Double

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

Phew, and Han officially makes his Universe Zero debut! It felt like quite a wait at times, but now that I can post in the IC it was totally worth it.

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

Papaya Island, Saturday, July 16th, Dawn

The sun rose in the distance, and as it did so it cast its morning light over the shadows of the waning night. On the edge of a bluff overlooking the shore, a young man sat beneath a nearby tree. He was facing the East, as if waiting to greet the rising sun. He was cross-legged, appearing to be in a meditative state. But just as the morning sunlight washed over him, he slowly began to write something down on a parchment. The note was short, and read thusly:

Night gives way to dawn
The Morning Sun warms the shore
We greet the new day

It was a haiku, of all things. Composing them was said to be an effective way to ensure clarity of the mind, and it partnered well as a hobby alongside the art of meditation. The greater clarity a mind has, the more easily it can be at ease with itself. At least, that was what the young man was taught by his great-grandfather before the latter's passing. But soon the young man opened his eyes, sensing someone's arrival without any need to look in their direction, "Good. You're on time." he said, voice low and his tone sounding almost eerily peaceful.

The man who had approached was a bit older, and wore a business suit. He even carried a briefcase with him to complete the utterly stereotypical image. He looked somewhat annoyed, "You picked a strange time and place for a meeting like this, you know that?" his apparent irritation was reflected by his tone.

"There's no one here. It's quiet. It's peaceful. It's private. What more do you need?" the young man's response kept the same tone, appearing to indicate that he was not bothered by the other's manners, "You should try this yourself some time, you look like you need it."

The businessman huffed, taking another step forward and noticing the parchment with the haiku scripted onto it, "I'll pass. I've got too much on my plate to waste time sitting under trees and writing poems. But let's get to business." he opened the briefcase and retrieved a folder from it before handing it over to the younger man, "That's your target. Everything you need to know about him is included there."

The file appeared to be a dossier. The Target's name was included, as was his go-to alias: Niko Renzo, aka Eclipse. According to the dossier he was in armed services, as a sniper and stealth operations specialist. And evidently he was no slouch in martial arts combat either. The dossier went on to give accounts of Renzo's ops, painting a picture of a sniper that appeared to grow increasingly dissatisfied with a soldier's pay and thus turned to selling intelligence as something of a side gig. "Strange... isn't this the sort of thing the government is meant to deal with?"

The suit cleared his throat before answering, "That's classified. The point is, your target is guilty of treason. That falls well within your perimeter, does it not?"

The dossier snapped shut, "Death comes for everyone. Me? I'm just the messenger." he handed the folder back to the man and he stood from his position.

"...is that a yes?" the suit held out the briefcase, which he revealed contained a large amount of Zeni in it, "That's half, the other half comes upon completion, per your terms."

The younger man didn't say another word. Instead he silently took the briefcase from the older man and calmly began to walk away. The meeting, as far as he was concerned, was concluded. He had only one destination after this, and that was the Tournament Grounds. Hopefully he would make it in time to sign up. But even if he didn't, the plan was clear. The dossier directed him to this Tournament as the place where Niko Renzo would be. Of course, assassinating him there would be foolish, but if the target was competing then what better way to observe him and study his skill level than as a member of the spectating audience?

Later that Evening

The World Martial Arts Tournament had reached its conclusion. The final bout was dangerously close to ending in a tie, but it seemed the girl had just managed to eke out a win over her opponent. Most of the matches early on were nothing special, in fact Han only truly became interested when it was narrowed down to the final 16. Of course, he'd been watching the matches of a certain someone more closely than others. That someone had made it all the way to the Semi-Finals before being eliminated by the girl who went on to become the Champion. A few of the unrelated matches piqued Han's interest. For instance, Angela's match against Ace, as while most of the viewing audience were shocked and awed by its conclusion Han remained seemingly unsurprised by it. From her stance to the way she moved, it was obvious to him that Ace was entirely self-taught, no formal instruction whatsoever. As for where that apparent strength of hers came from, he couldn't say. But her eventual concession seemed to him at least to be a sign that she very likely didn't have control over it in some fashion and may well have been afraid of seriously hurting someone.

Another fighter whose matches were interesting was the other finalist, Bakuto. His speed was clearly unmatched, as evidenced by the appearance of his Afterimages. In fact it was seeing that technique in action that made Han all the more disappointed that he missed the sign up deadline, because he was almost certain he could have countered that move fairly easily with his own technique. Oh well, there was no sense dwelling on it or obsessing over it. Perhaps it could happen at the next World Tournament? One could always hope, anyway.

And then there was Niko Renzo. This was the competitor whose matches Han watched the most closely. Early on it almost seemed like Niko was having to make a conscious effort to adjust his strikes so that they would be non-lethal. This made a lot of sense, given his background. Combat techniques in the military were designed first and foremost to stop opponents swiftly and efficiently, even if that meant potentially killing them. In fact, Han speculated that had he managed to sign up for this Tournament, he himself may have actually had a similar issue with toning down the lethality of his own techniques. But by the time Niko had made it to the Semi-Finals it became most clear to Han. His target was enjoying himself here, and doing so genuinely. And that fact struct Han as quite odd. If Niko was really after only money as the dossier claimed, then where was this sudden passion and sportsmanship coming from?

It seems I'm going to need to learn a bit more about you before I make a move. And in the world of martial arts there is only one way for a fighter to truly gauge who another is...

Han had decided that as soon as an opportunity presented itself, he would present himself directly to Niko Renzo... and challenge him to a match.

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

If this threat is what I think it is, I highly doubt there won't be any casualties...

@Darkmoon Angel

S...surely it's too soon for something like that? (assuming we're thinking of the same thing)

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

@FalloutJack@Balthazar007

Should the guy hide his affiliation with the MMC?

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

@Balthazar007@FalloutJack

Am I to assume that I have control over whatever representative was sent to meet with Han? Or would someone like to provide a guideline for what that person would be like?

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

<Snipped quote by FalloutJack>

So to be honest, I never played the games or watched the movie, but I just did some research on the Doom franchise. I see what you're talking about. I think there are two different directions I would like to take this RP in, a couple of side quests if you will.

First, staying with Niko and Han, I think their fates are intertwined. How about this? The man who hires Han at the World Martial Arts tournament works for the MMC. Of course, this information would be hidden. One of the targets in his contract is Niko himself. The man suggests starting with Niko since he is already here. Of course, by the time Han has seen all of Niko's fights, he no longer wishes to kill Niko, because of something he sees in him. He still confronts Niko however, perhaps in a half-hearten attempt to kill him or just to talk about why this person would be putting a price tag on his head. (whatever you feel is more natural to Han's character). This is when Niko could explain his position and even turn around and hire Han with some of his prize money, matching what the business man offered. Together, the two could solve the mystery of what happened to Niko's parents. This would lead to the revelations that Han's organization was the one hired and that his own father carried out the contract. This adventure starts here at the martial arts tournament and winds up on Mars.

Second, and more in line with classic Dragon Ball story lines, a man will approach Angela and Bakuto. He will inform them of a threat coming to earth. And considering how well they did in the tournament, he would like them to train with him and his hand picked team of warriors to protect the planet. This path will shine light on exactly where (or more accurately 'when') our story is taking place in the Dragon Ball Universe. This story line would start the day AFTER the tournament, just when Bakuto and Angela are starting to wonder what they are going to do next...

Also, our semifinalists, Bakuto, Angela, Niko, and even Lee, need to bump their Power levels up to 121.

Sorry @Double, but late arrival means Wan is going to have to remain at a Power Level of 100 for now. It's not a big deal though, he'll have plenty of time to catch up.

@Balthazar007

I don't mind playing catch up. I was kind of expecting it, anyway. Plus it's only 10 points, which isn't that much in the grand scheme of things anyway.

On the MMC Contract, that could possibly work, provided Han is given false information about Niko (a fabricated criminal record or ties to some kind of criminal organization) that while untrue is enough to get Han to agree to the job. After all, Han's main thing is only going after people who actually deserve it, so once it becomes clear he has lied to, he'll immediately back out of the job as suggested.

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

@Balthazar007@FalloutJack

I believe the idea Bal and I agreed on was that Han was originally at the Tournament Grounds to negotiate a contract and then decided to stick around and watch afterward for a bit of relaxation.

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

@Balthazar007

Han hasn't really been affiliating himself with the Wuye-ying lately due to a recent falling out with his father. As for Niko's parents, that was Laoguai's doing, but I doubt Han knows anything specific about it.

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

@FalloutJack How magical will it actually be, considering what he'll end up finding out about it?

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

At this rate you'll both drop and we'll have to do old "stand up, smile, and declare themselves the champion" rule.