Part 1, Chapter 5.

PART ONE: A VERY STRANGE TOURNAMENT!

Chapter 5

Translated by MikeysBoner(certified god), Kakarotto Ka Power Level Kya Hai? and npberryhill

The approaching ship came in for a landing at the palace and instantly settled in front of the group of warriors. Goku arrived by teleportation seemingly just as the ship came to a halt, and at that same moment Uub appeared out of the palace, where he'd spent the previous night.

An almost gentle, metallic buzzing sound could be heard as the airlock of the futuristic spaceship was released. Just then, a large, circular, levitating plate appeared from the hull and began to descend from the ship. On the plate stood a group of Namekians and Vargas, touching down on the lookout just in front of the Z fighters.

Goku and his student had just joined the rest of the group when a small airplane came into sight above the palace, which circled a bit before landing close to Bulma. Bra then emerged from the plane and hastily turned it back into its capsule form. As soon as she joined the group, one of the Vargas began to speak. "Well... Is everyone here?"

Videl let out a long sigh and turned to her husband. "Pan hasn't arrived yet, Gohan..."

Instinctively, Gohan looked down at his watch, still holding the suitcase which Vegeta had so graciously imposed on him. Sensing his daughter, he smiled. "Don't worry... She's almost here."

A large suitcase stood at Gohan's feet, which contained clothes for him, his brother, and his father.

"Hey, Bulma," Gohan began. "You don't happen to have any empty capsules, do you? I seem to have won the contest for the most luggage..."

"Well, darn it... Sorry, Gohan, I should have thought to bring some," Bulma grumbled as she turned to her daughter. "Do you have one, sweetie?"

Bra replied with a sigh, the same exhaustive groan typical of all adolescents when they're asked to do anything. "Yes, mom..."

Bra had rushed to the palace because she thought she was late. Now she was agitated because she had to sacrifice the precious time she had gained to search for a stupid capsule that her mother could have easily searched for herself...

Uub was lost in thought and anticipation, even as a hand suddenly fell onto his shoulder. "So, Uub... Are you ready?" Goku asked with a huge smile.

The startled apprentice nearly jumped. "I-er, I... Think so," the young warrior stammered. "At least, I'm looking forward to the chance to prove myself..."

As usual, his Saiyan mentor had nothing but reassurance to offer. "Nothing like a good tournament for that. There's no better way to experience the best fights. Some of my favorite fights ever, like my duel against Tenshinhan, happened at the Tenkaichi Budokai..."

Goku turned and met eyes with Piccolo. "Same thing with Piccolo. And I've yet to find more excitement than I had at the Cell Games, even against Frieza or Majin Buu."

"Kakarotto!" the voice of Vegeta suddenly snapped curtly. "Call me crazy, but it sounded like you were suggesting that our own battles weren't--"

"Oh, no, of course not, Vegeta!" the other Saiyan replied, cutting off the prince. "Our fights are in a league of their own, irreplaceable really. Each time we fight is another chance to get stronger--I'd fight you everyday if I could. You know, come to think of it...I've really missed our battles..."

Vegeta was obviously satisfied with the answer, smirking quietly before he replied. "Just so you know, at this tournament I intend to prove the gap between our powers is a thing of the past..." he sneered with a gleam in his eye. "Prepare yourself!"

Gohan stood up suddenly with a pleased look on his face. "Hey! There you are, Pan!"

Pan had arrived at the rear of Dende's palace. Setting down on the grey tile, she hurried around the main building, picking up speed along the way. As she crossed in front of the main entrance, Trunks and Goten suddenly emerged without warning, causing Pan and Goten to collide headfirst with one another.

"Ow, that hurt!" Pan cried, having fallen on her knees rubbing her head, one eye closed. "Uncle Goten! Be more careful!

"What!?" Goten replied, taking a tone with her. "Clearly you were the one who was being reckless! Why were you running so fast anyway?" Although Goten was agitated, he maintained his friendly expression. After all, Pan was his favorite (and only) niece.

"You know, Goten, she's right," Trunks added with a chuckle. "Despite her speeding, we ran a red light."

"Huh..?" Goten replied, confused.

Trunks waited (in vain) for his friend to get the joke. "Eh, maybe I'll come back later with a better joke..."

A voice caught the attention of the small group, excitedly calling them to hurry. "Hey, kids!" Goku yelled. "Lets go, move it!"

Goku waved towards the Vargas as he approached the ship.

"Jeez..." Goten gaunted as the trio joined the rest of the group. "He didn't have to embarrass us in front of everyone, yelling at us like we're still kids!"

The participants and spectators took their places on the circular levitation plate while those staying behind wished them the best of luck. As the platform, Videl began to inquire about the absence of her father.

"Your grandfather didn't want to come?" she asked her daughter.

"No, he's still having problems with his back..."

Videl gave a small smile, being sure not to tear down her daughter's image of the World Champion. "Ah yes, his back... What a shame..."

"Attention, everyone," said one of the Nameks. "We will soon be taking off."

Bulma shouted one last bit of encouragement before the group left. "Good luck! And please be careful..."

A Namek reassured her with a smile full of warmth. "Don't worry, there’s nothing that the Dragon Balls can’t fix... Besides, there's no reason why anything should go wrong anyway."

The circular plate buzzed and began to vibrate as it levitated the group into the ship. The plate finally reached the inside of the ship, revealing a single large, white, and almost empty room. The entire group observed their surroundings curiously, but only Goku spoke of his astonishment. "Wow! It's awfully big in here... I bet it's pretty convenient for training on long trips... Sure brings back memories."

"Well," said one of the Vargas. "We're all here, so we can take off. The rules will be explained on the mother ship."

Outside, as those staying behind walked away, the ship began to light up and quickly took off into the heavens where the orbiting mothership awaited them. Bulma watched the ship until it could no longer be seen, seeming immediately sad. "Well... Looks like I'm going home... By myself."

Dende tried his best to comfort her. "Don’t worry. I won’t hesitate to contact you if I hear any news, good or bad."

Bulma looked at him sympathetically. "Thanks, Dende. I know I can count on you."

Everyone on board felt a slight buzz followed by a strong click. The ship had docked perfectly with the mothership. A Varga invited all of the passengers into the larger ship via the circular levitation platform. Goku and Vegeta were the first ones out, disdaining the nervousness of all the others.

Goku, alone with Pan, walked around the large room with curiosity and amusement, while Piccolo and Vegeta, true to themselves, were still on the defensive. As for Uub, he could only mutter a quick "wow", noting with admiration the size of the large dome around their heads, which allowed him to gaze at the vast ocean of stars in space.

While everyone continued to take in the details of the ship, Goku impatiently asked one of the Vargas how long the trip was going to take, to which the Varga hastened to reassure him. "Not long at all. We will arrive at the tournament universe momentarily. We call it "Universe Zero". It's a place with no organics whatsoever, so there is no chance that the events of the tournament will harm any pre-existing lifeforms. Now, if you could gather your comrades we can enter the next room and discuss the rules of the tournament... And officially record your entries."

The rest of the passengers, including the other Vargas and the Nameks, turned towards the noisy demonstrations of the enthusiastic Goku with a visible look of disdain.

Within a few moments, the group of Earth's warriors gathered and followed a small Varga through a long, white corridor. The hallway eventually led to a small and somewhat cramped room, in contrast to the vastness of the rest of the ship. The area contained a number of chairs, all facing a large blue screen filled with black, alien letters.

Gohan, who was sitting in the third row behind Goten and Trunks, broke the silence. "So... How long until we arrive?"

"In about ten minutes," replied the Varga. "Our engines will take care of the inter-universal travel while I explain the rules."

The Varga paused for a moment to allow everyone to get settled. This time allowed the ship's computer to translate the alien letters into a language that the participants of Universe 18 could understand. The Varga began to read, detailing when necessary, and answering any and all questions.

"How long do we have to enter the ring when we're called to fight?" Trunks asked, who wondered if the time limit would conflict with the amount of time it takes to fuse.

"Once you are called you have one hundred-twenty seconds to enter the ring," replied the Varga. "If you aren't in the ring by then you'll automatically forfeit."

"That's more than enough time," whispered Goten to his friend.

"You are not allowed to fight at any time outside of the official matches," the Varga instructed them. "Also, you cannot receive any kind of external assistance during a fight, but you are allowed to enter the ring with any materials you would like, be it weapons or anything else."

"Ch! As if we need weapons," growled Vegeta.

"Uh," the Varga continued, "as you wish. Now, you lose if you are unable to fight for thirty seconds, or if you are knocked unconscious, immobilized, dead, or are invisible for that same amount of time. Referees must have you in their line of sight at all times, and in this regard, I advise you not to move too close to your universe during a fight to avoid suspicion of cheating. I repeat, any outside help whatsoever is strictly prohibited."

"Are we allowed to give up during a match?" Uub asked with a raise of his hand.

"Of course. You are allowed to forfeit a match at any time. You also have no right to attack an opponent who has forfeited. If you do so, it is an automatic disqualification."

For once, Goku was attentive. "What about the limits of the ring, if any?"

"There really aren't many... any kind of movements you like are allowed during the matches... though it is recommended that you stay away from the spectators and the other competitors during your fight. You must also consider that if you move too far away from the ring to the point where you can no longer be seen, you will obviously be disqualified. It's best to keep the ring as your central battle zone. You'll all get a better understanding once you see the stadium."

At this point, the mothership began to roar and vibrate, and continued to do so for about ten seconds. When the tremors stopped, the Varga informed them that they had arrived in Universe Zero.

"Before departing, I'm going to need the identities of each participant," the Varga said.

Goku gladly undertook the formality, stating the names of Uub, Vegeta, Gotenks, Pan... and Gohan. The mention of his name startled Gohan, and he immediately protested.

"W-what? Come on, Dad! You know that's out of the question!"

Goku didn't let up. "Come on, son, it would do you a lot of good to fight again. You were fantastic against Cell and Majin Buu. I want to see what you're capable of these days."

"No, I just don't want to," replied Gohan, who turned to the Varga. "I apologize for that. Don't sign me up."

"No problem," said the Varga. "So let me confirm. We have Goku, Uub, Vegeta, Gotenks, and Pan... Is that correct?"

Everyone confirmed that the list was accurate.

"Okay, then we're ready to go."

The Varga then invited the group into a much larger room filled with huge windows that allowed everyone to see space, the stars, and a huge grayish asteroid surrounded by many colorful moons.

"I thought there was nothing in this universe," Gohan wondered aloud.

"That was indeed the case," replied the Varga. "What you see was created by us through our technology. See? We're approaching the stadium."

The mothership quickly approached the enormous stadium in which the tournament would be held. As the ship got closer, the warriors of Earth began to see many different types of star-ships stationed around the arena.

"If you would like specifics," the Varga began, "the arena is two-thousand feet in diameter and is eight-hundred meters at its highest point, which is at the top of the dome where the referees are located. The ring is that small planetoid that you see in the middle of the arena. It has a diameter that varies slightly in between realities, but roughly speaking, I would say it's about fifty meters."

"It looks a lot like the planet of King Kaio," said Piccolo.

"I wonder what its gravity is..." Goku said, who was growing more and more impatient.

"It is almost ten times that of your planet," answered the Varga. "That is what it takes to compensate for the gravity of the asteroid."

'Artificial gravity,' thought Gohan. 'This asteroid is too small to draw us, then.'

During the approach phase of the mothership, Uub and Pan were amazed at the spectacle before their eyes. Bra, however, did not appear to share their enthusiasm. In fact, she found the design of the arena slightly outdated. As for Piccolo, he immediately recognized Frieza's ship... though he was careful not to make a remark.

"Is there oxygen?" asked Piccolo.

"Of course," the Varga replied. "We installed a system of gravity to maintain a breathable atmosphere on the surface. Within the depths of the asteroid, we've developed machines that produce what is necessary to breathe."

"Can we walk around the surface outside of the arena?" asked Goku, who was still a fan of jogging.

"Yes of course. If you wish, you can walk anywhere you like."

"Cool!" Goku replied simply.

The ship finally landed outside of the stadium. When the engines stopped, a hatch opened up revealing the Varga in charge of Universe 18. The Varga walked out of the ship, followed by the Universe 18 group, who were all busy scanning everything they could see. A tournament in another universe! There was cause for celebration and ecstatic enthusiasm all at once!

"Universe 18..." said the Varga. "This is where you enter. You are free to wander wherever you want, but please do not quarrel with the other universes. Remember that you only have two minutes to enter the ring when your name is called."

With that, the group finally approached the stadium. They followed a wide corridor with many doors on either side. Straight ahead of them was the inside of the stadium. Goku would have liked to run, but he managed to hold back.

"This is where you, the residents of Universe 18, will be living temporarily," the Varga instructed. "There are rooms, beds, even a place to cook food if you need to... And now, finally, this is the combat arena!"

"Whoa! Fantastic!" exclaimed the Fighters in pure astonishment.

Goku was finally in his element. From his vantage point, the stadium looked even bigger! The number of spectators was impressive, and easily exceeded ten-million. In addition, it seemed that there were many experienced martial artists present, though they all blended together. In a group of such sheer magnitude it was difficult to pinpoint any one particular Ki, even a Ki close to their vicinity.

"It's huge!" Videl said to her husband as Uub and Pan ran to the limits of their universe's space.

"It's too cool!" Pan yelled enthusiastically.

The Varga began to speak in a slightly more serious tone. "You may potentially meet people that you recognize... some you may even think you know. Just remember, they come from entirely different universes from yours, and may not meet with your expectation... so don't be caught unprepared. I will now leave you be... but one last thing. The tournament could start anytime, from twenty minutes to two days from now. Everything will depend on how long it takes to fill up the remaining universe spaces."

"And for the draw?" asked Goku again.

"The matches will be entirely random. An announcement will be made when that happens."

With that, the Varga left the group. Goku remained thoughtful for a moment. "Twenty minutes or two days... well, I certainly hope it's just twenty minutes!"