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The announcer stood over the unconscious form of the tall dark man that had meet a rude exit from the ring.
"It looks like Pampet was just thrown out of the ring AND knocked out cold! Which means Jackie Chun is the winner!"
The audience cheered in shock that such a famous fighter/movie star could be tossed out so effortlessly by the elderly Martial Artist. But then again, a lot of them remembered the incredible feats he was capable of at the last tournament.
"A rather embarrassing end for such an amazing actor, folks. Let's hope he does better at the box office!" The announcer commentated as the tournament staff carried the fallen star out on a stretcher. Jackie Chun merely chuckled to himself.
Gine and the gang watched from the sidelines, remarking how disappointingly fast the fight ended with such two heavy-hitting names like Pampet and Jackie Chun; a measly ten seconds. Bulma was particularly upset at seeing this "star", an idol of hers, get defeated so quickly. Gine thought it was no contest. She knew the tall man called Pampet was all flash but no form. His arrogance was his own undoing when he charged at Chun thinking he was just an old man, and the aforementioned title holder simply ducked and used only his foot to kick under the man and send him flying high up and then straight down into the outside grass boundary unceremoniously. He hit the ground hard enough to put a crater where his face was buried in the dirt, down for a good while.
How is this even a tournament if fights are this easy? Gine wondered to herself. But she had to admit how gracefully Roshi/Chun moved and redirected his foe's attacks against them somehow without breaking a sweat. Incredible for an old man, and it made her remember how Gohan used to toss her around despite how many times stronger she was. More proof for her that age didn't matter in the world of martial arts.
"Alright folks, we are gonna take a thirty-minute break here and will get the third match underway then so don't go wondering off too far!"
"Hey, plenty of time before the next match! Anyone wanna grab something to eat?" Oolong asked.
Gine wasn't too hungry since they had another engorging feast earlier that morning, and she had been feeling rather uneasy since she woke up today. But a Saiyan NEVER turned down a chance to eat.
"Sure, why not?" She said, hoping that a little distraction was in order.
They all headed towards the food court. It was their third day at the tournament and Gine had yet to sample all the food vendors on the grounds. Despite the disgusting hot dogs being a mainstay dish for this kind of event, there was still a wide variety of other cuisines that smelled far more enticing. So much so that she often wouldn't know where to start. It was among the only really good things she liked about the tournament with so much food around, for obvious Saiyan reasons. Even if some of it was not up to par with her cooking, it was such an experience to taste so much. Or as Gohan once put it to her: variety was the spice of life.
She glanced over to Gohan and her momentary good mood faded. Gine had noticed he had been watching her closely since Master Shen visited the restaurant last night; and he seemed cautious and constantly on the lookout for that Crane Hermit. She somehow didn't like him glancing at her every time she felt agitated or her ki flared up when she was distressed. She loved him dearly and knew he was keeping an eye out for her with everything going on around her and with Crane, but she didn't appreciate this sort of baby-sitting.
"Hey, excuse me! Can we order some lunch?" Bulma called to an approaching vendor. When he looked in their direction, he screamed bloody murder and ran away.
They just sat there, confused. "That was weird." Olong finally said.
Bulma tried again with another passing staff member. "Uh, excuse me? Could we order some-"
That vendor screamed too and ran off as fast as they could in inexplicable terror. "What the hell is going on?" Bulma asked aloud.
"You ladies would tell me if there was something on my nose, right?" Oolong asked.
Gine's mood darkened immediately when she sensed a revoltingly familiar presence approach them.
"Aw, why the long faces?" Came a now too-familiar mocking voice.
She somehow knew Crane would be there despite all reasoning for him not to be there, and her nerves felt like they were starting to become unraveled by his mere appearances.
"We want food but no one will serve us. As if they are afraid of us!" Bulma complained, also not caring for him being there.
"It's not you, it's him!" Crane pointed towards someone at another booth, they all looked and gasped.
"Is that a... mummy?!" Bulma asked affrightedly. It was a jacketed figure who seemed to be covered head to toe in gauze.
"No, it's someone who saw their chances at the title go up in flames at the elimination round...literally!" Master Shen cracked.
Gine sniffed. Come to think of it, he did smell like smoke and burnt flesh.
Launch looked him over with deep pity. "Who could be so cruel?"
Gine looked at the man carefully and sensed that he was in great pain. She looked back at Crane and saw a twinkle in eyes behind the shades he wore. He had to have something to do with this!
"THE THIRD MATCH OF THE QUARTERFINALS IS ABOUT TO BEGIN. KRILLIN OPPOSING CHIAOTZU!" Came the announcement.
"HEY!" Oolong cheered. "They said Krillin's up!"
"That's right!" Bulma said, accidentally hitting Crane as she got up. "And he's gonna knock that creepy doll's block off! And he'll do it for Yamcha!"
They all got up and headed for the ring before Crane can protest, Gine looking back at him with a mix of contempt and agitation.
"We really need to make him leave us alone." Gine said aloud.
"I KNOW!" Bulma agreed as they walked. "He's such a nuisance!"
"And quite a creep." Oolong added.
Gohan looked like he agreed as well, but deep down knew that this sort of thing was starting to get to Gine now that she voiced taking some sort of action. As much as Gine tried to go along with everything around them, she had put up with Crane and his antics and was starting to lose her patience. She made a rushed early morning meditation and could feel that her calming exercises seemed to be having less effect on getting her to feel at ease. And now here she was barely containing her Saiyan feelings of wanting to purge Crane. Knowing what someone as straightforward and unstoppable as she is, he hoped that it would not come to that.
They made it back to their spots by the ring just in time to see Krillin step out onto the arena. Gine thought he looked so timid and shy compared to how mischievous she had seen him earlier. So Gine was curious to see if he lived up to being the kind of fighter Kakarot said he was.
His opponent, Chiaotzu, was the boyish-looking doll or dollish-looking boy that also accompanied Crane with Tien; he was even shorter than Krillin. Gine already had a dislike for how unsettling this expressionless being looked. But after all the irritation Master Shen has caused her, it seemed to be coloring her vision towards anything or anyone associated with that old bag.
"This is the third match and a sequel of sorts to match one, as both Turtle and Crane houses suit up for a rematch with Master Roshi's Krillin fighting Master Shen's Chiaotzu!"
"Yes, and the outcome will be just the same." Crane chuckled to himself but loud enough for Gine and the gang to hear.
Bulma looked over to him angrily. "Krillin's gonna win this time, so you can just wipe that smug smile off your face!"
Gine kept her eye on Crane a little longer, then looked back toward the ring as Oolong returned with a means to cheer on Krillin which she did not care to partake in. She hoped Krillin would win not just to prove he's a good fighter, but to actually follow through on Bulma's declaration and actually irritate Crane for once. So, she silently prayed that Krillin kicked that doll's ass.
After a few tense moments, a gong sounded.
"Let the match begin!"
For a while nothing
happened, Krillin got into stance and Chiaotzu still stood there frozen and doll-like.
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Want to read more?
The next 10+ chapters are already available on my Patreon!
By joining, you'll get:
📖 Early access to future chapters
🗳️ Polls to shape the story
🎁 Exclusive content for Patrons
🔥 Bonus scenes & content you won't find anywhere else
👀 Don't fall behind—others are already ahead!
👉 patreon.com/FanfictionTakashi
(If link doesn't show, just search on Google: FanfictionTakashi Patreon)