//------------------------------// // Chapter 22: Tenkaichi Budokai! A Tournament For The World's Strongest? // Story: Equestria's Divine God // by ShirtMechanic //------------------------------// As the sun was starting to set, Celestia looked out the window with a smile. The royal court session for the day was over, and the Nobles walked out of the throne room, talking amongst themselves. “Finally, that's over with…” the alicorn murmured to herself. She walked through the halls and into the dining hall, where Luna awaited her.  “So, how was court today?” Luna questioned, sitting at the end of the table while leaning back in her chair with an apple in hand. “Just like any other day, it’s crazy how these nobles think they can get away with some of their plans,” Celestia grumbled, rubbing her head. “How do they think removing an orphanage for some hotel is ethical?” “Cause they’re selfish snobs, that’s why.” Luna retorted, taking a bite of the apple. She did a little shake and smiled at the taste. “Sister, where did you get these apples?” Celestia perked up, “Well, there from Apple Acers, they send…” Before she could finish, Black slammed the doors open, nearly breaking them off their hinges and taking the Sisters by surprise. The Saiyan, brimming with excitement and a massive grin, looks to Celestia. “I’ve got something to tell ya! I wanna host a Tenkaichi Budokai!” Black exclaimed, his fist clenched at his side with a brimming smile. A silence loomed over everyone as the Princesses looked at each other for a moment before looking back to the Saiyan. “What’s a Tenkaichi Budokai?” Celestia asked, rolling the words over her tongue. Black blinked for a moment before releasing a nervous laugh. “Sorry, it's Japanese for ‘Strongest Under the Heavens Martial Arts Tournament’ or a World Martial Arts Tournament,” Black explained. “A Tournament?” Luna questioned, putting her hands on her hips. “But why host a Martial Arts Tournament? I mean, who is stronger than you?” Black clenched his hands into fists, “After the whole Ryker Incident, I’ve wanted a proper tournament, one where I can show off my abilities while trying not to die to a crazed maniac in khakis.” The Saiyan looked back to the Princesses, “But now that I’ve got students to train. This is more than a perfect chance to test and show off their skills.” A smile appeared on the Saiyan, “Besides, there might be some strong fighters on this planet that I never knew of!” Celestia raised a brow and glanced over at her sister who had a similar look to her own. She turned back to the Displaced Saiyan, “So how do you propose for this to work,” The Saiyan perked up before running to the table, grabbing all the silverware. “So, it’s gonna be the same format as the Displaced Tournament, basically brackets.” The Saiyan arranged the silverware into separate bits, “And to find out who fights in the tournament, there will be preliminary rounds. Let's say around, I dunno, 16 Participants will make it to the actual tournament.” Black explains as silverware is divided into 16 spots. “I assume theres gonna be a prize at the end,” Luna commented, grabbing a plate and placing it in front of the silverware. Black nodded, “So what’s it gonna be?” The Saiyan paused, crossing his arms. “Well, prize money, but there’s gotta be something else…” Moments passed as the Saiyan continued to think. “What about that ‘Devil fruit’ that Thanos gave you?” Celestia suggested. This made the Saiyan break from his thoughts with a surprised look. “Oh, well, that could work.” The Saiyan laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. “Honestly, I completely forgot about that thing. It’s been sitting in the Time Chamber since I got it.” “Wait, you haven’t eaten the fruit yet? Why not?” Luna asked, crossing her arms. “Its abilities would fit your style.” The Saiyan shook his head, “Nah, they wouldn’t. From what I can understand of the Fruit. It’s called the Kage Kage no Mi Fruit, basically, the ability to make and manipulate Shadows. And with all Devil Fruits, you also lose the ability to swim.” The Saiyan explained, Luna nodding. “Besides, I’d rather punch and shoot blasts at my opponent than control shadows; it kinda reminds me of someone else…” Black grumbled the last part. “This Devil Fruit might be more of a detriment than a prize,” Celestia would note, “If the cost is taking away the ability to swim.” As she said that, in Black’s mind, he heard a phone being rung. ‘Da fuck?’ Black thought,  He heard the discord join call sound as well, “Okay, okay, okay, two things, wait, FIVE things.” Black heard Nappa’s voice, “One, repeat everything I say to the Princesses, understand?” ‘Oooo… k…’  The Displaced Saiyan replied with a raised eyebrow “Second, let’s start with this, Devil Fruits are like, SOOO worth the swimming loss. And besides, the Kage Kage no mi – the Devil Fruit Thanos gave Black – is a Devil Fruit that is incredibly powerful. You can quite literally throw shade, turn into shadow objects that you can throw at people in sunlight, make swords out of shadow, blah, blah, blah you get it. You can also make a clone of yourself using Shadows! Get that?” “Devil Fruits are incredible; with the abilities they give you, it seems worth the loss of being able to swim. With the Kage Kage no mi Fruit, you can throw shade, turn into shadow objects that you can throw at people, make swords out of shadows, and be able to make a clone of yourself using the shadows.” Black explained, taking the sisters by surprise. “Third, this Devil Fruit has the ability to take people’s shadows away, meaning that if they step out into the light without a shadow they will disintegrate. It’s a good way of keeping prisoners locked up and preventing them from escaping.” “The Devil Fruit has the ability to take people’s shadows away, meaning that if they step out into the light without a shadow, they’ll just disintegrate.” The Saiyan continued on. Luna, raising an eyebrow, while Celestia is shocked. Before Black could say anything else, Luna walked up to Black and grabbed him by the ear. “Ow Ow OW! What’s this for?!” Black yelped as Luna pulled on his ear. “I know that’s you, Nappa, Black doesn’t know anything about the fruits. Just get on with it.” “Wow, thanks Captain Obvious, everyone is so shocked, how did ya know?” She could hear Nappa speak the moment she touched Black’s ear.  Luna’s eyes narrowed, “Black was stopping seconds between explaining the fruit, It’s not astronomy.” “That was sarcasm,” Nappa said flatly, “Anyway, thi– Wait… Fourth! Yeah, fourth; you can stuff shadows into your body and grow stronger by doing so. You gain the skills and techniques of shadow users you’ve absorbed. Also, you can put shadows into corpses and make them alive. So, yeah.” “Thanks for sharing with the class.” Luna said, about to let go of Black’s ear, which was now turning red. “One last thing!” Nappa declared, “Fifth; did you know that in terms of male human and female pokemon breeding, Vaporeon is the most compatible for humans?” Before Nappa could finish, Luna let go of the Saiyan’s ear with a huff and turned to Celestia. “Ya know, for such a strong fighter, he’s really an idiot.” Black, meanwhile, was holding on to his ear, complaining to himself. “Was that really necessary, Luna? That really hurt…” Black complained, a single tear forming at the corner of his eye. Luna just turned back to the Saiyan with a smirk, “No, but it was quite funny.” The Saiyan mumbled to himself, while Celestia just stood there in confusion. “...Yeah I don’t know what’s going on either,” Nappa muttered in Celestia’s mind, “So, uh… About that tournament…” That brought something to Celestia’s mind, “Wait, you said your students would be competing in the tournament as well, correct?” The Saiyan turned his attention to her before nodding. “You don’t think at all that they’re too young to be facing adults.” “Hmmm… No, I don’t see a problem. Why do you ask?” Black replied plainly. This put the Princesses into a stupor. Luna looked at the Saiyan with a deadpan look. “Never mind, you're an idiot as much as Nappa is a genius.” Luna grumbled. Celestia shook her head and looked at the Saiyan seriously. “Black we can’t have fillies and colts face against adults, who have more experience than adults. We’re gonna need a separate bracket for them.”  The Saiyan sighed in defeat, “Fine, we’ll have a junior division with just as many participants as the adults…” The Saiyan crossed his arms before looking back at the silverware. “Though all things considered, thats all we really need for this tournament. I’m gonna let ya’ll handle the announcement. I gotta get my students prepped and ready.” “We can have a stage constructed within 6-8 months, giving you more than enough time.” Celestia explained. “Hooray!” Nappa cheered. “Great, I’ll go relay the news to everyone else. The next few months are gonna be hell for them.” “And we all know hell is forever.” … … … “Was that a fucking Hazbin Hotel Reference?” Alucard asked in Black’s mind. “Welcome home, Alucard.” Nappa said, “And guess what?” “What?” “...I’m gonna make you wish you stayed gone. HAHAHA!” Laughed Nappa. “I might as well say hello to a new status quo,” Chuckled Alucard. ‘Alright, that's enough of that, I ain… Ready for This nonsense…’ responded Black. “Hey, Black!” Nappa yelled in his mind, “Show some respect.” “Without us you’d be bored, so pick your poison.” Alucard laughed.. Celestia and Luna looked at each other with mixed emotions, “Whatcha think they’re talking about?” Celestia asked, before glancing back at the Saiyan. “Beats me, probably something stupid…” Luna said, shaking her head. The Saiyan turned his attention back to the Sisters, “Well, I think that's everything. Let me know if anything else happens. Imma get back and start preparing the crusaders for training!” Black said with a smirk, giving them a thumbs up before popping out of existence. Leaving the Sisters in the moment. “...Well that was insane wasn’t–”