PART EIGHTEEN: THE NIGHT OF REST

Chapter 90

Translated by npberryhill

A few hours later... Within the Varga control center, a small bird yawned. The sleepy-eyed bird was thoroughly exhausted, as he’d been waiting at his post for what seemed like hours. Beneath his eyes were a pair of dark circles, a product of his overtaxing himself, not to mention his ears were burning to hear that his shift had finally ended.

“At last... It's finally morning,” he sighed, having watched the clock above his head in a trance-like state, counting the tick of each second. “Increase the light,” the Varga repeated, yawning. “Okay, you crazy overpowered monsters. Time to wake up.” Stretching his arms above his head, he yawned once more before adjusting the control panel in front of him.

“Morning,” another Varga said, greeting him with a friendly cup of coffee. “Woah. You look like you didn’t sleep a wink, Duckdonald.”

“Oh, hey, Duckdaffy,” he replied, trying to manage a pleasant face. “The alarms rang all night long...though, of course, nobody was detected.”

The other Varga set down his coffee glass, taking a seat beside him. “Seriously? So you think the participants were able to just sneak around our complex undetected? That seems a little far fetched.”

“Not all of them, no. But have you seen what some of these fighters can do? We’re in denial if we think we can control them. A few are even superior to the Kaioshins!”

“Right, like it was with Broly. You’re concerned that even our technology can’t contain them. But...surely you’re just stressing too much...I mean just look at you.”

The sleepy Varga sighed, wanting so badly to close his eyes for even a moment. “We should all be worried. In my personal opinion, if we don’t improve our systems before tomorrow night, it could be a disaster.”

“Yeah...” Duckdaffy agreed. “Just hearing about what they can do gives me goosebumps.”

“Oh, and did you hear? One of our guards was doing his routine sweeps last night, when he thought he heard some commotion. As soon as he opened up the door, a sea of dragonballs came crashing out on him. The whole room was filled with them!”

“What! You’re kidding!”

“Nope! Poor guy never even saw them coming.”

“That’s crazy! But...I thought we didn’t even bring the dragonballs!”

“Right, that’s the most mysterious part of all!” Duckdaffy said. “None of us brought any dragonballs here, and we’re sure none of the contestants did either. And then, all of a sudden, we have dozens of them rolling around in one room!” He put his hand up to the height of his chest, showing how deep the room had been with the golden spheres.

“That’s just further proof that we have to improve our monitoring systems,” Duckdonald said, leaning back in his chair.

“Yeah.”

“Oh, and what about the Varga? Who was it? Is he alright?”

“It was Docanardo, one of our inspectors from that sector of the compound. And yeah, he’s going to heal up as good as new. He’s just got a few bumps on his head. Poor guy. He was actually supposed to have gotten off duty a few minutes before, but VécéCanard, his replacement, was stuck in the toilet.

“Well,” Duckdonald laughed. “I can at least say this. I’d rather be dead tired here, than down there getting crushed by a sea of dragonballs.”

“Yeah, same here,” Duckdaffy agreed.

“Good luck up here, then. I don’t think I could stay awake even five more minutes,” the first Varga said, rising from his chair slowly.

In the stands, the audience had begun to make their way back to their seats, most of them having already found their places. Throughout the grandstands, hundreds of conversations were already taking place, viewers discussing everything from their favorite contestants from yesterday to predictions about the upcoming matches.

After the audience had pretty much all taken their positions, the participants began to come out from their dormitories. The warriors of the universe 19 were the first out, besides the few fighters who had not moved all night, such as Cell. Next out were the Kaioshins and those of Universe 2, followed by the Super Saiyans of Universe 13, Trunks from Universe 12, the “Space Pirates” of Universe 6, the Frost Demons, and Tapion. Next, the group from Universe 18 made their way out into their designated viewing area.

Goten, the first one back out into the arena, turned back to the corridor, cupping his hand and yelling back inside.

“Dad, put down the breakfast and get out here!”

Kulilin, who had just come out of space 9 with Tien, noticed the Saiyans of universes 13 and 18 immediately.

“Well, there’s those Saiyans again...”

“I simply made a mistake!” old Kaioshin gulped, defensively raising his hands in a surrender. “My, what brutality!” Having already received a black eye, he was still trying to find an acceptable excuse for his little shenanigan the previous night.

“A god? Going to the wrong room!” Videl shouted, clearly refusing to let the matter pass. “Are you kidding me!?”

Behind her, Bulma and Trunks walked over in an attempt to calm her down, while Yamcha merely laughed from the far corner.

In the space for Universe 4, Buu suddenly appeared via instant transmission. He had just returned from examining the entirety of this “empty” universe. As it turns out, just as the Vargas had said, it was indeed completely barren. It didn’t even have a Heaven or Hell. These spiritual realms, in the other universes, were a result of there being life. With no life in this universe, how could there be an underworld? The planets and galaxies in this empty place, without even an Otherworld, cohabited together without any kind of separation. The dead, those who had passed during the tournament so far, were the first spirits to ever exist within this realm. Their souls now wandered throughout the empty cosmos; alone, without form, conscience, or purpose.

Buu crossed his arms and smiled. Everything was going perfectly.

Within the apartment of Universe 14, Android 18 was still casually lying on her bed, her hands relaxed behind her head.

“Go if you want, 17,” she said, her eyes closed lazily. “I’m staying here.”

“But, sis! Come on! Today’s the day I’m finally going to kill Son Goku! You should at least come watch my match.”

“Sorry. I’m boycotting this stupid tournament,” she replied, thinking about what Yamcha of Universe 9 had said to her yesterday.

# 17 sighed, crossing his arms. “All right, sis. Suit yourself,” he said, still hoping she would change her mind.

Finally, the competitors and spectators from Universe 16 made their way out, Gohan and Videl in the lead, followed by Piccolo and Vegetto.

“I spoke to the Kaïoshins last night,” the physicist said to his wife.

“And did they agree to your proposal?”

“I’m not sure yet. They said they would consider my request.”

Walking behind the pair, Piccolo had listened in on their conversation, not meaning anything by it. But he’d said nothing, as he preferred to focus on Cell.

"He didn’t move at all last night..." he thought, the bio-android silently shifting his eyes to meet with the Namek. Piccolo quickly adjusted his own.

“Pfff,” Bra mumbled under her breath. “There are too many of these pathetic participants. We’ll spend another day watching all these amateurs make fools of themselves...what could be more mind-numbingly boring?”

“Take advantage of this free time to train your patience and self-control,” her father replied, having been listening over her shoulder.

‘Tch! I just had to open my big mouth,’ Bra thought, rolling her eyes. All she really wanted was to let out a simple complaint, but her dad always had to make everything into a lesson.

‘Self-control? My patience has already lasted through a day and a half without slapping these idiots into oblivion. Give me a break.’

“Hmm... Hey, Piccolo?” she said, turning back to the Namek. “Could you materialize me a training suit, something very heavy?”

“If that’s what you want,” he said, approaching her. He was almost glad to not be included in the ‘annoyance’ that was everyone else. “I’ve inlaid the clothing with several tons,” he warned.

Bra’s new attire included a pair of dark pants with a long, thick belt and a heavy grey sweater. Indeed, the garments were so stout that the ground underneath her cracked under her weight.

“Perfect,” the girl said, smiling. She levitated up just a few inches off the ground, testing out the feel.

Now that all the fans in the grandstand, in addition to the contestants, had taken their places, the loudspeakers once again boomed to life.

“Welcome, everyone, to the second “Day” here, for round two of the one-and-only inter-universal tournament!”

Thousands of cheers rose up throughout the audience, Bra already feeling impatient at the petty showiness of the whole thing. Suddenly, a dome flew through the air and began to hover just above the ring. On board were seated five alien musicians, their instruments already tuned and in hand. Immediately the song began, one of the greatest hits ever from Universe 1.

“Well well! A musical interlude!” Trunks of Universe 16 said.

“Alien music?” Gohan replied, curious as to what it would sound like.

“This is awful,” Bra of Universe 18 complained, crossing her arms.

“Hmm... It’s both original and rhythmic. And they play their instruments with such grace and precision!” Tapion complemented. Beside him, Dr. Raichi only groaned.

“What a horrible noise!” Babidi cried, covering his ears. “It sounds like an exploding glaviot!”

“It sounds like that dreadful music you have performed at your fancy receptions,” said King Cold, the tall frost demon still noticeably without his typical armor.

“I beg your pardon!” Coola replied, quite flustered. “This mockery isn’t anything close to my own tastes! Clearly this performance is nothing but the latest concoctions in the style of Figrindan Punk Symphony. Whereas a finer pallet, such as my own, would strictly enjoy only the Figrindan Classical Symphony.”

“What unrefined tastes these squawking Vargas have, daring to present us anything less than the most eloquent of virtuosos!” Freeza laughed, never missing an opportunity to mock his brother. “I agree, the Figrindan Classical Rhythm is far superior to this musical abomination.”

Among those particularly offended by the music were the two Vegetas, from Universe 18 and 13. Each could suddenly recall long forgotten memories in which they had each been a guest at Lord Freeza’s many receptions; surrounded by these pathetic alien dignitaries who weren’t even able to fight, but rather ran Freeza’s day to day imperial business from behind comfortable desks. Oh how each one had longed to kill these pathetic social personalities, though it was strictly forbidden.

The fools had even mocked him unwittingly, exchanging their pleasantries, referring to him as King Vegeta sarcastically, asking him why he didn’t have a beard. Each word they spat, their smooth and wet political tongues, made the Saiyan prince want to rip their throats out all the more.

However, the general consensus of the crowd seemed to be one of high approval. The musical intermission was well received by most, even the simple minded among them finding it to be both catchy and pleasant. However, the contestant of Universe 4 did not feel such.

“WHAT IS THIS INSULT!!?” Buu yelled, his voice reverberating throughout the whole arena so that everyone could hear. Even the musicians, surprised as they were, stopped their playing mid-song to see the source of the disturbance. Sitting on a lone bench in Universe 3, Baddack suddenly looked up, wondering if this was the same moment he had seen earlier in a vision.

‘Could this...be what I saw?’ he wondered.

Suddenly, Buu teleported himself up onto the musician’s platform. “You call THAT a performance? A million live spectators, the grand tournament of the multiverse, and the Vargas hire you!? It’s nothing less than an insult to the greatness of music!” Buu turned to the crowds. “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Figrindan is not so pathetically simple as these fools have so poorly attempted. Give me your instruments,” he said, turning to the Bith, “and I’ll demonstrate the style with ALL its subtleties and nuances.”

Indeed, Buu had become a musical poet like no other in his universe, in addition to having an unparalleled appreciation for every art form. It was really no different with any other field either, be it knowledge or skill, he had absorbed the best that existed...at everything.

“This interruption is unacceptable. I’m stopping him,” the South Kaioshin boomed, suddenly pulling up his sleeves.

The Great Kaioshin however, smiling gleefully, diffused the situation. “Well, he certainly does have a point. This particular performance was quite lacking.”

In the corner of Universe 16, Piccolo turned over to Vegetto with a nervous look. Grinning, the fused warrior replied before the Namek could speak.

“You think I should intervene? Hah! But then we’d never get to hear Majin Buu, of all people, play music!”

Suddenly, Buu extended his arms on either side, forming the shape of a T. Then, sprouting from his arms, five miniature Buus appeared, each one taking an instrument in their hand. The last Buu, however, paused, looking quizically at the musician in front of him.

“Not you,” the mini Buu said, refusing the instrument of the alien from a galaxy far, far away. “You’re super good. Keep playing.” He almost appeared embarrassed, flushed at this Bith’s presence, then disappeared back into Buu’s arm.

The other members of the ensemble turned to their friend, speechless, as they watched him put his instrument back to his mouth.

Buu quickly counted the group off and the music began. The last alien, at first surprised at the melody and complexity of Buu’s variations, quickly caught up to the others, finding both the tempo and the correct key signature within the first few seconds.

“This...is...incredible!” Coola gaped.

“What fabulous harmonies!” Freeza replied, himself just as much in awe.

“Wow, this is beautiful,” Tapion said in amazement. “I don’t even have the words to describe it!”

A tear suddenly welled up in the right eye of the South Kaioshin. “It’s...a musical revolution! I’ve not heard anything so melodically pleasing or aesthetically breathtaking in millions of years!”

In the control room above, a Varga held his finger about two inches above the button which would have returned Buu to his own universe. But he just couldn’t do it, he couldn’t stand to put an end to such wonderful symphonical genius. The Varga shut his eyes, tears welling up in each, and listened with his heart. The emotion he felt, that amazingly intense well of passion, prevented him from banishing a being capable of producing such music.

Captivated, the entire arena seemed to be transported to another place by the quality of this new song. Even the most musically ignorant among the spectators were able to recognize the significance of this moment and to enjoy it.

“It’s the same as before, right?” Goku asked obliviously, turning to Gohan.

Gohan said nothing. While perhaps he hadn’t been as stunned as some, he’d certainly been able to notice the huge difference between the two.

When the final chord was struck and the composition finally ended, the entire crowd, which had remained completely silent throughout, burst forth with joy and thankfulness.

“Thus concludes the one-man virtuoso of all time,” Buu said smugly. “You see...THAT is music.”

“Thank you, sir,” the musician who had been allowed to play said timidly. He was quite exhausted now, but equally overwhelmed by the music. “But, why did you let me play?”

“I know true talent when I see it,” Buu explained. “And I’ve already met you, in my own universe. Even now, you are a part of me, along with so many other unique musicians.”

“Oh...” the alien shivered. Hearing the music was wonderful, and being allowed to play with it was a great privilege. But he still shuttered at the thought that a copy of himself was trapped inside the body of this pink creature.

Finally, Buu returned to his own area, quite satisfied with himself.

“All right! Now that we have concluded our short interlude, we will now begin the second round! Again, we thank you all for being here!” The public followed the announcement with more cheers and exclamations.

“The resistance, durability, and gravity of the ring will now be multiplied by ten for the second round!”

“So, the gravity will now be one hundred times stronger than it is on Earth,” Gohan said, turning to his father.

“Only a hundred?” Goku said, almost disappointed. “Hey! I remember training in that much back when I was on the way to Namek!”

“Um, Dad?” Pan began, her face showing worry. “Do you think it’s too much? Will I even be able to stand?”

“Oh sure, I’m not worried about that,” Gohan replied with a fatherly smile. “You’re much stronger than my dad was when he came to save us all from Freeza. You’ll do fine in this gravity, Pan.”

‘However,’ Gohan thought. ‘If she wins and they multiply it by ten for the next round, I wouldn’t be so confident.’

“Now, before we begin our first match of the day, we would like to ask each participant what they plan to wish for if they are able to win the tournament! We will ask the first half of our contestants now and the second half after our lunch break!”

After a brief round of applause, the announcer continued. About the same time, a purple skinned Varga appeared from the doorway of Universe 1.

“Our reporter, Den Grimme Aelling, will be out on the sidelines, finding out the dreams and desires of each contender!” He was an elderly Varga, a minor celebrity in his own universe. Walking rather slowly, he first entered the area of Universe 13, approaching Nappa.

“Our first contestant is a Saiyan from Universe 13, Nappa. He easily defeated his opponent in the previous round, even though he was matched against a powerful warrior type Namekian!” Aelling said, his old and raspy voice still being quite good for interviews. “Now, Mr. Nappa, sir, what would you wish for if you were to win this tournament?”

The bald Saiyan scratched his head, drawing a blank. “...Uh...” He quickly cast a glance towards Vegeta, hoping for advice. ‘What should I say?’ he wondered, having known all along that he had no hopes of winning when he couldn’t even defeat the Vegeta or Kakarotto of his own universe.

Seeing that his interviewee was drawing a blank, Aelling quickly rephrased the question.

“Let me rephrase the question, then. A bit of a turnaround, shall we. What would your wish be if it had to include your opponent?”

“Oh, now that I can answer!” Nappa boasted. “I’d wish for big fluffy rabbit ears to grow right on Freeza’s head!” he laughed, sticking his hands up on his head so that his thumbs would look like two pointy ears. “Like a bunny,” he added with a smirk.

“Hmm, a most interesting wish,” the announcer said. “And I wonder what your opponent would wish for.”

The Frost Demon, now quite upset, and by a Saiyan he’d already killed in his own universe no less, lowered his brow angrily. “Such disrespect!” In that instant, it was as if all the frustrations he’d had from dealing with the Saiyans flooded back into his memory. Oh how glad he was that he’d annihilated them all. Still quite frustrated, Freeza didn’t even wait for the purple skinned Varga to reach him.

“I’ve nothing to say to you. Now we’ve got a fight to get to, if you’ll be so kind as to GET OUT!”

“Hmm...alright, as you wish,” he said casually, ignoring the threat. “Let’s see...next is a fighter from Universe 18, named Goku, who beat a fellow from universe 10 with, uh, what seemed like a burst of wind. What would your wish be, sir?”

“Oh, me? Hmm,” Goku pondered. “I haven’t really thought about it. I’m really just here to enjoy my fights and give it my all, I don’t need to use my wish. Just the prospect of fighting some of these guys is motivation enough for me. But hey, I’ll let you know if I think of a good wish. Or maybe I’ll just give it to someone who needs it more than me.”

Hearing this, Tapion of Universe 3 suddenly perked up. If, by some chance, Goku of Universe 18 won, he might be able to suggest his own wish for consideration.

Many among the millions of spectators found Goku’s answer to be quite noble, and cheered for him loudly.

“Thank you, Goku. And now, since we’re already in the space of Universe 18, I might as well ask the other three remaining contestants of this group what their wishes might be. Vegeta, of this universe, is scheduled to fight Trunks of Universe 12 today. He previously defeated his own counterpart from Universe 10. Your wish, sir?”

“I’ve no use for my wish either,” he replied coldly. “No reward interests me. I’m here to fight.”

Yet again, there was a roar of applause from the crowd. To them, hearing that several contestants were only there to battle and cared nothing for the grand prize only served to guarantee that the upcoming matches would be all the more amazing.

“And you, young lady?” Aelling asked, being short enough that he didn’t need to bend over to be on eye level with Pan.

“I...” she timidly began. “I don’t know if this is a wish or not, but I want to be worthy of my family!”

“Ah, yes. Very good, indeed!” the announcer said. “We wish you all the best of luck. And now, on to Universe 14. # 17, your match today is against Goku. And what would your wish be?”

“Hmm...I guess it would be a way to leave Earth. There’s nobody there anymore, it’s easy to get bored.”

“Ah, really? A means of space travel, then? Exploration broadens the mind and expands the horizon, it’s truly wonderful! Very good, sir.” The purple Varga failed to understand that # 17 was implying he meant to find more worlds to toy with. “And next, not too far from this area, is the space of Universe 12. Trunks, it seems as though you will be fighting a version of your own father, though clearly he is from a different universe. How very interesting. And what would your wish be, might I ask?”

“Well for me, it would have to be something used to help rebuild humanity, to reverse whatever damages to the Earth that I can.”

“Peuf! What a sucker!” Trunks of Universe 16 scoffed, even as his counterpart from the 18th did the same. “I know what he’d really wish for...a girl!”

The interviewing Varga, though, had already left, now returning to Universe 13. He’d intended to speak with Kakarotto, but the fighter was kneeling in a corner of their area, scratching the ground with a stone in his hand. Slightly disturbed by this scene, coupled with how the other Saiyans pointedly ignored him, the journalist acted as if nothing had happened and moved on to the 9th universe.

“Kulilin. You defeated a much younger opponent than yourself in the first round, and will next battle Tapion. If you finish first, what would your wish be?”

“Nothing special, my friend. I’m only here to test my limits and make new discoveries.”

“Ah, so many great men we have here. How fortunate we are that so many of the warriors competing have a passion for battle fueled not be reward or gain.” He quickly moved on, eventually reaching the 3rd universe. “And you, Tapion, what might yours be?”

“Long ago, I...lost...my younger brother. My wish would be to see him again.”

“Ah. And once again, we have the hope of restoration, a fine wish indeed.” Moving to Universe 6, he then approached Bojack.

“I wonder, sir, if you also have a noble wish?”

Amused at the apparent ignorance of the Varga, Bojack chuckled.

“Me? I’m the undisputed master of my universe! I have all the planets, riches, and women I could ever dream of. There’s nothing I don’t already have.”

“Oh, I see. So then, you aren’t here for a wish either, but rather for the challenge?”

“Ha! Ha! Yeah! To bust some skulls, more like it. But if I had to wish something, I would like to know how I got locked up for centuries and who did it. Then I’d hunt them and their descendants to the corners of the universe, if they even still exist.

“Oh...” the purple Varga said, a little taken aback.

What Bojack still didn’t seem to realize was that the officials here at the tournament were the Kaios. The Kaïoshins of Universe one had suspected that their subordinates, the lower Kaios, had been responsible for locking this fiend away. In their own universe, they had dealt with Bojack directly. However, the simple Kaios were not powerful enough to defeat him on their own, and had to rely on their combined magical sealing abilities. Needless to say, the Kaïoshins were quite disgusted at Bojacks boisterous wish.

“Well, it seems we only have one last person to interview. From universe 17, the contestant that will be facing Bojack, we have Cell. Sir, your wish if you win?”

“It is none of your concern,” the bio-android replied, not having moved in the slightest. “Just begin the tournament already.”

Nodding, Den Grimme Aelling returned to the area of Universe 1. While he did so, the main announcer spoke again.

“Now that we know a little bit more about our participants, we can finally begin the first match of the day!!”

All the crowds were anxiously awaiting the announcement of the first fight, practically everyone edging forward in their seats. Nappa vs. Freeza was a battle that a great many were excited to see.