Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Cop Story ❯ Volleyball Fiasco ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer : I don't own them, and they aren't mine. And now for the Motts…

A Cop Story

Part Five

By RM

Volleyball Fiasco

There were probably about eight hundred people in the large arena at the local university, waiting to watch or to participate in the 11th annual, city police volleyball tournament. #18 had arrived early, so she could run a few laps and scope out the other precinct teams. She had stopped to pick up Bulma on her way as well. The other woman had to borrow a team uniform from her, since she had an extra one from the year before. All of the teams had their own. #18 had settled on red shirts with black shorts, seeing that most of the others on her team could accept that, even though Piccolo tended to clash.

Yamcha arrived 20 minutes after #18 and Bulma, shoe laces untied but ready to play. Piccolo and Krillin came in after Yamcha, squeaking their sneakers on the polished gym floor. #17 arrived last, grumbling distractedly, while dragging Vegeta and Goku in by one arm as they were trying to stuff their faces with sandwiches. While they found a place for their gym bags and backpacks, #18 went to check them in and get the match-up list.

"Wow! These are some snazzy knee-pads!" Goku exclaimed as he stretched the foamy material over his knees.

Piccolo growled, realizing he'd have to wear them too.

"Yeah," Yamcha agreed, "and the elbow pads match."

Piccolo smiled at that. When he elbowed Yamcha in the head, they could double as boxing gloves.

"Where's Vegeta?" Goku asked.

"Um…" Yamcha scanned the gym. "He's over there talking to #18."

"He's not wearing his pads yet!" Goku stated. "I'll go and take them over."

*****

Bulma was a bit nervous. She didn't really like crowds and the shirt they had given her to wear was a bit form fitting. The shorts were borrowed from #18 and while the two women were roughly the same size, Bulma was a bit shapelier, resulting in snug fitting shorts as well. She sat down on a bench and sighed as she gazed across the huge gymnasium and caught sight of #18 and Vegeta standing next to each other and chuckling. She sighed again as she stared at them getting along so well. She wasn't exactly sure what she felt for Vegeta. True, she was physically attracted to him and he gave her the `good' kind of chills, but he was just such a prick. She began to wonder what #18 had that she didn't when someone patted her on the back.

"Hey beautiful. Are you ready to play?" #17 asked in his smooth, silky voice.

"Yeah," she smiled, "but I'm not very good."

"And what makes you think I am?" He asked her. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not a bad player, but win or lose, I'm in it for the beer."

"Beer?" Bulma blinked.

"Yeah," #17 nodded, "For each welt Jiisu sustains during the tournament, Vegeta buys us all a round of drinks."

"Jiisu?" Bulma wondered aloud. "Well, that's pretty nice of him." She looked back to where Vegeta was standing.

"Not really," #17 smirked. "He just really hates Jiisu. C'mon."

*****

"I do not give a flying fuck, Kakarott!"

"Well, what about two flying fucks, Vegeta?" Goku grinned.

"Shut up, asshole." Vegeta glared.

"That's rather kinky of you two," Piccolo added in.

"Ah, how many times do I have to tell you guys? Vegeta just isn't my type." Goku stated seriously, then winked at Piccolo.

Vegeta scowled and began to turn red. "I will NOT wear those…"

"Do you want me to start something right here? In front of everyone?" Goku asked very seriously this time, a small crackle of energy running through his fisted hand.

Vegeta began to shake with rage, but took a minute to consider this.

"Fine!" He ground out as he snatched the pads from the now grinning Goku. He winced at the thought of actually giving into Goku in front of Piccolo and the others. But what could he do? He wasn't stupid. He knew that Goku could wipe the floor with his ass. Literally. And in a crowded gym? That was a thought he didn't want to entertain.

As he was fuming at the offending pads, #17 and Bulma walked up. Goku smiled at Bulma and threw a set of pads to her and #17.

"Red and black." Bulma smiled. "We all match."

Vegeta released a barrage of curses.

#17 KNEW he should have packed his camera.

"C'mon Vegeta," Bulma grinned, "I'll help you put those on."

"Woman!" Vegeta began, but with a glare from Goku stopped. "Fine!" He snapped.

She led him over to an empty corner and sat, pulling him down with her. She then began taking off her sneakers.

Vegeta watched her carefully, arms crossed over his broad chest and back poker straight. As she began sliding the first pad over her foot and up her calf, she leaned onto her back, pointing her toes, smooth leg raised into the air, her shorts pulling tight over her rump…

As she repeated this action with the second knee-pad, Vegeta found himself transfixed, breathing pattern changing, a slight blush creeping upon him, his own shorts becoming tighter…

Bulma noticed Vegeta fidget. She also noticed him staring. As she lifted herself into a sitting position, she grabbed his sneaker and began to untie it. Slowly and deliberately, making sure she kept her eyes on him. He was extremely muscular, as she had noticed all of her new friends seemed to be, and she enjoyed the feel of just his ankle through his sock. It was a plus that his feet didn't smell.

Tunnel vision. Nothing else seemed to exist. Some voice inside of him told him repeatedly that he was indeed making that dumbfounded face, but he just couldn't seem to stop as she slid the knee-pad over his foot and leg, and then proceeded to do the same with the other. At this point another voice joined in, and as far as this voice was concerned, the whole experience was over much too quickly.

"Earth to Vegeta…" Bulma blinked at him as she finished tying his sneakers.

As abruptly as it had started, he snapped out of it. And being back in it, he was pissed. He didn't have time to express his feelings however, as Yamcha appeared and grabbed Bulma's outstretched hand and pulled her to her feet.

The whole group huddled together without touching each other too much; Piccolo, #17, Yamcha, #18, Goku, Vegeta, Bulma and Krillin.

"OK, we need five players out there and we have 3 subs." Piccolo stated.

"Count on two subs," #18 added smiling at Krillin, "At least for the final match. After all, we ARE going to win." She finished confidently.

Vegeta snorted.

Goku chuckled.

Piccolo grinned.

"Who's keeping tabs on Jiisu?" #17 questioned.

Bulma looked around. Who was this Jiisu guy?

"Just listen for the yelps." #18 answered.

Everyone chuckled as they broke the huddle, fixed their pads, and headed for court three.

*****

The finals. They made it to the finals. The other teams they had been matched up against hadn't really stood much of a chance. Yamcha proved to be the MVP for the team with Vegeta and Piccolo following close behind. Bulma and Krillin were the best setters, #18 took most of the dives while #17 played best out of bounds. Goku, well, was Goku.

But this was the final round, and while the match hadn't started yet, tension was definitely in the air.

"Ah shit." Piccolo stated flatly.

"Yeah." Yamcha agreed as they watched their opponents gravitate towards the court.

"We knew we would probably face them if we made it this far. I don't see what the big deal is." Krillin said.

The Ginyu Force. They were known as the Mayor's special task force, elites, headed by Captain Ginyu, from which the squad got their name. They were tough, proud and didn't get along with very many people. They did everything together, and they did it well. That included Volleyball.

"Well, well. You boys actually found the gym this year." A gruff, itchy voice laughed.

Piccolo grunted. The Ginyu Force had managed to win the tournament for the past 4 years. They were formidable opponents, true enough. But they were still jerks. As he looked around to see where the rest of his team had gone to, he saw the sour look on Yamcha's face. #18 and Bulma had ducked into the women's locker room a few minutes ago, which he figured was OK since it afforded them a few minutes for Goku to go and get something to eat, and for Vegeta to have an excuse to go with him.

A few minutes passed by until Vegeta arrived pulling Goku after him, both chewing frantically. Bulma and #18 weren't far behind them.

The players lined up glaring at each other. Baata, Rikum, Gurudo, Ginyu and Jiisu, who was showing at least five darker splotches on his already red skin. Zarbon was also there, and he was currently subbing for Gurudo who was seemingly having a hard time catching his breath. On the opposite side were Yamcha, Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, and #17. Bulma and #18 had opted to sit on the sidelines to sub if needed, smiling and looking cute. Krillin was there too, until he stooped down, gave #18 a peck on the cheek and disappeared into the crowd.

Goku had the first serve. He threw the ball up and fisted it over the net…and over the other teams heads…out of bounds…into the court on the other side of the arena…and ended up hitting one of the other players in the other court where third place was being decided. The guy it hit didn't make a sound, but dropped onto the floor like a limp fish.

"Uh, sorry." Goku apologized sheepishly. He really had meant to work on his serve.

It was Ginyu's serve. It sailed over the net and was hit back by Yamcha who managed to plow the ball into Jiisu's foot, who in turn, yelped.

"That's gonna leave a mark!" Jiisu complained.

Piccolo chuckled.

It was Yamcha's serve this time. Baata hit it back with ease and #17 countered. Jiisu, who was still mumbling about his foot set the ball for Zarbon, who spiked it over and it was saved from the floor by Vegeta who smacked it up to Piccolo, who hit it over and hit Jiisu.

Vegeta chuckled this time. They were up by a point.

They volleyed like this for some time, all on Yamcha's serve, until Goku dropped the ball as a woman walked past with an ice cream bar. But they were ahead 5-0.

Zarbon's turn. He served the ball and as it looked like it was going to hit out of bounds, it dropped just inside the line, earning his team a point. This went on for some time, until #17 was able to follow the curve of the ball and managed to dive for it before it actually hit the floor. He winced as he hit the hard floor. Sure, he was tough, they all were, but there was an agreement going here in this tournament. No ki. It was a gentlemen's agreement between both teams. Even though ki would have made the match interesting, they agreed to play and to win through sheer grit and muscle. It was a matter of honor.

As #17's dive shot cleared the net, Rikum panicked and floundered, hitting the ball under the net, losing the serve for his team. By this time, the Ginyu team was ahead 8-5.

Piccolo had the serve, and as he smashed it over the net, it caught the top and nicked across. He snarled, but lost the serve anyway.

Baata served next. He smashed the ball towards Vegeta's head, but Vegeta was quick to respond by bumping the ball back with one fist. Zarbon countered and as the ball zoomed back over the net, it caught Yamcha in the nose and knocked him backwards. When he stood up he was a little dizzy, but managed to give Zarbon a dirty look. Bulma and #18, who had been giving Zarbon coy looks earlier, also shot him a dirty look. #18 nodded at Bulma, who made Yamcha sit down on the sidelines for a break and promptly stood up. She grinned at #18 and slowly brought her shirt over her head, stripping slowly. When she was done, she stood there, in a tight, red, and very short spaghetti strapped tank top, with the word `Police' stretched across the top. She made sure to give a little extra sway as she sauntered over to where Yamcha had been standing.

The men stood shock still, and outright gawked. Zarbon smirked, Ginyu licked his lips, Baata gaped, Rikum drooled, and Jiisu looked fidgety. However, it wasn't just the other team that was taken. #17 was downright shocked. Piccolo was taken aback. Vegeta tried to catch his breath, and Goku was still making eyes at the ice cream.

Bulma smiled, one hand on her hip, as she swiveled in the other direction, cocking her head to the side, one eyebrow raised. Baata still had the serve, but as he bumped the ball over the net, he was still rather dazed by the blue haired beauty's show, and it strayed out of bounds and bounced off of the wall with a dull thud.

The crowd stared and the score was still 9-5, Ginyu Force.

Vegeta's serve. He smirked. He knew exactly whom he was aiming for. He grunted as he smashed the ball over with a practiced eye, incredible speed, and a wicked spin. Jiisu was still looking at Bulma, who was bent forward, deliberately smooshing her chest between her arms as her hands rested on her knees. He didn't see it coming.

"Aaaaahhhh!" He yelled as the ball impacted hard on the side of his head, earning a chuckle from Piccolo and Vegeta, and also a point for their team.

Vegeta was able to keep up the good work, earning another 3 points for his team and some hard worked volleys. He had managed to tie up the game, losing the serve when he looked over at Bulma to see her coyly batting her eyelashes at Zarbon and Ginyu, and getting angry at the thought, hitting the ball far too hard and nearly decapitating the line judge.

The score was tied at 9-9 when Rikum was handed the serve. Everyone groaned when they recognized his pose for the `Rikum Boom.' He smashed it over the net but Goku was able to get in front of the blast and bump it up. Bulma called for it, got under it, and set it up for #17 to spike. As he was passing over her, he couldn't help but stare at her chest, and missed the ball completely. Vegeta saw the ball begin to drop after #17 swished at it and dove for it, sliding under Bulma's spread legs on his back, only to miss the ball completely himself as he stared up at her rear. #18 slapped her palm against her forehead as she surveyed the scene from the sideline. Bulma was supposed to distract the other team, not the morons on their side.

Rikum blasted the ball over again and again, using the same technique, earning his team another 2 points. On the next serve, Piccolo got behind it this time and bobbed it up as the ball took a tricky spin. #17 side-slapped it over the net as Zarbon moved to get behind it. As Zarbon brought his hand up, a bright light caught his eye and he missed the ball, earning groans and hisses from his teammates.

Zarbon couldn't figure out what had happened. Try as he might, he couldn't see any bright lights anywhere, just the regular lighting of the large gym. He was sure something had distracted him…

The score was 12-9 with the Ginyu Force in the lead when #17 got the serve. He put it over and almost out of bounds when Ginyu got behind it and set it up for Baata to spike. Baata chuckled and screamed `Spike' as he pummeled a shot down to the floor, only to be met with Vegeta's fist, bouncing it back up. Vegeta had moved so fast, everyone who didn't know better was surprised he managed to save the ball from connecting with the hard wood. Vegeta, however, was not about to lose a serve to that jackass, or anyone else who screamed the word spike at him. Not quite grasping some elements of the game, he took it personally when that word was spoken.

Slapping the ball as it sailed upwards was Goku, who pushed it over with ease, beginning a long volley, which in turn ended in a point for his team when Zarbon was visibly distracted by something.

Growling in frustration, Zarbon searched frantically for the wayward flashing bulb that just had to be up there somewhere. It was evening by this time, and the sun wouldn't be shining through any of the small windows up near the rim around the ceiling.

Up in the arena seating, sitting in the cover of a small crowd, a short, bald headed man wearing dark sunglasses and a red and black uniform and matching pads took a towel and began to rub his head to a high polished shine, ready to reflect more light onto the court. After all, the score was now 12-10. Game point was fast approaching…

#17 Continued with the serve, earning his team another 2 points to tie the game again for the second time, until he lost the ball on a hard smash from Rikum.

Jiisu now had the serve for the Ginyu force. He bumped the ball over, underhand style, which Goku called and hit back over with ease. Baata bounced the ball back over and the resulting volley ended when #17 dove for it and headbutted it out of bounds.

Jiisu did a little dance and gave a little cheer and continued with the serve. The score was now 13-12 and the Ginyu force was looking quite smug.

The ball sailed over as Piccolo jumped up and managed to knock the ball back over and smacked Rikum right between the eyes, which only put the ball back over the net, grounding the ball and earning another point for the Ginyu squad.

14-12 Ginyu Force. This was it. They could win it all here. Every member of the Ginyu force chuckled, or giggled. Every player on the other side of the court were concentrating on the volleyball as Zarbon shot a look to Gurudo sitting on the sidelines. The shorter man grinned and let out a little chuckle then concentrated himself on the position of the opposing team.

Jiisu served again. He smacked the ball as hard as he could this time, sending it over the net like it a comet. Goku called for it and positioned himself to slam the ball back the other way. #17 licked his lips, Bulma prayed, Piccolo glared as sweat dripped off of Vegeta's nose, #18 held her breath…and unbeknownst to the entire arena, so did Gurudo and as he did so, time halted. He jumped into the air, grinning as his cheeks were puffed up, a streak of sweat beading down his forehead. Sailing over the crowd and the court, he drifted in front of Goku, moving the ball to float in the air directly behind him. He let out a throaty chuckle. No one else could see him do this, of course. They were frozen in time. But Gurudo had to make it snappy. He could only hold time as long as he could hold his breath, and he was running out of that quickly.

As he set himself back onto the sideline in the same position he was in as he did his deed, he surveyed his handy work. So they thought they could win, huh? He let out his breath and time flowed on once more. Goku's fist passed through the space the ball had occupied as the sound of the ball hitting the floor echoed behind him.

Everyone blinked. Goku had it. It was right in front of him. There was no way he could miss. The crowd looked on in confusion as everyone continued to stare at the ball, which was now rolling to a stop on the court. On the other side of the net, the Ginyu Force cheered, screaming and yelling and pointing fingers at the now losers. The crowd, seeing that the match was now over, although still not comprehending how the tall, muscular man had managed to miss the ball, began to cheer as well. The Ginyu Force had done it again with the final score of 15-12.

*****

You knew it had to end like that, right? I hope that was good enough for people to follow. Kinda hard to write about a sport you're really not that into. Also switched up some of the names. Just in case anyone was wondering.