Dragon Ball: Forgotten Generations (IC)

The cafeteria was bustling with numerous orange jumpsuits hunched over trays of grilled fish, rice, watery miso soup, and some salad. The giant Saiyan sat alone at a completely empty table, staring down at his food as he still adamantly clung to his oath. He wasn’t going to eat or sleep until he got Lena back. Being a Saiyan, it took lots of discipline to not dive into a tray of free food even if the quality was poor. Several prison guards eyed him for he didn’t only stand out for being one of the biggest prisoners in the cafeteria, but he stood out by being the only one not eating.

“Does he not like his food?” one prison guard muttered to the other.

“I told you that we should have fed him bananas!”

Grisha turned to glare across the cafeteria at the two guards who had been talking about him. The two prison guards stiffened, unsure if the ape had actually heard them or not. The Saiyan snorted and faced the rest of the cafeteria. He peered down at his orange jumpsuit and sighed. What was he doing here?

“It sucks balls that I’m here with the rest of these dirtbags. I could have been watchin’ the fights!” a prison at one of the heavily populated tables growled before tipping his miso bowl into his mouth and drinking it down.

“Yeah, well, if you were better than us dirt bags, then maybe you wouldn’t have gotten caught!” another prisoner returned.

Swallowing his soup, the prisoner paused before taking another sip, “It wasn’t my fault. It was Fat Man’s goons who set me up. Fat Man didn’t like how I was gettin’ close to his new bitch.”

“Oh, I know her. I heard she was a hotty.”

“Fuck yeah she is. Long blond hair, blue eyes, snow-white skin; Fat Man said she was from the far north. L-Lena or Lita or some shit…”

Grisha’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. His heart lunged into overdrive and began hammering against his chest. He looked up to stare across the room at the man who was talking about Lena! He had heard it. He had really been talking about Lena!

“Lena…” Grisha gasped in surprise.

“Hell, if I knew that there were women as fine as her up in the mountains, then I might had gone searchin’ for a wife before I wound up in this dump.”

Several of the prisoners around the man looked above his head and paled. The table quickly deserted, leaving the prisoner alone with his soup. When he tilted his head further back to finish it, his eyes peered up into the hardened mug of-

The prisoner’s eyes near bulged from his sockets as he impulsively sprayed his soup up into Grisha’s face. The prisoner paled himself when he realized what he had done. The entire cafeteria instantly froze and fell silent as they watched the soup drip from Grisha’s face.

“Oh shit! I’m-I’m-I’m sorry! I-“ the prisoner stuttered before he felt Grisha’s weighted appendage settle on his shoulder. Grisha lifted the prisoner to his face and used his jumpsuit-covered body as a napkin to dry his face before he slammed him down on the table and leaned over him angrily. His brown tail had raised and stiffened with hostility.

“LENA! WHERE IS LENA!” he boomed.

Prison guards were running toward the scene, shouting over their shoulder radios.

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!” the prisoner screamed and grasped at his crotch as his pants started to darken.

Grisha wildly looked toward the prison guards who had their guns drawn on him.

“Let him go and put your hands in the air!” the guards screamed.

Grisha bore his teeth at the guards and growled before his feral eyes returned to the prisoner beneath him.

“Take Grisha to Lena. Grisha help little man escape!”

“Are you insane? You think you can escape prison by yourself?”

Unfortunately, Grisha hadn’t been asking him. The Saiyan kept a grip on the man and whirled in the most immediate direction. His fist was clenched about a wad of his jumpsuit as he carried him toward the nearest wall.

“HEY! STOP!” the prison guards ordered and started firing at the fleeing ape man.

As the wall came rushing toward him, Grisha turned his shoulder into it and smashed right through it with a mighty bang! Prison alarms started howling and the prisoner could only helplessly stare as he watched the cafeteria shrink away. He could feel the wind through his hair as Grisha started running toward the perimeter walls.

“Wha-what are you?” the prisoner screamed in fright.

Grisha abruptly stopped, his sandal-covered feet sliding across the gravel. He sank into a crouch as several prison guards started racing toward him, and with a might jump, he ascended into the air. The prison was now shrinking slightly beneath them as the Saiyan leapt just high enough to clear the perimeter wall. The prisoner no longer able to believe his eyes and handle the height fainted in Grisha’s grip before the Saiyan would land on the other side of the wall with a thunderous thoom as his feet shattered the cement.

He peered down at the prisoner and jerked him awake, his head flopping like a doll’s.

“TELL WHERE LENA!” he demanded.

The prisoner blinked awake and stared at his surroundings in shock. “Oh fuck! This wasn’t a dream!”

~~~~~~~

Meanwhile at the tournament, the next matches were being announced. The announcement wasn’t as formal as a real tournament might have been as a young man who had at least wore a suit for the occasion, stood before the money-starving crowd. His hair was dyed blonde and braided into cornrows. His suit was all black to include the undershirt, and the three items that stood out on his person was his sparkling silver tie, his silver shoes, and the diamond-studded earing in his ear. It was apparent that he had been benefitting from the cash that the underground tournament attracted from the pockets of several crime lords and wealthy, white-collar scumbags.

“Welcome! Welcome to this fine occasion. We gonna start this event how we always do. It’s very simple folks. You either bet on the champ on the left or the champ on the right. No rules. The winner is the last one standin’. Now let’s announce the competitors,” the announcer started. He turned toward the ring which was a bit in the center of the warehouse that was circular with wood and cement walls.

“We have on the left, 5’7” and don’t let that fool you, this guy is jacked weighin’ in at 279 pounds! He’s mean, he’s…well…not lean, but he’sa fightin’ machine. From the Baracuda gang, Ricki ‘The Machine’ Kasugawa!”

The crowd roared, booed, and attempted to throw trash into the pit, but it was caught on the safety net that was stretched over the pit for that purpose.

“We have on the right, a pretty heavy set guy, but I wouldn’t call him fat if I were you. He’d probably rearrange ya face! 5’10” and 345 lbs. This big motha’ fucka’ is from the Black Dragon gang. Shang ‘The Buddha’ Liu!”

Again the crowd chorused, but most of the crowd booed due to the competitor not being Japanese.

“I can see the hostility! But we’ll see if the people’s hero will win! Now, let’s get onto it.”

The crowd started to settle in volume and clanking up the metal stairs to the catwalk was Lena with her board. She raised it into the air as she strutted across the catwalk from one side of the pit to the other. As she walked in her white, shimmering heels, she tensed at the whistles and cat calls that swirled around her.

Mm-mm-mm! I do love the models we got here. That’s actually Fat Man’s bitch, and if you fellas want summa’ dat, you best start bettin’ in two places tonight. She’s only gonna be sold to the highest bidder. The ice princess from the north, Leeee~na~!”

The crowd cut loose again, roaring and howling like a bunch of animals. A silken robe was thrown over Lena as she descended the steps on the other side of the pit. The girl clung to the cloth, bowing her head to once again hide her face from the lechers as she walked with one of Fat Man’s lackeys back around the pit to where the boss himself was comfortably seated.
 
Cheetu had not really been looking to walk in with anybody, but when he heard the sound of his name being called out and turned to find the emerald skinned female warrior waving at him, he smiled and waved back before moving to meet her.

"Hello again my dear. It is a pleasure to see you here. I was looking forward to maybe getting to fight you in the tournament and then when it was called off I was so disappointed. Imagine my surprise when I heard about this tournament then," he told her grinning.

"I was hoping to see you here as well as Vanessa." His eyes twinkled as he mentioned her name. "She still owes me a rematch and I know now never to let my guard down thanks to her."

Scanning the crowd he shrugs his shoulders. "I see your big friend is nowhere to be seen. A pity. I would have enjoyed a fight against him. I do not think I could have matched him in power, but still I think I would have learned a lot. Do you happen to know if he found the woman he was searching for?"

Cheetu walked beside Flute as they made their way inside the warehouse and registered as fighters. He was amazed that most of the people here were only here to watch and not fight, still it did make it easier that he did not have to fight so many people.
 
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night.

Cheetu had not really been looking to walk in with anybody, but when he heard the sound of his name being called out and turned to find the emerald skinned female warrior waving at him, he smiled and waved back before moving to meet her.

"Hello again my dear. It is a pleasure to see you here. I was looking forward to maybe getting to fight you in the tournament and then when it was called off I was so disappointed. Imagine my surprise when I heard about this tournament then," he told her grinning.

"It would be an honor to spar with you indeed!" Flute agreed heartily. "Speed has always been a specialty of mine, it would not do to never test that speed against someone who could match or exceed it!"

"I was hoping to see you here as well as Vanessa." His eyes twinkled as he mentioned her name. "She still owes me a rematch and I know now never to let my guard down thanks to her."

Flute bobbed her head in a nod. "There are differing schools of thought-- the temptation in a learning experience is to start slow and ramp up, like with the song 'Dueling Banjos.' But when the stakes are high, you must end the fight quickly and that means holding nothing in reserve! ...I wonder how they will structure elimination in these matches? Will we have a chance to fight each of our friends in turn, or will one loss sideline us for the remainder? It's all very mysterious and exciting."

Scanning the crowd he shrugs his shoulders. "I see your big friend is nowhere to be seen. A pity. I would have enjoyed a fight against him. I do not think I could have matched him in power, but still I think I would have learned a lot. Do you happen to know if he found the woman he was searching for?"

As quickly as the winds changing direction, the effusive Flute was once again crestfallen. "Our good friend Crim," she indicated the wayward warrior with a polite gesture and a respectful nod, "has informed me that Grisha was imprisoned. It breaks my heart to think of his majesty caged like some gorilla, and he was only trying to save his friend out of love! I must help him somehow, but my mind is still reeling too much to know how best to approach the matter."

Cheetu walked beside Flute as they made their way inside the warehouse and registered as fighters. He was amazed that most of the people here were only here to watch and not fight, still it did make it easier that he did not have to fight so many people.

And with that, as the dispersing line and the crowd jostled about, they caught sight of Vanessa and Vincent at long last. "You guys! Vanessa! Hello!" Flute eagerly greeted them, bowing respectfully in particular to the aesthetically gorgeous dark-haired woman, the juggernaut of a fighter who had gone to such trouble to shield them from the law. "Are you... um, pumped for this? Game faces on?"

The first fights were set to begin-- were these qualifying matches?

A bling-laden black-clad emcee ignited the crowd with masterful hype, like unto professional wrestling, heels versus faces-- she didn't know the competitors by reputation, but they seemed formidable in build and demeanor.

But more to the point.

Much more to the point.

The ring girl!

The crowd started to settle in volume and clanking up the metal stairs to the catwalk was Lena with her board. She raised it into the air as she strutted across the catwalk from one side of the pit to the other. As she walked in her white, shimmering heels, she tensed at the whistles and cat calls that swirled around her.

Mm-mm-mm! I do love the models we got here. That’s actually Fat Man’s bitch, and if you fellas want summa’ dat, you best start bettin’ in two places tonight. She’s only gonna be sold to the highest bidder. The ice princess from the north, Leeee~na~!”

The crowd cut loose again, roaring and howling like a bunch of animals. A silken robe was thrown over Lena as she descended the steps on the other side of the pit. The girl clung to the cloth, bowing her head to once again hide her face from the lechers as she walked with one of Fat Man’s lackeys back around the pit to where the boss himself was comfortably seated.

Horror and shock crawled up and down the back of Flute's neck, she could practically feel her chi singing in her meridians at the-- creeping dawning detonating realization--

--she matched Grisha's description, such as it had been.

And that name echoed in her ears long after the emcee had bellowed it.

With wide wide eyes, Flute pointed sharply to the blonde woman as she descended the stair towards her corral with the slimy kingpin.

The crowd was roaring, there was no way to make herself heard--

--she pointed and shook her head in wonder--

--and mouthed as big and emphatic as she could--

"MY FRIENDS! I THINK THAT'S HER!"

Flute had been talking with Cheetu about high stakes only moments ago-- and it seemed the stakes had just gotten much higher.
 
Crim's attention shifted from the green beauty to the more mundane but definitely more. . .filled out woman strutting on the stage. "You think?" He hadn't been paying much attention to the big guy when he'd been around so he could have described a nine foot red skinned winged woman with a tail and horns and. . .he probably would have remembered that. This was a normal, if fantastically sexy woman.

Which made his posture slump just slightly. See a simple equation had entered his head. Prize Money+Highest Bidder=Sexy girl. Now he was having to divide that by a man a bullet to the head wouldn't kill and multiply it by the distinct possibility at least one of his new found associates wouldn't take too kindly to that no matter what his intentions.

And his intentions were only so pure to begin with.

"Well I guess that puts us in a must win situation doesn't it?" He finally remarked leaning at the waist to stretch his legs. He turned his attention to the ring in time to watch as Shang ‘The Buddha’ Liu grabbed the smaller man in a bear hug and crushed him with a monstrous slam. It was clear before the official finished counting that Ricki ‘The Machine’ Kasugawa wasn't going to make the count. What wasn't certain was if he was going to walk out of the arena. A few dramatic moments later though he was helped to his feet while Shang's gang surrounded him and escorted him to an area to rest.

The announcer stepped back into the center of the ring grabbing the mike. "Next we have the self proclaimed baddest man on the planet, the KO kid himself! M. Bison!" The man standing in the opposite corner was short, maybe five foot ten. Maybe. But he was pure muscle. He made his way to the middle of the ring showing of his impressive hand speed.

"In the opposite corner Crim." The Announcer paused looking at the card in his hand. "Just Crim." He shrugged and stepped away.

Crim, hands in pockets, took to the ring looking past M. Bison to the beautiful Lena and sighed slightly. Up close it was easy to see that she didn't have a case of the jitters from being in front of a crowd dressed like that. She was genuinely terrified.

"You should be looking at me!" M. Bison snarled. That was how it must have sounded in his head, to Crim, and at least one on looker he sounded like he'd inhaled a helium balloon before entering the ring.

"Yeah, yeah." Crim said his eyes glued to Lena's ass as she tried her best to please her captors with her strut. He only barely noticed the boxer take the first swing.

Bison was fast, but nothing like the catboy from the night before. He wasn't even much compared to Crim who was only moving just enough to avoid each blow. To the untrained eye it looked like he was on the ropes, only able to dodge. Though even a slightly observant viewer would notice the arrogant Crim's hands hadn't left his pockets. A more talented eye would notice he was looking for an opening.

After less than a minute Bison through a haymaker that would have taken most men's heads off. Crim however ducked beneath it and drove his knee into Bison's solar plexus. While Bison was still bent over desperately trying to draw air into his lungs Crim delivered an axe kick to the back of the head driving Bison face first into the floor.

Crim didn't even bother waiting for the count before walking back towards the others. He nodded his acknowledgement to the announcer when he was declared the victor. "Well that wasn't quite the warm up I was hoping for." He said to nobody in particular. "How much did we make? And don't fuck with me I'll know if you're skimming!" He shouted at the 'leader' of his gang who was busy collecting on the bets from that round.
 
Cheetu had heard Flutes cry and had turned to watch where she had pointed. He watched as the Human woman walked the catwalk carrying a large numbered piece of cardboard.

He knew she was what humans called beautiful, and indeed even he found her somewhat appealing. She was very graceful, although that was somewhat spoiled by the fact she was terrified.

He watched her make her way back to where a hugely overweight man was sitting who claimed her like she was his property.

"Obviously that is the man that has taken Lena away from your friend Grisha. I would hate to be him if he ever found out, but considering the big man is not here perhaps it is up to us to save her. I do not think she likes her current situation."

Cheetu hated the thought of being kept cooped up and the thought of slavery was so abhorrent to him that it almost made him sick. It might have something to do with the animal in him but whatever it was, seeing her like that was beginning to make his blood boil.

He watched Crim's first fight and thought that the man had been toying with his opponent. Unlike most of the crowd who thought that he had gotten lucky, he knew better.

As he came out of the Arena he smiled at the man. "Congratulations. 1 man down and who knows how many to go."

Then the EMCEE was announcing the next fight.

"Okay the next fight promises to be a short one. Sorry folks but these things happen in these tournaments. Our first fighter Cheetu."

Cheetu looked up and then casually strolled out into the ring and stood gazing at the other side.

"And our other fighter," The announcer began beginning to get fired up, "All the way from Hondo, Weighing 589 pounds, the Sumo destroyer, Taaaaaaaaaanakaaaaaa(Tanaka)."

A huge 7 foot monster walked out into the ring grinning from ear to ear and approached Cheetu. As he did Lena again began her walk around the catwalk. Cheetu's gaze turned to follow her and Tanaka smiled and launched a viscous right hand at him before the bell had even rung only Cheetu was no longer there but beside him.

"You know I hate cheats," he sighed.

Stepping in front of him he launched a flurry of blows to his head then stepped back. To most people it would seem like he had hit him twice. In fact he had hit him over forty times.

Tanaka stood looking at him for a full second before his eyes rolled up in his head and he crashed to the ground. Cheetu just shrugged and strolled out of the ring as silence reined.
 
The MC was gawking just as the rest of the crowd was. That had been two fights in a row where the opponents were knocked out within seconds of the match starting. Instead of being overjoyed and energized by the match, the crowd erupted in displeasure.

“WHAT THE FUCK!?”

“THESE FIGHTS ARE RIGGED! I WANT MY MONEY BACK!”

“HE WAS BEATIN’ BY THAT FLEA BAG? BULLSHIT!”

The MC started waving his hands nervously.

“Now, now, settle down y’all. These matches ain’t rigged. We just got some strong competition here. You can’t just go underestimatin’em. Just wait until they’re paired together, then you’ll see!” the MC announced before he quickly descended from the catwalk and weaved and snaked his way through the crowd to the gaggle of fighters. He stopped before the cheetah boy, the last fighter, a green woman, and two others. Glancing over them, the MC raised a fist to his mouth and coughed.

“Hey; I know these fights ain’t rigged and that power y’all are demonstratin’ is as real as a ***** like me, bein’ here in Japan. So, whoever is goin’ next, try and make the match a little longer. These people are here to make some money and see a fight. They won’t pay if they ain’t got nothin’ worth seein’, ya get what I mean?”
 
Crim looked at the man for a moment then lowered his head. Honestly he had been holding back more than just a little. "Fine. But I-" He looked at his, well they weren't friends, "we want five percent of the profits. You guys think you can make that work." He said keeping his voice low.

Crim hoped like hell they would play along, he suspected however that Flute was simply to naive to run a scam. He might be able to trick her into it given time. Cheetu looked like he might have too much pride to fake it. At least the brute wasn't here. Even if he could be kept on a leash he wouldn't hold back.

Which left Vanessa but talking her into extra profits and all she had to do was take a few hits from chumps lucky she didn't kill them was probably do able.
 
Crim looked at the man for a moment then lowered his head. Honestly he had been holding back more than just a little. "Fine. But I-" He looked at his, well they weren't friends, "we want five percent of the profits. You guys think you can make that work." He said keeping his voice low.

Crim hoped like hell they would play along, he suspected however that Flute was simply to naive to run a scam. He might be able to trick her into it given time.

Flute reached to see the good in people even if she had to stretch her joints out of joint and bend over backwards to do it. She strove to see the positive spin on events even if she had to extrapolate the tiniest of details.

But she wasn't stupid.

And she had amazing hearing.

"No," she shook her head.

"No, I get it. When one fights, one should fight with honor above all. But honor is doing what's right."

She bunched her hands into fists by her skirted sides and her knuckles popped like gunshots.

"And what's right is saving Lena from these drooling monster mobsters even if we have to beg, borrow, steal, fold, spindle, mutilate..."

She shook her head.

And determination gleamed in her eyes like pools of night.

"I get it."
 
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