"Mr. Satan, how are you feeling today?" the host interviewed Mr. Satan.
"Bad news for the other competitors—I'm in top form today!" Satan laughed, full of confidence.
"The tournament has arranged for you to face the Junior Division champion. How do you feel about that?" the host continued, following the script.
"I'm scared. I'm really scared. I hope he'll go easy on me!" Satan feigned a terrified look.
"Hahaha!"
The audience roared with laughter, thinking Mr. Satan was absolutely hilarious.
"Now, we send our heartfelt thanks to the World Champion, Mr. Satan. The Junior Division matches of the Tenka'ichi Budōkai are about to begin," the host announced. "As you all know, there are no preliminaries for the Junior Division. A total of 35 confident young fighters are participating in this tournament! The rules are the same as the Adult Division: forfeiting, quitting, being forced out of the ring, or staying down in the ring for more than ten seconds counts as a loss. Next up is the first match..."
The Junior Division matches officially began.
After a few fights, the referee announced with a smile, "Next up is Match 9, featuring 8-year-old Trunks versus 15-year-old Idasa."¹
"Having any regrets, you little brat?" his older brother Idasa sneered.
"Hmph, you talk too much," Trunks said, not even wanting to bother with this guy.
"You keep making me lose my temper, you little punk!" Idasa said angrily.
"Still talking too much," Trunks grunted.
"Ha ha ha, how pathetic… eight versus fifteen…" a spectator said, looking sympathetically at Trunks.
The other audience members nodded in agreement.
"Idasa! Mommy is over here!" an obese woman cheered excitedly, fiddling with her camera. "It's such a shame that Idasa can't show his true strength against such a short opponent! Strange, what's wrong with my camera? Now I can't capture Idasa's heroic form!"
Bulma's face darkened on the sidelines.
"Trunks, hurry up and beat that idiot!" Bulma shouted up at Trunks in the ring.
"Hmph, how boring!" the obese woman glared at Bulma.
"You're the boring one!" Bulma made a face at the obese woman.
"Fight!" the referee declared loudly.
"Heh heh! Come on, you little brat. I'll show you!" Idasa said confidently, striking a fighting pose.
"You're so annoying. I'll shut you up for good!" Trunks was annoyed. As soon as he finished speaking, he swept Idasa's legs out from under him with a low kick.
Idasa was stunned.
"Bam!"
Trunks followed up with a kick that sent Idasa flying high into the air.
Idasa, shocked, fell back down, landed on his head, and immediately lost consciousness.
The obese woman was dumbfounded. Her expression looked worse than if she had eaten shit.
"Hmph, getting upset over such stupid stuff. I'm so childish," Trunks grunted and turned to leave the ring.
"He's… he's out! Trunks wins!" the referee announced excitedly.
The audience was stunned, one after another.
Were all kids this fierce nowadays?
"Ah... Idasa!" the obese woman cried out.
"Heh heh, my son won," Bulma taunted.
The obese woman shot Bulma a fierce glare.
This woman was so hateful!
Should I teach her a lesson?
"Man... before Goten and Trunks face off, there's going to be a lull," Krillin said with a soft sigh, seeing what was happening at the venue.
"Yeah," Son Goku agreed with a smile, nodding.
"Hmph," Vegeta chuckled, looking confident.
"I'm up in the next match," Goten said to Trunks, grinning.
"I told you, I wanted to fight adults," Trunks said with a sigh, like a little adult. "The way it's worked out, it'll have to be you and me settling this. Even though I really want to settle the score with you... we could fight anytime!"
"Heh heh," Trunks chuckled, scratching his head with a silly smile on his face.
A few more matches went by.
"Let's continue with Match 16, featuring 14-year-old Igos versus 7-year-old Son Goten," the referee announced.²
Igos was Idasa's younger brother.
"Igos, don't be as careless as your brother, or it's over!" the obese woman shouted.
"Come on, Goten!," Chi-Chi yelled at the top of her lungs.
The obese woman was stunned, then furious. "Those bastards' sons again," she said, her face dark. "My noble son has to fight one of them. I hate it!"
"Oh? He looks just like the other dumb kid. Is he his brother?" Bulma asked with a smile.
"No way two miracles are happening. That kid's in for a world of hurt, just you wait!" the obese woman fumed.
Son Goten bowed to the ring to his opponent, Igos.
It's a show of respect before a match.
Back in the day, Goku hadn't bowed like this before fighting at the Tenka'ichi Budōkai.
But then his ghostly grandfather, Grandpa Gohan, had come back from the afterlife and told him it was the proper thing to do.
Goku had bowed before all his fights ever since, continuing the tradition to this day.
Seeing Goten bow to him, Igos's face showed intense confidence; he immediately assumed Goten was nervous.
Meanwhile, the audience took one look at Goten's face and started whispering among themselves.
"Hey, don't you feel like… we've seen this kid somewhere before…"
"Now that you mention it, yeah, I think I've seen him somewhere. Especially that unique hairstyle."
"But where could we have seen him?"
"You don't mean during the Cell Games, do you?" someone suggested.
"Don't be ridiculous. The kid's only seven. The Cell Games were seven years ago… back then, this kid was probably just a single cell."
A buzz of discussion went through the onlookers, but in the end, they didn't get anywhere.
"Fight!" the referee declared.
"A little squirt like you isn't gonna amount to anything," Igos sneered, throwing a punch. "Take my killer punch!"
"Smack!"
Goten just stuck out one finger and casually blocked Igos's incoming fist.
Igos was stunned, sweat beading on his forehead.
Was this kid even tougher than he looked⁉︎
"Hey!" Igos launched a kick at Goten, but Goten blocked it just as easily.
"Come on, get serious. You look like you haven't had breakfast," Goten said with some disappointment.
Igos felt a direct pang of heartache.
A seven-year-old kid is actually looking down on me.
"Hmph hmph hmph, you'll be sorry," Igos said, sliding his feet back and forth on the arena floor, readying his attack.
"Ah! Igos is finally getting serious!" his mother screamed excitedly.
"Waaah!"
Igos charged and unleashed a barrage of furious punches at Goten.
"I've had enough fun," Goten said, slamming a punch into Igos's chin.
Igos instantly crumpled.
Dead silence.
"He's out. Son Goten wins!" the referee declared after checking.
"Nyah nyah!" Bulma taunted, making faces at the fat woman.
The fat woman's face looked worse than before, ugly beyond belief.
A heavy silence hung in the air.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Finally unable to stand it anymore, the fat woman rushed at Bulma, clawing the air.
"Bam!"
Chi-Chi's fist connected quickly and flattened her.
"Goten won… Not bad at all for Goten, easily beating a 14-year-old opponent! What's wrong with you all?," Videl asked, a little stunned.
"Well… that's… hard to explain," Son Gohan said, scratching his head.
"I don't want you hiding things from me. Can you tell me the truth?," Videl asked seriously.
"Well… my dad is actually a Saiyan," Gohan answered honestly.
"A Saiyan? What does that mean?," Videl asked, not quite understanding.
"My dad's from a planet far away called Planet Vegeta. He's sort of an alien," Gohan explained.
"Huh? You're all aliens?," Videl gasped, grabbing Gohan's hand, carefully examining his body, and even touching it several times.
Gohan's face instantly turned red.
Videl, are you serious with that move?
"Huh? You seem pretty much the same as an ordinary Earthling," Videl murmured.
"My father is a Saiyan, my mother is from Earth," Gohan replied.
"Huh? So that means… you're a half-breed!," Videl said, staring blankly at Gohan.
"Y-Yeah," Gohan nodded.
"So what are Saiyans like?," Videl asked, suddenly full of interest.
"According to Uncle Vegeta, Saiyans are a warrior race. They're born with natural fighting abilities," Gohan explained.
"Uncle Vegeta? He's the guy with the spiky hair? The guy the green fellow was rubbing into the dirt?," Videl asked.
Gohan broke out in a cold sweat and nodded slightly.
Uncle Vegeta, the image we have of you in Videl's eyes is basically gone.
"A warrior race?," Videl repeated thoughtfully before her eyes lit up. "You said the planet your dad lives on is called Planet Vegeta, right? And that guy with the spiky hair is also named Vegeta?"
"That's… because he's the Prince of all Saiyans," Gohan said, a weak smile tugging at his lips.
"Huh? He's even a prince!," Videl said, dumbstruck, shaking her head slightly. "He doesn't seem like one. He's too short, and he's not handsome. Honestly, I think Uncle Goku seems more like a prince."
Gohan: "…"
Gohan scratched his head and gave a feeble smile.
You really know how to talk, Videl.
The way you put it, I don't even know what to say next.
"So, does the Saiyan planet still exist? Are you all planning to go back eventually?," Videl asked, her tone tinged with worry.
"It was destroyed," Gohan sighed.
"Destroyed? By an explosion?," Videl asked, startled.
"Yeah," Gohan nodded, "There are only a handful of Saiyans left."
"Was it an accident or on purpose?," Videl asked.
"A guy named Freeza, an intergalactic emperor, destroyed Planet Vegeta," Gohan replied. "But we ended up killing this Freeza!"
"An intergalactic emperor?," Videl was stunned. "So you already fought someone that strong."
"Well… ha ha, yeah, we did," Gohan chuckled, a little embarrassed.
Videl clicked her tongue in wonder.
No wonder Gohan and the others were able to beat Cell.
They were already fighting out there in space before all that stuff.
And if you look at my dad... I feel we're just a bunch of frogs at the bottom of a well.
...
As the Junior Division matches continued, Goten and Trunks easily eliminated their opponents and finally made it to the finals.
Gohan and Videl also finished their preliminaries and rejoined Goku and the others.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The Junior Division finals are about to begin. Who will come out on top, Trunks or Son Goten?," the referee announced into a microphone from the ring. "They both swept aside all challengers to earn their place here. And they're supposed to be best friends!"
Goten and Trunks were already standing in the ring, flanking the referee.
...
In the VIP lounge.
Satan was puffing a cigarette, looking very bored.
"Oh? A couple of strong little squirts turned up?," Satan chuckled.
"You interested in watching, Mr. Satan? It should be a good match," a staff member said with a smile.
"All right, I'll go check it out,' Satan said, shrugging. I'm supposed to fight the championship kid myself, anyway. We don't want to make him cry and have people say I'm just picking on the little guy. " Satan pouted and sighed.
"Tenka'ichi Budōkai Junior Division finals, begin!" the referee announced.
Goten and Trunks both bowed.
Then, almost as one, they both slipped into their fighting stances.
"Don't expect me to go easy on you, Goten," Trunks said with a smile.
"Yeah, same here," Goten replied, grinning.
Satan was looking quietly toward the ring.
At the sight of Goten's face, Satan went stiff and pale.
Wasn't this the kid from the Cell Games?
Why was he so small now?
Was this his son?
"Swish!"
Goten and Trunks met in midair.
Their forearms clashed with tremendous force as they pushed against each other.
"Bam! Bam! Bam!"
The next moment, they were trading heavy blows, the sound of fists and feet landing nonstop.
"Whoosh!"
They both flew back from each other, doing several flips in the air before landing gracefully. They then planted their feet on the ground and rushed each other again.
"Bam!"
Trunks punched Goten square in the face.
"Bam!"
Goten punched Trunks square in the head.
They were mixing it up in midair.
After a few exchanges.
Goten threw a punch and hit nothing but air. He realized Trunks had used the Afterimage Technique³.
The next second, sensing Trunks behind him, Goten instantly used the Afterimage Technique⁴ himself.
Trunks hit nothing but air.
Goten counterattacked.
Trunks flickered and vanished.
They were mixing it up in midair again.
The crowd was stunned, staring slack-jawed as the two boys duked it out in the air.
"Bam!"
Finally, after a particularly hard collision, Goten and Trunks slowly descended to the ground.
Both their faces were split into wide grins, their fighting spirit burning bright.
The venue was silent. You could hear a pin drop.
Mr. Satan's pupils contracted as he almost pissed himself in fear.
It was that guy's kid, sure enough!
Weren't you never gonna show up again?
So why are you coming to the Tenka'ichi Budōkai?
"This is…," Videl said, also stunned.
I feel like this match is even more exciting than the Cell Games seven years ago.
I just remembered, the kid fighting Goten is the spiky-haired gentleman's son.
He's really something!
After a quick moment of being stunned, the audience broke out into spirited applause and cheers.
"That's awesome! That's totally awesome!"
"Did you see that? They were both still hanging up there in the air!"
"You gotta be kidding. That's a trick!"
"Darn it! All our camera equipment is broken. We can't capture any of this great action!"
As for the referee, he felt excited, too; this was what he'd been waiting for.
That's him. That's Goku's kid.
Just like the old days in the ring.
I've been waiting my whole life for them to show up!
Only a Tenka'ichi Budōkai like this is any fun.
"All right, Goten. Enough messing around. Let's go all out, you go Super Saiyan 4," Trunks said with a smile.
"OK, you go Super Saiyan Blue," Goten agreed.
"Count on it," Trunks said with a grin.
"Okay then!" Goten's expression grew serious. He instantly changed and took on his Super Saiyan 4 form.
"Smack!"
Trunks was suddenly covered in a bright red glow. He had gone Super Saiyan God.
The audience, seeing the two kids suddenly look completely different, dropped their jaws again, their eyes big as saucers.
Suddenly, memories from seven years ago came flooding back to the crowd.
"Someone looked just like that during the Cell Games, didn't they?"
"Yeah, I remember now! The red fur and the red tail!"
"So they really were at the Cell Games?"
"But they don't look old enough!"
Mr. Satan was frozen, too stunned to form words.
Looking at Trunks's transformation, Goten was stunned for a moment and didn't know what to think.
"Hey, Trunks," Goten asked in confusion, "weren't you supposed to go Super Saiyan Blue? Why'd you go Super Saiyan God instead?"
"Heh heh," Trunks grinned confidently. "I can totally beat your Super Saiyan 4 as a Super Saiyan God."
"You're lying!" Goten was annoyed. "Super Saiyan God's got nothing on Super Saiyan 4. Just go Super Saiyan Blue."
"I'm taking you down as a Super Saiyan God," Trunks said, grinning, "to prove a Super Saiyan God is stronger than a Super Saiyan 4."
"I don't believe you!" Goten shook his head firmly.
"Then come and get me," Trunks said smoothly. But then he added, "But we're way too strong now. We really have to watch ourselves. If we accidentally hit someone in the crowd, we could wipe them out."
"I know!" Goten nodded, looking serious. "My dad told me."
No more words. They flew at each other.
"Goten can go Super Saiyan 4 now? And Trunks can go Super Saiyan God?," Krillin said, stunned.
"Yeah," Goku said, nodding.
"Smack!"
Trunks lifted his hand and caught Goten's fist.
Goten's eyes went wide.
He blocked it!
"What'd I tell you, Goten?" Trunks said, grinning. "Super Saiyan God is stronger than Super Saiyan 4." He threw an uppercut that hit Goten square in the chest.
Goten spat out a mouthful of bile as he was lifted up a bit.
"Whoosh!"
Trunks body flickered and vanished now appearing directly above Goten.
"Bam!"
Trunks drove his elbow into Goten's back.
Goten plummeted down.
He managed to stop himself from crashing into the arena floor by using his massive ki to catch himself.
"Swish!"
Goten flew up and shot toward Trunks.
"Bam! Bam! Bam!"
They tore into each other in midair.
After a few clashes, Trunks landed another heavy punch on Goten's jaw.
Goten grimaced in pain.
But Goten instantly countered, his returning slap leaving five red marks on Trunks's face.
Trunks grimaced.
"Pretty impressive, that kid Trunks, going up against Goten's Super Saiyan 4 with just Super Saiyan God," Krillin said, stunned and in awe of the whole thing. "So... Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan 4 are about even? And then Super Saiyan Blue is stronger than Super Saiyan 4, is that it?"
Goku didn't say anything.
Gohan was quiet, too.
Vegeta smiled smugly.
"Open your eyes and watch carefully," Piccolo grunted, his tone mild.⁵
"What's that?," Krillin asked, startled.
"That kid Trunks," Piccolo said with a little laugh, glancing over at Vegeta, "only goes Super Saiyan Blue the instant he attacks. The rest of the time, he's just fighting with the power of a Super Saiyan God."
Vegeta was teaching the boy this same underhanded trick, making it look to everyone like Super Saiyan God was stronger than Super Saiyan 4.
It might fool Krillin and the others, but that's all.
I'm sure Goku and Gohan already knew.
"Vegeta, that's a real neat trick," Goku said with a grin. "It keeps from wasting Super Saiyan Blue energy, right?"
Vegeta: "…"
Kakarot had already figured it out?
You pulled the same trick yourself to beat Hit before.
I beat Goku Black to a pulp using it, too.⁶
"Yeah," Vegeta admitted. "I knew that even though there wasn't much difference between Super Saiyan Blue and Super Saiyan 4, Super Saiyan 4 could keep going a lot longer than Blue! So, this trick of Trunks's makes up for Super Saiyan Blue's lack of endurance."
"You got that right, Vegeta," Goku said, grinning. "I can sleep while I'm transformed into Super Saiyan 4. I don't think you can do that as a Super Saiyan God or Super Saiyan Blue, right?"
Vegeta: "…"
Vegeta felt a direct pang of heartache.
Super Saiyan 4... could it be maintained even while sleeping?
This transformation was even more powerful than I thought!
To be continued…
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