Chapter 4

OOOOOOO

Dragonball Multiverse 

Chapter Four

Round 1 

OOOOOOO

The first match could have been fair since Nappa was a brute, about the level of an average Frieza soldier as Vegeta insinuated.

The Namekian warrior was the brother of Dende, Cargo, who had originally died on Namek long ago from an attack by Dodoria, one of Frieza's lieutenants. The two arrived on what seemed to be a massive floating sphere in the sky, and when they landed they appeared to cling to the surface of it with no difficulty.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">From the view of the spectators, Nappa and Cargo were standing upside down, but the moment the match initiated, Nappa charged straight at Cargo and unleashed a volley of punches that his Namekian opponent could barely defend against. He was a battering ram, this "Nappa", not slowing down or lessening the amount of force he used.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">The sparring pushed the two combatants around the planet until they were horizontally "correct". Cargo filled each of Nappa's strikes with a block and kept him in place, but the Saiyan started sneering at him. "Heheh! In my universe, we slaughtered your people!"

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">Undeterred, Cargo replied, "That is none of my concern!"

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">He missed one of Nappa's fists, costing him dearly, and Nappa wailed him across the face, throwing him backward before he suddenly stopped. Nappa had caught his legs, pulling him closer, and clutched his wrists where he applied more and more strength. Cargo screamed, defenseless as Nappa crushed the Namekian's wrists in his hands.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">Nappa tossed him away once purple blood exploded out of Cargo's former veins, and the defeated Namek landed several feet away from him and was saved from plummeting death by whatever gravitational force existed here.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">No matter how brutal the victory, the Vargas made no discrimination against maiming or killing the opponent so long as they didn't surrender. Nappa won, something that needlessly filled the Saiyan commando with immense pleasure while he watched the other Namekian healers drag his opponent off of the arena. There was a slight disgust in his face as Nappa flew back to his own area.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"It's going to take them a little while to get Cargo off of the stage."

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">Piccolo's face was stone-like. While he had little connection to that Namek, the memories he absorbed from Nail placed a feeling of pity and anger inside his thoughts. That might also have been from recognizing the brute that had killed him a long time ago, killing again for any number of decades, and coming here to resume inflicting pain on others. He didn't see Cargo as worth killing, maybe, because there was no hint of surrender and Nappa could have killed him if he wanted. Piccolo silently congratulated the Namek for standing up to such a foe all alone. The adult Cargo was a well-trained warrior.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">ooooooo

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">The tournament had two levels of spectators - the audience members, lifted above them all in regular seating, and the team spaces themselves. Gohan approached a different balcony from his own, the space for Universe 12 with members of a completely different reality within. The way there was paved with perils, people he knew full well of staring at him as he went.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">There was Cell of course from Universe 17, but the balcony next to him for Universe 16 was completely empty despite the presence Gohan sensed within. There was an elderly woman inside Universe 15 that he didn't recognize at all, she wasn't looking at him when he passed as she tenatively rubbed her bulbous stomach, clearly emroidered in her pregnancy. The fourteenth balcony had only two people; the Androids 17 and 18 grinned at him with devilish, sapphire-colored eyes, but they surely didn't know who he was, how could they?

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">And to top them, in the thirteenth balcony, he spotted another Vegeta and a squad of other Saiyans. One of them uncannily resembled Gohan's father, but he dared not approach once he saw the likes of Nappa and Raditz in his company. He planned to steer clear of these two balconies as much as possible.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">The person walking out of Universe 12's chamber was Trunks, or at least a very similar version of Trunks at least. His gaze spied into the other balconies - the ones with Frieza and Cell in them made him harden his stare until Gohan neared and greeted him.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"Hey, are you the Trunks that visited us from the future?"

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">This Trunks nodded with pleasant surprise. "Umm, yes! Is that you Gohan?"

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"Yeah it's me! Remember, we fought the Androids and Cell together?"

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">Trunks smiled, "You... you've grown up a lot different from the Gohan I remember! The Gohan I met ten years ago and the Gohan I knew in the past."

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"Heh! The last time we met must have been like... 30 years ago!" laughed Gohan, "-But I guess it's a lot less for you right? Wow, who'da thought that the next time we met, I'd be your elder!"

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"It's been about 10 years for me, you're right." Trunks answered, ushering at someone else from Universe 12, "By the way, I brought someone you might like to meet."

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">There was a stomping mechanical sound, a kind of pounding noise that made Gohan watch the large figure that was far behind Trunks in the balcony. Gohan saw him, awed, as a giant green-armored man stepped out from the shadows and entered the balcony in full, he was standing at nearly twice Trunk's height and he had to look down to face Gohan. He was Android 16, a machine who indirectly helped save the world from Cell, at least in Universe 18. Gohan was amazed at seeing him once again, the memory of Cell crushing the android's core beneath his foot still fresh in his mind, and the Android returned the look as best he could.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"16!"

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"I found him in the ruins of Gero's old laboratory where Cell originally escaped from. My mother fixed him and he agreed to help us restore the damage caused by the Androids. He's been a great help to us in rebuilding our world. The public was afraid of him at first for obvious reasons, but soon we convinced them that he was only there to help."

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"Hello Son Gohan. Trunks has told me that you saved the world at one point."

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"Well, believe it or not, you actually saved my world too ya'know!" replied Gohan, "It's great to see you again!"

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">#16 nodded. "I know that we are both willing to do whatever it takes to protect nature. It is an honor to know that a version of me could assist you in your world."

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"Are you competing 16?"

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">The android nodded. "I didn't want to at first, but my logic processes made one crucial discovery. I detect that there are several iterations of Son Goku here. I would like to kill one of them to fulfill my original programming."

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">...

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">...Gohan gulped, and Trunks started to sweat when he explained, "My... mother couldn't remove all of his original functions. But since Goku's already dead in our world I... well." he stuttered, searching for an excuse and scratching his hair desperately. He gave Gohan an apologetic look, "You understand, don't you?"

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"Y-yes. I... think so. Well I'll just be going now." Gohan frantically uttered. "Good luck in the tournament!"

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">He left the Trunks of the Future and #16 in their balcony. Trunks glared at the android, scolding him on revealing such dangerous information.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">ooooooo

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">Videl was sitting down on a bench in her balcony when her husband vaulted over the wall and sat down next to her. He embraced her with an arm, mentioning how he'd talked to an old friend from back when he'd defeated Cell but he knew that she didn't know who Trunks was. As a matter of fact, Videl didn't know what he was talking about. They'd talked to Trunks an hour ago when they first arrived. Gohan was surprised by this since he'd just left a moment ago and he never really talked that much about Trunks whenever Video would ask him what really happened during the Cell Games.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"Hrh-hrm." someone coughed next to him.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">They both turned to the coughing man who wore glasses and a plain white shirt and black pants exactly like Gohan's.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">He was Gohan.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"WHAAAA! I'M IN THE WRONG SPACE!" Gohan squeaked, hopping away from Videl.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">The second Gohan that arrived looked exactly the same as him down to the buttoned-up white collar shirt, the buisness shoes, and the professional, albeit goofy demeanor. This other Gohan looked at himself, the one that arrived and grabbed his wife's waist, and neither of them could help but to tick into laughter at the mix-up. Another Videl appeared at the side of the balcony, questioning her Gohan why he was over in this balcony instead of in their home balcony with everyone else. Goten and the rest of their family swiftly made their way over to the space for Universe 16 - home of the other Videl & Gohan, home of many similar people.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"I'm so sorry!" apologized the Gohan of U18.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"It's nothing ... I think." waved the Gohan of U16.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">The family from Universe 16 came out once the family from Universe 18 entered their balcony. They all instantly knew each other because most of them were the same. There were the two Gohans, two Videls, two Gotens, two Trunks's, another Bra, two Pans, and two Piccolos. Goten was the first to note on how identical they all were, leading Gohan to wonder why these two universes were chosen if they were this similar.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">The Goten-Trunks pairs had both subscribed Gotenks as a competitor. Great minds clearly thought alike.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">The Bra of Universe 16 was all by herself, standing next to the two Pans as they shook hands and introduced themselves. Bra Briefs, the one from Universe 18, was checking out the balcony for Universe 6 where she was talking with a bunch of girls that must have been around her age. This Bra was radically different from her counterpart; muscular, well-toned, with eyes that mimicked the way Vegeta always looked at you with a flaring disinterest, characteristics that the Bra of Universe 18 completely lacked as she took more from her mother's beauty and girly nature than anything else.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">Uub was alone as well. There wasn't a second Uub in the space for Universe 16, a fact that puzzled Uub and Goku.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">Vegeta was less concerned with lacking a counterpart, he was sick of seeing different versions of himself as it was. Having three Vegetas and only two Gokus kept the odds in his favor anyway.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"Grandpa!" Pan shouted. "At last, I meet you!"

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">She jumped and latched onto Goku, the joy in her voice was incredible like she had never seen him before. This Pan was just as cute as his Pan, but she was wearing a different outfit with a mauve shirt, pants, and a red shirt underneath. Her hair was a bit longer and she definitely had a tighter grip than the Pan he was used to, she was clinging to him like an orphan getting to hug their parents for the first time.

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"Does this mean that in your universe I'm still dead?"

<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"; color:black">"Clearly our universes