DRAGON BALL Z
AT ANY COST
CHAPTER X: ELIMINATION ROUNDS
BY
Sgamer82
LOCATION
Old Namek System; Frost's Spacestation Arena
Goten walked couldn't help but stare at the immense size of the space station's corridors. He looked at the anemities that the fighters recieved and was pretty impressed. Lockers, rooms, food, even custom made uniforms. Goten couldn't help but wonder why Frost went through so much trouble. But if Rutega was right, then Frost wanted a great battle, so it made sense to make the competitors as comfortable as possible.
Goten went to his own room, which he shared with three other fighters. No private rooms were given until the finalists were decided. Goten had been the first one to arrive and register, taking the half-human, half-Saiyan place before Gohan could arrive. The other Z-Fighters had arrived shortly after Goten had. Though Goten had noticed that Gohan wasn't even among them.
Strange, I'd think he'd come at the very least in case they beat me here. Goten thought to himself when he saw that. He looked at the other fighters he was sharing his room with. Musclaa was a very large individual that took a lot of space in the small room. He was a Raruge, a very large, very strong, and very rude race that wasn't very well liked among other species. After spending nearly a month with Musclaa, Goten could see why. He had a very obnoxious personality, constantly scratching himself and belching. Goten's other roomate was Haibokusha, a Ruu'saa. Haibokusha was a very small, thin person with sunken features. His pearl white skin made him resemble a pale, malnourished human being. Goten didn't expect him to get very far in this contest, but he liked Haibokusha and encouaged him to do his very best. Goten's third roomate had been injured a day ago when he had gotten into a fight with an Sukuidou, an octupus creature with twice the arms of any octopus. Both had been injured badly in the fight and had to be sent home. There were replacement fighters from their homeworld on the way but Goten doubted they would get here before the game started.
"Hey! Tiny one!" said Musclaa in a unecessarily loud voice, "I've heard when the Elimination Rounds start, you an' me'll be fightin' each other right off."
Goten had heard this as well and, after dealing with bad habit after bad habit, was savoring the chance to pound on the giant greaseball.
"I'll not'ta tak' you out t'early." said Musclaa, "After all, even a shrimp lik'you deserves t'look good."
"I have heard that our new roomate will be arriving today." said Haibokusha.
"Really?" asked Goten, "Know anything about him?"
"I think it's a 'her'." Haibokusha replied, "Someone from the same world you reside from I believe, Son."
"A woman from my planet?" Goten asked, suddenly a little worried, "You can't possibly mean...please don't tell me..."
The door opened and a blonde woman with narrow blue eyes entered the room.
"Um...hi...18...heh..." Goten said, not really feeling up to confronting one of his friends at this point.
"Goten." 18 greeted him, though it seemed she did it more for courtesy than anything.
"So...how's everything doing on Earth?" Goten asked, genuinely curious. He managed to get 18 to respond to him as she unpacked her things.
"A lot of people are angry at you for your reckless actions and for stealing that bo."
"Oh..." said Goten, feeling a pain of guilt for his theft.
"Your parents are worried about you. Though your mother seems to be supporting your actions."
That surprised Goten. He would have thought that Chichi would be the angriest of all. Though it did give Goten a small amount of comfort to know his mother was on his side. Or, if not actually on his side, she understood.
"I saw some of you guys registering, who else is here. I didn't see Gohan anywhere."
"He didn't come." 18 responded matter-of-factly, "Vegeta, Rutega, Piccolo, Krillin, and myself are the only people that came."
"I see."
"Ah! You two know each other!" Musclaa blurted out, his slow mind catching on to the obvious, "Is she perhaps, yer momma? Hmm..."
Goten tried to ignore the fool but 18 wasn't so forgiving. Without a word, she walked up to Musclaa and punched him in the gut. He doubled over with a groan.
"By the way, that's Musclaa," said Goten, trying to lighten up the now slightly tense atmosphere, "and that's Haibokusha."
18 nodded an acknowledgement.
"The Elimations start tomorrow. Don't expect anybody to go easy on you, kid."
"I never was. If anything I thought they'd be mad enough to pummel me on sight."
"Then you got lucky. It won't happen again."
* * * * *
Goten entered the Elimination round arena room and searched for his assigned ring. The arena room was an assortment of about two dozen small rings for battle. With so many contestants fighting at once the Eliminations would proceed quickly and the finalists would be decided in less than two days. Goten adjusted the fit on his new fighting gi. He had had the tailor machines create clothes for him based on an outfit his mother had made him wear when he was seven, a light blue, mandarin style vest with a white shirt and pants. He had never really liked it much but after he learned his mother was supporting him he felt he had to have it made. Goten's clothes had the kanji representing Chichi's name on the back of his vest.
Goten saw his assigned ring and ran up to it, seeing Musclaa had beaten him to it. The brute paraded around posing for the crowd of onlookers. Many of which weren't really impressed. Goten was reminded of an bigger, uglier, stupider Mr. Satan. Goten walked into the ring without a word and assumed his fighting stance.
"Time to lose, little one!" said Musclaa.
Goten just maintained his stance and didn't say a word. He waited for Musclaa to make the first move. When the large humanoid attacked with a punch Goten dodged easily and planted a high kick right to Musclaa's temple. The force of the kick knocked Musclaa out of the ring. Everyone was now stunned, as this small creature knocked away a Raruge.
* * * * *
The Eliminations passed even more quickly than Goten had imagined. The displays of strength shown by himself and the other Z-Fighters present discouraged a lot of fighters causing them to leave, knowing they wouldn't win anyway. The Z-Fighters all made the finals. The other ten fighters that made the finals were a varied bunch of fighters.
The first of the others to make the finals was Tuii'ta, an avian creature. Purouposhon, a being with an incredibly large upper body and a very small lower body. A Yardratt named Shun came through using the special techniques known by the Yardratt. The Z-Fighters at the tournament had recruited Shun, who had known Goku during his stay on the world, and convinced her to help them win the tournament. Shun knew she wasn't strong enough to take on a Z-Fighter so she agreed to let one of them win if they fought one another.
To Goten's surprise, Haibokusha made the final rounds, and made a similar agreement with Goten, after being told of why he and the Z-Fighters were in the Budoukai. Ryoushi, a being that could easily be mistaken for a human woman but identified himself as a man, was a famed bounty hunter who believed one of his quarry was entered in the games. Nomei, of the Senken race, was known as a fortune-teller and all-around psychic. Okurimono was a four armed lizard creature with a bad disposition. Shuishou was a member of a hermaphroditic race that resembled humanoid crystals. Kireru resembled a bear with nothing but claws for hands. Finally, there was Manesuru, of the Monomaneshi, who remained seperated from all the other competitors though seemed to watch each one intently. In his elimination rounds he seemed to be able to predict and copy his opponents moves.
Goten and the other fifteen went to a robot which scrambled the names up and displayed them so that everybody would know who their opponents would be.
The Quarter Final battles ended up as the follwing
UCUUNAKA'ICHI BUDOUKAI QUARTERFINAL ROUNDS
Fight 1: Krillin vs. 18
Fight 2: Piccolo vs. Tuii'ta
Fight 3: Nomei vs. Rutega
Fight 4: Ryoushi vs. Okurimono
Fight 5: Shuishou vs Manesuru
Fight 6: Vegeta vs. Haibokusha
Fight 7: Puroposhon vs. Kireru
Fight 8: Shun vs. Son Goten
Goten couldn't help but look over at Krillin, whose face was taking on a dozen different shocked expressions. He couldn't believe that his fight would be with his own wife. Vegeta examined his own opponent, and took on his usual arrogant smirk, expecting little challenge from Haibokusha. Goten looked at the Yardratt he would be battling. He didn't sense a very powerful Ki from her, but then again he was very aware of the techniques they employed. Goku told him that a Yardratt could be a very formidable opponent despite their low power. Goten knew not to underestimate Shun.
All six of the present Z-Fighters wondered what would happen when the final battle came around.
END OF CHAPTER X