[PS] Bar/Theatre/Arcade

[OldJanemba]

Janemba stepped out of the teleporter, and awkwardly made his way to the bar. After trying many times to fire a ki blast, or just fly, he was agitated.

" Aghhhh, why doesn't anything work here for me!" the demon yelled out angrily, still not fully grasping that powers were limited.

Janemba wandered over to a table, pulled out a chair, and made quite a ruckus when he sat down.

" Hmmph!" Janemba bowed his head in anger and depression.

" Hello there..." the waitress cautiously announced herself," is there anything I can get ya?"

" My powers!" the demon replied very angrily. The waitress took a step back , then sighed.

" Look honey, you ain't got no powers here... you just gonna have ta deal with that." replied the waitress.

" Deal with this!" the demon said as he lunged for a punch, but then stopped realizing that everyone in the bar had suddenly turned to him, not wanting to be on everyones bad side, Janemba started to walk away.

[Mowgli]

A mental state of bewilderment overcame the young saiya-jin as he watched the emerald skinned warrior walk away after shoving him to the side. With a cock-eyed expression Junior eyed the warrior, curious as to why he would do such a thing. Within seconds he came to a possible conclusion.

Raising both arms upright, Junior turned his head to the right, then to his left. Inhaling the surrounding air through his nostrils; smelling his armpits. Then with a chuckle of relief he allowed both arms to fall to his side.

?Was it something I said?? He began to wonder. Playing back in his head the few words he exchanged with the green stranger. ?No way, I only said like five words..?

With his focus still on the cloaked combatant, Junior came to what was truly more of an assumption than a realization, about what it was or rather who it was that he was walking towards. It seemed that one could safely assume his attention was focused on a blonde haired human who sat no more than 14 yards away.

?He doesn?t take me seriously...? muttered Junior. ?I guess I?ll have to fix that.?

The young saiyan proceeded to follow the cloaked warrior with only one thing on his mind; allowing his diluted blood to control his instincts and cloud his judgment. Giving in to his undying desire for the indescribable sensation that made him feel truly alive. Junior wanted to fight and no matter what the green skinned warrior wished, Junior was going to fight.

The soles of GJ?s moccasins clapped as they hit the ground with each step he took. Both hands were clenched, making the form of fists as he continued on his way.

?Hey booger! Yo, green guy!? Shouted the boy, knowing his words would get the warriors attention and hoping they would agitate him to the point that he?d want to fight. If it did or didn?t really didn?t matter though. Junior was going to hit him anyway.

OOC: There. Now feel free to start a spar or have Junior punch, miss and look dumb then talk with you guys or whatever it is that's going on in that emerald cranium of yours.

[Bardock]

The first place the old soldier went, as usual, was the bar. He had started out the last contest with his pre-battle ritual of the drink, and he would start out this one as well. The facilities this year were somewhat different than the last, but Bardock found the bar quite easily, having almost internal radar for their whereabouts. The saiyan eased onto one of the few remaining barstools, and ordered a large bottle of whiskey.

He glanced around. This pub was packed. It seemed like almost every contestant wannabe was lurking around the dive. He laced his fingers together and folded them under his chin thoughtfully. Now was the time to plan. As he was aware, the dynamics of the game weren?t too different from the time before.

Forty-four contestants, and I?ve gotta kill all of ?em, he thought grimly. As much as he would have liked to deny it, it was more difficult than it sounded. He was confident in his fighting ability, and there was precious little room for doubt.

One thing was for certain: no alliances this time. Having the security blanket of stronger fighters had helped him get far, but ultimately led him to his downfall. This, however, made him grin.

Everyone will be looking for you, Raditzu, he chuckled inwardly. His eldest son, the strongest of them all, had been the final victor of the previous game. The smirk, however, didn?t last long. That means I will be too.

?Here?s yer drink, mac,? the barkeep said, slamming the bottle down on the counter and placing a shot glass next to it.

Bardock looked at the shot glass. ?Pfft.?

With a swipe of his hand, Bardock knocked it off the counter, and the bartender heard the distinctive shattering sound that followed. However, with the company he was keeping in this establishment, there was little he was going to do about it. The saiyan popped the top off and took a generous swig of the bottle?s contents. No burn followed, but the liquid?s seductive taste warmed his insides.

The saiya-jin looked around once more. Everyone else was clamoring excitedly about something or other. In one way or another, they were all preparing themselves for the contest, just waiting to be collected for the final cast. He already seemed at a disadvantage. The energy they put forth challenged his odds of winning.

No sooner had he begun to work on the rest of his bottle did two large men bearing the Syntex emblem approach him.

The fighter raised his hand as one of them reached out to grab his shoulder.

?I know. I?ve been picked,? he pre-empted.

?Yes,? one of the goons replied, withdrawing his mammoth arm. ?Congratulations, sir, you are contestant number nine in this year?s Dante?s Abyss. Please come with us.?

Bardock snorted. Every single one of these Syntex employees must have had a script hardwired into their brain. They could have at least been somewhat original with their lines. He grabbed his whiskey bottle, slid off the barstool. His face grew serious and expressionless. Other potential contestants were still around. Other than the bottle of whiskey and his garb, he would give nothing else away.

[Retane]

The mercenary turned around, his hand lurching outward, grasping the neck of the puny boy, his other hand caught the oncoming fist, only after it plowed into his sternum. The namekian took the pain and jerked the black haired halfling up to his eyesight. Quickly the long lender fingers started to tighten as Retane stared into the young mans face. A look of determination was shot back at the rogue and it only infuriated the namek even more.

The mercenaries attention was diverted as his eyes looked down to see a massive paw, feeblely claping his ankle. It was Olibu, making a weak, silent plea to let the boy alone. A cruel smile spread across the warrior's visage as a plan to get the 'broken shell of a honorable man' back to his former self snuck into his head. The thoguht was quickly dismissed as an explosion of bright lights went off in the fighters head.

The renegade released his grip and staggered back, toppling over the massive blonde and looked up to see the boy standing over him. The half saiyan looked down, proud of his work, but seemed to want more. The mercenary growled at the pain he felt on the side of his head, knowing he had been hit multiple times in the head by the munchkin. And hard too.

He stood up, ready for a fight only to take notice of a Syntech Official heading in their direction. The kid saw the namek distracted and curious turned to understand why as the woman approached him.

"Hey cutie, are you Goku Jr?"

He answered with a nod.

"You've been selected as an official member in Dantes Abyss please report to the barracks as soon as you can."

----------------------------------------
(Flashback)
"What is wrong Retane", cooed the white haired humanoid as he regained his breath and composure, "You seem to be getting weaker."

The mercenary answered by flicking a dagger at his foe. Of course, Enroshia retalitated by catching and returning the dagger at an even greater speed. The mercenary winced in pain as he felt the blade dig deep into his shoulder. The renegade went to pull it out only to find it was lodged deep into bone. He looked back to the elvish warrior, only to see the swordsmen was shaking his head in pity.

The mercneary moved quickly in savage fury, attempting to launch all the daggers in a quick barrage only to learn he had lost the use of his arm. This opnly further enraged the beast as he struggled desperately for some ploy.

Charging up a single Windstorm with his good arm, the mercenary loosed the remaining daggers in rapid possession with his good arm. Not missing a beat the mrogue flung his body around, watching his limparm flip wildly and caught a dagger that shot out of the useless gauntlet. When he turned to face his foe and watch him dodge the blades, he furociously flung the extra dagger and loosed the windblades all at the same time.

The swordsmen attempted to leap, gritted his teeth and took the windblades head-on, getting cut even further.

As the attack passed by the confused Enro looked at the glaring namek then down at the stinging in his foot. The hilt of the dagger jutted out from his boot, lodging him to the unseen floor.

"But ho-", the pale fighter quickly stopped his question as he understood fully what had happened.

OOC: (Meh left your ending open for you GJ.)

[Retane]

"You proved me right all along", a saddened visage appeared across the elvish warriors face.

Retane stared, confused by the change of tone. He fathomed what was to come next and remained tense and ready to spring, not willing to fall for ploy. What bothered him, was the look in Enroshia's eyes. He had never seen this look before, and it bothered him so. It was a look of regret and loneliness. The crimson eyes, usually now burning with the fires for a fight, simmered in dispair.

"Talented and smart, you are. But you will never understand love and the fullfilling life. You couldn't muster the heart to show true care to a person. You kill without mercy or a second tohught. You don't think about who you have harmed and hurt from the death of your victims. Whether they are innocent bystanders, you slaughter them. Trion, the prime example. You killed innocents just to complete a job and to cover your tracks. Dark Hunter, they call you. Heartless is a more fitting name."

The swordsmen sheathed his blade, his eternal pain still sounding out loud, "You're alone again. There no longer is such a group called the Horsemen. Alone. That is how you shall forever be. You will never have true freinds and your allies will come and go. You're a savage. And you sicken me. I only help you because it is the will of the higher powers."

"You'll never truly have the heart like me to reach the greatness I have! They do not understand this! But I do!" The elvish warriors tightened his bloody hands as he barked at the mercenary, who just stood there, cautious and bewildered.

The mercenary just turned and walked away. The words stung true, and it sickened him. He felt as if he had reached his peak and that he was alone. The news of the Horsemen being gone even tore him up more. What would he do now? He was without allies and in his world he needed them. Freinds he could do without because he needed no emotional tolls? Or did he?

-------

"Sir? Are you the one known as Retane?"

The mercenary looked back at the woman's voice, a smile still on her face. He couldn't understand why she wore the happy visage, or what she wanted. If she knew his name then she should have known that he was dark and devious. His eyes raised with intrigue as he gave a slight huff, wondering what she wanted with him.

"You've been accepted too."