On the way to the preliminaries a nosy reporter came dashing towards them.

"Hi!" she chirped, wearing a false smile, "Where are you from?"

Vegeta and Piccolo continued past her without a word and Nira followed their lead, this woman smelled too much like cheap perfume anyway. That didn't keep her from overhearing the woman mutter, "Hey, haven't we seen those faces before…?"

She looked up at Piccolo to see if he had heard and he saw him nod just a tony bit, letting her know that he had, indeed, heard.

"Hello, where are you from?" they heard the woman say again. The two turned to see that she was talking to Goku.

"Where?" Goku asked, pointing at his halo, "From the afterlife." He answered.

"What?" the woman chocked, then a look of understanding covered her face. "Oooh, I get it" she said, "Is that thing on your head a popular accessory?"

"Its not an accessory." Goku pointed out, "You get it when you die."

Nira felt a small spike of ki coming from Piccolo and the camera a man had been holding exploded. Nira chuckled at how utterly shocked and confused the man and woman were as the rest of the group caught up with them.

Some of the guys left for the dressing room but others, including Nira, decided to stay outside. Nira had to put her fist in her mouth when a man asked Piccolo if he were sick. The Namek gave her an exasperated look but didn't scorn her. That would have been embarrassing.

When the others came out they left for a large open area near the changing room.

Suddenly a man with blond hair and wearing sun glasses gaped at them and cried, "Oh my gosh! Its you guys!"

Krillen and Goku recognized the man and the trio shook hands.

"Wow, this is incredible!" the man said, looking ecstatic, "I didn't expect you to be here! I'm really glad to see you all again." He gasped, "I've been waiting for this!" He blocked his face from one side so no one could tell what he was saying as he spoke in a whisper, "Tell me the truth…." He uttered, "Mr. Satan didn't kill Cell, it was you, wasn't it?"

Krillen and Goku chuckled discreetly. Nira felt a little relief that not everyone was stupid enough to believe that Mr. Satan was the almighty hero.

The stranger continued, "To be honest, the Budokai was not fun without you. Low intensity fights, y'know." Then he gazed at the rest of the group, "Are all of you friends?" he asked,

Goku gave the affirmative and the man looked delighted.

"Great! This will be quite interesting!" he cheered before stepping over to get a better look at Piccolo, "Please don't destroy the ring this time." He pleaded.

Nira gave Piccolo a confused look and her mentor gave her the 'later' look.

The man paused as he noticed Goku's halo. "Hey, whats with that funky circle over your head?"

"Oh, that?" Goku questioned looking up at it himself, "I got that after dying in the fight with Cell. However, I'm here today by special permission." He answered.

The man stared at Goku, processing the information before chuckling in disbelief, "Imagine that." He chortled, a little hysterical, "I never realized that you too could die."

Then an announcement blared out of the speakers telling everyone that only sixteen people from the crowd will be able to compete, not including Mr. Satan who will be fighting the one to goes to the final round. (I changed it so that Nira will be able to compete without kicking anyone out)

The man parted, giving them words of encouragement.

A bunch of people brought out a machine that everyone would be using to test how strong they were. Mr. Satan demonstrated, boasting that absolutely no one could beat him, which made Nira want to beat him in the face with a sack of bricks the size and weight of Vegeta.

Again, there was a small spike in ki from Piccolo and every single camera erupted, causing everyone to stare at the wreckage dumbfounded.

"Piccolo?" Gohan asked.

"Again?" inquired Nira.

"I've destroyed all the cameras, including the spectators. Now your friends can't find out your true identity." He explained.

Gohan beamed, "Thank you very much!"

Nira grinned fondly at the two before turning back to the demonstration, her tail swishing back and forth impatiently. She was pleased to see that Satan was looking constipated with frustration and annoyance.

Suddenly Gohan turned to the group, "I'm going to look for a friend." He told them. Nira knew by friend he meant Videl.

Goku blinked, "Oh, okay."

"See you later." Nira waved.

Then there was commotion as Mr. Satan prepared to hit the punching machine, being very overdramatic as he did so. Nira sighed, what a phony.

Mr. Satan released a war cry as he threw his fist into the machine. The monitor read 137 and everyone went ballistic.

Mr. Satan left with a parting, "This year, I'm looking forward to a real challenge!"

Everyone got their numbers and waited for their turn. There was some talk about an old friend of theirs named Tien and surliness coming off of Trunks as he grumbled about not being able to compete in the grown up division. When the number eighty – four came around Eighteen began her way to the machine.

"Hey, don't go full – power or you'll break it!" Krillen warned his wife whom responded with an, "I know."

Nira knew that Eighteen would do better than anyone who had already gone, even if she was holding back. Sure enough, with just a rap of her knuckles 774 appeared on the screen.

Everyone was confused and there was a scramble to 'fix' the machine and Eighteen was told to do it again. She still had more than anyone else with a 203. A pang of Saiyan pride told Nira to do better and she quickly shot it down.

Now, one after the other, the Z Fighters took their turns. Nira was after Goku and decided to practice her control. She tapped the machine with the back of her hand and landed herself a 190, just two points above Goku. She beamed that she was able to keep her strength in check as she returned to where the others were waiting. Piccolo was after her and had gotten 210.

By this time, the people thought something was seriously wrong with the machine and were preparing to go get a new one when Vegeta barked, "Get out of the way." Before hitting the thing full force. The machine shattered before it even made contact with the wall.

The two men stared incredulously at the trashed thing, their eyes bugging out of their heads. Nira couldn't help chuckling at them.

As the people went to get another machine Goku declared that they go check out the kid's competition. Everyone agreed readily and began making their way through the crowd.

Nira spotted Gohan and Videl and motioned for the group to stop to check up on them before leaving.

"You're friend's a girl?" Goku said, pleasantly surprised, "Its her isn't it?"

"Uhh, yeah." Gohan affirmed.

Nira waved at Videl whom waved numbly back, she seemed surprised for some reason that Nira couldn't think of.

Krillen grinned impishly, "Not bad, Gohan. She's pretty cute!"

The alien girl rolled her eyes.

"We're going to check out the game for Trunks and Goten. It's going to begin pretty soon." Goku told the pair, "Pass the preliminary quickly, okay?"

The group bid their farewells as the left for the child competition.

On their way there an announcement said that the child division was going to start soon.

"C'mon." Nira bit out, picking up the pace, "Lets find some spots."

The group found a place at the very top. Nira sat on one of the bars with her arms crossed over the top ones as she watched the stranger from before come out. Her tail swished back and forth on the concrete.

"Even though it's a kids competitions the prize for the first place is ten million zenii and the second is five million!" he said into a microphone. "Also, the winner will have a chance to fight against the greatest person on Earth as a bonus. That person is…" he made a grand gesture. "The champion of the Budokai: Mr. Satan!"

The crowd went wild as Mr. Satan appeared, screaming along with the fans. Nira watched with boredom as the man vaulted towards the ring... and tripped and landed on his head.

Nira immediately burst into laughter, "That's what you get you egomaniac!" she said when she caught her breath.

She got many scandalized and murderous stares for that, but she hardly cared, still laughing at Mr. Satan who was holding his head in evident pain. He seemed to notice that everyone had saw him fall and he got up.

"Can't the champion make a joke?!" he shouted, giving a false laugh.

Nira's laughter fell flat, she stared at the man blankly before looking up at the group. "Will it be considered murder if the victim was a jackass?"

Of course, she had been kidding. She didn't seriously think about killing the man, perhaps giving him a good kick where it hurt, but not actually killing him. She still wasn't a killer.

The group broke out into nervous laughter at Nira's dig. They probably were thinking along the same lines. The crowd, on the other hand, had began cheering again.

The man continued to asked Mr. Satan a few more questions and Nira was starting to feel bored again. Instead she listened to her friends chat.

"I think the Budokai's become to fancy." She heard Krillen comment.

"The rings larger too…" Goku muttered.

"Crap." Piccolo snarled, "It seems more like a circus now."

Nira cocked her head to the side as she wondered idly what the Budokai was like before. This Budokai was very different from the competitions from her home world. It was just a roped off flat space where the village gathered around to watch.

"The man with the microphone announced the beginning of the competition, counting off the rules: Surrendering, out of the ring, count down to ten, or unconsciousness will result in a loss.

Trunks was the ninth fight, he was against a kid with a dumb haircut named Ethus. Nira moved her ears forward as she listened to Ethus egg on Trunks.

"Poor kid," she mumbled, "he's gonna get his ass handed to him."

Sure enough, Trunks landed only a few blows, knocking the kid into the air and the same boy landing on his face, unconscious.

Nira silently praised Trunks for beating the kid up, but she knew that it wouldn't be a challenge until he and Goten face off.

Krillen seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Damn," he mumbled, "It won't be good until Goten and Trunks fight…"

Nira grunted in agreement and as she readjusted her seat on the concrete.

Goten was the sixteenth fight. It appeared that the boy he was going to fight was the brother of the one Trunks smacked around. Nira nodded, this wouldn't be long.

The kid threw a punch at Goten, whom blocked it with a single finger. Looking disgruntled, the boy reeled back and tried to kick Goten in the face, Goten blocked it with his fist, not even trying.

"C'mon, fight for real." Nira heard Goten say with her super hearing, "Give me all you've got."

The boy looked both frustrated and horrified before he began hopping from one foot to the other. He started to throw punches at Goten but, again, Goten blocked every single one.

Then, with a single punch to the face, the kid was knocked out flat.

They breezed through the rest of the fights until it was just them. Nira got up so she could see better, this was something to look forward too. Gohan and Videl showed up, both looking slightly breathless as they both had hurried there as soon as they could.

"Just in time." Nira pointed out.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Gohan panted, "The eliminations started again."

"Took them long enough." Krillen muttered.

Goku smiled at his son, "I'm glad you got here in time to see the fight."

"Please start the final round of the Tenka-Ichi-Budokai's Youth Division!" The announcer cried into the microphone.

The boys got into their stances and Nira heard Trunks say, "Just to let you know, I'm not going to hold back."

"Me neither." Goten responded.

Nira grinned with anticipation as the two lunged towards the other.

The two boys attacked each other swiftly and deftly. Hitting and kicking with precision born from years of training. The two took their fight to the air, never letting up for a second.

"Hell, yeah!" Nira shouted, "You can do it, guys!"

"Who are you rooting for?" Krillen asked, looking sly.

The alien shrugged, "Both of them." She answered simply.

Goten and Trunks both landed back on the ground, both looking a little worse for wear and grinning.

Goku was beaming at them. "Trunks and Goten are pretty good!" he said brightly.

Gohan smiled at his dad, "Told ya."

Krillen watched them, looking excited, "Its only going to get better."

Nira nodded, "They're doing great!"

A fondness came over her as she remembered he own brothers fighting playfully. She thought that, if they knew each other, that Trunks and Goten would be friends with Corren and Riz.

The crowd was beside themselves with awe. They had obviously not been expecting the amazing display from the boys.

Suddenly Trunks's hands began glowing as he began to build two orbs of ki.

"It can't be!" Gohan screeched, "Is he going to throw an energy attack from there?"

Krillen growled, "That idiot! It'll hit the spectators."

Nira's tail stilled and her hand flew up to her hair. "Uh oh." She breathed.

Goku crossed his arms but was still smiling, "Nah, it'll be okay." He reassured them.

Nira gave the Saiyan a distressed look, "I hope you're right." She said to him.

Goku looked at her, he was still grinning, "Don't underestimate them."

Nira returned her gaze back to the ring, not completely reassured.

Trunks threw the blast of ki at Goten, who hopped into the air to dodge it. Nira's heart fluttered as the ball came right at the crowd, but Trunks redirected it at the last second so it flew skyward.

Nira released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and Goku beamed at them. "See"

Just then, Goten got into a stance that Nira recognized as the Kamehameha. She had seen Goten and Gohan practice it the day she stopped by their home on her way home.

"Kame…."

"Wait," she said when a thought struck her, "Does Goten know how to control his ki blasts yet?"

"Kame…"

Gohan froze, "Oh, cra-"

"HA!"

Trunks leaned to the side as the blast flew by him, taking part of the stadium with it.

"Geez!" Krillen gaped.

"He still hasn't learned to control…" Goku said, looking thunderstruck.

Nira heard the boys agree on not using any more ki attacks, instead relying solely on their fists. The boys flew at each other, Trunks grabbed Goten and piched him. For a second, Trunks was gone and Goten floated in the sky, looking confused, before Trunks reappeared behind him and grabbed his arms behind his neck.

Goten thrashed in Trunk's grip but seemed unable to break free.

"It looks like Trunks is going to win." Vegeta commented, looking smug.

Nira rolled her eyes. Of course, to the Saiyan is was all about winning, but to the Morakian is just for fun, winning was possible bonus.

Trunks pleaded Goten to give up, telling him if he were to hold him any tighter he would kill hum but Goten just continued to squirm. Then there was a burst of ki and Goten broke free from Trunk's hold before zooming back to the ground.

Everyone seemed to stiffen as Trunks corned Goten for becoming Super Saiyan when they weren't supposed to.

"That stupid Goten!" Gohan snarled.

"He can turn into Super Saiyan?!" Goku gasped, looking bewildered.

Nira peaked at Videl, only to see her eyes bugging out of her head. Nira felt just a little sorry for her, she had been living most of her life believing that her father was the strongest being on earth after all.

Vegeta rounded on Goku, "That was a dirty trick, Kakarot!" he shouted in anger.

"I didn't know anything about it," The other Saiyan admitted but Nira was still trying to process what a Kakarot was.

She tugged on Krillen's sleeve discreetly and asked in a hushed voice so that she wouldn't look like a fool, "Whats a Kakarot?"

"That's what Vegeta calls Goku." He explained patiently, "Apparently that's what was Goku's name back when he was a baby."

Nira nodded understanding and returned to watch the match.

Trunks had hidden his left arm behind his back, taunting Goten.

"You couldn't win! I dare you to try!" she was able to hear Goten say over the crowd, "You can't use your left arm, okay?

"Fine." Trunks replied, looking smug.

Oh my God, he looks like his dad. Nira thought, her eye – brows rising.

Trunks threw a punch Goten's way and was countered with a shoe in the face. Again, it was a flurry of movement that the alien girl was able to follow with her ki. Then the two broke away from one another, Goten giggling impishly which seemed to have infuriated Trunks. Why would Nira think this? Well, call the ki blast the kid threw at his friend a pretty strong hint.

Goten flew up high into the air. Nira wondered what he was doing when she heard Goten cry, "CHARGE!" before zooming back down to Earth.

At the last possible second, Trunks dodged Goten's attack, planning on letting the boy flatten himself, but Goten used the momentum of his attack to throw himself after Trunks. He would've hit, but Trunk's became a Super Saiyan and dodged him again, throwing a ki blast at him that nailed Goten and sent him flying towards the crowd.

Goten tried to slow himself down but he was eliminated anyway, just for the slightest touch on the stands.

Nira smiled down at the kids. She had been rooting for both but she was just happy that Trunks and Goten hadn't mauled each other.

"CONGRATS TRUNKS!" Nira crowed down at him. "GOTEN YOU DID GOOD."

The boys looked up at her and waved.

Goku was gawking at the boys, "Trunks can go Super Saiyan too?"

No one really needed to answer him.

Vegeta sniggered smugly, "Too bad." He smirked, patting Goku on the arm, "It looks like my son's got the better blood."

Nira sighed, Saiyans…

Satan had come out to do his round with Trunks. Nira must admit, he had bravado, but by the scent of fear reeking from him he knew that he stood zero chance of winning this match fairly.

"Shall we get going now?" Krillen piped up. "The elimination rounds should be over."

Goku nodded, "Okay, sure."

Nira and the rest began to follow when Videl said indignantly, "Wait! Isn't that kid your friend? He's going to fight Mr. Satan, don't you want to watch?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Gohan agreed, "It might be a good fight after all." He looked beseechingly at the group but they simply turned around and began leaving.

"We'll go first, then." Goku called over his shoulder.

Nira gave Gohan an apologetic look before carrying on with the others.