Dragonball M, Chapter 2: Lighthouse! Across the Shores of Shattered Time!

[Sub-Zero MKA]

“Stereotyping aside, this one is....not as Blizzar.”

Zurvan conjures an image.



“Aside from coloring, this Incenio is of a type of Arcosian who seem more....flame associated. What is strange is that I do not know anything about the race.”

Sarada raised an eyebrow and looked critically at the image Zurvan conjured. It's coloring wasn't anything out of the ordinary. She had seen Frosties that had bits of red in their color scheme.

More surprising was hearing that he wasn't similar to Blizzar. By that, she assumed he meant they were greedy, money-hungry back-stabbers. Interesting. Certainly, she had never encountered one that wasn't concerned for their own well-being before anyone else's. "Huh. There's a shock," she remarked.

She would believe it when she saw it. Until they, she wasn't going to trust a freezy-pop with her life, much less to uphold something of this import. "Is he the only important party we need to know about before hand?"

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"Ugh, an Arcosian?" Sarada scoffed. "We should watch out for being double-crossed, if that's the case."

" hey what's wrong with an Arcosian ? two Arcosians Frosty and Tundra just happen to be members of my favorite metal band Max Freeze. Frosty is the lead guitarist and singer. I meant the two before backstage during a concert on a space station and they didn't seem particular vile to me," Qaztoh said.

[KingofPie]

" hey what's wrong with an Arcosian ? two Arcosians Frosty and Tundra just happen to be members of my favorite metal band Max Freeze. Frosty is the lead guitarist and singer. I meant the two before backstage during a concert on a space station and they didn't seem particular vile to me," Qaztoh said.

"Well said," Blizzar agreed. "By the way, we haven't spoken in a while, are you still good on your monthly payments your highness?"

[Lord Falcon]

OT: Competitors are Sarada, Cthylla, Meagan, Charco.

OOC:
Whoops! I remember her asking about it, but I swear I saw Praxat say she was definitely going to join it. Thanks!

[Sub-Zero MKA]

" hey what's wrong with an Arcosian ? two Arcosians Frosty and Tundra just happen to be members of my favorite metal band Max Freeze. Frosty is the lead guitarist and singer. I meant the two before backstage during a concert on a space station and they didn't seem particular vile to me," Qaztoh said.

"Tch," Sarada scoffed. "One of theirs kept my people enslaved for hundreds of years," she answered. "And they aren't trustworthy. Oh yeah, one tried to have me killed last week." She glanced at Blizzar again before returning her gaze to Qaztoh. "So, if it's all the same to you, I have plenty of reasons to hate them."

[bruceleegreyhulk]

OOC:
Whoops! I remember her asking about it, but I swear I saw Praxat say she was definitely going to join it. Thanks!

OOC: Praxat said she was going but deiced not to and let Althena go instead.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"Tch," Sarada scoffed. "One of theirs kept my people enslaved for hundreds of years," she answered. "And they aren't trustworthy. Oh yeah, one tried to have me killed last killed." She glanced at Blizzar again before returning her gaze to Qaztoh. "So, if it's all the same to you, I have plenty of reasons to hate them."

" Sorry I had no idea ." Qaztoh said with a sincere emoji showing in pendent. Qaztoh then address Blizzar. " Yeah, yeah I'm still good on those monthly payments ," Qaztoh said.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

" Sorry I had no idea ." Qaztoh said with a sincere emoji showing in pendent. Qaztoh then address Blizzar. " Yeah, yeah I'm still good on those monthly payments ," Qaztoh said.

"Yeah. If it wasn't for Held, I'd be dead right now," Sarada responded.

[grampagen]

"I found this back home among my grandfather's things, why do--"

Charco could see it in Ochazuke's expression; he had stumbled across something that had been hidden for a reason. There appeared to be a reason that this Tournament had never been made public and he was beginning to suspect that it was also the reason why the Dino School ended up in its current state. Guided inside, the boy followed Ochazuke into the library, the aisles of knowledge a fitting place to discussion past history.

Penhuoqi

The name itself was foreign to him, but the mere mention of it stirred the beast within him. Whoever this was, discussing them had gotten Rex's intentions, but for better or for worst was the real question.

"No... or I don't think so." He admitted, glancing aside for a moment as he heard Cyanna's voice echo through the building.

Before he could make a response in her general direction, Cyanna's attention was drawn elsewhere and she was gone, perhaps for the best in this situation. Turning back to Ochazuke, he finally chose to ask the big question, "What do you know of this Tournament of Succession?"

Down the floating steps into the ancient halls beneath the watchtower of the world, Ochazuke's pace was steady as they echoed through the hollows of the descent. Amid the windowless, ever-lit white walls, the closed chambers housed many secrets. A scattered pile lay unattended in a circle, either by the Ronin's neglect or a fevered search for something. Amid the roughly stacked volumes discarded thoughtlessly into the collected dust, many secrets were simply forgotten.

Surveying the area, he led Charco to an double-door with a raised step. Embroidered in gold and fashioned of a design of a ribboned, symmetrical geometry, the entrance to the ancient Guardian's study was unearthly and yet at once familiar. The heavy hinges groaned under the weight of the ancient oak. When he had surveyed the area and had been sure they had not been followed, the door to the study shut, sealed in its entirely to secrecy.

"If your master did not tell you, then she didn't know anything more than the fallout," he said. Ochazuke spreading apart a pile of scrolls and bound paper volumes across a distinctively dustless desk. Setting two small weights at either end of the unfurled poster, he stood before it as he examined the image. "I suppose she was spared the indignity of its affair."

Set to the side, when he spoke the name, though they were alone in the chamber he knew another set of eyes lurked behind Charco's. He paused for a moment, narrowing his gaze thoughtfully. Prowling in the shadows was another presence within the boy's familiar ki.

"The esteem of a martial house, its reputation, is held to a greater standard than the end goal of its method," he said. "Succumbing to a blooded urge, that is not the purpose of the craft."

For not all matters could be concealed from those who knew where to look.

"You're a student of history. So tell me Charco, how many generations can you trace back your lineage of Koryuu-ryu?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Well said," Blizzar agreed. "By the way, we haven't spoken in a while, are you still good on your monthly payments your highness?"

" Sorry I had no idea ." Qaztoh said with a sincere emoji showing in pendent. Qaztoh then address Blizzar. " Yeah, yeah I'm still good on those monthly payments ," Qaztoh said.

"Wait, monthly payments?" Sarada inquired, alarmed that Qaztoh was stupid enough to let this slime hustle her out of her money.

[Yun Lao]

Down the floating steps into the ancient halls beneath the watchtower of the world, Ochazuke's pace was steady as they echoed through the hollows of the descent. Amid the windowless, ever-lit white walls, the closed chambers housed many secrets. A scattered pile lay unattended in a circle, either by the Ronin's neglect or a fevered search for something. Amid the roughly stacked volumes discarded thoughtlessly into the collected dust, many secrets were simply forgotten.

Surveying the area, he led Charco to a double-door with a raised step. Embroidered in gold and fashioned of a design of a ribboned, symmetrical geometry, the entrance to the ancient Guardian's study was unearthly and yet at once familiar. The heavy hinges groaned under the weight of the ancient oak. When he had surveyed the area and had been sure they had not been followed, the door to the study shut, sealed in it's entirely to secrecy.

"If your master did not tell you, then she didn't know anything more than the fallout," he said. Ochazuke spreading apart a pile of scrolls and bound paper volumes across a distinctively dustless desk. Setting two small weights at either end of the unfurled poster, he stood before it as he examined the image. "I suppose she was spared the indignity of its affair."

Set to the side, when he spoke the name, though they were alone in the chamber he knew another set of eyes lurked behind Charco's. He paused for a moment, narrowing his gaze thoughtfully. Prowling in the shadows was another presence within the boy's familiar ki.

"The esteem of a martial house, its reputation, is held to a greater standard than the end goal of its method," he said. "Succumbing to a blooded urge, that is not the purpose of the craft."

For not all matters could be concealed from those who knew where to look.

"You're a student of history. So tell me Charco, how many generations can you trace back your lineage of Koryuu-ryu?"

A long pause came with that question, the boy lost in thought as he poured across the memories of all of the journals and notes he had read throughout this journey. Excerpts upon excerpts of ancient fighters had been found, with most of their lives little more than a footnote among the entire history of his school. After what felt like a small eternity, he finally spoke up, "Before recorded history," He began, "The Koryuu-Ryu was named not in reverence of dinosaurs, or hopes that we might obtain their strength, but because they were the intended target. Hundreds, if not thousands, of generations, came before me, yet most of their exploits have been lost to time." His hand brushed against the weathered paper of the poster, finding that, at a measly age of 80, it was already growing brittle beneath his fingertips.

The pieces were coming together, yet he could not make out the entirety of the picture the puzzle depicted, "Rex was involved in this tournament and this Penhuoqi, she was his victim, right?"

---

83 Years Ago

On the outskirts of Brick City, the Dino Temple, hidden away in the jungle, was filled with life. While sparring and traditional training were off the table, those who sought strength from the school would still find ways of growth within its walls. One small boy, in particular, would be found entering the courtyard in a sprint, a thick sheen of sweat dripping from his skin with every step. Zig-zagging through other practitioners, the boy eventually found him coming to halt before the head of the school.

Ogatan Penhuoqi, mistress of the Dino School and current holder of the title of "Rex".


"Is it true?!" The boy spouted out, the words alone relieving him of what air he had left from his trek. His master, a girl barely out of her teens, looked upon the gasping child with concern, "Is something wrong, Poepayne?"

"Is it true that you've challenged the other schools?"

A smile came across her face, "Yes, I did." Glancing off to the others toiling in the main courtyard, her accomplished grin tempered out into what he could almost describe as motherly, "I think it's time we stepped out from the shadows, Poepayne. For too long we've let the other schools believe that we are nothing but barbaric cutthroats when we were the ones who had to bloody our hands to survive long before the Obushi-Sennin" Penhuoqi extended a hand out to the jungle canopies above them, "Too long we have remain content among ourselves, when we could be so much better. The elders believe it to be a sign of weakness to coexist with the other schools, but I believe there can be only strength in learning from others."

Chuckling to herself, she turned back to Poepayne, "... and you will be one of the first to reap the benefits of what is to come, little one."

[grampagen]

Long after the latest group had made their passage toward another one of these alternate worlds, Ochazuke remained in the Guardian's study, withdrawn amid the stacks. After navigating the weathered fallout in that dead world of fire, even as life sprung from the diminished heart from the Creator his thoughts had become restless.

He read through a tome on meridian diagrams, the familiar orthodox theory of the energy-changing classic. Certain terms, familiar names bled over where they intersect in the collected histories penned by some ancient hand, doubtlessly one of Evangeline's predecessors chronicling the observance of the world below. Like a neverending tide across the centuries, it had been a story he'd known intimately, one that he'd come to live in the past two years.

What he found there was less of a revelation than he would like. Rather it was a constant beat of unending revolutions.

Power, cultivated and given stature beyond reason. Fear of a great enemy to rally those that would oppose them. To the winner go the spoils, and the cycle repeats.

A long-weathered account of Kevi the Stalker, the long-deceased witch of the moon, caught his attention. Her reign of terror beginning, then an empty period left unwritten until the record of her banishment. He reached for the handle of the teapot at his side. When he laid his hand on it, he slowly turned his head and glanced at his hand when he noted a particular absence in his sensation. Slowly, he poured it out into the cup and the steam rose; it remained cold to the touch, until the familiar florid vintage crossed his palate.

It seemed to carried with it an essence of blood where he swallowed.

It never ends.

Yesterday's heroes sat in the seat of tomorrow's enemy, guarding a burdensome crown they were all too proud to divest the weight from. A burning crown of many shapes, the burdensome sinking weighing on the view of humanity. In their ashes, it brought him a dullard's comfort that this was hardly unique where it shaped the course of the universe.

It was, after all, craft into their very being from the source of Creation. Roused from the ether, more participants for the war they had inherited.

It never changes.

Ochazuke took a seat, reclining in the stiff lacquer-wood chair with a grumble. The door had been set ajar since Charco had left, an unmoving light creeping in from beyond the raised step, catching the shape of the rising steam from his cup as it clung to form for a moment, then dissipated to nothing.

Two worlds informed by the shape of the Legacy he had set to inherit. The encapsulated gift from an Alternate in a world without hope. The scroll of Zxu'ro procured from a world without a humanity to protect. In the wake of Fallen Angels and the celestial matters that had fallen upon the only home he had ever known, he gripped the cup between his hands to still their quaking.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

"Wait, monthly payments?" Sarada inquired, alarmed that Qaztoh was stupid enough to let this slime hustle her out of her money.

" Yeah Blizzar said it was for the Galaxy Police Reconstruction fund and he said it was the only way to get the Galaxy Police off my back ." Qaztoh said

[MrSandman]

"I take it by your enthusiasm that you are more acquainted then most with tournaments." Cthylla approached Sarada quietly, radiating a feeling of curiosity. "I would like to know more....from a more personal point of view, to better facilitate how I should act. This tournament....I've observed multiple variations of organized conflict in the past, but I've had difficulty distinguishing the purposes of most. Multiple versions exist with the same end premise but different measurements to attain it.....Sparring, Duels, Match, Game, Tournament, Battle, War. Some require the elimination of ones enemy and some do not, some enforce limiting rules and some do not. If the goal was to determine who is stronger why impose limits that allow the weaker a chance to win."

*Kicks Sub* In case you missed(edited it a bit in the end though so for the best lol)

[KingofPie]

"Wait, monthly payments?" Sarada inquired, alarmed that Qaztoh was stupid enough to let this slime hustle her out of her money.

" Yeah Blizzar said it was for the Galaxy Police Reconstruction fund and he said it was the only way to get the Galaxy Police off my back ." Qaztoh said

Blizzar folded his arms and shook his head. "I really do not appreciate such baseless accusations, Sarada. Most unbecoming of one of your status," Blizzar sighed. "The Reconstruction fund is a legitimate charity drive. If we have the time once we return from our next trip, I can even show you the website...that is if it would even be accessible from Earth with the Chaff up and all."