Even though it didn't look it from a distance, this island was simply enormous. The place was just a maze of hallways, levels, balconies, and clogged with the distinct sensation of testosterone hanging in the air. That last bit of information was relevant to the two of them because the Saiyans could literally smell the competition surrounding them on all sides.
"Let's go find the sign-up desk," Gohan chirped, earning a nod of agreement from his time traveling friend. "We've got some time to kill until the tournament starts, but it would be best if we checked in before the station closes. They usually do that an hour or so before the start of the event."
"It shouldn't be too hard to find. Just follow the crowd," Trunks replied.
"And look for a bunch of guys that are dressed like martial artists," the other half-Saiyan added, coaxing a grin from the lavender haired man next to him.
Directions set, the pair were just about to get into traction until the sound of loud cheering drew their attention across the way. Following the sound of screams and the sight of dozens of people flocking towards the side of the main highway, they saw a helicopter land on one of the many platforms in the area. As soon as it touched down and the people had been ushered back by the security teams, they saw the door open and a very familiar face step into view.
Adorned in a flamboyant costume completely typical of a comic book superhero, with his gold lined belt flashing under the sun and cape bellowing on the wind, Hercule Satan made his grand appearance on the island. His manly roar drowned out the cries from his fans and drew the expected lightshow from the cameramen and news reporters circling around his transport.
With Gohan and Trunks' gazes set on the gorilla of a martial artist, they completely missed the sight of the little girl that came to stand alongside him.
"Heh. Look who it is," the Saiyan from the future chuckled, "The big man himself."
"Gee," the youngster next to him chimed in, "He really knows how to draw a crowd, doesn't he?"
Seeing the people continue to flock to the champ now striking poses for the cameras, Mirai shrugged, "Well, as long as he clears the road for us, then I have absolutely no problems with this." He then started forward, glancing back at the boy gazing curiously in the direction of the helicopter platform. "Come on. We'd better get a move on. Otherwise we'll miss the registration."
"Yeah." Acknowledging his friend's statement, Gohan quickly fell in step with him and the two hybrids headed up to the office.
Hopefully, somewhere along this road, they would bump into their other friends. Given the circumstances, they wouldn't be surprised if they happened to run into them somewhere down this footpath or in the ring when the fighting started.
While the two half-Saiyans headed on their way, commotion over by the Hercule Express had reached its highest point yet. Marching down to the base of the helicopter, the world champion and self-proclaimed most powerful man in the world was almost instantaneously swamped by reporters.
"Champ! Champ! Over here!"
"Mister Satan! Can you tell us how you feel about the tournament today?!"
"Will you be participating in any of the preliminary rounds, Champ?"
"Champ! Diana from Channel 10: West City!" a woman with brown hair and wearing a pink suit spoke up as she jabbed her microphone towards the imposing 'warrior'.' "How do you feel about your chances in the ring with so many fighters flying in from all over the world to compete for the one-hundred million prize money?"
Smiling smugly at the questions bombarding him from all sides, the towering martial artist with the afro cut and muttonchops stuck his nose in the air and answered the crowds with a booming voice. "Well, Diana. All I can really say is that it's been a while since I've actually had to break a sweat during a fight. What I'm really hoping for today is to challenge the best that our planet has to offer and to test their mettle! The sucker would need the Gaul of a warrior of my stature to actually compete on equal terms with me; the undefeated and undisputed champion of the world!"
"So you're saying your chances are pretty high then?" the woman asked again, at the same time catching sight of the billionaire X.S Cash and his family stepping out to join the world's 'strongest' martial artist in the spotlight.
"That's for my audience to decide," Hercule exclaimed, pulling a tough-guy pose and giving a thumbs-down towards the commoners that lay before him. "What do you say, people? Do you think there is a person alive on this island who can trade blows with your savior?!"
"NO!" was the immediate, collective response from every single fan in sight.
"That's what I thought! YEAAAAHHH!!!!" Hercule bellowed, throwing his fists into the air and drawing another chorus of cheers from the people.
Eyebrow twitching at the sheer volume of her father, which completely dwarfed the outcry of the audience, the cool-looking Videl exhaled in annoyance before deciding to head off. Her sudden vacating of Hercule's right flank drew the big man's immediate gaze after her.
"Uhh… Videl… w-where are you going, sweet pea?" the man whispered after her.
Eyes shut in an effort to ignore the reporters and camera flashes, the eleven-year-old stopped in her tracks, "I'm going to check out the island… and maybe find a seat up in one of the bleachers."
"But uhh… we both got front row seats up in Mr. Cash's personal skybox," Hercule replied, completely confounded by why his daughter was leaving so hastily, "What better spot on the island is there than on a roving, five-star lookout with lobsters and caviar?" By this point in time, the reporters had also noticed the raven haired girl standing ahead of their beloved hero and, within seconds, began snapping pictures of her from all sides.
"Anywhere, as long as it's away from you," the clearly embarrassed girl replied, mumbling the last part under her breath.
"Huh? Did you say something, sugar bee?"
"Whatever dad," Videl waved back, restarting her trek into the crowd and out the other side. "Have fun up in the penthouse."
Hercule watched his daughter make her way through his army of followers, passing by a few of the reporters and a photographer who thought it would be a good idea to try and get a shot of the Champ's daughter up close. His camera flash resulted in his hundred-zeni equipment being snatched out of his grip and dropped to the floor by the child, an action which effectively cracked the lens.
"I wonder what's gotten into her," X.S Cash's representative for the event, a man in a dark, striped suit and slicked back hair thought out loud.
"She seems to be a little bit upset," Mrs. Cash, a fair woman in a white sundress and wide hat remarked while bringing her hand up to her lips troublingly. "Don't you think so, dear? Maybe the flight over the ocean made her ill."
"Or perhaps she was simply overcome by the excitement of this tournament," the billionaire himself, a portly man with dark hair, mustache, square glasses and purple suit spoke up, at the same time adjusting one of the many diamond rings on his hand. "Her father is the savior of the world after all. I'm not surprised that someone as young as her would feel a little bit intimidated in the presence of the most powerful man in existence… even if she is Mr. Satan's daughter."
"Heh. Ain't that the truth?" his attendant chuckled.
At first scratching his head over his daughter's rather disgruntled mood, Hercule then shrugged it off and returned to bolstering his ego in front of the crowd. "Oh well… CHECK OUT THIS POSE, LADIES! HA-HA! WATCH ME FLEX THE BIG GUNS!" And that's exactly what he did. "BOOM! BANG! FIRE POWER, YEAH!"
With the crowd's clamor starting up again and all attention fixing upon the earth's hero, everyone completely missed the sight of Videl stopping to glare back at her father on the platform. Taking in his usual antics for several seconds more, the girl groaned under her breath and continued on walking, deciding to lose herself in the madness of her surroundings.
She sighed, "He's such an idiot."
Whatever happened to the humble young man that her mother fell in love with all those years ago? Taking into account all of the things that'd happened recently, Videl had no doubt in her mind that the man she could hear standing out in the crowd of vultures was nothing more than a shadow of his former self. After watching the events of the Cell Games on television, all the way up to the point the reception cut out, even the daughter of the world's supposed hero found it hard to believe she was even related to the guy.
Seeing him flaunt about his home on a daily basis with a new woman every day and witnessing what he was like off camera made Videl believe that there was no way her dad could be the savior of anything.
She was perhaps one of the only people in the world who believed this.
Having grown tired of the man's antics on their flight over, Videl decided to dismiss any and all other thoughts of her father and focused on something else. She wanted to go find a seat in the commoner's stands to watch the battles in peace, and that was exactly what she intended to do.