Day One: Morning

[Super Buu]

Buu?s eyes were wide as he surveyed the dead body of his best friend?s pregnant soulmate. Conflict roared in the monster?s mind. For some reason, he didn?t feel regret or sorrow. The only thing that he felt was the taste of victory.

It was regrettable, to be sure. She had been a powerful fighter, and a loyal ally to Civil Unrest. And yet ? killing her had felt so good. It was like a pair of shackles had been removed from the monster?s arms. He could be free again.

Again? No. That was wrong. Killing Paige had been wrong. It was as though the voice of someone else had spoken in his mind. Buu shook his head groggily. He had to focus on the task at hand.

Crouching onto the floor, Buu began searching the woman?s possessions. He pulled out a medkit, and for a brief moment a dismissive smirk crossed his face ? then he remembered that he couldn?t regenerate in this competition. He pocketed it and reached further.

?Ahah! What do we have here?? The monster gave a triumphant grin, pulling out a map. ?Looks like you marked off the danger zones for me.?

Tucking the rest of the woman?s possessions into his bag, Buu rose to his feet. For a moment, a twinge of guilt crossed his mind, and he reached out to touch the body ?

BZZT!

?Ouch!? The golem withdrew his arm angrily. ?Gave me a shock, stupid bitch!? Shouldering his bag, he turned on his heel and walked away.

[King Cold444]

Cold had his map out now, frustrated as to how he could lose track of his pace. The summit was too far out of his range for him to reach there within the peak of daylight, as he'd planned. The foundation he'd laid crumbled to waste within his grasp. There was shuffle to his side and he leapt, training the barrel on the spot and flicking the safety off. However all that remained was the crackling and unearthly hum of his gun and the downpour all about him. He stayed, trained to the spot listening intently, his heart beating triumphantly in his chest as all sorts of unaccounted emotions swam through his head. Mostly fear, but there was the underlying anxiety of finding and trying out the trigger on them. He wasn't exactly sure how the damn thing worked, or how much carnage it would cause (if any) when he beared down upon someone from the enveloping mist. All he cared was that it did its job. Its job was simple, so his ponderings didn't go far beyond squeezing the trigger and sapping life out of someone. He didn't really know who to expect so he imagined it was one of the rowdy saiyans he'd seen back in the barracks. Some woman.

"If I was a saiya-jin warrior, pit in a contest of survival in the wilderness among forty-four... where would I hide?" Cold was really bored by now, having failed at locating his son. Koola could've been dead now for all he knew; but that was just... not... well, Koola wasn't dead. Cold knew that. He was just saying.

The rain showed no sign of letting up and King Cold didn't feel like completely shattering the lines that separated roleplaying from godmodding, so he endured and hadn't begged for a change of scenery. It was something he took notice of a while back, though it was as instinctive as breathing filth and cutting off all oxygen to your body for a few days. Nothing of serious note.

"Lets keep it light." He mumbled, picking up the pace a bit. With a spring he raised from the earth and grabbed hold of a limb, easily swinging from one tree to the next. It was with relative ease, plus no one was looking so KC could honestly care less.

[Jeice]

The red warrior looked at his motley group with content eyes, knowing that anyone they came across would have a hard time walking away. His hand reached around to his bag and pulled out his canteen. He quickly rolled the cap off of the lid and brought it to his lips. The water was kept ice cold by the canteen, which was exactly what he needed at the time, feeling complete refreshment as the liquid gently flowed to the back of his throat.

Trying to conserve his resources, he quickly removed the canteen from his now wet lips and spun the cap tightly back on. His hand wandered to his bag where he safely placed the canteen. His shifted back to his team. It had been more then a moment without anyone saying a word, which was odd being that Yamu and Bulma had been arguing nonstop. He stared at the blue haired female with a distinct look of envy. She was the only one out of the crew with a projectile weapon, Yamu and himself would have to get close enough to their opponent to attack them, and his old saiyan friend was left unarmed.

He had no disbelief in her ability to use the automatic weapon; he simply saw it to be unfair that some people received weapons that could tear someone apart and other received mirrors. It didn?t matter much to him, as his eyes shifted back to the path they were on, he knew that he would put what was given to him to good use. His hand tightly clenched onto the base of the blade. He had never stabbed anyone before, it was either fighting hand to hand or shooting, never stabbing, so he was interested to experience how it would feel to say the least.

?So what do you guys think is going to happen when we finally find someone that we have to fight?? Jeice asked, breaking the silence.

?The chances of someone walking away from us?are just slim to none.? Yamu answered quickly as he continued twirling his bat around in front of him, confirming the red warrior?s prior thoughts of his group.

?Well?I?m getting their weapon after we kill them? The one eyed saiyan added.

A smiled crept across Jeice?s face at the almost comical remark his friend had made. Although the saiyan was technically unarmed, the fact that he would be able to heal any injuries that a teammate would endure made him all the more valuable. One thing Jeice realized about this island was that he would have to stay on his toes at all times. Anyone could come from any direction, and the last thing he wanted to happen would be for him or one of his companions to be terminated this early in the game. It made him even more prepared to stick his blade into the next person they came across.

[Retane]

"Heh...What a waste", came the dark tone, the mercenary speaking lowered so that his ally could hear him over the rain.

Tapion turned a curious and annoyed eye to the namek, "You're talking about PIkkon?"

It was the nameks turn to point a confused eye at the konat, "No, the Battle Charger."

Though he was enraged, Tap couldn't help but offer a chuckle.

Retane raised himself off the rock to stand near the side of his comrade and stepped moving away. Tapion was soon following suit, both their steps splashing through the mud covered ground. Retane's steps seemed a bit uneasy and it only angered a little bit more when he felt the painful burns flare up. Luckily the rain kept them kool for the most part, but he knew the annoyance would just make it harder to concentrate on his surroundings.

It was then that the jade ears caught the quaint grunt of the elish warrior, and he turned to see a determined face ready for action. It was then, that the Merc looked ahead and realized that the two were heading in the near direction of their last confrontation. Retane knew then that Tapion wanted vengance, and so did Retane. The assassin also know that if they found the wannabe namekian, that they would extract it. If someone else got to Pikkon before them, and they learned of who it was, and would kill that person, in Pikkon's stead.

They reached the scene of the fight and the Namek went straight to the scorch mark that was left from the grenade. Slowly crouching down, he ran his hand on the messy soot and rubbed a pinch of it through his hands. He let out a low growl and his body began to illuminate with a bluish-gray aura. He rose, his eyes closed and held his arms out at an angle. His growl grew louder and the aura flared up. A deep burning witinside him brought a wicked smile across his face and the aura danced wilder, leaping from Retane and lurched out to stand right in front of him.

The assassin looked down and stared into the eyes of himself. "Go now. Be my eyes and my ears. Find me PIkkon. And if he's not around, find me someone else!"

The dark blue and gray wolf growled and turned, his desire to hunt, easily shown through his prowess.

(Soul of Retane! FTW!)

[Old Zangya]

Zangya was, to put it blatantly, unrecognizable. The green-skinned lady lay at the foothills of the large, rotund escalation in the center of Dante Island. The raven-haired warrior had done a real good number to her. She?d blasted the left-side of her face into Timbuktu, completely blowing away the left ear. Her vision in her left eye was also slightly hindered, but she was not completely blinded. The idiot woman had had a chi shotgun. That weapon was very powerful, and could overtake her puny pistol any day. She had taken a risk by moving to the top of the hill, and it had cost her much.

Her mind was now being overtaken with hatred and anger for that woman, and she could almost feel herself growing fanatical. Everything seemed to be spinning as she began thrashing in fury, and the young woman was suddenly struck with the fear of losing control. This had happened before, and it had not worked out so well for her family. Zangya feared that this time, it may not work out so well for her instead.

?Flashback?

?No!? cried a small Zangya as she stood inside her home. ?I didn?t! I swear!?

?Zangya??

?I swear I didn?t!?

The small, bluish-green girl wept as she screamed at her maternal parent, pleading with her to not punish her. Guilt and regret was not something she accepted easily; she felt no remorse for what she had done, just for what was to happen to her now that she had done it.

?Zangya!? yelled the mother. Zangya?s weeping stopped cold, coming to a complete halt as her mother?s raised voice finally caught her attention. The enraged young teenager stopped stomping around the room, giving way to her mother to end the lecture. ?Zangya,? she repeated, calmer than before, ?Now, I know you didn?t mean to, but??

?Mother,? Zangya sobbed, ?I didn?t do it.?

?I?m sorry, Zangya.?

?No,? she said, lamenting all the more, ?No! I didn?t! You have to believe me! You just have to!? she cried. The hysterical child, in her fit of innocence, accidentally knocked from its perch on her end table a candle, which, in turn, fell to the surface of the end table. But not before the flame whizzed past the turned on light bulb of a lamp, and suddenly the entire home was engulfed in flames.

?End Flashback?

The green-skinned Ader lay in remorse. She could not rid herself of the anger that consumed her.

She was failing.

[Celipa]

At the peak of the hill, in the well trimmed grass, Celipa fell to a sitting position with a contented smile and laid her shotgun down in her crossed legged lap. The mutilated figure at the bottom of the hill with the missing chunk of her head symbolized the saiyaness' first victory, and that was something to be proud of. The pathetic wench would probably leave soon, she figured, so there was no risk involved in hanging out up at the summit of the hill.

"A real shame, that," Celipa giggled to herself unremorsefully. "Such a pretty face! If she's lucky she might find the missing parts of that face laying all over the side of the hill!"

She let out another shrill giggle and began rooting through her bag, searching for all her food-stuffs. With a frown, she turned it upside-down and spilled its contents out in front of her. Bread and water?

"Fuck that!" she commented, pushing the bread to the side. But the water did look appealing after her long walking venture.

The saiyan opened her mouth, tilted her head back, and downed the H-two-O with powerful gulps. Once finished, she tossed the plastic remains off the side of the hill, where it tumbled down and eventually hit literal rock-bottom.

Since the morning announcements had come on already, Celipa concluded in her head that she should pull out her map to check out her general area. She glanced over her possessions lying on the ground, passing over the scouter and coming to a rest on the map and compass.

She was on the hilltop, that much was clear...luckily, she had just moved from a danger zone. North Lake was now fatal to enter. She figured that it was a good thing she had left when she did. She marked down the remaining zones from memory and loaded her stuff back up into her backpack, including the scouter. The only thing left out was her boom-stick, which she had decided it would be smarter to carry 'round.

Especially with that harlot down at the bottom of the hill.

[Bra]

?Dad!? Bra exclaimed, rushing out of her makeshift shelter, and into the warm embrace of her father. She nestled against his chest for a moment, before looking back to the cave she had come from. A dejected groan slipped between her lips. ?I hate this place.?

?Already? The game?s hardly started.? Reijin spoke from the side. His presence, for some reason, prompted the cyan haired empress to break away from Vegeta. She looked him over for a moment; he hadn?t changed much since the last time they?d met.

?Does that make a difference? If a place sucks, then it sucks. You don?t really need to study the level of suck-age too much to make up your mind about it, y?know?? came Bra?s retort, coupled with a sly smirk across her visage.

The younger of the two saiyan men grunted in response, though it was hard to tell if he was agreeing with or arguing against her point. It hardly mattered; to continue the conversation in that direction would be a waste of time.

?So, how have you been, then, Bra?? questioned the prince. His eyes never fell away from his daughter?s, giving him ample time to watch the mood change as fast as the lightning flashed overhead.

?How have I been?? she parroted, though her voice hardly sounded amused. ?Yeah, I guess you would have to ask that question, considering you and mom never gave a shit when I was actually growing up. But I guess the hired help was good enough for me and Trunks, right??

?What-?!? came the reply, one of utter confusion.

?Oh don?t fucking play stupid. It took me a long time to figure it out. Do you know that the whole reason I started training, and got as strong as I did, was for you? I wanted to make you proud my whole fucking life, and only lately have I figured out it didn?t matter anyway. You?re a deadbeat and mom never gave a rat?s ass, either,? Bra ranted. ?You swing by every now and again- for what? To play dad until you decide you?ve had enough and then ditch me again?!?

?Bra, you?re-? Vegeta began, his voice far more authoritative than before. Still, the cyan haired hybrid was bold enough to cut him off again.

?Don?t!! Just don?t start thinking y--? the girl stopped abruptly. ?Dad!! You?re hurt!?

?Huh?? the raven haired regent cocked an eyebrow. He raised his bloody hand up, and flexed it for a moment. ?No, it?s... fine.?

?No, it isn?t. You know better than that. Wet weather is a great time for infections to spread. Come on; do you have anything I can bandage your hand with?? the blue eyed girl insisted. Her sudden shift from anger to concern was hardly something Vegeta could even begin to understand, but he treated it with a great deal of patience.

?Yes,? he replied, sinking his good hand into his backpack. He rummaged about for a moment, before withdrawing a white, metal case with a large red cross painted on it. ?This should be good enough.?

Taking the med-kit, Bra set it onto a rock in front of her. Dropping to her knees, the cyan haired heiress popped the container open, and withdrew a small handful of items. She returned to her father, and insisted he took a seat against a nearby tree.

?Okay... this is gonna sting a bit.? the girl warned, before pouring alcohol onto Vegeta?s wound. The cut was ragged and seemed to stop and start over and over again, as though he had been bludgeoned with something extremely heavy. The saiyan king didn?t even wince against the alcohol, either because it honestly didn?t hurt, or because he refused to lose face in front of Reijin.

Putting the alcohol away, Bra finished by placing a strip of cotton over Vegeta?s knuckles, and wrapping it and the wound with a thin layer of gauze, to retain most of his hand?s flexibility, before closing it with a safety pin.

The girl closed the kit and returned it to the eldest warrior in the group, who returned it to his pack. By now, the trio had become rather thoroughly soaked, and only the demi saiyan seemed adversely affected by it.

To distract herself, the girl pulled her ?weapon? out of her belt. ?Hey, Reijin!? she called, tossing the object to him. ?Check that out!?

The raven haired youth caught it with one hand, and took a glance at it, unable to figure out what it was, or what it did.. ?...What is it? Some kind of teddy bear?? Bra nearly collapsed.

?No, dumbass. It?s you.?

?...What?? Reijin spoke with absolute skepticism.

?I mean- damn, you don?t catch on,? the girl laughed. ?It?s a doll of you.?

?It doesn?t look anything like me. It?s too short, and too fat.?

?Well, d?uh! It?s supposed to look cute. Like a chibi-Reijin doll.?

?A what? Does it... does it do anything?? the warrior demanded, his voice actually sounding as though it carried a hint of concern.

?Uh...? Bra was going to tell the truth, but then, she realized, she could have so much more fun screwing with him for at least a few more minutes. At the very least, her father seemed slightly amused by their banter. ?Yeah. It?s... a voodoo doll.?

?I thought you said it was a chibi doll.? Reijin countered.

?It is. It?s a chibi... voodoo Reijin doll,? the cyan haired girl grinned. ?Pretty freaky stuff, eh??

?How do you mean...?? the Gaean-trained fighter demanded. Bra stared at him blankly, utterly floored.

?You... you don?t know what a voodoo doll is?? she asked.

?No?? he answered. Oh, this was too good! Reijin was sure to kill her after this.

?Voodoo?s a kind of magic. They use these dolls as representations of real people. Whatever happens to the doll, happens to real people,? the girl explained, doing her best to hold back her laughter. Could she really convince him?

?What do you mean??

?Here, toss me the doll, I?ll show you;? Bra requested. Reijin seemed... unsure of himself, to say the very least, but he did as he was told, and threw the object back to the girl. ?Basically, if something happens to the doll, like if I tickle it, you?ll feel it. And if I cut it in half, you?ll die.?

?What?! That?s impossible!!? the raven haired combatant roared. Vegeta burst into laughter, though Reijin didn?t seem to clue in. Either that, or he took the meaning of the laughter differently.

?Oh, please. I can summon shadow monsters from a dimension that sort of doesn?t technically exist, and I can shoot pillars of magical energy that can strip flesh from bones. You honestly don?t think I could make some kind of contraption that can cause people suffering? Magic?s a very dangerous tool, Reijin,? the princess spoke with a very forced-yet-convincing seriousness. She formed a tiny dot of ki on her forefinger and pointed it at the doll. ?I take his head off, and you die. You?re linked through an invisible, magical bond.?

?Wh-what?! How did you-!!?

?We?ve met before. I had tons of time to make the doll, especially since it doesn?t have to look exactly perfect.? Bra retorted.

?What are you going to do?!? Reijin exclaimed as perspiration ran down his face. Thankfully, it was hidden by the rain, but his fearful expression certainly was not. ?You?re not thinking about shooting that ki blast!!?

?Nope,? the girl replied, allowing the ki to fizzle out. ?Even if I did, it wouldn?t do any good. Voodoo dolls aren?t real.? she couldn?t finish before bursting into laughter at Reijin?s expense.

[Tobias]

Garlic was practically giggling to himself. He hefted his potato launcher and admired its bulky exterior.

?You, my friend, are a riot. He's going to be smelling spuds for the rest of the competition.? His grin blanched slightly, though, and he felt a twinge in his stomach. ?I should have killed him.? You might have died, he reminded himself. ?But then I would have died a good death...? he sighed, ?no what the hell have I been saying. There is no such thing as a good death. Death means you screwed up.? The goblin hugged the gun to his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. A fruit splattered into mush.

?Well, hell. Thats not how its goes. You were supposed to fall down buddie.? And here he was talking to his gun and deceased fruit. Oh he was really a crowd pleaser, running away and chatting up wild food. He ruminated on the fact while he flicked a rock to sever the stem of one of the juicy fellows. A few rocks later he had a armful of mango and a jaunty tune slipping out of his lips. A tune that slowly trailed off. He smelt something... something faint. His nostrils twitched while his mind tried to place it. Ozone, but not quite. There was something sweet entwined with it. Briefly he considered hulking up. His beastly transformation had smell far beyond his normal range, but this was trivial next to life and death matters, so he let it be. The trees were thinning the more he walked, he could almost make out a great big hill in the distance. And the ozone was getting stronger. With a grunt of frustration he stuffed his food into the duffel bag and brought his gun to bear. Oh what a sight the tiny fellow must have been, lumpy pack and gun almost as long as he was tall. Not to mention he was soaking wet from the rain. If he was lucky they'd laugh, it would give him the second he needed to pull the trigger.

[Jinpo]

Tick . . . tock . . . tick . . . tock . . .

Time dragged slothfully along as the Namekian child sat within the building he had entered many hours ago. Having already ramsacked the empty home, he found very little he could use; however, hot water was a plus. He would need that later. Cargo wanted to get up and get into the game, but he needed to play the game smartly. Giving in to childlike wants and needs was not the way to win; in fact, it was a great way to die. While all the rest of the competitors would waste their energy, playing the deadly game, the kid would bide his time. He?d wait for the perfect moment and capitalize on some other moron?s mistake. Bullding up his patience is not why Cargo entered Dante?s Abyss, but charging into a battle wasn?t the way to accomplish his goal. So, he would wait.

. . . and wait.

. . . and wait.

The moon gave way to the sun and consciousness gave way to lethargy and torpidity in the teenager?s body. Cargo took full advantage of the abandoned bedroom in the house he inhabited. Flopping down on the stiff, sheetless bed, the child?s eyes instantly felt like they weighed 2 tons. For someone who hadn?t done much, he sure was exhausted. He tried his best to stay wary, but The Namekian?s green eyelids hit the bottom of the socket like greased lightning and we was asleep before you could say, ?Kill me now!?

A sense of tranquility flowed through the Namekian as sleep overtook him. If he was going to win Dante?s Abyss, he would triumph with cunning and resourcefulness and strength. He was searching for anything inside of him that could help him become stronger. As his spirit traversed the complicated pathways of his mind, it appeared as if the world around the youngling slowed down. Cargo?s representation of himself inside his mind fell downwards until he landed painless on the ground and the bottom of what seemed like a bottomless pit.

Knock Knock.

The soul of the young fighter came upon a doorway. Out from every crevasse of the entrance shown a bright white light.

?This must be it. There must be something behind here that can make me stronger. A secret hidden within me. A power that I can harness to defeat any enemy that comes my way. Something great . . .?

Reaching out, the Namekian warrior tried to open the door to unlock the secrets it contained. Unfortunately, it was locked.

?Crap!? his inner self bellowed. ?I guess I?ll have to FORCE IT OPEN!? Cargo delivered kick after kick to the hearty door, hoping to knock it off of its hinges. ?Why won?t this stupid door open!? he yelled. A look of frustration etched itself upon the real Cargo?s visage, as his spirit tried desperately to know the secret that was barricaded inside this door. ?COME ON!!!!!!?

A final punch was thrown, breaking a hole straight through center of the door. The light burst out, blinding the Namekian and knocking him backwards. The force inside was devastating. The Namekian could not help but feel excited as he stood up and began to walk towards the door.

Cargo. You are not yet ready to harness this vast power. Until the time is right, you will not be able to properly unlock this door. Forcing your way through it will only lead to trouble as you would not be able to control the power behind it. Only through great will power and a drive to succeed will you be able to become stronger. Until then, work hard . . .

The emerald adolescent leapt up out of the bed, weapon in hand. Cold sweat had dried on the Namekian?s visage and drenched his tunic, but he had gained one thing: the knowledge that he could win. A sleeping giant had been awakened.

[Retane]

The mercenary watched as his trusted four legged companion vannished in the distance. He smirked and continued forward, Tapion coming up beside him desiring answers about the magnificent wolf. Retane's eyes looked to the ground watching as each step of his boots parted the moist slick grass and looked forward, not seeing any prints made by the wolf, but knew exactly where the wolf had gone.

He finally took the time to look over himself, rips and tears marked many spots upon the black cloth that drooped heavily over the namekians flesh. The blackened spots that shown clearly through some of the holes, casually oozed his violet life-force and he yearned for the rain to let up and stop so that the burns might scab up and harden. He also desired fresh and dry clothes. A little concentration and he could have them, but still there was no use until the rain stopped.

"Lone Wolf, is apart of myself, my soul. It is me. Lone can hunt out and scout, even fight if he desires. Together we are linked, and we think the same. My lust is his lust. My hate is his hate. We are one. The only downside, is that while he's away from me, I am much weaker then usual, and if we fuse together again, I won't be fully restored to my initial strength."

He looked to Tapion, and offered a faint smile. "But no one knows that and won't know it to be a disadvantage. All we will need is to rest after we take out our next victim and everything will be fine."

Tapion looked down with concern, as if an idea was coming to him.

(OOC: Bust it out!)

[Bujin]

You okay?

Bujin plowed on, ignoring the voice in his head for the time being. Even the psychic, as confident in himself as he was, had had to admit that he had no idea where he was going. He had all the equipment that he needed. Much more, he was certain that the other 44 contestants were getting along fine ? even the recently deceased ones. The fact that he could hear the explosions around him; the fact that he could practically sense the death that had happened in the past few hours made Bujin want to find people as fast as he possibly could. However, nothing aside from a few trees and a hell of a lot of grass could be found.

Both voices were present. They were busy chatting about the weather, the game ? they were even taking bets on if Bujin even knew how to use his weapon. This served to annoy the blue man even further, but besides the big vein bulging in his forehead, Bujin managed to hold in his anger. However, the small man wasn?t sure as to how much longer he could keep it up. Imaginary voices talking to each other as if he wasn?t there weren?t exactly doing wonders for his composure.

Hey, Bujin, Rae piped up. I think there?s some water over there?

?I?m not trying to find water,? Bujin replied simply, clicking his tongue as he normally did.

Oh? Well, I think?

If something in the man?s head hadn?t already popped, it had now.

?You think? You think? No, I think,? Bujin snapped, ?So excuse me for giving you the impression that I give a damn what you think, Ms. Random-voice-in-my-head.?

There was a slight sniffle heard, and then nothing. For the first time since before he cracked his head, there was complete silence. Bujin winced slightly and stopped. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes tenderly. Was it possible that he hurt Rae?s feelings? Or did he hurt his own feelings via Rae? Nothing in this game was making sense to Bujin. The only thing he knew was that he was cast on this island for one specific purpose, and no matter what happened, he would have to kill or be killed. Any reservations would have to be cast aside ? with or without Rae. At least he still had Nancy.

Nice going, dude, Nancy said softly, You?re on your own.

Angry and alone for the first time, Bujin trotted on.

[Orion]

The obnoxious rain was still coming down in buckets, much to the changeling's dismay. The lubricated grass made it amply easy for him to fall face first into the dirt at any time. Although the temperature had dropped due to the ceaseless downpour, that hardly worried a fighter that could endure the harshest winters and the burning deserts. Still he had no contact with any other combatants; he started to wonder if he was the only one on the island.

"Still I have found no one to fight," he spoke aloud as he ran, "so now I'm wondering if I'm the only one left on this island."

After a time of travelling, the Icer royal ran into a forest of tall, aged trees. Vines hung from miles above his head. The ground was covered in a dense layer of decaying leaves and earthworms, which he had no qualms over stepping upon. Comparatively drier beneath their shelter, Koola continued on his path, beginning to make up his own fights.

"And the awesome Koola comes out of no where.... Shooom!" He bent down, scooped up some loose leaves and hurled them into the air. "Oh, his monkey opponent can't see him! He's moving too fast for him! Look out!" The changeling's fist plowed through the trunk of a tree as he past by. It pivoted on its edge before slowly heading down. "And the amazing Koola has felled his opponent with one swift punch! The crowd goes wild!"

The changeling prince imitated the sound of an arena full of fans screaming his name, when suddenly his scouter activated. Several beeps and the appearance of an arrow on the screen indicated that there was a power level above him.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Looking up, a purple and black behemoth hurtled down towards him, his masculine scream increasing in loudness. Koola tried to dodge, but...

SLAM!

"Owww!" the vexed Icer moaned, flipping off the heavy object that flattened him. The tree trunk crashed noisily to the ground nearby. "Who the hell-- Dad?!"

King Cold sat beside his son, rubbing his arse. "Dammit! Where the hell did that tree go?!"

Koola got to his feet, helping up his father. "Why were you up in those trees? You haven't lost it yet, have you?"

"Boredom," the emperor responded matter-of-factly, brushing off his cape. "I haven't found anything to kill yet."

"Same," the prince replied with the same energy. "I'm starting to wonder if we're the only--"

"Stop moving your mouth and start moving your feet!" Cold interjected rudely, taking a running start from his son. "We aren't going to find victims if we stand around jabbering all day!"

Koola sighed angrily through clenched teeth. He hated to be told what to do. "Yes, father." He quickly took after him, the two Icers reunited, sprinting through the trees.

[Paragus]

Yamu, Jeice, Bulma, all dead. Para sprinted away from the destruction. An ambush left every member of his group dead. His heartbeat raced as he sprinted through the forest. Rain poured down causing the ground to become very moist and slippery. The saiyan slipped and fell face first in the mud but quickly picked himself back up.

Gun shots rang behind him and explosions appeared before him. The heavy bag just slowed him down, so he threw it to the soaked soil of Dante. Heavy breathing flowed from his lungs and out of his mouth. He wasnt going to die, not now.

The elderly warrior stepped out in to what appeared to be a clearing. The gun shots stopped along with the giant explosions. The destruction had ceased for now, but there would be much more. He doubled over in pain and tried his best to catch his breath.

?What a shame. It seems our friend Para has stepped in a forbidden zone. Well thats all for him!? It was the voice of Karl Jak.

Para felt his collar tighten and it began to beep wildly. A red light flashed with every rapid beep. He wrapped his hands around his neck and tried to rip it from his jugular. ?NOOOOO!? He screamed as the beeps got faster and faster. The voice of Karl Jak had played the role of the executioner. Suddenly the beeps stopped and it was all over.

BOOM!

?Para! Wake up man.?

The saiyan opened his good eye to find Yamu standing over his slouched body. ?I don?t know how you fell asleep in this weather man.?

The saiyan was still sitting on top of the rock in which he stopped to take a break. ?I think we are ready to move again.? Para nodded and shook out the cobwebs of his power nap.

?Im getting too old for this shit.?

[Mowgli]

Countless droplets of water descended heavily from celestial origin, drenching the boy as he regained consciousness. Having been flung into the air he was merely another victim of gravity. The boys raven hair had united with the roots of the tree adjacent to him. His cranium had been imbedded into the wood. Were it not for its natural density, his skull would?ve cracked.

?Ugh..? Groaned the saiyan as he slowly pulled himself out with a handstand like lift; unaware he was being watched.

?Here, drink this.? Said a voice, soft in tone but so sudden that Junior could do nothing more than leap back in surprise. Readying himself for battle.

?It?s okay, I won?t hurt you. My name?s Olibu.? Mumbled the fallen man; he was now in the saiyan?s view. His skin was pale and hair blonde-his clothes, common. Made up of nothing impressive; a mangy red jacket with a hat to match, a white undershirt and blue denim jeans.

With an uneasy look on his face Junior further examined the contestant with his eyes. Feeling within himself that this warrior was eerily familiar. Then it occurred to him. A brief flashback of his ?confrontation? with the jade skinned combatant revealed to him the truth behind his feeling. The drunkard that had been crawling on the barrack floors, pleading for Retane to let the boy go, was the same man that now sat before him.

Juniors curiosity peaked. With a tilt of his head, like a dog when confused, the saiya-jin wondered how such a man could have been accepted. Of the two times he had seen him, one he was disgustingly drunk and the other, he was recovering, feeling the effects of a hangover. Neither times was he standing.

?No?thank you anyway.? The boy finally replied, refusing to forget that he was playing in a very dangerous game.

With a simple shrug the human placed a canteen that had been within his palm, to his lips. Taking a sip of its contents.

After doing so, the human proceeded to ask another question. ?What?s your name??

Hesitant at first the boy only stared in silence. Then, giving into Olibu?s welcoming demeanor, he answered. ?My name is Junior?Goku Junior.?

[Android-18]

The sound of rain pelting the ground resonated from all directions. It was a far away sound, but as with the beating of her heart, it all came crashing in at once. The downpour was shockingly unrelenting, and she was left soaking to the bone. Her eyelids fluttered briefly, before squeezing shut as pain throbbed to her very being. A headache like none other gripped within her cranium, and she lay for an extended moment. Even though the rain beat down upon her battered body, she could not move out of pain and confusion.

?Where am I??? her words were washed away within the rain and wind. Not that there was anyone around to hear them. She found enough strength to sit up within her muddy puddle, and with one shaking hand she felt her aching head. Her face contorted as gingerly she felt her wound. Skill fragments and hair were felt beneath her fingertips, but also she could not ignore the circuitry that lay beneath. Her injury was apparent, and not bleeding, but she did not know the worst of it. She had forgotten everything, even who she was.

The shock of her waking in some strange situation soon washed away with the rain, too. The girl rushed to the shelter of some ruined structure, although it gave very little protection. She huddled against the cold stone wall and pulled off her pack. Soggy bread lay within, and she poked it reluctantly. She looked at the other items within, and fiddled with one in particular, before putting it away. One hand wiped along her nose, sniffling coldly before hugging herself. She wasn?t sure what to do, or where to go. Without even knowing herself, she felt utterly lost.

Although the comfort of a small shelter was nice, she knew she could not sit idly forever. Something had happened here, wherever she was. She gripped her head then, feeling the pain rip through her in a wave. She gasped, and it subsided. The fact that her head was filled with circuits and the like meant that she was not human, and that gave her something to go on. Many questions ran through her head, but she knew she had to leave this place, if the person who did this to her was still around. She took off into the rain, and out of freight she watched over her shoulder at every moment. There was something going on here, and she wouldn?t let them get her?she was different, that was for sure.