Dante's Abyss Finale 2006

[Burter Jr]

The Finale: Part 1

Android 13, Android 20, Kami, Kid Buu, Krillin, Super Buu, Minoshia, Raditzu, Reijin, Trunks, Vegeta, and Violet

Rain fell over the morning sky.

Kid Buu followed his group without much haste. He was, as most, eager to start the final battle. Nervous? No...that wasn't like the childish version of Buu. But it was certainly a new feeling to hold. Perhaps it was pride that he had gotten so far, or worry that it would all slip away despite the effort he put in.

Violet was the closest person to him, about ten feet ahead of him, travelling up the steep hill. Krillin, Android 20 and Super Buu were leading the group. He gazed over them, wondering to himself how long it would take before they had to fight each other. Soon? Never? He knew, regardless, it would have to happen. No one was playing for second.

KB was the first to see it. Movement to the south, just behind him. When he turned around, it was too late.

Reijin and Trunks opened fire.

"Look out!" Was the only warning Kid Buu could shout to them. He whirled around as the two machine gun fires hit his body, side and front. His pistol fired in retaliation, but it was all for naught. He fell back, hitting a rock, and laid there.

So this was how it ended. Blindsided and ambushed? No...too weak. Too forgotteable.

"Run!" He shouted a single word to his allies, even though they already hurried up for cover. "Go, go, go, go, go!" He forced himself up, feet and hands refusing to give up.

"Kid!" He heard Supes shouting. It made him smile that at least someone noticed his kamikaze dive.

When Buu lept into the air, pistol still firing randomly, Reijin and Trunks both raised their guns, eliminating another contestant. "There were others," Reijin said, "Keep moving."

"Shit!" Violet cursed as the remaining four warriors ran behind a rock. "KB's done! I saw them kill him!"

"Keep calm," Twenty said. "How many did you see?"

"Keep CALM?!" Violet nearly lunged at him, but Super held onto his shoulder. "I just watched my friend die, asshole!"

Super Buu pulled her back, "I can hear them coming. He's right," Buu gave her a rather uncomfortable look. "We can mourn over him later, alright? If we don't move, we're going to be the ones getting mourned."

Some ki bullets slammed into the rock, "They're closing in!" Krillin called back. He had to admit, it was kind of cool acting like a military general, calling out warnings.

"Make a run for the mountain-top!" Android Twenty told them. "NOW!"

The rain gave them shelter from sight, but not to the magnificent ears of an experienced namekian. "I'll hold them off," Kami told his group, "I can hear them moving."

Ki Bullets were fired from the pistol Kid Buu dropped, and the two machine guns, but they missed completely due to lack of sight in the rain. However, a lucky shot blasted into the foot of Violet, causing her to stumble.

"Shit!" She cursed again. The others hadn't noticed. She looked back, seeing Kami in plain sight, sword and shield at the ready. For a moment, she paused. The namekian aura made him glow, even in the pouring rain.

She was snapped back to reality. "Violet!" Came Super Buu's call.

"Super!" Violet forced herself up, even with the busted foot. "Help!"

A sword peirced her from behind, and sprouted out of her neck. Super Buu had been running to help, but stopped when he saw the sight. An elder namekian standing behind an empaled Violet.

Her eyes...Super could feel them looking at him, even when he wasn't gazing at her. So helpless...and what had he done to help her? Yell? Suddenly everything he did on the island seemed pointless. He had completely disregarded friendship, and at what cost?

"Sorry," Kami said as he dropped Violet to the side. "I hope you understand."

As the namekian expected, Super Buu wasn't very understanding.

He lept forward, but with a quick slash of the sword, he was batted to the side effortlessly. He hit a boulder, hard.

Meanwhile, the other members of the now-deformed group were stumbling around a wall of rocks to get up the hill. Twenty led the two, with Krillin right behind.

Thirteen appeared in front of them, like magic. His wrist flicked to the left, and Twenty was caught between a boulder and the giant hammer. His chest hadn't done much in the way of protecting him.

Pause. Silence. Krillin's face was one of shock. How could things be so exciting and now...so tense. Twenty was fighting with himself, in his head. Gero hadn't seen Thirteen coming because of the rain.

"Twenty?" Krillin asked, "You okay."

The Android laughed. He couldn't help it. Even in the gravest situations, Krillin was clueless. Always the last to know it, too. "No." Was the only answer he got.

Thirteen pulled the hammer back, exposing the wires to the rain. Twenty fell to his ass, in silence.

How can you properly explain what Krillin felt? He was looking at the cold, machine eyes of Android Thirteen, who had no real hatred for him. He simply played to win. Krillin had just watched him murder his best friend in cold blood.

The bald-headed human was always full of joy and jokes. He had a smartass and witty comment for everything. He took life one step at a time, full of happiness.

But that fire roared inside him, the same one that he refused to let out all the time. Hate. Madness. Sorrow. Anger.

That was it. Anger.

Thirteen threw a punch.

Krillin caught it.

Words can't even describe the look Krillin made at Thirteen. All that anger he had pushed aside all his life had built up to this one, single, moment.

#21 Kid Buu DEAD
#16 Violet DEAD
#24 Android 20 DEAD

09 Fighters Remaining

Krillin has earned Kaioken

[Burter Jr]

The Finale: Part 2

Android 13, Kami, Krillin, Super Buu, Minoshia, Raditzu, Reijin, Trunks, and Vegeta

When Super Buu awoke from his very brief slumber, the first thing he saw was Minoshia, looking down at the corpse of Violet. Mino's scarred face glared at the Buu, apparantly out of frustration that he was not yet dead.

Buu forgot about Kami, who had cut his arm. All thoughts drifted to Minoshia. All his friends had died, but Mino stood there, alive. Hurt, but alive.

Super Buu got up and put his fists up, ready to fight.

Minoshia raised up a small, box-like gun.

That was when Super realized that Minoshia wasn't alone. Off to the side was a long-haired saiyan, who had his arms crossed over his chest. Raditzu seemed ready to brawl, but the Konat put his hand up.

"Let me," came the scarred voice of Mino. Rad put his hands down. The temporary alliance, bound by injury and loss of friends, was strong. Raditzu simply turned around to find someone else to fight.

"It's about time," Super returned to his fighting stance.

Minoshia moved into one as well. He was on one foot, leaning against a boulder. Buu's clothes were already changing shape as Mino's red aura appeared. The two charged up, and then lept at each other.

As the two fists clashed, Krillin and Thirteen collided as well. What Krillin lacked in power, he made up for in emotion. Fists and kicks zoomed between the two, matching each other blow by blow. A kick hit a knee. A fist hit a wrist. Blocked. Hit. Blocked. Hit.

Finally, Thirteen's fist blasted past Krillin's face after missing. "Aaaaagh!" Krillin screamed in victory as he grabbed the arm and threw it over his shoulder. Thirteen hit the boulder, hard. "You killed him! Killed him!"

Thirteen ducked the fist, letting it slam into the rock. "Wouldn't he have done the same?"

"NO!" Krillin denied, knowing it was wrong. "Not Twenty!" Another fist blasted forward. This one hit Thirteen in the gut, and then the boulder. A smaller hole then Twenty, but poetic justice regardless.

Thirteen's eyes narrowed. He had been beaten by human emotion. How...ironic. It was enough to make him laugh, like Twenty had.

A fist slammed into Thirteen's head, blasting it off the neck, ending any laughter fits he'd continue.

"That was...for you, Twenty," Krillin fell to his knees, panting. He looked over at his friend's body, dead. "I hope...it was enough."

For a moment, peace returned. Krillin had avenged his friend. His anger subsided.

The victory was short-lived. Raditzu's shotgun removed the back half of his bald head.

#01 Android 13 DEAD
#33 Krillin DEAD

07 Fighters Remaining

[Burter Jr]

The Finale: Part 3

Kami, Super Buu, Minoshia, Raditzu, Reijin, Trunks, and Vegeta

When you have a shot, take it. Simple as that. Words to live by.

Kami lunged from rock to rock towards where he heard the shotgun blast. It was difficult, even with his speed and flexibility, to move around with the rain. Still, he landed fine.

He could heard sniffling to the distance. At first, he didn't recognize it. Then it was clear.

Trunks...sobbing? Hurt?

Kami lept off the rocks he was jumping from and ran full speed down the hill a few dozen feet. The noise stopped. What...where was it? Were his ears playing tricks on him? No...he knew that was impossible. His hearing was perfect.

It wasn't until moments later, when Reijin's machine gun blasted on full, did he realize what happened.

Fooled? No, betrayed. Kami had been tricked, but not outsmarted. Just outdone.

He hit the ground hard, on his front. His back was riddled with bullets. The elder namek rolled over to see who he expected from the start. Reijin, the saiyan.

"I'm just playing the game," Reijin confirmed. "I hope you understand."

Anyone else would have cursed. But Kami understood. He had prepared himself for four days for when someone finally pulled the trigger on him. Someone who would finally stab him in the back. "I do...understand," he coughed out. "Play to win."

"Exactly," Reijin nodded. "Play to win."

With those words in mind, he aimed his gun at the head.

When you have a shot, take it. Simple as that. Words to live by.

#11 Kami DEAD

06 Fighters Remaining

**Reijin did not decide to have his character betray Kami, this was done by me for maximum story effect. He did not choose this route. It did not effect the results. Just letting you know, so Rei doesn't get any crap for it.

[Burter Jr]

The Finale: Part 4

Minoshia, Raditzu, Reijin, Super Buu, Trunks, and Vegeta

"Agh!" Buu grunted as he slammed back-first into a rock. He growled as Minoshia tackled him against it. "Damn you!"

Minoshia felt the pink knee collide with his rib cage. He gritted his teeth as he kept his grip. With only foot usable, he had to rely on throws and grabs to stay up, which he was doing by keeping latched onto Buu. His elbow hit the blob's jaw, forcing him to the side.

When Mino was shoved off of him, Buu lept gracefully back to his feet, wiping away some blood. "How do you live with yourself?" He growled again, "Do you even care what you did?"

The Konat pulled himself up by a tree, never giving up. "You have no idea...the pain I go through."

Buu chuckled, but it was just a false sense of carelessness. He was nervous as Hell. "Maybe not. But I have an idea of how much pain you're about to go through now!"

"Bring it on!" Mino urged. He braced himself for Round Two.

Closer to the top of the mountain-top, Raditzu stopped walking. A familar figure moved in front of him, machine gun in hand. Had he been able to talk, Rad would have greeted Trunks with a smartass comment.

What really got him jumpy was the new figure behind him. He turned his bloody face to the side to see the Saiyan King.

"You're unusually quiet," Vegeta commented. It was easily notable, given Rad's quick and sharp tongue.

"Tch," was the best Rad could do. It fit.

With two Super Saiyans on either side of him, Rad moved into a fighting pose. It was clear, after all, that's what it was going to come down to.

Vegeta was the first to lunge forward. When his Scythe made contact with Raditzu's shotgun, the dangerous Super Saiyan aura erupted around him. He shoved his rival back and spun around in time to avoid being clobbered with bullets.

Trunks looked at the scene in front of him with a blank look, which quickly turned into confusion. Vegeta recoiled back like he had been punched, but nothing hit him. He was just pushed back.

That was when Trunks realized it. He moved forward, machine gun in his hand. He saw his blonde father rolled to get up, holding his gut. Had he...had Raditzu made him...?

He remembered what his father had said. How he was disgraced. He still had no idea Reijin had been behind it. "Father?" Trunks asked. "Are you...I'm sorry."

Vegeta looked up. He pulled his hand away. No wound. "I'm fine, boy. Why would I be?"

"What...?" Trunks had his mind on Vegeta's disgrace for him. He thought he had harmed his father. Why couldn't he be more focused?! Why couldn't he have finished off Raditzu!?

The moment was lost. Raditzu opened fire.

Trunks' chest erupted with blood. Vegeta caught his surprised son and they fell back. "Trunks!?" He shouted aloud. When they hit the ground, he looked at his son. "Trunks!?"

"I'm sorry..." the Prince said. "I'm sorry I didn't make you proud..."

"What?" Vegeta held his son's face in his hands. "Trunks, I thought it was clear already. I was never not proud."

Neither of them managed to fit the puzzle together. The shotgun blast blew into the night sky, tearing apart the head of Vegeta. Trunks fell to the side, more happy then sad. Sure, it was disappointing for any sayian to lose. But his father had openly admitted he was proud.

That was better then winning.

#27 Vegeta DEAD
#03 Trunks DEAD

04 Fighters Remaining

[Burter Jr]

The Finale: Part 5

Minoshia, Raditzu, Reijin, and Super Buu

Mino flipped one of the Tonfa bars over his wrist and cracked it across the beaten skull of Super Buu.

Survival.

Buu spun around, his elbow cracking into the already bruised ribs of the one-eyed Konat, sending him flying back against a tree.

Revenge.

"HAAA!" The Kaioken-charged warrior blasted an energy ball at Super Buu, who bent backwards to avoid it. Using his flexibility, Super rolled in mid-air, sending one of his own at Minoshia. Mino dove to the side, leaving the tree to take the punishment.

"I'll kill you!" The tired Buu blurted, stumbling at Minoshia.

Minoshia reached for the Nail Gun. Buu's pistol blasted into his wrist. Despite the pain, he grabbed it.

Super Buu was, though he'd never admit it, impressed. It was almost as if the Konat couldn't feel pain. He had become so used to it, that it hardly effected him.

Minoshia rolled over to see the pistol against his forehead. "That's it," Buu said. "This is over."

The Nail Gun Minoshia got from Raditzu pressed against Buu's chest. "I told you. I play to win."

"Well," Buu scowled, "You failed."

The dangerously large nail fired into Buu's chest, ripping his unique insides to shreds. He flew backwards, off the Konat and onto his side.

Failure? Buu saw the sun past the rain, starting to creep through. Was it laughing at Buu's demise?

Minoshia strugged to his feet. Buu was dying. Mino had won.

Super Buu raised up the pistol. "Fuck...you...Minoshia."

When he fired, Minoshia's collar exploded in a churray of metal, sparks, fire, and Konat blood.

It was then, and only then, did Buu allow himself the reward of dying. And believe me when I say, after willingly pushing through that much pain, dying was a luxury.

#09 Minoshia DEAD
#19 Super Buu DEAD

02 Fighters Remaining

Minoshia will awake, dead, on the Grand Kai's planet. Should he accept the invintation, he will be given the honor of training for Super Kaioken by completing the nessecary quests.

[Burter Jr]

The Finale: Part 6

Raditzu and Reijin

"Tch," came Rad's only capable word. It came because he the megaphone had come on.

"It's 6 sharp, warriors!"

Raditzu was paying more attention to the glowing figure coming at him. It was another Super Saiyan, that much was clear. The interesting part, of course, laid in the long flowing hair, similar to his own.

"I won't bother going through the huge list of causalities, since you've done so well!"

Rad rolled his eyes. What a loser.

"We're only down to two left! Can you believe it? #18 Raditzu...and #22 Reijin!"

The saiyan nodded. So it was Reijin? Again, interesting. But last he remembered, Reijin didn't have long hair.

"All danger zones will be void when we have a winner! Good luck!"

Reijin stepped towards Rad with a huge smirk on his face. He couldn't help it. This was what being a saiyan was all about. The pride he took in himself had paid off. The ring on his finger gave so much power for such a little object. He was close to being one of the strongest fighters in the universe.

"Super Saiyan Three," Reijin said as he stopped in front of Rad. "That's what I'm calling it."

Rad smirked. Another smartass comment lost.

Reijin's eyes scanned over the bloody wound on Rad's neck. He figured it was halting his ability to use his vocal cords. So much for any witty banter from the impulsive Raditzu.

"I guess we should just get this over with, huh?" Reijin asked rhetorically. Raditzu responded by pumping his shotgun. "Good," Rei nodded. He cocked the machine gun.

The two met in melee, both guns slamming into each other. Rad shoved Rei back using the shotgun, and rolled it in his grasp to aim. He unleashed a powerful shot, knocking Reijin back.

A moment of peace as Rei lay on the grass, on the very top of the giant hill. Rad pumped his gun again. It was too easy to be over.

He was right.

Reijin raised up the machine gun like a zombie, and opened fire so fast that even Raditzu, with his unrivaled speed, was amazed. He fired again with the shotgun, hitting Reijin in the same spot.

Another pause in the fight as they both strugged to get up. Rad stumbled to his feet, his gun out of his grasp. Reijin rolled up, a small bloody gash in the middle of the beaten Kevlar Vest. Both were hurt.

Reijin, with all his power, lept forward. His fist cracked Raditzu's jaw like an egg. Rad hit the ground like he had been slammed with a hammer. Reijin then kicked the saiyan in the gut, sending him soaring backwards until he skidded on the ground.

The Ascended Super Saiyan picked up the shotgun as Rad struggled to his feet. "Too easy," the proud, powerful saiyan grinned.

Rad's face was one of refusal. A broken and bloody face, but the expression was the same. It said, in a very obvious way, we arn't fucking done.

Reijin side-stepped when Rad charged, and then threw a punch. Rad caught it, at the expense of breaking the bones in his palm. It was worth it.

He grabbed Rei's wrist, and used his free hand to, quite simply, rip his fingers off. Ring and all.

Reijin's face turned from smug to shocked to distraught. His long blonde hair was gone in a poof of smoke. He was still a Super Saiyan, but he had lost the beautiful glow of SSJ3. He had lost the power.

Raditzu grabbed the shotgun and hit Rei in the jaw with it, and then forced him down. Rei hit the ground on his knees.

He shot back up with a howl. "How DARE you!" He hand whipped at Rad, who caught it with the one he hadn't crushed. He pressed the shotgun under Reijin's chun.

Reijin cursed his luck silently. So it was to the repulsive Raditzu that he would lose ths game he fought for. He tricked his allies and ended up as their demise, only to fall at the last moment. But the disappointment turned to pride, as all saiyans eventually do. He had made it THIS far, and no one would take that from him.

If Raditzu could have, he would have dedicated the shot to his dear friend Bra, and then would laugh about how he only recently realized what a dear friend she was. He would remember his brave father, Bardock, who fell to his saiyan emotions. He would honor Yamu, and Selipa, and even Hasky, who all put their trust in him. He had made mistakes, and they cost them dearly. He would vow that them dying would not be for nothing. He would especially honor his love, Android 18, in a romantic moment of irony.

But he couldn't. So he just said "Tch" and pulled the trigger.

#22 Reijin DEAD

01 Fighters Remaining

[Burter Jr]

Epilogue

Just like that, it stopped raining. The sun was beaming down like it had missed the surface. Just as quick, Raditzu could feel his throat open up. "Ow," he grunted, "Whoa." He still had blood, but he was, for the most part, fine. "Man, talking sucks."

He stood up, looking at the body of the last contestant when the megaphone kicked up.

"#23 Reijin confirmed dead. Program Complete. That's a wrap!"

"Lovely," Raditzu said, already walking away from the carnage that was the finale.

"Congratulations #18 Raditzu! Quite a show you put on, if I may say so!"

"You can't," Rad said to himself, knowing Karl wouldn't respond.

"Your prize money will be given upon teleportation back to the meeting grounds. You can give your thoughts to the public in an interview there!"

Rad stopped walking when he realized he's be teleported.

"One more thing, Raditzu."

"Heh," Rad looked up at the megaphone.

"Never forget. 43 People fought and died on this island. Never forget what they did Who they became, and what they had to overcome obstacles. Don't ruin their defeat by forgetting. This game isn't about the loss, it's about dealing with it."

"Now that," Raditzu said, again, to himself. "Is something I can agree with."

#18 Raditzu WINNER

00 Fighters Remaining

[Raditzu]

"Tch..."

Raditzu had found himself in, what looked to be, a small dressing room when he had been teleported off of the Dante island. When he opened the door, he found a mass of people applauding. Standing front and center was Karl himself, flashing a cheesy grin. It was all Raditzu could do to not slap it off his annoying face. The warrior did have to admit, it was kind of satisfying to see this group of people clapping for someone they had only seen on TV screens. Rad shook his head and stumbled out of the dressing room. Though his wounds had been fixed, Rad didn't care how, fatigue was running rampant throughout his body. A couple people moved to catch the saiyan, but stopped after being flashed a couple of rather nasty glares.

"My production team," Karl waved to the people standing around him. "They insisted on being here to greet the winner and I simply didn't have it in me to say no."

"Uh-huh. Well... uh... thanks, everyone," the saiyan said weakly. He gave a small wave to the crowd, which seemed to spur their applause... definitely not what Rad had intended.

"Now, before we get down to business, can I get you anyth--"

"Waffles!" It burst from Rad's mouth before he even realized it. Karl looked as though he had been struck... he was obviously not used to be interrupted so... forcefully. But, after four days of eating virtually nothing Rad didn't give two shits about being polite.

"Well," he straightened his blazer and renewed his smile, "I think we can manage that. How many?"

"Uh..." Rad screwed up his face in thought for a moment. "Sixty oughta do it. Actually! Let's make it 75." Rad's face lit up with excitement at the thought of real food.

Everyone simply stared at the saiyan.

---------------------------------------------

"Was the food to your liking?" Some random woman asked Raditzu.

"Well, there could have been a few more, but I'll live." The saiyan smiled at the woman, having no idea who she was or why she was asking him questions. Through the meal he had been vaguely aware of someone bringing out more plates. It could have been her.

"Then, if you're done, they're waiting to interview you through that door," she pointed to a door on the other side of the room they had set up for Rad's waffle-bonanza and grabbed up the few remaining plates.

"Awesome, thanks." Rad waved the woman off and jumped to his feet.

With several content pats of his now mostly-full stomach Rad pushed open the door he had been told to follow. The room he was in was significantly larger than the one he had just been eating in, and it had been decked out to look fairly interesting. Two director's chairs were set in front of a rather convincing backdrop designed to look like a scene from the island. Cameras, mics, and a startling amount of people were running back and forth, trying to get everything ready for the interview that was about to take place. As Rad took in the sight, two people approached him. One was obviously Karl, while the second was a woman Rad had never seen before: while she was easy on the eyes, she had an air of normality about her: definitely someone you wouldn't think twice about.

"Raditzu, my boy," Rad cocked an eyebrow at the flamboyant producer, who was most certainly younger than Raditzu. "This is Stacy. She'll be the one asking you questions for your interview."

"Yeah. Hi, Stacy." Rad waved to the woman, who nodded in reply. "About this whole interview thing. I really don't think I--"

"Good good. Nothing to think about at all." Karl was obviously not the least bit concerned with how Raditzu felt about the whole ordeal. "Now, if you'll just follow Enrique, we'll get your make up ready for the show." Some man, evidently Enrique, had practically materialized out of thin air at the mention of his name.

"Wait... what? Make up!?"

---------------------------------------------

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to a special behind-the-scenes interview with the winner of the annual Dante's Abyss tournament! I'm Stacy Jackson bringing you a live, one-on-one interview with Raditzu." Stacy, who had been looking directly into the camera turned and motioned towards Raditzu.

"Uh... hi." Rad's hand jerked in an uncomfortable wave. Though he tried to keep his attention on the woman who would be interrogating him, he was acutely aware of the fact that several cameras were trained on him.

?Let?s start out pretty simple: tell us a little bit about yourself.?

?About me? Well? Name?s Raditzu. Uh? I?m a saiyan. I was born in the royal capitol of the planet Vegeta.? Rad tried to ignore the snickering from off stage; this was obviously all information people already knew.

?What did you like to do growing up?? the woman picked up without blinking an eye.

?Oh, well, I was designated a soldier when I was born. I had a high enough ki at birth that I was shoved straight into training.?

?Training to be a solider from day one, eh? I think we can all see how well that worked out,? the woman said with a smile to the camera. Rad simply shrugged.

?Well, pops was a soldier, too, and stuff like that generally follows family lines on Vegeta.?

?Pops? You mean your father, Bardock??

?That would be the one.?

?And he was also in this contest, wasn?t he??

?Yeah? he was,? it was all the saiyan could do to keep from flinching. It was obvious where this was going.

?Here we have an interesting clip from the tournament.? Stacy pointed to the wall behind them and the scene of the island flashed into a recorded clip from a day or so earlier. Rad winced.

The camera angle was actually quite good. The clips showed Raditzu taking slow steps forward, shotgun in had. The loud ka-chack of the weapon being pumped filled the studio and the weapon was aimed down towards the camera. The clip froze at this point. The blood flowing from Rad?s open neck combined with the view down the barrel of a shotgun was a rather powerful effect.

?Do you remember when this clip took place??

?I have a pretty good idea? but where was the camera?? Rad had to admit a bit of confusion.

?Ah, yes. There were small camera?s built into each contestants scouter. The device you were provided with on day one.?

?Ahh. Good idea. Anyway, yeah, this is me pointing that shotgun at Bardock? my father.?

?What was going through your mind at this point.?

?Honestly? I think ?fuck you? was at the top of the list.?

?Oh my,? Stacy laughed politely, but off to the side, someone was mouthing something furiously at Rad. ?And what would make you think that about your own father??

?Well, first of all, you gotta understand that fathers and sons don?t do much bonding together where I come from, especially if they?re both soldiers, like we were. But anyway, I had just seen him kill Eighteen. I really couldn?t help it, even though I knew it was a game.?

?18? You mean contestant #15: Android 18??

?Yes, ma?am.?

?Why did her death bring about this kind of scene??

?Ah well? I?m, I mean, she?s my girlfriend.? Rad stopped and though on this for a second. ?Heh? last time someone hurt her I shoved my first through their chest.? Rad laughed heartily, but Stacy, clearly, did not see the humor in being impaled on someone?s arm.

?Now, you and several others were traveling together for most of this tournament. Did you know these people, and have this planned out from the beginning, or was it something you thought of on the fly.?

?Hahahaha? I don?t usually make plans, Stacy.? Rad was clearly warming up to the whole interview process. ?When plans go wrong, everyone starts pointing fingers. And the fewer that are pointed at me, the fewer I have to tear off.? Rad grinned wide, but continued on. ?Most of these people I?ve run into before. I was hoping to run into Eighteen soon, but ended up finding Bra and pops, instead.?

?We?ve already talked about Bardock and 18, but who is Bra??

?Oh. Well she?s Ve--? Rad cut himself off abruptly, knowing Bra wasn?t big on letting people know she was a princess. ?She?s? very important? to me? as a student.? The words were slow and not terribly convincing, but it was the best Raditzu could think of on such short notice. He was quick to elaborate. ?When you?re as amazing as I am, you need to pick your students carefully.?

?I see. Very interesting. Is it a common training technique of yours to cut your pupils in half with chainsaws??

?Oh? that.? The saiyan reddened slightly. ?That was kind of a mistake. See? normally I can control metal? like this,? a piece of metal erupted from the studio floor and settled into Rad?s hand, making a small imitation of the chainsaw he had used. ?When I grabbed the chainsaw I meant to change it into, like, a baseball bat or an umbrella,? the mini-chainsaw in his hand morphed into the objects as he mentioned them, ?but in the commotion I forgot that our collars kept me from doing that.?

?Controlling metal? Do you have any other hidden talents we didn?t see during the tournament??

?Well? sure? I can do all kinds of things. Metal?s just one of my favorites.? Rad thought for a second. ?Teleporting?? he vanished from his seat and reappeared behind Stacy, ?is always a popular one. Pretty useful, too.? Stacy whipped around in her seat, but as soon as she caught sight of the saiyan warrior, he returned to his seat with a grin.

?Quite the one-man circus, it seems.?

?I get that a lot, actually.?

?Well, now that you?ve won, what do you plan on doing with your winnings??

Rad stared at Stacy, blinking for several seconds before bothering to respond. ?What winnings??

This time Stacy stared. For the first time she had been caught off guard. Despite his genuine confusion, he smiled on the inside about stumping the woman. ?The? uh? the ten thousand zeni that go to the winner.?

?Ten thousand zeni?! That?s awesome. Did you know you can buy,? the saiyan thought for a moment, counting something on his fingers. ?about twenty five thousands waffles with that much zeni??

?I? was not aware of that. So? you didn?t know about the zeni prize??

?Well,? Rad shrugged, ?I?m sure I heard at one point or another, but I didn?t bother myself with it.?

?Then why did you enter??

?Seemed like a good idea at the time.?

---------------------------------------------

?That was wonderful, Rad,? Karl said as he clapped Raditzu on the back.

The interview had gone on much longer than Raditzu would have liked. After asking the saiyan all their real questions, they had him pose for a couple of photos (he shuddered to think what they would be used for) and got him to say a few sound bytes before releasing him. The whole ordeal left the long-haired wonder drained, despite all the food he had consumed beforehand. But it looked like things were wrapping up and Rad was happy to think he could get back to someplace he knew.

?We have your account number and we?ll make sure your winnings are transferred as soon as possible.?

?Sounds good to me.?

Karl shortly informed Rad that he was showing him the way to their teleporting station, but Rad stopped him mid-sentence.

?You got a stasis field around this place?? the warrior asked his host.

?No.?

?Then don?t worry about it, I can find my own way out.? Rad grinned down at the man.

?Okay then. Well, we hope to see you next year.?

?I?m sure you will.?

?Take it easy, champ,? Karl said as he walked away. He had no idea just how easy Rad was planning on taking it. Then, right before the producer?s eyes, the saiyan vanished.