agree.” Jackie Chun said as he watched the five Saiyans following the monk out of the competition hall.

Both of them chose to sit quietly near the wall and sink into some meditation to mentally prepare themselves for their first matches.

Tien glared at the backs of the five leaving Turtle School disciples for a moment before they disappeared through the doorway. “I can defeat the Launch woman; defeating the old man may prove a challenge, but after that I can only hope that Son Goku makes it to the finals.” He clenched his hands at his sides, remembering his master’s orders to cripple any Turtle School disciples he fought and kill Son Goku. “I will not fail.” He said to himself, even as his expression gave away his hesitation, if one looked closely.

-Dining Hall-

A table big enough to seat eight was piled with platters and bowls of food. The kitchen finding themselves suddenly busy as five Saiyans devoured every dish they made, no matter how fast they made them. Other monks were collecting used dishes and taking them to be washed, while others continued to bring out more food.

“This is great!” Goku cheered as he picked up almost all the noodles out of a bowl of noodle soup with his chopsticks, and then slurped them up in one go, chewing quickly before swallowing, then he picked up the bowl and drank all of the broth to wash the noodles down.

“The food’s just as good as last time!” Kale agreed as she finished off a platter of eggrolls…that was supposed to be for the entire table.

Bulma poured some soy sauce over a large, grilled fish and then offered the bottle to Launch. “Soy sauce?”

Launch accepted the bottle and poured some of the sauce over her large bowl of rice. “Thanks.” She picked up the bowl and started scarfing it down happily at the same time that Bulma was devouring the large fish.

“Bring more meat buns, please!” Caulifla requested loudly, not caring which of the monks collecting dishes or bringing food did it. “And more duck, if you have it!” She called out as she picked up the last roast duck and bit into it.

Goku shoveled an entire large stir fry into his mouth with his chopsticks, enjoying the slight crispness some of the vegetables still had. “Mmm!” He hummed in enjoyment as cabbage, bean sprouts, onions, and carrots all disappeared into his mouth and down his gullet.

Bulma reached across the table to pick up a tray of mushroom and tofu cooked in butter. “Smells great…” She sniffed the dish before practically tearing into it with gusto.

“Nobody want that?” Kale asked as she picked up a platter of grilled pork sliced thin. Before anyone could say something, she’d set the platter in front of herself, picked up the first few pieces of pork with her chopsticks, dipped them into some sauce, and then devoured them. “Yum!” Her eyes lit up and her chopsticks became a blur as all of the pork vanished quickly.

“That looks good!” Launch took a plate of braised beef and found the meat was tender enough to come apart with just her chopsticks. “Nice!” She took her first bite and a smile spread across her face. All of the beef on the large plate was gone only a moment or two later.

Caulifla downed an entire pot of soup, picking it up and drinking from it like it was just a bowl. “Haaah…” She exhaled with a bright grin as she set the, now empty, pot back on the table. “That was good soup!” Her eyes lit up as a platter of meat buns was placed on the table next to her by one of the monks. “Alright!” She grabbed one in each hand and bit into them, one after another, until both were gone.

Goku reached across the table to grab two of the meat buns for himself with a grin. “Meat buns!”

“Hey! Those’re mine!” Caulifla started scarfing down the meat buns faster after losing two of them.

“Hehe!” Goku smiled at Caulifla before devouring both of the meat buns in seconds. “They’re great!”

Bulma, deciding that turnabout was fair play, nabbed a third of the chashu pork that Goku had on his plate and stuffed it into her mouth with a big grin.

Goku’s eyes widened as he watched park of his favorite pork dish disappear. “Bulma! That’s my chashu pork!” He quickly started scarfing it down, so that he didn’t lose any more.

“And it was delicious.” Bulma said with a giggle.

“Hah! Take that, Goku!” Caulifla pointed at him with a smirk, right before she picked up two roast ducks from the large platter that had just been placed on the table by another monk.

Kale lightly nudged Caulifla with her elbow. “There’s plenty of food. Don’t fight.” She picked up two of the roast ducks for herself and started munching on them.

“Hah!” Launch barked out a laugh as she picked up her cup of tea, drained it, poured another from the large teapot on the table, and then downed that in one go too. “Whew~ That’s not bad either.” She quickly picked up an entire plate of pork ribs in a dark sauce and started tearing into them.

Meals with Saiyans were always lively and food tended to disappear almost as quickly as it arrived.

-Main Stage-

The crowd around the low wall that separated the main ring of the Tenka’ichi Budokai was packed, just like last time. Lunch looked around again, hoping to spot Master Roshi among the crowd, but there were simply too many people.

“I hope he can find his way up here.” Lunch worried for the old master missing out on seeing his students fight in the main tournament. “There’s no way that the monks are still lecturing him, right?”

The cheering of the crowd grew louder as the time ticked closer and closer to the beginning of the main tournament.

“C’mon! When are we gonna start?!” Someone yelled out as the thirty minutes were almost up.

A few monks emerged from within the competitor hall, and took up their places at the sides with drums and the large gong. A thumping beat was started as the monks began to play, riling the crowd up. The referee stepped out onto the arena with his microphone in hand and smiled as the large crowd cheered.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for your patience!” The referee said loudly, the crowd roaring in excitement. “We now present the 22nd Tenka’ichi Budokai!”

“WHHHOOOAAA!!!” The crowd’s cheering drowned out even the large drums for a moment.

GOOONNNGGG

The large gong was struck to signal the start of the tournament for all.

“One-hundred-eighty-five skilled martial artists entered the preliminary rounds, and from them our eight finalists have emerged!” The referee kept the excitement rising. “These eight will battle it out to determine who is truly the ‘Strongest Under the Heavens’!!! And along with that honor, the winner will be rewarded the 500,000 Zeni prize!”

“Start the match!” Someone yelled out from the crowd loudly.

The referee almost chuckled at the energy in the air…he was ALSO looking forward to this year’s tournament since so many amazing competitors had returned. “Let’s waste no time…the first match is a rivalry of legend! The Turtle School, which put on such an amazing showing at the last Tenka’ichi Budokai, now faces their long time rivals, the Crane School!”

“No way!”

“Really?!”

“I never thought I’d get to see the Turtle School and the Crane School fight!”

The crowd was filled with amazement before the cheering roared back to life.

Tsuru Sen’nin and Chiaotzu were both standing on one side of the low wall around the arena. The Crane Master chuckled darkly at the crowd’s excitement. “They should watch carefully if they wish to see TRUE martial arts skill.”

“Contestant Launch versus contestant Tenshinhan! Please enter!” The referee called out the first two fighters.

“You can do it, sis!” Lunch yelled as soon as she saw Launch step out onto the arena.

Launch saw her sister right in the front and gave her a thumbs up with a smirk. Hearing Tien scoff at her, she turned to the Crane School disciple. “Looks like I get to be the one to shut your mouth.”

Tien smirked confidently. “You won’t be able to hear anything I say from the infirmary.”

“Launch is a disciple of the legendary Kame Sen’nin, while her opponent Tenshinhan is a disciple of the legendary Tsuru Sen’nin!” The referee introduced the two fighters to the crowd.

“Hmph!” Tsuru Sen’nin scoffed.

Jackie Chun let out a little ‘tsk’ inside the competitor’s hall.

“How dare they lump me in with that idiot!” Both old men said at the same time.

The crowd cheered at getting to see a match between legendary schools.

“Let’s knock you out of this tournament.” Launch said with a smirk.

“I look forward to you trying.” Tien said with his own smirk.

Launch shifted into her opening stance. “You won’t have to wait long.”

“BEGIN!!!” The referee chopped his hand through the air to start the match.

Launch blurred forward and all three of Tien’s eyes widened at her speed. He brought up his arm to block her first punch, raised his knee to block Launch’s knee strike, and then countered with a flurry of finger strikes aimed at her pressure points. Launch smacked both of his hands away, but Tien took the brief opening to launch a kick.

“Toh!” Tien’s foot connected, sending Launch backwards a bit. He charged after her, leaping from the floor onto the wall and kicking off, coming at Launch from the side with a swiping palm strike.

Launch leapt upwards, avoiding the palm strike. Tein kicked off the ground after her, both soaring into the air. But just as Launch slowed down and Tien started to catch up, the blonde woman smirked and spun her right leg, turning her hip to create more torque and force, and slammed a powerful kick straight into Tien’s hastily raised block. The three-eyed man fell like a meteor from the air and barely managed to flip twice to kill some momentum before landing lightly on the ring floor. Launch landed a half-second later, her green eyes sharp as she watched Tien.

The entire audience were standing in stunned silence, their eyes wide since they’d only seen a few blurs the entire time.

“Wh-Whoa… He’s actually better than I thought.” Krillin admitted after watching the brief exchange.

“They’re both doing great!” Goku said with a bright smile.

Caulifla narrowed her eyes at the exchange. “They’re about even, I think.”

Kale agreed with a short nod. “I don’t think power is what’s going to decide this match.”

“Launch can still win, but that Tenshinhan guy definitely has more experience.” Bulma could tell just from the first exchange that Tien had been studying martial arts for most of his life.

‘Ah, my disciples make me so proud.’ Jackie Chun thought to himself, seeing how quickly they were all zeroing in on the important points of the ongoing fight.

The referee shook his head and continued his announcing. “What just happened?! All that action…but we barely saw any of it!”

‘Shit… I didn’t think he’d be this good.’ Launch grumbled in her mind as she kept her eyes locked onto Tien.

Tien was clearly reassessing Launch as well. ‘Interesting… Evidently she’s not just full of hot air after all. It’s been some time since I encountered such formidable resistance…’

“Here’s I come!” Launch shot towards Tien again, using even more speed than last time.

“Fascinating!” Tien dropped into a proper stance and focused on Launch’s rapid approach before lunging forward to meet her in the middle of the ring.

A flurry of punches and kicks were exchanged; every block and parry was the only instants of the fight that the crowd could actually follow with their eyes. Tien aimed a sudden punch straight at Launch’s stomach, but a backstep from Launch made him miss. She spun into an elbow strike aimed at the side of Tien’s head, but the Crane School disciple ducked low and shot a jab into her stomach…only for his fist to pass right through her.

Tien’s eyes widened again. “What?!” The only answer he received was a kick to the back that sent him flying for a second before he planted both of his feet and swiftly turned to face his opponent.

“Heh! Didn’t see that coming, did ya?” Launch charged in and then seemed to split into six different copies that surrounded Tien.

“Cheap tricks won’t save you!” Tien declared as his three eyes kept track of each After Image. “There!” He swung his leg and one of the After Images became hazy around the edges before fading.

Launch aimed a punch at Tien’s head from his blind spot, looking to knock him out. “Got ya!”

But Tien proved he’d baited her by attacking one of her After Images on purpose. “I’ve got you!” He caught her punch and then slammed his shoulder into her torso with all of his weight and strength behind it.

“Guh!” Launch hacked out as she skidded backwards across the ring, holding her gut gingerly.

Tien didn’t give her a moment of respite, blurring towards her with a barrage of fists. Launch hissed as she was forced back, the speed of Tien’s attacks and the new pain in her gut made it hard to keep up. When a low kick came, looking to sweep Launch’s feet out from under her, she leapt upwards to dodge.

“Fool!” Tien shot his fist forwards, aimed right at Launch’s injured torso to worsen the damage.

Whap

Tien’s head whipped around, his feet nearly left the floor of the ring from the force he’d been hit with. Staggering steps barely kept him from collapsing, even as pain radiated throughout his head from the side that had been struck. “Wh-What?!” He managed to get out, only to blink as he saw Launch’s brown monkey-like tail waving in the air. “A tail…?”

Launch took the newly made distance as the opening it was, Tien clearly reeling slightly from her surprise attack. She dropped into a lower stance and cupped her hands at her side. “Ka… Me…”

“She’s going to win!” Krillin declared with a bright smile, seeing the ball of blue-white ki forming in Launch’s cupped hands.

“Get him!” Caulifla punched her fist into the air.

Goku had a smile as he watched Launch perform the signature technique of the Turtle School. “Launch is amazing!”

“Go!” Kale cheered brightly for her girlfriend.

Bulma grinned as Launch was about to end the match. “He’s got no way to dodge!” Tien was still clearly staggered from the unexpected strike to the head.

“Ha… Me…” Launch threw her hands forward as the bright ball of ki completely filled her cupped hands. “HA!!!” The beam of power raced towards Tien and was nearly blinding to the audience that looked right at it.

Tien stood to his full height and lifted both arms into the air, bringing them down as he changed the position of his hands until he clasped them together with his index fingers held straight up. He brought this arms in, maintaining the hand position, and a brief aura was visible around his body. “HYAH!!!” The kiai was so loud most of the audience winced and clapped their hands over their ears.

Launch’s Kamehameha hit the aura around Tien and warped slightly as energy fought against energy. Tien’s body shook visibly for a second before his kiai managed to rebound the Kamehameha straight back at Launch. The way the aura around Tien ‘popped’ from the clash showed just how close it had come to losing out in the struggle between energy.

“HUH?!” Launch gaped at her technique coming back at her.

“What the…?!” Krillin exclaimed, never having seen the Kamehameha turned back like this before.

Goku’s eyes were wide in shock. “He deflected it?!”

“No way!” Caulifla couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“MOVE!!!” Bulma yelled out to Launch.

“Launch!” Kale cried out in concern.

Jackie Chun’s eyes were just as wide, his face a portrait of disbelief. “What?!” He’d NEVER seen his technique rebounded like that! ‘Tsuru never managed that in all the years we fought! Did this young man figure out that method just from seeing the technique for the first time?!’

“THE PEOPLE, YOU IDIOT!!!” Launch’s bellow was heard over everything else as she threw her arms forward and caught her own Kamehameha, her feet skidded along the ring floor from the force as she ground her teeth. She poured her ki into her arms and hands to keep the beam from exploding, and with a heavy grunt, she threw her arms upwards, managing to alter the course of the Kamehameha enough that it flew into the air over the crowd’s heads instead of right at them and into the buildings behind them. The beam angled into the sky as it flew, growing fainter before it dispersed.

“Launch, watch out!” Goku yelled out.

Tien blurred into view on Launch’s right, his leg slamming into her unguarded body, nearly folding Launch over his kick. She flew through the air with the wind knocked out of her, clearly headed for a ring out. But Tien didn’t just let that happen; he followed her and laid into Launch with a flurry of punches, palm strikes, and chops. Every blow was delivered with full force, even as both fighters were out of the ring, Tien’s constant pummeling kept Launch airborne far longer than normal.

“SIS!!!” Lunch screamed out from the audience as she was forced to watch her sister be brutalized.

“STOP IT!!!” Goku, Bulma, Caulifla, and Kale thundered out in an almost roar, each of them standing atop the wall separating the competition hall from the arena.

Goku was glaring down at Tien, looking like he was about to charge straight at the Crane School disciple. Bulma held out her index finger, a faint orb of orange ki at the tip aimed straight at Tien. Caulifla had both hands forward, her thumbs, index fingers, and middle fingers extended, a faint red aura of ki surrounding her palms. Kale, however, was the most angry, her eyes wide with rage, her hair clearly wilder than normal, even while still in her normal ponytail. The air around her seemed to be wavering from an unseen force tied to her rage.

Tien stopped, his body pausing without conscious thought as his instincts registered the danger he was in. Launch hit the grass outside the arena with a faint groan of pain. Tien floated in the air and slowly drifted backwards until his feet touched the floor of the arena again. He crossed his arms, his expression shifting back into his cold confidence. “I was done anyway.” He said before he looked towards the referee. “Don’t you have a job to do?”

“R-Right!” The referee shook himself from his shock at the brutal beatdown and the tense standoff between the four Turtle School disciples and Tien. “Launch is out of bounds! Victory goes to Tenshinhan!”

Goku, Caulifla, Kale, and Bulma were already beside Launch on the grass.

“Shit…” Caulifla cursed, looking at the bruises all over Launch’s body, while blood flowed from the blonde’s broken nose and busted lip. “That bastard.”

Bulma gently ran her hands against some of Launch’s injuries, feeling for broken bones or spots that might indicate internal bleeding. “I…I think she looks worse than she is.” It would be a relief, but they needed to get her to the infirmary and an actual medical professional to be sure.

Kale’s rage had partially abated, her eyes filled with worry more than anger now. “Launch… You’re going to be okay.”

“We should get her to the infirmary.” Krillin said, having arrived only a few seconds after the Saiyans.

Goku looked over at Tien with a fierce glare, hopping up onto the ring and walking straight towards the Crane School disciple. “You didn’t have to do that. Launch was already out of bounds…and you knew it! You beat her like that on purpose!”

Tien, arms still crossed, smirked at Goku, projecting more confidence than he had actually recovered from staring down the four angry Turtle School disciples. “Heh! Just be grateful that I didn’t kill her. I am quite a softie, you see.”

“I swear to avenge Launch in a match.” Goku said with fierceness that belied his normal kind nature. His Saiyan instincts saw Tien’s brutalization of Launch, his Mate, as a threat to his family. And in the rare cases that Saiyans formed such close and deep bonds, all such threats WOULD be dealt with.

“Get in line, Goku.” Caulifla nearly growled out as she stepped forward, glaring almost murderously at Tien. “I’m the closest one to fighting this bastard.” She took another step forward, her eyes almost burning into Tien’s. “And when I get my hands on you…” The threat was left hanging, but the way that Caulifla’s wild hair was waving in a breeze that was seemingly generated from her body, it was clear just how close she was to lashing out at Tien…the tournament be damned.

“Hahaha!” Tien mockingly laughed as he turned and walked towards the short stairs that led back to the competitor’s hall. “First you’ll have to survive your next match!” He reminded Caulifla that she had to defeat Jackie Chun before she got a shot at him. Tien’s three eyes turned to Goku next. “Now, let’s get out of the way. We don’t want to be rude to the next contestants.” He stepped up the short stairs and disappeared from sight as he entered the building.

Not giving a single fuck about any rules, Lunch hopped over the low wall and ran to her sister as Launch was being carefully put on a stretcher. “Sis! I’m right here!” She gently took Launch’s hand in her own.

“M-Miss…you can’t be…” One of the monks tried to say, only to shut up when he saw the look from the blue-haired woman. Despite her normal warmth and kindness, Lunch was capable of the same anger as her sister. “P-Please follow us…” The monk changed his statement and allowed Lunch to follow along as he and another monk carried the stretcher to the temple’s infirmary.

In the audience, Tsuru Sen’nin chuckled to himself in sick amusement. “Hehehe… Good work, Tenshinhan. Now they know the formidable power of the Crane School!”

Chiaotzu was happy for Tien’s victory, but he’d also been very concerned for his best friend when the four Turtle School disciples had looked like they were about to attack Tien. ‘There’s no way they can beat Tien though! He’ll show them all, and avenge master Taopaipai!’

“Oh, I wish I could’ve seen the blanching face of that stupid ‘Kame Sen’nin’!” Tsuru Sen’nin’s malicious chuckling got just a little louder as he imagined the look on his hated rival’s face. “Well… Tenshinhan still has more to show them later…” He glared at the spot Goku had been in only a short moment ago. “You’ll pay for what you did to my brother, you damned whelp.” Tsuru Sen’nin wouldn’t be satisfied until Goku was dead.

-Competition Hall-

“Quite the unnecessary brutality.” Jackie Chun said to Tien as the three-eyed man walked past him. “You must get that from your master.”

Tien stopped and looked at the old man. “You don’t know anything about it, old man. Don’t stick your nose in the business of the Crane School.”

Jackie’s expression didn’t change in the slightest, and he kept both hands behind his back. “But a disciple like you shouldn’t take on the worst traits of your master. You are clearly different than Tsuru Sen’nin; though he’s clearly tried to mold you to his image and ideals.”

“What do you know of my master, old man?!” Tien actually got visibly angry, glaring at Jackie Chun.

“I’ve been around a long time, young man.” Jackie said with a seriousness in his eyes that made Tien stop his next words before he spoke them. “I’ve seen many promising talents be led astray from a good and upright path by masters that didn’t have any intention of giving their disciples that option. You are another such talented young man, but there’s still time for you to make your own decisions about what kind of life you want to live.”

Tien clenched his hands into fists and turned away from Jackie Chun. “You don’t know anything about me, old man. I’m a student of the Crane School, and I won’t be swayed by your words.” He walked away, but it was clear that the old man’s words did have an effect on him.

-Infirmary-

Launch was asleep, her breathing steady and her face cleaned up from the blood that had been on it.

“She’s very lucky.” The physician of the temple said to the gathered Turtle School disciples. “Her nose was broken, but we were able to reset it, so it will heal normally without any sign that the injury happened. Her skull and jaw are both still intact, thankfully. We didn’t see any signs of fractures or cracks, and she doesn’t appear to have a concussion, but we’ll need her to wake up before we can test for that. Aside from the bruising over most of her torso, she has a few hairline fractures on her ribs, and her collarbone was cracked.” The man pulled off his small glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Had that beating continued, it’s very likely that her injuries would’ve gone from bad to severe, and her life would’ve been in danger. Thankfully, you all stepped in and prevented it from getting to that point.”

Lunch wiped her tears away with a tissue the physician provided her. “As long as she’ll make a full recovery, I’m grateful.”

“I’m going to break him…” Caulifla nearly growled, her eyes narrowed in anger.

“We all want to.” Bulma said firmly, clearly agitated by the senseless brutality done to their girlfriend.

Kale had mostly calmed down by now and was holding Lunch’s hand. “If not in this tournament, then right after. The Crane School can’t be allowed to just walk away like this.”

Krillin nodded in agreement, his hands clenched at his sides. “You’re right. We can’t just do nothing after this. If they want a war, we can give them one!”

“Whoever meets him in the tournament can avenge Launch.” Goku said firmly, gently brushing Launch’s bangs from her forehead. “One of us will beat that guy and put him out of the tournament for this.” He managed to smile just slightly as he looked at Launch. “You’ll be stronger next time, and then you’ll win.” Goku said softly, knowing that such severe injuries across the body would activate the innate biological ability of Saiyans to grow stronger when sustaining significant injury or brought close to death.

“Yeah, she will.” Bulma agreed, placing her hand gently on Goku’s shoulder with a small smile of her own.

Caulifla let out a long breath to calm down a bit. “She can stomp on the pieces I leave that bastard in.”

Krillin looked at Caulifla. “You noticed that Tenshinhan guy can fly too, right? You’ll have to be able to keep him from getting away if you want to beat him.”

“I wonder how they do that?” Kale said, mostly to herself. She’d barely been paying attention to Tien’s technique, far too concerned with Launch’s condition.

“I didn’t get a long enough look at that short guy that Krillin beat to figure it out.” Goku admitted as he looked at his best friend. While Saiyans were extremely good at picking up techniques after seeing them once or twice. More subtle techniques like the Crane School’s Bukujutsu took a bit more time and more examination to work out.

Caulifla waved it off. “If he wants to fly around like a bird, then I’ll shoot him down like one.” She promised, her ki spiking for just an instant as a hint to how she’d shoot Tien out of the sky.

Jackie Chun walked into the infirmary and made his way close to the group, looking at Launch asleep in the medical bed with rather obvious relief. “I’m glad that the young lady is alright…for the most part.”

“Thank you, sir.” Lunch gave the old man a small smile.

“I gave that young man a bit of a talking to, but he’s a stubborn one.” Jackie told the group with a firm look. “It remains to be seen if he can change the ways his master has tried to instill in him.”

“Will change them for him!” Caulifla, Kale, Krillin, Bulma, and Goku said almost in unison. The Turtle School was wholly united in that one promise.

Jackie accepted that with a small nod. “I’m impressed that you youngsters were able to hold yourselves back and not jump him on the spot. It seems you’ve all matured a little, eh?” He said lightheartedly, hoping to ease the bad mood in the air, even if only a little.

The speakers, just loud enough that they could be heard even inside the quiet infirmary, crackled to life and let out a sound similar to a muted gong.

“Match two is about to begin!” The referee’s voice announced for the entire temple grounds to hear. “Contestant Jackie Chun versus contestant Caulifla! Fighters, make your way to the arena!”

Jackie chuckled as he looked at Caulifla. “Hohoho… Well, it looks like it’s our turn, young lady.”

Caulifla nearly stalked towards the door. “Good. I need to vent a bit.”

“You shouldn’t go into a match angry.” Jackie advised with wisdom and experience. “Anger tightens the muscles and dumps adrenaline into your blood before you need it. Take a breath, exhale, and center yourself. In our match, I want to see EVERYTHING you have to offer…not someone raging and crippling their own technique.” He walked out the door with a friendly wave over his shoulder.

“That old man does give good advice.” Krillin said after Jackie Chun had left the infirmary.”

Goku and Kale both smiled at Caulifla.

Kale stood up and hugged Caulifla, leaving a quick kiss on her cheek. “Do your best, Sis.”

“Good luck, Caulifla.” Goku grinned at her. “If you win, you can fight Tenshinhan.”

“You’ve trained way to hard to not give it your all.” Bulma said, smiling warmly at Caulifla.

With a deep inhale, Caulifla accepted the well-wishes of her friends and loved ones. “Haaahhh…” She exhaled long and slow, her shoulders visibly losing tension. “Right. I’ve gotta do my best to get my shot at that three-eyed bastard.” She put her hands behind her head in a relaxed posture and shot a grin at her fellow Turtle School disciples. “I’ll beat the old man and then make my way to the finals by stepping on that Crane School prick!”

“Thank you, Caulifla.” Lunch smiled at her friend warmly.

With that, the infirmary mostly cleared out. To Lunch’s surprise, however, Krillin stayed behind.

“I’ll stay here for a bit.” Krillin said as he gave Lunch a small smile.

Lunch was grateful, but she tilted her head curiously. “But don’t you need to watch the matches in case you have to fight Caulifla or Jackie Chun?”

Krillin nodded but clearly wasn’t changing his mind. “Launch might be fine once she heals up, but I’m not sure we can trust those Crane School guys not to pull something. So, I’ll be here, just in case.” He smiled at Lunch. “Besides, I’m fighting Goku first, so I won’t be able to learn anything before fighting him anyway.” While that was true, Krillin had decided to stay out of care and concern for his fellow disciple; and to reassure Lunch that nothing would happen to Launch until she could recover.

“Thank you, Krillin.” Lunch smiled brightly at him.

“You’re welcome, Lunch.” Krillin rubbed the back of his head, his face heating up just slightly.

The rivalry between the Turtle School and the Crane School had reignited once more, and the 22nd Tenka’ichi Budokai would be their battlefield.

-End Chapter-

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The first match was a rivalry match between Crane School and Turtle School!

Unfortunately, just because power is equal, doesn’t mean that experience is also equal. Tien takes the win while following Tsuru Sen’nin’s orders to try and cripple any Turtle School disciples that he fights.

Thankfully, Saiyans are built durable, so Launch suffered bad injuries, but wasn’t crippled at all. She’ll only get STRONGER once she heals from this brutal beating, and can one day return the favor!

The entire Turtle School has their eyes on Tien now…and the three-eyed man isn’t strong enough to handle them alone! Even if he doesn’t know that just yet!

While the moment was too tense for the Crane School to notice Bulma’s ‘borrowed’ technique. They will soon realize that their school’s signature technique is no longer exclusive!

Next match is Caulifla versus Jackie Chun! Will this be power and youth triumphing? Or will experience and technique win out?

Keep reading to find out!

Power Levels

Goku – 259

Bulma – 251

Krillin – 242

Roshi – 213

Launch – 180

Caulifla – 253

Kale – 252

Tenshinhan – 180

Chiaotzu – 155

Tsuru Sen’nin - 130

Until I get your reviews, later!