Dragonball Z: Legacies

by ALP113

Following that fateful day at the Cell Games, Gohan quickly realizes that the role of earth's protector is filled with many great trials and tribulations. Encountering new enemies and friends along the way, the young half-Saiyan comes to learn that being a hero can be tough, but at the same time... it can be a lot of fun. AU. Gohan/Videl or Gohan/Harem.

10. Junior Tournament Arc - Score is Tied

Dragonball Z

Legacies

Score is Tied

"So it's true… that girl's related to Garlic Junior," Piccolo murmured to himself, drawing Zangya's gaze up to him.

When the Hera glanced across at the Namekian, she saw the stress lines on his face and the beads of sweat dripping down his skin. This was all the sign she needed to know that whoever this young fighter was had the caped warrior on edge. "My hearing's not as good as yours. What's the scoop?"

The former guardian of earth nodded towards the ring, where they saw the two warriors slide into fighting stances and prepare for a second bout. "That girl down there is a Makyan; a member of a race of demons that originated from a planet called the Makyo Star." Turning to the woman standing at the railings, the Namekian's frown deepened. "Years ago, a powerful member of their race named Garlic Junior came to the earth seeking revenge for his father being denied the seat of the guardian's throne and being sealed inside a dimension known as the Dead Zone. However, after gaining immortality and trying to destroy the planet, he was stopped by Gohan when he threw him into the same space his father ended up in. He managed to break free years later, but met the same fate after another attempt to gain control of the planet."

Zangya scoffed, "Heh. He must have been one determined bastard."

"He was one of the most dangerous enemies we ever faced and was one of the closest to ever come to achieving his goals. But working together we were able to stop him and destroyed his home planet and the source of his race's power, the Makyo Star, in the process," Piccolo informed, his glare tightening as he looked upon the white haired girl down below. "When we threw him into that black hole, we thought we'd been rid of him and his kind. However… it seems like there's one out there who still has a part to play in this… an offspring of Garlic Junior we didn't know he had…"

"And it looks like she has a little score to settle with wonder boy," Zangya commented, a frown appearing on her face while she fixed her own glare upon the surprisingly strong girl below. Watching the pair size each other up, the Hera clenched her jaw tightly, "Do you think he'll be able to beat her?"

"I'm not sure," Piccolo murmured, tapping his finger uneasily. "Both times we fought members of the Makyan race they displayed tremendous levels of skill and power. It's been years since we last fought against Garlic Junior and his cronies, and we've all gotten much stronger since then. But this one… she's able to trade blows evenly with Gohan in his base form and is still able to stand."

Zangya chuckled at this, "Well… that's nice and all, but if I'm being completely honest with you green man, that's hardly enough to count as a real threat. All wonder boy has to do is go blonde, kick the shit out of her, and end this match once and for all." Crossing her arms and leaning against the railing, the Hera woman smirked assuredly, "I mean, killing is not allowed, yeah, but I'm sure if he beats her up enough she'll eventually get the picture and throw in the towel. Hell, I doubt he'll even need to go Super Saiyan to knock her ass out of the ring and win."

Despite the girl's confident remarks, Piccolo couldn't help but grit his teeth anxiously. "I wouldn't be so sure about that…"

This comment had Zangya raise an eyebrow at the Namekian curiously.

As the crowd started to clamor once again, waiting patiently for the pair to restart the match, the two young warriors figured they'd been standing around long enough.

Exploding from their spots with a yell of effort and a blast of wind, the pair flew at each other, covering the space of fifteen meters and colliding elbow first with a deafening thunderclap. The shockwave they produced was so great it rocked the entire coliseum to its foundations, scaring the daylights out of the spectators as bolts of lightning shot off of the two fighters. Locked in another heated grappling match, Gohan and Paprika snarled angrily and tried to force the other away. A white aura and electricity crackling off of both of them, the pair summoned all the strength they could muster to try and overcome their equally stubborn foe.

The entire area beginning to tremble under the growing pressure of their exchange, the duo soon grew annoyed at the stalemate and they threw a punch at each other with their free hand. Their fists connecting in the middle, the force of impact was enough to send both blasting backwards. Slamming his feet into the ground first, Gohan dashed after the girl and engaged her in a furious exchange of blows. Flurries of punches flew between them as they fought a running battle across the ring, until another sonic boom rang out that separated them and sent them spinning back through the air.

Flipping repeatedly as they descended, both landed at the exact same time on opposite sides of the ring. The instant they touched base, the two warriors shot into the air and, climbing to about twenty stories, met in the sky above the stadium and once again engaged each other in a vicious exchange of blows. More shockwaves rang out as the pair fought in complete sight of the audience, all of whom gawked in shock at the two youngsters battling it out in midair.

The former competitors of the Junior Division were especially astonished, all of them staring up from the ground at the feuding fighters with their jaws hanging open and eyes bugging out of their sockets.

It soon became apparent to all of them why they'd lost.

The force of all their connecting attacks was enough to cause the ring beneath them to shake and crack.

The announcer, completely overwhelmed by the battle, grinned into his microphone and turned to the silent crowd. "WHOA! FEEL THE POWER OF THOSE BLOWS! THEY CAN STOP A FREIGHT TRAIN IN ITS TRACKS! ARE YOU WATCHING THIS?!" It was a question that didn't need to be asked.

He wouldn't be surprised if the entire world was watching at this point.

A fist slamming across her face cocked Paprika's head back and sent blood flying from her mouth. Recovering quickly, the Makyan growled and spun around, instantly retaliating with a hook across Gohan's face that elicited the same result; a splatter of blood and a thunder clap.

Growling, the demi-Saiyan retaliated with a back kick to the girl's face, sending her spinning through the sky. When she started to descend and Gohan was about to give pursuit, she vanished in a blur of movement and reappeared directly behind him, swinging an elbow straight down at him. Gohan vanished as well, causing her to miss and, super-speeding behind her, threw a roundhouse kick. Paprika vanished again, avoiding it easily. The two continued this chain of hit-and-miss attacks throughout the sky above the stadium, both attempting to outflank the other yet failing miserably.

It soon came to a point where Paprika missed with an especially wide hook and ended up with her opponent rushing her from the side. Spinning about to face him, the two powerful warriors once again locked in heated combat, the sound of machinegun fire echoing throughout the arena for a second time while the pair danced across the skies, trading hit after hit, all of which they either dodged or parried.

Displaying sublime fighting skills in a blur of movement none of the audience members could keep up with, the pair eventually vanished and began their exchange in the realm of the speedsters. This engagement only lasted for several seconds before another shockwave hit the stadium, knocking a couple people out of their seats and drawing everyone's gazes to the ring once again. It was there they saw Gohan and Paprika land on opposite sides of the board and rocket towards one another in a blur.

Flying towards one another at full speed, the demi-Saiyan growled and threw a swinging right overhand, only for his fist to pass through an afterimage that prompted him to hit the brakes. Skidding across the ring's surface, Gohan gasped and looked up, where he saw a grinning Paprika swing at him with a hook.

Leaping back at the last second, the boy avoided the blow and back-flipped across the stage. When he stopped he was unable to respond in time when his opponent seemingly teleported behind him and slammed a kick into his back, a blow that sent him flying back the way he came.

Videl, seeing Gohan blow past the edge and towards the dividing wall protecting the audience, the girl stepped forward in alarm, "GOHAN! STOP!"

Clenching his teeth, the boy course-corrected and flipped around, halting his momentum with a quick burst of ki that sent a gust of wind rushing over the stands. Blood leaking out of the corner of his mouth, the demi-Saiyan speedily floated back down to the very edge of the ring and, the instant his foot touched the surface, he launched himself forward, disappearing in a blur of speed.

Paprika, who was in the process of flying after her adversary, gasped in surprise when she saw her opponent vanish. She then received one hell of a wake up call when, out of nowhere, the half-Saiyan crashed into her chest head-first, the blow generating a deafening clap of an artillery cannon that sent her flying across the ring.

Eyes glazed over in shock, Paprika quickly shook herself back into consciousness and flipped back onto her feet. Landing close to the edge, the girl loaded her right hand and, taking aim, threw it forward. With a yell and a howl, she unleashed a pink energy blast that shot across the ring and towards the boy like a missile.

Gohan recoiled at the approaching attack and, reacting instinctively, slammed a foot into the ring and caused an enormous slab of the arena the size of a room-sized boulder to jut out in front of him. The wall sprang up just in time to block the blast that slammed into the barrier. The force behind it was so great that the explosion not only caused the entire area to shake, but it was able to burn and chip away enormous chunks of the concrete in an instant. The audience cried out in shock when the impact of the attack shook the stadium, drawing even more bewildered looks from the bystanders.

Smoke blocking out view of the center of the arena and surrounding Gohan on all sides, the half-Saiyan remained kneeling protectively behind the remains of the earthen barrier he'd erected.

"This girl…" Frowning seriously at the techniques she was displaying, the youngster then looked up with a start and his eyes shot to his right when he sensed her appearance. Preparing to counter, Gohan was about to fire a blast of his own until he saw the cloud break and the girl's weighted scarf burst into view.

Realizing it was a decoy Gohan spun around and threw up a guard, only to receive a killer roundhouse kick in the side of the head that generated a shockwave and slammed him into the wall he'd used to block the last attack. Exploding through the mass of concrete and causing it to shatter into hundreds of pieces, the Saiyan spiraled out of the black cloud and bounced repeatedly across the tiled surface like a ragdoll.

Rolling painfully, the boy then sprang to his feet and slammed them into the floor, sliding to a stop with his hands cocked beside him. Gritting his teeth, Gohan charged a blue globe of energy between his palms before, with a mighty yell, threw his hands forward and unleashed his attack. His Kamehameha wave exploded from his hands and shot into the cloud like a missile, parting it instantly.

Spotting the flash of his approaching counter, an alarmed Paprika gasped and sprang into the air, flying straight up as fast as she could and avoiding the blue rocket that curved upwards and shot safely over the spectator's heads. The crowds cried out in terror when the attack came close to wiping them out, but then watched it shoot into the clouds and out of reach.

Seeing his now scarfless opponent continuing to gain altitude, Gohan cocked his right fist back and threw a sharp palm strike. Expelling his ki at the same time, the boy fired a Kiai blast that slammed into Paprika head on, drawing a cry of pain from the girl when the attack tore into her body and clothes. The fabric of her gi ripping, the stunned demon was smacked further into the sky, allowing Gohan to leap off of the ground and rocket up at her at full speed.

Still seeing stars, Paprika quickly managed to recover from the attack and look down, where she saw her opponent on fast approach. Growling angrily, she threw both hands forward and attempted to shoot him down with a Kiai of her own. But the boy avoided it by powering up and arcing around her, his form shooting into the clouds above her in the form of a white streak of light.

Charging a pink ball in her left hand, Paprika followed him with her eyes and lobbed a ki blast after him. "ARGH! TAKE THAT!" Her energy attack honed in on the boy's form ascending into the upper atmosphere several kilometers away. But when it seemed like she had him, the demi-Saiyan suddenly appeared in front of her with a flying side kick, which slammed into her chest and sent her spiraling back down towards the arena.

Paprika cried out as she plummeted out of control. But just when it seemed Gohan had her, the girl's form vanished with a crack of wind.

Losing sight of his foe, the demi-Saiyan only had a split second to react when the girl suddenly reappeared directly beneath him and, grabbing his leg on a pass, spun him into an unexpected aerial flip, using the moment of it to throw Gohan towards the ground. Upon chucking him out of the sky, Paprika threw her hand forward and fired a pink blast after him. The attack collided with the boy and knocked him down faster, followed by another. Then, as soon as his body slammed into the center of the ring, a barrage of hundreds of pink energy blasts began raining down on top of the hapless Saiyan and bombarded him mercilessly.

Shouting with every throw, Paprika hurled a continuous stream of energy attacks at the ring, filling its center with explosions that sent a fiery cloud of smoke into the air and blasts of wind across the stands. The audience cried out in terror as the arena was practically firebombed and the half-Saiyan seemingly incinerated in the attack. Piccolo, Zangya and Videl looked on in shock and worry as Gohan was struck down by the rain of death, which lasted for several long seconds before ending with a spectacular finale.

Hercule, who was literally hanging onto the seal of the window, gawked out onto the stage with wide eyes. "Oh no. G-Gohan. How is such a strong kid being beaten down by such a little runt?"

A black mushroom cloud hung above the ring at the end of the assault. With the announcer having to duck and cover at the very edge of the battleground, when he felt the tremors subside, the man immediately took that as his cue to stand and, upon adjusting his glasses, looked into the epicenter of the disaster zone.

"Wow. What an attack. A rain of energy from above has knocked tournament favorite Gohan out of the air and turned the entire center of the ring into a smoking crater! Is our gutsy young fighter down for the count?!" When he saw the smoke eventually lift from the hole, the man peered across to see if there was a body. However, after analyzing the ruined patch of space, the announcer gasped in shock when he saw nothing. "H-He's gone folks! Gohan is nowhere to be seen!"

"What?!" Paprika shouted, gritting her teeth and looking around at the four corners of the field from above. "Damn it! Him and his stupid disappearing acts! Where the hell did that scumbag go this time?!"

Then, like an echo on the wind, the girl's eyes widened in surprise when she heard the sound of a fast approaching, familiar yell.

"GeronimooooOOOOOOOOO!"

The Makyan turned, "Wha-" BAM!

With a deafening thunderclap, Paprika was unexpectedly hit from behind by her opponent diving down at her feet first and slamming a double kick into the side of her face. The impact of the blow not only rocked the entire stadium with an earthshaking tremor, but the attack managed to knock the girl clear out of the sky and slammed her straight into the corner of the arena.

The entire quarter of the tiled ring exploded in a shower of dust and debris, which pelted the audience and drew a cry of terror from everyone in that general direction. When the cloud eventually faded seconds later, it revealed an enormous, disheveled crater where a major portion of the concrete used to be.

Smiling at his success, a badly bruised and slightly singed Gohan dropped down from the sky and landed on what he called 'his' side of the ring. Assuming a proper standing position, he watched and waited for the air to clear, the audience and the announcer also turning to see what'd happened.

"YES!" Videl cheered, completely thrilled by his brilliant maneuver. "Well done!"

"That's it. Use your training, Gohan," Piccolo murmured with a smile on his face as he and Zangya continued to watch closely from above.

After a few seconds of waiting with no sign of his opponent, Gohan and the audience began to believe that Paprika had been knocked out. However, when everyone felt a tremor work its way up from the crater, the announcer and the young Saiyan quickly realized that she was still alive and well. A few seconds of waiting later, the crowd then saw the crater explode and from the debris, the Makyan's shadow reemerged.

The announcer grinned with delight. "Incredible! After a wicked hit that buried her inside the ring's corner, Paprika is back on her feet and ready for more!"

Floating out of the hole, the demon girl landed directly across from her opponent on her side of the board. Her clothes torn up with more bruises covering her body, the Makyan spat the blood out of her mouth and glared across at her equally damaged foe.

"I hate you."

Gohan smiled, "Ah, don't be like that. I'm sure you'll grow to like me sooner or later."

"This may come as a shock to you, but I didn't come here to make friends," Paprika responded sharply, her frown deepening as she reached up to clean the blood trickling down from her mouth. It was a gesture that was copied by her opponent. "I came here to wipe the floor with you and make you pay for what you did to me. A killer like you doesn't deserve the mercy of appropriate social etiquette."

The demi-Saiyan frowned at her response, "Look, I'm sorry about what happened to your father and your planet. But he left me no other choice. It was either beat him or watch him suck the entire earth into the Dead Zone. If you were in my shoes, struggling to hold onto the ground and protect your friends, you would have done the exact same thing that I did."

Snarling at the boy's reasoning, the girl clenched her fists tightly and snapped, "Don't lecture me on perspectives, you retch! I wasn't the one that condemned a father and wiped an entire race of people from existence. You were!" Her angry retort had Gohan flinch at the pain he could sense in Paprika's words. "It's useless to get me to see your point of view. My father and my home are gone… and there isn't a damn thing I can do to get them back. The only thing that's left for me in their place is misery… and the only way I'll be able to get rid of it is to make the one who ruined my life suffer for all the pain that he's caused me."

As Gohan listened to the girl's angry tirade, the stadium remained silent as the announcer and the audience also lent an ear to the pair's conversation. While all those closest to their level could definitely hear the girl's shouts and statements, all of Paprika's hurt and frustrations were being directed to one person and one person only; and that was her opponent.

Remaining as he was, the demi-Saiyan allowed the girl to get all the words she had off her chest.

"You were the one that destroyed my home planet!" the Makyan girl snapped fiercely. "YOU were the one that murdered my father and left me all alone in the wilderness! You have no idea what it's like to be stranded out in the cold with nothing and nobody to return to! You have no idea what it's like to lose your family!"

This part had the half-Saiyan flinch. His hand clenching and unclenching momentarily, the spiky haired warrior then looked across at the girl with sadness reflected in his eyes. "You're half right. I don't know what it's like to lose my home." When he saw the girl narrow her glare, Gohan looked up at her and continued. "But I do know what it's like to lose someone you care about and to be left out in the cold… and I know what it's like to lose a family member… especially a father." These words brought a tinge of pain to the boy's own heart and had him wince on the inside.

Hearing the boy's response to her outburst, Paprika remained as she was, quiet and motionless. Eventually, after processing her opponent's own heartfelt statements and seeing the sadness reflected on his face, the girl tightened her fist again and shook her head, "Then you should know why I have to do this."

Swallowing, Gohan nodded, "Yes." He then gave her a serious look. "Do you want to dispense of the rules and try to kill each other?"

"No. I'm not going to kill you," Paprika replied, her anger still burning strongly as a current of red electricity shot up her arm. "If I did, then that would make me even worse than you; a person lower than the scum in the gutter. Besides…" The corner of her mouth twitched into a smile, "It would be a lot more satisfying to beat you within the rules. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to hurt you… and what better place to do that than on a stage like this?" She gestured grandly to their already half destroyed arena. "I'm going to beat you in front of all these people and burn you for all the crimes you've committed."

Gohan frowned at her declaration, "Sorry to disappoint you, Paprika, but at the rate this fight is going the only way you're ever going to beat me is to knock me out… and I'm not even fighting at half my real power yet. If this is all that you have to show me, then this match is as good as over."

It was these words that brought an even wider smirk to the girl's face. "I agree. This match is as good as over… for you anyway." Her response prompting the boy to raise his eyebrow, Paprika then flicked her hair back and raised her hand. "Did you honestly think that I would face you in battle without some sort of plan? You see, I have a little trick up my sleeve that you may be quite familiar with. After you destroyed my home planet and scattered its debris on the wind, I was able to collect several of the fragments that managed to survive and fused them with my body." This reveal immediately had Gohan look up with a start and watch as a feral grin slowly pulled across Paprika's face.

The expression she took on was one that was both menacing and intimidating, and sent a chill down everyone's spines.

"The radiation from the Makyo Star's soil stimulates the cells inside of its natives and increases our energy output several times over. That means, with the planet's rock imbedded in my system and combined with my energy, I'm able to do something like this!" Her body tensing up, Paprika tightened fists and gritted her teeth, a loud snarl escaping her lips as she began to focus her energy.

A red glow starting to radiate off of her body like fire, Gohan narrowed his eyes and watched closely as Paprika went through the most unusual power up. Her energy levels fluctuating and veins starting to pulse around her forehead, the ground began to tremble and the air started to grow heavy with a growing physical presence.

Then, only three seconds after Paprika began focusing her ki, the Makyan child then experienced a sudden and startling transformation. In the blink of an eye, the girl's mass and size increased drastically, her height shooting up to that of Piccolo's, her muscles bulking, and her entire body taking on a more shapely, womanly form. To top it off, Paprika's sickly green skin darkened to a forest shade, her white hair elongated and, with her sudden increase in size, her clothes exploded off of her body, shredding into pieces and leaving the girl in nothing but her shoes, a black sports bra, and white underwear.

To put it into perspective, the Makyan girl went from petite, Videl stature to fucking She-Hulk in appearance in less than half a second.

While the announcer freaked out at the girl's sudden transformation and the audience gawked in shock, Piccolo, Zangya, Videl and Gohan's eyes widened in horror when they sensed the girl's ki skyrocket to an unprecedented level.

"What the shit?!" the Hera shouted.

Gasping, Gohan had absolutely no time to react when he saw the enormous Paprika appear directly in front of him and nail him across the face with a hook. The blow connecting with a clap of a shockwave, the half-Saiyan could only yell in shock as he was sent spinning across the ring and towards the edge, almost blacking out from the force of the hit.

Just before he could try and correct himself, his opponent once again vanished in a crack of wind and reappeared in his path. It was here Paprika swayed backwards so she was floating horizontal to the ground and threw a kick straight up into the approaching Gohan's stomach. The blow struck with a deafening 'crack' and sent the hapless half-Saiyan spiraling skywards, a yell escaping his lips as he climbed altitude at breakneck speeds.

Several seconds into his flight, before he could regain any form of bearing, the boy was then suddenly stopped dead when his opponent shot up after him in a blur of movement and slammed a knee into his stomach. The sudden, violent blow generated a shockwave that dispersed the clouds around them and had Gohan spit up blood. A grinning Paprika then allowed the boy to remain doubled over her leg before, lacing her hands above her head, the Makyan dropped a hammer blow into his back and sent him plummeting back towards the ring.

As Gohan spiraled in his descent, Paprika effortlessly held her right hand out and, with a smirk, launched her follow-up attack. "Pepper Shot!" A flash of pink light followed by a continuous barrage of energy blasts rocketed from her hand and towards the falling warrior.

The stream of attacks collided with the demi-Saiyan in midair, bombarding him and sending him rocketing towards the ring at a much faster rate. A split second later, Gohan and the barrage of energy beams collided with the ring, causing a series of concussive explosions that shook the arena and scared the hell out of the audience.

The announcer and the Junior Division competitors standing on the lawn literally dove for cover as the ring was ravaged by the rain of energy attacks.

The cloud of dust that filled the air pelted the audience with debris and prompted a closely watching Videl to rush forward in shock. "No! Gohan!"

Watching her blasts nearly rip the ring to pieces with little to no effort, Paprika, still holding her position high up in the sky, smirked triumphantly as the smoke slowly started to lift.

"You poor fool. With the power I possess, you don't stand a chance against me. By absorbing the remains of the Makyo Star into my body, I've not only increased the regenerative capabilities of my muscles, I've probably become the most powerful force in this entire quadrant," Paprika stated in a now deeper tone of voice, her eyes narrowing when she saw a crater in the center of the ring emerge from the smoke. "I have the sum total of my entire race's strength coursing through my veins. There's not a single being alive that can stop me… not even you."

The moment she said this, the center of the hole exploded in a shower of debris and, from the rubble, Gohan reemerged. With his gi in tatters, and bruises and burns covering his entire body, the spiky haired Saiyan panted heavily and glared up at the girl hovering in the sky overhead. Seeing her form like a big, green beacon against the clear blue canvas, the young warrior growled through bloody teeth while the audience up in the stands watched on in dead silence to see what the young fighter was going to do next.

Whatever had happened just then, it was clear he'd taken a massive amount of damage in that attack.

Paprika chuckled in amusement, "Stay down you weakling. It's useless to try and fight me."

Spitting to the side and straightening up, Gohan clenched his fists, "We'll see!" Then, with a yell of rage and effort, the boy powered up to his maximum, his blue aura exploding around him and his hair blasting upwards on the wind. It was a sight that stunned the crowd, awed the announcer and brought a grin to Videl's face, who watched closely as her friend started to get serious.

Aura burning brilliantly, the young demi-Saiyan exploded from the ring and rocketed up into the sky towards his opponent in a streak of blazing blue light. Reaching her in under a second he swung out, only for Paprika to vanish in a blur. Passing her, Gohan came to a stop and, his aura flaring up a second time, he changed directions and shot back down towards ground level.

Managing to avoid his first attack, Paprika tucked and began to roll as she fell, a split second before vanishing a second time when the powered up Saiyan came down from above with another swing. Missing her, Gohan growled and shot after her across the sky. The Makyan reappeared out of her high speed movement traveling backwards, teeth gritted as she watched her opponent's ethereal form rocket towards her and swing at her with a roundhouse kick. In another blur she flew up into the clouds and avoided his attack, causing Gohan to miss and chase after her once again.

A trail of blue energy marked the path of the Saiyan as the raven haired warrior pursued Paprika through the atmosphere. Crisscrossing back and forth, he attempted to catch the demon when she passed him again, only to end up chasing after her once more. Flying back over the stadium where the audience could see them, Gohan attempted to run her down, only to see her vanish and blindside him with a swift shoulder tackle that sent him spiraling to the side.

While he was spinning out of control, Paprika intercepted the young half-Saiyan and dropped a kick on him from above, slamming him in the back and sending him plummeting towards the arena far below. Seconds later, before the winded boy could impact the ring's surface, the Makyan girl instantly teleported beneath him and caught him with a knee to the stomach. As soon as the boy's momentum stopped and he was doubled over her leg, the girl brought both her hands up and smashed them into his back. Gohan slammed into the ring's floor, his head bounding off of its hard surface, stunning him, before a foot smashed it back into the concrete.

After only a few seconds of fighting, the boy once again found himself at the mercy of his opponent.

Paprika smirked as she felt the boy squirm uselessly under her heel. "What's the matter, scum? Can't get up?" Hearing him growl in response, the Makyan girl chuckled. "Come on. I know this isn't the best you can do. Get angry. Show me your real power! I want to fight you and beat you down at your strongest!" When the still base form Gohan attempted to push up again, the girl ground her foot into his head and shoved him back down with a loud crunching sound. Receiving no words in response, she frowned deeply. "FINE! Have it your way!"

Before the announcer even had a chance to start a count, Paprika stepped off of Gohan, charged up an attack and, holding her left hand up, began firing blasts directly into his back. "Meatball Shooter!" A stream of rapid fire energy shots left her hand and began slamming into the boy's back over and over again. The amount of blasts she unleashed tore up the ground around the demi-Saiyan and ripped into his back, cries and screams of agony leaving Gohan's lips when he was hit at pointblank range by the assault. His entire upper body was hammered into submission.

A feral grin of excitement pulled over Paprika's face as she gleefully roasted the youngster beneath her.

The audience could only watch in shock as the girl laid out the young fighter with ease, a smile ever-present while she hit him again and again until the floor directly in front of her had turned into a blazing pink inferno. Piccolo and Zangya glared down at the ring nervously, the former uncrossing his arms and preparing to jump in, and Videl had her hands clapped over her mouth in horror.

After several more seconds of continuous shooting, Paprika stopped, allowing the flames from her attack to fade and reveal to everyone there what had happened to their favorite young fighter. When the smoke lifted, they saw the still intact Gohan lying beneath her feet, his shirts incinerated and his entire upper body battered and burnt. The sound of his heavy breathing and the sight of his agonized face had the Makyan leer in satisfaction.

"How does it feel, Gohan? How does it feel to be the victim, to be the helpless one… to have your face buried in the ground and to have no one here to help you? Does it hurt?" The girl spat and, kicking him in the side, rolled him onto his back and elicited a yelp of pain from him. "I bet it does. So how about we continue this little game? I've got a lot more frustration to take out on you… and I'm not going to stop until I hear you beg for my forgiveness." She then held her hand up and began charging yet another energy attack. "Now… BURN YOU MURDERER!"

At that exact moment, Gohan's eyes flew open and, with a yell of rage and a flash of teal, he sprang up from the ground and nailed Paprika directly in the nose. The force and speed of the punch practically caved the girl's face in before sending her flying through the air and bouncing across the ring. When she eventually rolled to a stop a second later, the girl grabbed her face with both hands and yelled out in agony.

"GAAAAAHHH! FUCK!" Gasping in shock, Paprika slowly stood back up and looked across the arena floor. When she did, she saw her now standing opponent become engulfed in a golden aura before a brilliant flash of light engulfed the entire stadium.

Blinded by the flare and deafened by the immense howl that came with it, Paprika only had to wait a couple of seconds before the anomaly died down. When she looked back, her visage twisted into one of shock when she saw her opponent standing there, bathed in a golden glow, his eyes teal and his once night black hair turned a shining blonde.

While Hercule and the rest of the stadium gawked at the boy's transformation to his first level of Super Saiyan, Videl was overcome with joy, her eyes sparkling just as brightly at the young male's ethereal form.

"Yes!"

"Have you calmed down?" Allowing the shock to settle in and seeing the girl take a step back, the shirtless Gohan cracked his neck and smirked, "Good. Now we can do this properly. You want a fight that badly, Paprika? Well… you've got one."

Shivering at the amount of power she could now feel coming off of the boy, Paprika grinned and clenched her fists. "Finally. This is exactly what I was waiting for… Mr. Super Saiyan." With a growl of effort, a red aura exploded off of her body and engulfed her in the same manner the boy had emitted his cloak of energy. The earth trembling at the amount of power both fighters were generating together, the Makyan, now at full power, then took a fighting stance and shouted, "Let's do this! Bring it on!"

His fists tightening even more as he gauged his adversary's power increase, the hybrid Saiyan's eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. "You asked for it." Gritting his teeth, the transformed Gohan then exploded from his spot and charged at the girl in the form of a golden flash, crashing into her head on and elbow first.

Paprika threw her arms up in time to block the blow the youngster tackled her with. However, just as she was leaning back from the force of the impact, she suddenly saw his afterimage pass directly through her, causing her to blink in shock. A split second later, Gohan's faded form solidified directly behind her and, reversing directions, elbowed her in the back. The unexpected attack knocked the girl off her feet and sent her flying forward.

Managing to gain control of her flight, the stunned girl spun into a flip, rotated around and landed deftly. Throwing her hand back, Paprika gave a loud growl before, throwing it forward, unleashed a blinding white blast from her hand that rocketed towards the Super Saiyan standing directly in her line of sight. "WONTON BLASTER!" With a mighty howl the attack rocketed towards the boy at light speed, only for the golden warrior to vanish before the beam struck that side of the ring and completely disintegrated the edge in a catastrophic explosion.

When the audience was pelted by dust and debris, Paprika's eyes snapped behind her, where she saw her opponent reappear.

Clenching his jaw tightly as he watched the demon curl her fists and take a stance as well, Gohan then brought his guard up to his sides and dashed forward. Rushing at her in a blur of movement, as soon as he was in range he cranked his right fist back, gave a mighty yell and, taking aim, drove his fist into her chest. Paprika's forearm flew up to block the hit and, as soon as the earsplitting shockwave rang out and rocked the entire stadium to its foundations, the pair began to fight.

Gohan's fists flew at Paprika in blurs, slamming into her arms again and again as they shot up to intercept his attacks. Continuous shockwaves exploded off of them as they boxed it out in the middle of the arena. With every hit generating a violent tremor, the demi-Saiyan continued attacking her with reckless abandon until Paprika pulled her fist back and slammed a punch into his face. The boy took the blow, his head cocking to the side. But even as her knuckles buried into his cheek, the young Super Saiyan only growled against it and violently shoved it away with a quick shake of his head.

Eyes widening in alarm, the girl threw a hand up to block a swinging left punch, only to then see the Super Saiyan leap up and drive a knee into the side of her head. The blow impacted with a thunderclap, knocking the girl to the side with her eyes glazed over. Before she could fall, Paprika recovered quickly and threw up another guard, only to then receive a palm strike to the cheek.

The hits landing with deafening thuds, Gohan then brought both his fists up and, with a yell, drove a hammer blow into his opponent's back. The girl crumpled from the attack, but as soon as his fists lifted free, Paprika retaliated with a vicious flurry of attacks. In the blink of an eye, both Super Saiyan and Super Makyan began pummeling each other with lightning fast blows, thunderclaps ringing out at a machinegun rate while they fought across the decimated arena.

With every blow that connected the stadium shook and as the spectators held on for dear life, the announcer stood beside the ruined court in awe. "This fight just got real, ladies and gentlemen! Right now, both Gohan and Paprika are giving each other everything they've got! Their punches are so strong; every single blow they land is causing the heavens themselves to shake! WHAT A MATCH!"

Crying out furiously with every attack they threw, both opponents continued to lay it on the other as they moved across the concrete floor. Avoiding as many of his adversary's blows as he could, Gohan cranked his left fist back and threw a straight, only to have the girl parry it and retaliate with another furious onslaught. The dance continued, and as the damage to the ring started to mount, so did the damage on both fighters as they began landing more and more devastating blows on each other.

Zangya, gripping the walkway's railing so tightly that the metal was starting to bend, gawked at the sight below. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Unreal…"

The Namekian's expression reflected equal surprise. "Yes. I see." Upon uttering these words, his expression then became one of seriousness as he scrutinized the boy's opponent more carefully. "Her power level is almost exactly the same as Cell's maximum when he fought against Gohan after he became an Ascended Saiyan for the first time. No wonder she's putting up such a good fight."

"How the heck can someone trade blows with wonder boy like that?" There were very few out there that could actually trade blows with the young Super Saiyan, but this girl was managing to give even the youngster a hard time. However, the sight of it brought an amused smirk to Zangya's face. "Heh. He must be loving every second of it."

Slamming their elbows into each other and generating an electric shockwave that sparked off of them, both Gohan and Paprika sprang away from each other and landed on opposite sides of the stage. Upon touching down, the pair took defensive stances, with the Makyan blasting forward and rocketing towards her foe without hesitation. In a blur, she slammed a hook across his face with a thunderclap, only to receive an uppercut in return.

Back flipping away, Gohan landed on the very edge of the crumbling arena and flew forward, meeting his staggered foe in the center and once again locking in another heated exchange. Punches and kicks flying, flashes of light bounced off of the two fighters as their blows impacted one after the other. Then, after a full minute of merciless pummeling, the pair ended it with a right punch that crashed into the other's face and sent them flying back.

Trailing blood, the pair slammed their feet into the ground and skidded to a stop. As soon as the brakes were applied, the pair sprang into the air and, charging at each other, vanished in the blink of an eye.

All of a sudden, the sky was filled with a series of invisible explosions, shockwaves bursting all around like fireworks. The force of each blast causing the entire island to shake, the two super powered warriors began fighting each other at a speed neither member of the audience could keep up with. Even Piccolo and Zangya had lost complete track of the pair as they looked up towards the sky and saw their blurred forms darting through the clouds in all directions.

The sounds of more thunderclaps ringing out and drawing cries from the already terrified audience, the exchange lasted for well over a few minutes. But then, as actual explosions began ripping throughout the space above the stadium and the sight of ki blasts began streaking across the blue canvas, a final shockwave, much larger than any of the ones before, rippled across the island and nearly split the land in two. The force of it was so violent that the coliseum and the surrounding buildings cracked and crumbled.

Upon bracing themselves against the blast, Piccolo, Zangya and Videl looked up to see Gohan plummeting from the sky and being chased by the red blur of his opponent. However, just when it seemed like the boy was going to hit the ground, he suddenly vanished into thin air and blindsided his pursuing foe with a kick that sent her spinning through the air. After several hundred meters of flight, the Super Saiyan intercepted her and, with a well-timed follow up, kicked her out of the sky and sent her rocketing towards the ring.

The girl struck another corner and blasted it into rubble, sending dust and debris flying into the air. When the tremors from the impact died, the audience looked up once more, wondering whether or not one of them had finally been knocked out for good. Even Videl swallowed heavily as she nervously eyed the crater the teen had landed.

However, after a couple seconds of waiting, the rubble suddenly exploded outwards and Paprika emerged with a scream of rage. Bringing her fists down to her sides, the badly bruised and bleeding girl snarled angrily and glared up at the sky.

"Dargh… no!" Her opponent was gaining the upper hand. She couldn't let that happen!

Spotting her adversary landing on the other side of the arena, she then saw him rocket towards her in a golden flash. Cranking her fist back, Paprika attempted to hook him, "WRETCHED LITTLE-" Her punch missed though when Gohan, quick as ever, sprang over her and, landing behind her, slammed a kick into her back and sent her blasting across the arena with a shout of pain.

Quickly flipping forward and recovering with a swift landing, the Makyan spun around and shot back at her foe, a bellow of rage escaping her lips as she cocked her left fist over her shoulder. Her arm shone a hot pink as she prepared to deliver a power blow to knock the bastard out. But the second she came within range and threw it, Gohan managed to duck under her swing and deliver a powerful uppercut into her stomach, burying his knuckles into her rock hard abs.

The pair remained like that, glaring fiercely at one another with strangled groans escaping Paprika's teeth and a growl leaving Gohan's, his expression tightened into one of blind fury. Upon holding their positions for several full seconds, the motionless audience then saw the Makyan girl stumble away, her body hunching over and both hands moving to grip her gut.

Mouth agape, the girl choked up blood that dribbled onto the floor from her lips, at the same time her opponent pulled his fist back and panted exhaustedly. The fight so far had dealt both of them a great deal of damage, as the two of them were covered in intense burns and bruises. They were also bleeding profusely from over a dozen open wounds.

Clenching her jaw, Paprika glared hatefully at her battered foe. "How the hell is this happening?!" Sucking it in, the girl shot up and took a shaky fighting stance. As soon as she did, she blasted forward and threw a punch, only to have it caught in the firm grip of her opponent.

Fist trapped, she threw another one, only to have that fist caught as well.

Locking them in stalemate, Gohan yelled out in rage and tightened his grip on the Makyan's fists. The sounds of bones creaking and muscles popping ringing out like they were being amplified, the audience gave a collective wince when they heard a cry of agony escape Paprika's lips and watched as she tried to pull her fists free. However, no matter how far she leaned away, the boy refused to let her go and increased the pressure.

A growl escaped Gohan's lips when he tightened his vice-like grip even more and Paprika gave another cry of agony, her fists starting to break.

Not wanting to lose out, the Makyan acted instinctively and threw a kick up into the boy's chin, smacking his head upwards. The moment the demi-Saiyan's head was cocked back, the girl looped her legs around his arms and yanked her fists free, before bringing herself up and preparing to drive a blow down onto his head.

As soon as she threw it, Gohan leapt up at her and rammed his forehead into her face, knocking the girl off of him and sending her crashing to the floor. What soon followed could only be described as the most vicious beat down the stadium had ever seen, as the Super Saiyan mercilessly picked the girl up and pile-drove her into the floor with a deafening crack. The girl retaliated by slamming a kick into his stomach, only to receive an elbow to the face in a counter that had her stumbling across the ring. Gohan sprinted after her and nailed her with a hook, only to then get kneed in the face and sent staggering backwards.

Rushing him, Paprika then prepared for an elbow, only to get kicked in the side and knocked off her feet. As soon as she was in the air, Gohan charged after her falling body and kneed it in the ribs, slamming a hook into her face and then a kick that sent her flying upwards. But then, just as the Makyan was gaining altitude, the boy blasted off of the ground and intercepted her in the sky.

Without thought or hesitation, the boy tackled her in the back and sent both of them plummeting to the ring once more. A cry of terror left Paprika's lips before she was smashed stomach first into the edge of the ring and had Gohan's knee drive into her back. The force of impact shattered the stone and had the girl choke up blood.

After crash landing on top of the Makyan, the half-Saiyan stumbled away and prepared to fire a blast. But just before he could hit her, Paprika leapt off of the ground and hooked him across the face. The blow landed with terrific force and sent the boy packing, but before he could fly out of reach Gohan managed to land a hook of his own, which connected with a thunderclap.

Trailing spit, both fighters skidded across the ruined surface of the arena to a grinding halt. As soon as their momentums ceased, they then glared across at one another.

The stadium then fell into a deathly silence when the two fighters fixed their hardest glares on the other. With ragged breaths leaving their bodies and sweat dripping from their pores, Gohan and Paprika held their stances, waiting to see who would break first.

It was then the Super Saiyan saw Paprika stumble forward with a gasp and collapse to her knee, an action that was marked by a thump when she hit the hard floor.

The announcer, seeing the girl crumble under the pressure, yelled into his microphone. "It looks like the damage has finally gotten to Paprika! Could this be the end?!"

"No," the Makyan hissed, looking to see the equally beaten Gohan stagger backwards as well, but manage to hold his footing. "No! I can't let this end. Not yet. Not here!" Despite the number of hits they'd landed on each other, she was the one that was losing out in their battle.

This was something she wasn't going to let stand.

"NO WAY! I will not be beaten by this low class retch! I won't lose…" Snarling through her fangs, the girl shakily forced herself back to her feet and, clenching her fists tightly, she threw her head back and cried out to the heavens. "I WON'T LOSE!" A howl then followed as her red aura blasted off of her in an inferno, pelting the young Super Saiyan with debris and sending a gust of wind across the stands. When the spectators were knocked out of their seats and the announcer ducked behind the ring, the entire island shook when Paprika summoned whatever amount of power she had left.

With Gohan holding his ground as best as he could, the beaten and bruised Saiyan looked across in surprise as he sensed the girl's energy levels climbing higher and higher. "W-What…?"

"I'M ENDING THIS FIGHT RIGHT NOW! NO MORE TRICKS! NO MORE RESTRAINTS!" With veins pulsing all over her body, including her eyes, the green skinned fighter crouched low to the ground and took aim with her hand. Holding it out so that all the fingers were extended, white and pink energy began gathering around her palm, forming a shining ball of death that began to pulse and shimmer.

Gohan's eyes widened at the sight, "Oh, crap." His gaze shot behind him, where he saw the stands of people sitting and watching the events unfolding on the ring. Upon which he spun back around and glared across at Paprika, whose entire form was starting to flicker like a red strobe as she continued charging her next attack. "She's blinded with rage. Shit! If she fires it from that position…"

There was a good chance that in her anger… if she missed, she was going to wipe out a great portion of the stadium as well as an entire chunk of the island.

Her form glowing brilliantly like a star in the center of their field, Paprika took aim at her target. Completely unaware of the people sitting in the stands around her, a feral grin formed across her face as her anger and frustration took over, "TAKE THIS, YOU BASTARD! PAN BLASTER!" The girl then launched her attack…

The moment she did however, Gohan shot towards his opponent faster than she could react and, with a yell of his own, knocked Paprika's arm skywards, stunning her. With a crack of thunder and a flash of blinding light, a stream of pink energy exploded from her palm like a missile. The sheer force of the blast generated a sonic boom strong enough to crack the floor beneath them and shake the foundations of the entire arena. In that same instant, a beam of energy the size of a comet rocketed into the skies, parting the clouds and leaving the earth's atmosphere altogether, the sight of which caused all of the spectators to cry out in terror.

While the audience took cover, Piccolo, Zangya and Videl all gawked, as the amount of energy that had been put into that attack would've been enough to wipe out the entire planet.

When the stream of ki eventually faded and normal light returned to the stadium floor, Gohan immediately followed up on his quick maneuver by cranking back his right hand and forming a fist. The sight of his action had alarm bells go off in Paprika's head, the Makyan swaying back at the last second to avoid a powerful uppercut aimed for her head. Throwing herself away from her opponent, the demon performed a back flip and landed close to the edge of the ring. She then only had a split second to spring off of the ground and fly into the air to avoid a follow-up blow from the charging Saiyan, who then spun around and pursued her with his gaze.

Shooting into the clouds in a streak of red light, Paprika gritted her teeth and, upon reaching several kilometers up, glared back down at the arena. "Damn you!" Determined to finish the fight, she slowed her flight and prepared to launch one last attack.

However, the second she hit the brakes, Gohan's hand was already cranked back and thrown forward, which then unleashed a blast of brilliant blue energy. "FLASH MADAN!" In a mighty gust of wind, the enormous attack shot into the sky in pursuit of the Makyan, who recoiled in shock at the size of the attack now hurtling towards her.

Gritting her teeth, she brought both hands above her head and took aim. "Fine! I'm going to-" Unfortunately Paprika didn't have time to finish her retort, because the second she began to prepare her counter, she sensed a ki signature appear directly behind her and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw Gohan, who was supposed to be on the ground firing the attack, super speed into view and begin diving towards her. "WHAT?! How in the-"

With a deafening 'crack' and a mighty battle cry, Gohan tackled the girl in the spine and knocked her out of the sky at blinding speed. Powering up, with his hands gripping the hapless Makyan's sides, the demi-Saiyan then held the transformed girl upside-down above his head and dove towards his approaching energy blast with the intent to pile drive her into it.

Noticing they were on a collision course with his Flash Madan blast, Paprika's eyes turned white and her mouth flew open in a terrified, bloodcurdling scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

A split second later, the stadium was filled with the tremendous sound of a colossal explosion and a flash of blinding light when the pair crashed headlong into the attack, blue fire rippling out in all directions and causing the entire island to shake. While the audience braced themselves against the gales of wind, Piccolo, Zangya and Videl were able to watch as a body flew out the bottom end of the fireball in the opposite direction the blast had traveled, and collided with the grass outside the crumbling ring. The fighter's impact with the ground was marked by an explosion of dust and debris, which sent a thick cloud over the stands and had the people in the front rows coughing and sputtering.

When the frazzled and shaken spectators finally recovered from the madness of the fight and the sky finally cleared of smoke, they all looked towards the crater where the body had impacted. There, lying sprawled out in the center, they saw Paprika, reverted back to her base form, battered, burnt, bruised, and bleeding from a new series of cuts, lying sprawled out in the center of it.

Rushing over to her, the announcer checked for a pulse. Taking her by the shoulder and giving the green girl a light shake afterwards, the man in the shades sighed in relief and stood up. Clearing his throat and using a cloth to wipe off his dust covered sunglasses, the announcer turned to the audience and made the call, "That's it folks! The winner by ring out and knock out of the second to last match of the tournament is Son Gohan!" The man exclaimed, throwing a hand towards the ring as the Super Saiyan, unscathed from the explosion, dropped down from the sky and landed in the center.

Reverting back to his base form with a sigh, there was a long moment of silence in which the audience spent trying to get over the unbelievable battle that they'd just witnessed. After a full minute ticked by, the crowds of shaken civilians soon recovered from their stunned reveries and rewarded Gohan with a loud cheer and a round of applause. The shirtless demi-Saiyan made certain to bow in gratitude to his legions of fans, before then jogging over to check on the defeated Makyan.

"Congratulations Son Gohan. You've made it to the finals. We will now have a short break to clear up the ring and provide first aid for our contestants," the announcer said, watching as the clearly battered half-Saiyan hopped down from the stage and approached the crater where the unconscious Paprika was lying. The blonde adult made room for Gohan as he stepped up to check on the girl himself, earning a concerned look from the experienced referee. "How are you doing, big guy? Do you need to see a doctor? You took quite a beating out there."

"Nah. Compared to her these are just scrapes. I'll live," Gohan replied, glancing to the side when he sensed Videl rushing over from her spot on the other side of the lawn.

The moment she skidded to a stop alongside him and the tournament official, Piccolo and Zangya also dropped down from the sky, a sight that immediately drew the crowd's attention.

First the two kids were fighting and flying, and now they were being joined by two others who could as well. Just what the heck was going on today?

"Gohan! Are you alright?" Videl asked, hand on her chest as she gazed across at her friend in worry. "Are you hurt?"

The spiky haired half-Saiyan grinned and shook his head, "No. Just some bad bruises and cuts. Nothing a quick visit to Dende's can't fix."

"I'll say," Piccolo spoke, the towering Namekian looking down at his student seriously.

"You look even worse than you did after your fight with that Kana chick," Zangya remarked, placing her hands on her hips and looking at the boy in amusement. "Damn, wonder boy. Do you get your jollies from having your ass kicked around the countryside or what? There's no shame in admitting it."

Gohan chuckled and massaged the back of his head, at the same time stepping away when two orderlies came around with a stretcher, "What can I say? She was a really tough opponent. I had no idea I was going to end up fighting somebody like her in the tournament, much less the Junior Division." He then turned to look down at the girl as she was attended to by the newly arrived officials. "To be honest, she took me completely by surprise when she transformed."

If he had to make an educated guess, he estimated that Paprika was just as strong if not even stronger than Cell had been before he came back. All things considered, if he hadn't taken advantage of her lapse in attention, then the fight would have dragged on even longer than it had and more damage would have been done to the surrounding island. Heaven knows what would have happened if he'd held back with that last hit. The girl probably would have ended up in a far worse a state than she was now.

Piccolo, giving an understanding nod, stepped up to his student and patted him on the shoulder. "You did really well today kid. Good fight."

"Thanks, Piccolo," Gohan replied, at the same time looking down and receiving a warm smile from Videl. After returning it and feeling the girl fondly clasp at his hand, the group then turned when they sensed the orderlies preparing to move the unconscious Paprika.

As they were shuffling to her sides to hoist her onto the stretcher, everyone there got quite a start when the girl's eyes suddenly shot open and the Makyan bolted upright. The officials freaked out and backpedaled, whereas the Z-fighters remained in place, staring down at her in surprise. Watching the demon girl glance between them in wild paranoia, they then saw her eyes fix upon Gohan, drawing a surprised blink from the youngster.

Upon realizing where she was and exactly who was surrounding her, Paprika's expression became deathly serious and the Makyan girl stood where she'd fallen, gripping her shoulder at the same time. Despite being beaten to the point that she was in no condition to fight back, the group of people surrounding her still regarded her with caution, including Gohan who fixed his foe with a serious gaze.

Paprika's eyes filled with anger and frustration as she stared at the equally beaten half-Saiyan who'd knocked her out of the ring. When it looked as though she was about to lash out, she then cringed and looked away with a huff. "Why don't you just finish me off?"

Feeling Videl's grip tighten around his hand nervously, the young Gohan gave her a small smile, "Simple. I don't want to."

"Why?" the demon girl growled, turning on him with a fierce look on her face. "You didn't have any problems with doing that against my father. With that last attack, I could have destroyed this entire area just to try and take you out. So why not kill me?"

A serious look coming to his face, the demi-Saiyan frowned deeply, "Because… if I killed you… I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that I took the life of someone who didn't deserve it." Gohan placed his hands on his hips and regarded the girl with nothing but his full and undivided attention. "I can see the grief on your face. You fight and suffer because you lost your family… and I know what it's like to experience that kind of loss." He then spared her a kind smile, "Taking the life of someone who is in so much pain and has fought so hard to get this far wouldn't be right. You're not a bad person. Not really. If you were… then you would have done worse to me than just barbeque my back."

His sincere response had Paprika blink in surprise. "You… were testing me?" When she saw him nod his head, the Makyan then frowned back at him. "Even so… this doesn't change anything between us… and it certainly doesn't change how I feel about you. I still think you're a deceitful, cold-hearted, ruthless scumbag."

Gohan chuckled and shrugged, "Maybe. But hey, like I said, just give it a couple of years. I'm sure I'll grow on you eventually." He then extended a hand to her and graced his adversary with a kind smile. "I want to try and make things right. If you'll let me, I'd… really like to help you out, Paprika." It was a gesture that had Piccolo, Zangya and Videl glance at him inquisitively, before then looking to see how the girl would respond.

As expected, the white haired alien threw off his offer by knocking his hand away. "Save it. I don't need your pity or your charity." She then raised a finger and pointed at him, her action causing everyone standing around the boy to recoil fearfully. "This thing isn't over between us. Not by a long shot. I suggest you watch your back from now on, Gohan, because sooner or later I'll be coming after you again." Her eyes flashed dangerously with the promise of pain. "I trained nonstop for five years to face you in battle. I don't mind training for another."

"Heh. If it makes you happy, then that sounds good to me," the demi-Saiyan replied with a grin. "To be honest, I could use with a rival. It'll give me something to look forward to in the future… and you seem to fit that role nicely." His response to the girl's statements had Piccolo and everyone else stare at the Saiyan as if he'd grown a second head.

Paprika glared right back at him before leering for the briefest of seconds, "I'll see you at the next tournament, trash." The moment she straightened up, her red aura burst up around her like a flame. A fierce wind bellowing outwards and ruffling the clothes of all those standing around her, the demon girl then gave one last snarl and, in a burst of dust and debris, took off into the sky, shooting over the horizon.

When they saw her aura vanish, Piccolo felt a wash of nostalgia flood through him.

"Déjà vu."

"Hm?" The demi-Saiyan looked across at the Namekian in surprise, "What do you mean by that, Piccolo?" Upon asking that question, he saw the man turn to face him and smile in his direction.

"Your father said something very similar to me after he gave me a Senzu Bean at the end of the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament," the green skinned warrior explained, earning the attention of all the others standing around him. "Even though I was set on destroying him, the man still found it in his heart to let me go. As strong as he was, your father always had enough room for a little bit of compassion and mercy… a trait you've definitely inherited from him."

Blinking a couple of times, the boy grinned and nodded, "Heh. I guess it's kind of a habit that runs in the family."

Zangya, turning to stare after the vapor trail the Makyan had left in her wake, gave a grunt of indifference, "You sure it was okay to let her go?" Considering how strong she was, the Hera wasn't all too sure about letting somebody like her go so easily.

"Ah, it'll be fine," Gohan replied with a megawatt smile. "She's only interested in beating me to a bloody pulp, so we don't have to worry about her destroying the planet or anything." His answer had everyone give him a deadpanned stare.

"If you say so," the orange haired fighter shrugged, before stepping away with her arms folded.

Videl, still hanging off of her trainer's arms, smiled across at the others before turning her attention to the half-Saiyan hero. "You fought an amazing battle, Gohan-kun. Both of you did."

The youngster grinned, "Thanks, Videl."

After hanging back for the past few minutes and listening to the interactions between the warriors, the announcer then felt it was time to intervene. Clearing his throat and stepping forward while adjusting his tie, the man regarded the group with a smile as he then moved on to his next order of business. "I think it's nearly time to get this show on the road. You two kids can head back to the waiting room and we'll… clean up for the final match."

"Sure. No problem," Gohan nodded.

With that said, both youngsters quickly marched back to the main building, where all the other Junior Division contenders were waiting and watching them fearfully. The audience applauded Gohan as he left the ring and as soon as he disappeared through the practically ruined barricade, Piccolo and Zangya flew back to the walkway, leaving the tournament's staff and officials to clear things up.

The ring was barely holding up at this point. With an entire corner gone and a massive crater sitting in its center, the best the officials could do was sweep it of all the debris and give the surface a patch job. And that was it…

XXX

Up in the stands somewhere in the front row, an elderly couple had just finished picking themselves up with the help of a fellow spectator sitting alongside them. Upon dusting themselves down and picking up his wife's purse, the portly old man with the white mustache, checker shirt and suspenders smiled towards the kind gentlemen that had shielded all of them from the explosions that'd taken place at ring side.

"Th-Thank you so much, sir."

"You're most welcome," the man with the orange and blue gi and spiky black hair replied cheerfully. He then helped another young man up from behind his seat and, after making sure he was sitting down comfortably, stood up to full height and watched as the officials cleared up the area.

"My gosh. What an amazing performance," the elderly man's wife exclaimed in an amazed tone of voice, at the same time adjusting her glasses. "They never used special effects in the last world tournament we saw. Incredible."

"Actually dear… I don't think those were special effects. They looked pretty real to me," the old man cut in, earning an inquisitive look from the woman. "I do not think they would rig explosives in the middle of a fighting match. That would be much too dangerous."

"Really? But… there's no way any of that could have been real," the woman murmured, pulling out a handkerchief to dab across her face. "All those loud thunder claps and beams of light… it was almost like those two youngins' were superhuman."

The man standing alongside them chuckled with his hands on his belt. "Actually, you're right. Those two were superhuman. All of that stuff you saw out there, the flashes of light, the explosions and the flying… those were all real."

Blinking a couple of times, the wife glanced back towards the ring and, considering it for a few moments, smiled, "Oh. Well isn't that something."

Her husband turned to look towards the tall, well-built Samaritan beside them, "You must know an awful lot about this stuff to know that it was all real."

The cheerful young man gave them a sun kissed smile, "I've been doing martial arts all my life. I guess you can say I'm an old hand at this sort of stuff." He then scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Flying too."

Tilting his head at the strangely chipper adult, the elderly man surveyed him for a few moments before a gentle smile formed on his face. "Well… one thing's for sure, you certainly know what you're talking about… and I can tell that what you're saying is the truth. You have that air about you." He then pointed up at the tall stranger. "It's quite funny actually, but you look like you're wearing the exact same uniform as that Son Gohan boy."

Perking up at this, the helpful adult then tugged at his undershirt's collar and spared it a glance. "Yeah. It's… sort of our family's color at this point." Beaming at the couple now assumed in their stadium's seats, the raven haired fighter then pulled up a space next to them as well and, getting comfortable, turned to reset his attention on the ring. "I have to say, my son's growing stronger and stronger every day."

"Oh. So that's your boy out there?" the old man asked with a happy smile. "It's so nice that you've come to watch him compete."

The Son father, not only adorned in the same uniform he'd passed away in but also sporting a noticeable halo above his head, gave the words a kind smile and a sagely nod. "Yeah. I'm really glad I came. There's no way I wanted to miss this…" His eyes shimmered after he said those words. "I'll be sure to congratulate him at the end of the tournament."

XXX

Several minutes following the match with Paprika, a battle that would've turned an entire planet into a wasteland were it not confined entirely to the ring, the announcer then tapped his mike and turned to the crowd. Since everyone had managed to pick themselves up and dust themselves off amidst the ruins of the stadium, he now felt it was time to speed things along. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience! Now that the ring has been cleared up, it's time we moved on to the final match! But before we do, let's give a hand to the brilliant performances of all our Junior Division contestants!"

It was a request the audience was more than willing to comply with. A rain of cheers and applause rained down from the stands, lifting the spirits of the children that'd fought and shaking them out of the stunned dazes brought on by the last semi-final battle.

After giving their praise, the announcer continued on with the proceedings. "It's time for the final match of the Junior Competition! Folks, let's welcome back to the arena Videl and Gohan! Come on out!" Under the collective cries of excitement from every person in the stadium, the two youngsters emerged from the waiting room.

Spurred on by the other junior division competitors, most of whom were cheering them as well, the pair strolled down the slightly ruined pathway up to the decimated ring. Seeing as that they didn't have a flat base to compete on anymore, the two of them made certain to avoid the potholes and craters that lay in their wake, and headed for a spot the announcer had arranged for them.

Now adorned in a newly repaired uniform, the still banged up looking Gohan with band aids slapped across his cheeks and forehead, grinned at his eager opponent, "This is it. Are you ready?"

Videl, not at all put off in the slightest, smiled back at him competitively, "As ready as I'll ever be."

Once both of them were out and standing on one of the only space that'd remained intact throughout the entire superhuman ordeal, the duo stood across from one another with the announcer in the middle.

Hercule, meanwhile, was currently sticking his head out the top window, "DO YOUR BEST, SWEET PEA! DADDY'S CHEERING FOR YOU!" His bellowing voice across the arena had the raven haired girl blush with embarrassment.

Upon checking to make sure both combatants were ready and waiting, the man tossed his microphone to his other hand and made the final introductions.

"We've seen these two climb the ladder of this competition from opposite ends of the board and I gotta say, what a journey it has been. Both have displayed remarkable levels of skill and strength for their age, with the last semi-final match giving us a full scope as to what these youngsters are truly capable of," the announcer read, gesturing between the pair of similarly dressed kids in front of him. "On our right we have the world champion's daughter and former Junior Division Champion Videl Satan, facing off against rising star and newcomer Son Gohan, who is also the son of former world champion Son Goku. Both descended from legends, the two have spent the past several months training together in the mountains; one coaching the other, but both learning a great deal from their partnership. Outside the ring they are the best of friends, but in here… I think it's time to see what these two youngsters have to offer! So let's get ready to RUMBLE!"

Drawing an awed cheer from the crowd and smiles from the two facing each other down, the announcer then used that opportunity to scamper off the ring, down the stairs and onto the lawn. Once he was certain he'd secured a safe distance, he turned back to the pair and spoke into the mike one last time.

"Alright, kids. Whenever you're ready; LET THE MATCH BEGIN!"

Blocking out the sounds of the crowd, Gohan and Videl slid into fighting stances and faced each other down.

Digging her feet into the hard mat, the raven haired human smiled, "Do you want me to take it easy on you? You still look pretty winded from your last fight." To be honest, he could probably use some disinfectant.

The spiky haired teen chuckled, "Thanks. But you don't need to hold back against me, Videl. Come at me with everything you have."

"You sure?"

"Uh-huh," the demi-Saiyan nodded affirmatively, all the while adjusting his fighting stance. "Even though I lost a bit of energy fighting that last battle, I have more than enough to go a few rounds with you." Despite being sore all over, he was positive he could give Videl the fight she was looking for.

"Well, if you ever feel like you're about to keel over just let me know, alright," the raven haired fighter said with a teasing grin.

"Duly noted," Gohan exclaimed, raising his guard ever so slightly. "Remember. Focus. Use the power that's inside of you."

Acknowledging his advice, Videl then clenched her fists tightly and took on a wider stance. Upon which she clenched her jaw and began focusing her energy. In mere seconds a white, fiery aura kicked up around her and started to burn brilliantly, causing the ring around her to tremble. "Time to turn up the heat!" Feeling her ki begin to climb from its neutral state of rest at an incredibly fast rate, the girl let out a mighty bellow as she drew on all of the power she could muster, causing debris to start levitating off of the ground several yards in all directions and her hair to stand on end.

The audience gasped when they felt the earth begin to tremble around them again, with Piccolo and Zangya giving a couple blinks at the amount of ki the girl was now starting to generate.

"Whoa. Someone went and got a lot stronger suddenly," the orange haired alien remarked in surprise, drawing a grunt from the Namekian next to her.

While Hercule gawked from his spot above the waiting room floor, Gohan meanwhile beamed with pride as he watched his friend take hold of her full potential. "Videl is really something special. I've never seen someone adapt to our way of fighting so quickly before." She learned how to fly with only a few days of practice, she learned how to produce ki in two. Her passion and determination had allowed her to push through Roshi's and Piccolo's training regimens time and time again, and no matter how many times she fell she always got back up.

Even though she wasn't Saiyan or Namekian, she was definitely one hell of a human.

After powering up to her absolute maximum, Videl gave a grin at the amount of energy she could feel blasting off of her and held up a fist. "There!" Swinging it out, the girl then sprang off of the ground and as soon as she was in the air, vanished in a blur of movement.

Even though the audience lost sight of her completely, Gohan and the Z-fighters didn't. Glancing up, the spiky haired half-Saiyan saw his friend reappear in the air several stories above him and dive straight down towards the ring. The second she blew within range, the girl cocked her foot back and, with a loud battle cry, spun a kick straight into his head.

Gohan's arm shot up to guard and the second the teen's leg collided, a shockwave rang out that produced a small, earthly tremor.

The impact being heard all around, the demi-Saiyan and his opponent held their positions for a whole five seconds. When the glowing girl eventually disengaged, the boy in orange looked at his raised arm in surprise, upon which he started feeling pins and needles that had his hair standing on end.

"Gaaah! I actually felt that." He probably shouldn't have relaxed so much. She put all of her power into that blow.

Unfortunately he didn't have time to gawk at his arm because the second Videl landed in front of him, the girl threw a right straight into his face. The boy dodged it and countered with his good arm, his fist crashing into the girl's block with the sound of a gunshot. Growling against the fist digging into her guard, the human fighter then slammed a kick into his forward leg and back flipped away, using the young Saiyan as a step ladder.

Upon spring boarding away, the instant Videl hit the ground the girl turned to the side and vanished in another crack of wind. Gohan's eyes darted left, following the clouds of dust that burst up in the direction the girl was traveling, before suddenly seeing her reappear on his right and throw a hook at his face. Blocking it blindly, he then turned to face her, where he was then met with the full fury of the girl's assault.

Punches and kicks flying, the raven haired girl began viciously attacking the half-Saiyan, forcing him to backpedal across the ring at a comfortable pace, blocking and parrying all of her attacks. Slipping left and right in a blur of movement, Gohan deflected and parried all of her blows, leading them into a running battle across the ruined arena.

The audience watched the pair vanish in the form of two indiscernible blurs that darted across the stage left and right. They couldn't tell who was who. All they could do was look around in confusion, and listen to the sounds of kiloton blows connecting over and over again. The most obvious shouts filling the air belonged to Videl, while the occasional grunt and exclamation of surprise came from Gohan.

Clearly sticking to defensive to see what else his student could do, the cheerful half-Saiyan began mixing it up and throwing in counters to try and throw his opponent off. In the midst of their scuffle, Gohan parried one of Videl's punches and threw a counter, only for her to block it and retaliate with an even more vicious assault. Glad to see how determined she was, he then threw a hard elbow, only to have it connect with one of her own that produced a concussive shockwave that cracked the ground beneath them.

Feeling the tremor, the astonished announcer gazed in awe at the sight before deciding to address his equally stunned audience. "Wow! What an amazing development! It seems our previous champion Videl has learned a few new moves since the last tournament! Feel that power! She's definitely not making it easy for our newcomer Gohan! Look at them go!"

Growling, Videl then threw a random flurry of punches, all of which Gohan intercepted with his own, their knuckles colliding in rapid succession before he interrupted the exchange with a swift, sweeping kick. Swaying back to avoid and leaping through the air, the pigtailed fighter drew her hand back and with a shout, fired a yellow blast of energy straight down at her opponent, only to see him slap it aside with a chop and counter with a blast of his own.

Videl dropped fast and avoided it, the attack shooting out of the stadium and into the sky. Once she was crouched, a blue aura suddenly exploded around her and, cocking her right fist back, produced a stream of electricity around it. She then shot forward, her energy taking on a strange, arrowhead shape that surprised the young Saiyan at her sudden increase in speed.

With a mighty bellow, the raven haired girl drove her lightning charged fist towards her foe in a blur. "Hawk Arrow!" She then connected with the cross-arm block Gohan held up, an impact producing an earthshaking thunderclap. The force of the attack traveled through the boy and punched a trench into the ring behind him, flinging debris into the air and a blast of wind across the stands.

Aura still raging around her, Videl kept her fist embedded in the teen's arm when she saw him smile at her.

"Nice power."

Grinning, the young fighter then sprang away. The moment Gohan fell into a defensive stance, his friend touched down on the very edge of the arena and powered up. Taking aim, Videl threw her hands forward and unleashed a concentrated golden blast of energy, much larger than her last, and lobbed it at the boy. The half-Saiyan slapped it out of the coliseum and fired one in kind, forcing the girl to leap to the side and avoid it. The second it took out a small chunk of the ring, she fired a second, resulting in an epic shoot out between the two.

Streaks of light flashed across the concrete mat, blasting out chunks of tile and concrete. The audience watched the display in awe, every so often screaming and ducking to avoid being pelted by debris. Eventually, after a trade off that lasted for several long seconds, Videl then had a stroke of luck when she landed off to the side and launched a single-handed blast at her opponent. This one came in low and fast, forcing Gohan to speedily leap into the air and avoid it as it took out the section he was standing on.

Suspending himself several stories above the ring, the boy breathed a sigh of relief, "Woot. That was a close one. Huh?" Noticing his opponent had disappeared, Gohan began looking around to see where she'd gone, only to then spin around when he sensed her reappear behind him in a charge. Impressed by her agility, he then engaged her in a midair battle, punches and kicks flying between them as they traded hit after hit. The sounds of rapid-fire gunshots once again filled the arena, drowning out all other noises.

Zangya, blinking as she watched the pair battle it out while the audience gawked, tiled her head when she heard Videl's shouts of effort. "Is it just me… or is wonder boy actually coaching the little spitfire?"

The Namekian warrior merely smiled.

After a full minute of exchanging blows, Videl then stopped the engagement by kicking off of the boy's arm, dropping altitude in the process. Flipping away and taking aim, the young fighter then gave a shout and fired a Kiai up at the boy, hitting him front on and causing him to lurch back slightly with a wince. It was a hit to the boy that had the crowds awe and Hercule cheer.

Dropping down to the ring, the girl crouched low and took flight, charging up at the seemingly staggered boy with a yell. As soon as she was in range, she chucked a kick at him, only to see him vanish when she was only three feet from him. Caught off guard, Videl stopped and began trying to feel him out. She spotted him at the last second and looked up, only to see him appear and drop an elbow right down on top of her. A 'crack' of impact rang out followed by a shout of pain as the girl was sent plummeting back towards the grand stage.

When she hit it with her feet, she managed to cushion her fall with a crouch. Videl then glared up, her expression cringing as she focused all of her energy and attention into her next move. "Alright. I can't screw this one up, because if I do…" Narrowing her eyes, the girl reached out with her senses and waited. Then at the count of three…

She moved!

Leaping straight into the air, she avoided the punch from her opponent when Gohan reappeared out of thin air directly in front of her. When he missed, the demi-Saiyan's gaze shot skywards, where he proceeded to watch the pigtailed girl rocket towards the clouds in a streak of white light. The sight of her ascension into the atmosphere drew a whistle from the enthusiastic warrior.

"Wow. Nice speed."

He only had to wait a couple of seconds before the girl stopped at the altitude she was aiming for, with the ring sitting far below and her opponent standing clearly in her line of sight. Gritting her teeth as she concentrated, Videl then gave a nod and, placing her hands over her forehead, one on top of the other, began to focus her energy.

When Piccolo and Zangya wondered what the heck she was doing, their eyes widened moments later when they saw the move she planned on executing next.

Golden energy crackling above her forward-facing palm, the raven haired fighter growled. "This one's for you, Gohan!" Once she was done charging, she fired. "MA-SEN-KO-HAAAAAAAAA!" A clap of a sonic boom rang out when she then launched the signature orange and pink beam straight down towards the arena. The beam curled in like a missile, startling the heck out of the audience and the Z-fighters watching from the stands.

Blinking in surprise, Gohan then grinned and took a stance. Watching the attack barrel down on him for a couple more seconds, the demi-Saiyan then took evasive action and leapt out of the way. He moved just in time to watch the blast take another chunk out of the ring with a concussive explosion, which hurled a cloud of black smoke high into the air. The flash of light from the blast temporarily blinded the audience and caused the nearby announcer to cry out in terror, while the demi-Saiyan managed to land safely out of the attack's lethal range.

However, the instant he landed, his eyes then snapped up to see Videl right on top of him, hooking towards his position in a dive.

"Just like with Guldo on Namek." Recognizing the maneuver as being exactly the same as the one he and Krillin attempted to use on the weakest member of the Ginyu Force, only to miss when the man used his unusual time freezing ability on them, Gohan's expression then became serious.

With impressive speed and maneuverability, the girl swung at her opponent with a punch, only to suddenly see him vanish in a blur and dart off to the side faster than she could track. Gasping in surprise, Videl looked behind her, where she saw him reappear in the air and thrust his hand forward.

Yelling out with his jab, Gohan fired a Kiai burst straight at the girl, the blast connecting while she was still in motion. A cry of pain escaping her lips as her gi was shredded by the invisible attack, Videl was unable to stop when she was promptly blasted out of the ring, where she then bounced off the grass and hit the dividing wall.

When her body fell to the ground, it was over.

After the smoke from the blast cleared, the audience looked down to see what'd happened in the split-second, final scuffle between the two fighters. When they and the announcer spotted Videl lying outside the ring on the grass, light bulbs quickly flickered on in each and every one of their heads.

Spotting the outcome for himself, the announcer brought his microphone about and addressed the fans with a shout of delight, "Well… there you have it folks! It seems the winner for the Junior Division has been decided!" Turning to the ring and throwing his hand out, the blonde haired man in shades grinned, "The junior champion for this 25th World Martial Arts Tournament is newcomer to the ring Son Gohan!" Rousing the startled audience from their shocked states, all around applause started to rain down on the arena, followed shortly by a chorus of cheers.

Whistles and shouts of praise reaching him, the young half-Saiyan acknowledged their calls with a bow before wandering over to the ruined side of the mat. Crouching down at the edge, he saw Videl struggle to sit up. Once she was upright, the girl groaned and rubbed her head.

"Ah… man. That hurt like hell."

"Sorry about that," Gohan said apologetically, squatting overhead with a beaming smile on his face. "I was supposed to hit you hard enough to knock you out of the ring, not knock you out cold. Just give it a minute."

Massaging her brain, the raven haired youngster slowly pushed herself back to her feet and staggered over. "I lost, huh. I shouldn't be surprised." Placing her hand on the ring, she smiled up at her former opponent while the audience continued to cheer and applaud. "You were incredible, Gohan. No matter how fast I moved, you were always one step ahead of me." She then slowly got back onto the ring, the demi-Saiyan offering her a hand that she gladly accepted. "Even though I knew I didn't stand a chance of winning, I still gave it my best shot. It's a shame it wasn't enough."

"Don't feel bad about it. My friends and I have been fighting like this for years, and you only just started fighting on our level," the demi-Saiyan reasoned with a warm look fixed upon the winded girl. "Still, I'm really impressed with how far you've come, Videl. After only a year of our training, you were able to become as strong as Radditz. And with your potential unlocked, your power's now roughly the equivalent of ten or fifteen of him."

Videl grinned, "Not a bad start, huh?"

The boy chuckled, "Not a bad start at all." When he saw the girl raise her fist towards him, the spiky haired warrior considered it for all of a second before responding to it with his own. Bumping knuckles, the pair shared a grin with one another as the announcer clambered onto the ring to interview the victor. "Good fight, Videl."

"Good fight, Gohan."

XXX

(Sometime later)

After the two fighters had shaken hands with one another, the announcer took a moment to congratulate Gohan and Videl for their stellar performances in the tournament and the winner on his success. Telling the demi-Saiyan that he looks forward to seeing him compete at the next Junior Division in a couple years time and the adult division later, he then invited the current World Martial Arts Champion onto the stage for a complimentary match with the youngster.

Understandably enough, Hercule was more than a little bit hesitant about making an appearance before the super powered youngster and his fans. But with some gentle encouragement from his beloved daughter, the world champ bucked up the confidence necessary to step up and face the boy.

It was a brief fight. Gohan let the guy lay on the punches and blocked all of them before lightly tossing the man out of the ring, all the while putting on an entertaining show for the audience. All things considered, everything worked out well in the end. The champ said his loss was all in good sport for the kid, much to the chagrin of his daughter and Gohan's amusement, and then he left. This then allowed the announcer to move on to the adult division of the tournament.

After being told how he would be receiving his cash prize through the mail, Gohan then took Videl through the waiting room and out of the stadium.

Hearing the clamor of the coliseum just down the road, the demi-Saiyan breathed a sigh of relief and stretched out, earning a curious glance from his best friend.

"Tired?"

"Yeah. Sore too. Man," Gohan chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck at the same time. "I really got my butt kicked around in that semi-final fight didn't I?"

"After she transformed, yeah. But you managed to pull through just fine." Videl gave him an amused look as the pair wandered down the road at a comfortable pace, passing by civilians who pleasantly waved and greeted the two finalists of the Junior Division. While they returned their gestures kindly with waves of their own, the two of them mostly focused on their conversation. "Still, that didn't stop her from going to town on you."

"I figured I could handle her as she was, but she turned out to be a lot tougher than I thought. She transformed so quickly. Not to mention I couldn't tell what her real power level was since her energy was jumping all over the place. It really caught me off guard there," the half-Saiyan replied with a nervous grin. "But now that I know what she can do, I'll be ready for her the next time we meet."

Beaming, the girl with pigtails then stepped over and playfully nudged him in the side, "I'm really glad you were able to come out here today to compete, Gohan-kun. It was a lot of fun."

"Yeah. We should really do stuff like this more often." The half-Saiyan grinned excitedly. "If the next tournament is going to be anything like this one, I want in."

A giggle escaped his friend's lips. "Just make sure to leave the ring out of it next time. Honestly, it was starting to look like a crumbling sand castle out there by the time you and Paprika were done with it."

"Heh. Don't worry. I'll try to keep the damage to a minimum in the 26th Junior Division."

Videl's expression then warmed even more as she sided up closer to the boy, drawing his attention back down to her, "Thanks for not holding back, by the way. I'd be pretty disappointed if you didn't try to win… being the strongest guy in the world and all."

A little bit puzzled by her admission, Gohan then decided to roll with it and smiled fondly back at her, "No problem." While he was exchanging smiles with her, the youngster then jumped when he got a hard pinch to the arm. "Ow!" When he looked back at the smirking girl, he saw her hold the offending fingers up and mimic a crab's pincer.

"That's for knocking me into the wall," she said, before slipping her hands behind her and grinning proudly.

Staring at her cheery expression, Gohan couldn't help but shake his head and smile. "Girls are complicated." He then looked ahead of him again and stretched his arms above him. "Come on. Let's go grab something to eat."

"What about Piccolo and Zangya?"

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be able to find us once they realize we're not in the stadium area anymore."

Videl shrugged, "Sounds good to me."

As the two fighters ambled down the road side by side, completely engrossed in their conversation and the atmosphere of it all, the pair then stopped when they suddenly saw a figure step out into the middle of the intersection up ahead. At first surprised at the man dressed in the same style of orange and blue gi that they were wearing, it only took a couple of seconds before Gohan realized exactly who it was standing in his path. When it clicked, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock.

There was no way he could forget that man's face. No way in hell.

"Hey, son."

"D-Dad?" Gohan swallowed, eyes starting to shimmer as he looked upon the face of his father.

"Huh? That's…" Videl, noticing the boy's reaction, looked between the two men quickly before turning back to her friend in surprise. "What's going on? I thought you said your dad was dead."

"H-He is," the boy murmured, still unable to take his eyes off of the Saiyan standing just a couple yards away.

Goku, chuckling at his son's slack jawed expression, placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head at him curiously. "What's up, Gohan? Are you just gonna stand there and stare at me for the rest of the day?"

"Dad!" No sooner had the man asked that question, the spiky haired youngster practically teleported forward and caught the man around the neck in a big hug. His father actually had to take a few steps back since the speed his son hit him with nearly knocked him off his feet. Despite this, Goku returned the hug enthusiastically and laughed as his son smothered his face into his shoulder. "Dad! I-I thought… you… I…" Sniffing and wiping away his tears on the man's shirt, the teen floated back down to the ground, stepped away, and looked up at his father's visage in confusion. "This isn't… why are you here?"

"Well, when you were up on Kami's Lookout talking with your friend, I heard through King Kai that you were planning to enter the World Martial Arts Tournament, so I asked Baba if I could pop down here for a couple of hours to see you compete." His smile widened even more so. "You did really well, son. I'm so proud of you."

The compliment from his father had Gohan's eyes shine with tears of joy. Clearing them away with a decisive swipe of his forearm, the boy sniffled, "Thanks dad." He then wasted no time in hugging him again, this time wrapping his arms around his back, "I… I missed you so much."

Feeling the powerful boy tremble against him, the man also felt his eyes start to water. Grinning in delight, Goku rested a hand on top of the teen's head and ruffled his hair affectionately. "I missed you too, son." Upon feeling the boy relinquish his hold on him a minute later, the warrior then looked up to see Videl standing a few feet away looking at them with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Goku promptly acknowledged her presence with a nod and a smile, "Hey there. You must be Gohan's friend."

"Oh." Realizing she was being spoken to, Videl bowed, "Y-Yes."

When his son stepped away, the smiling father turned to him and nudged him in the shoulder. "Hey. Are you going to introduce her?"

Gohan quickly jolted back into reality and, after sucking it up, grinned across at his friend, fighting partner and student, "Videl, this here's my dad." He then did the same to the other, "Dad, this is my best friend, Videl. I met her while I was competing in the Intergalactic Martial Arts Tournament about a year ago."

The spiky haired Saiyan nodded his head politely to her, "It's very nice to meet you, Videl."

"Th-Thank you, sir. It's nice to meet you too," the girl replied in a timid and polite fashion, "I've heard a lot about you and your adventures through Gohan. Your son speaks very highly of you."

"He does, does he?"

"Uh-huh. He said that you're the strongest man in the universe, who saved the earth many times. He even said that you were the first of their group to become a Super Saiyan."

Goku chuckled at that retelling and massaged the back of his head, "Yeah. That was a bit of a rough time for all of us. The worst fight though was against Cell."

Nodding in agreement, Videl then took on a curious look and regarded the man inquisitively for a moment. "Gohan… said that you also died during the Cell Games and that you were staying in Otherworld training with the Kais."

"Uh-huh."

"I-If that's true… how is it that you're here now?"

"Well, I had to call in a couple of favors… a couple of REALLY big favors, but I was able to convince King Yemma to let me down for a few hours to have a walk around and see the family." He grinned and pointed at the halo hanging over his head, which had the raven haired girl look at in surprise. "I'm still dead, but I've earned enough credit through my deeds to make one or two round trips to the land of the living."

"Oh. I see," Videl replied, before an understanding smile formed on her face.

"I'm just glad to see that my son is going out into the world and making so many friends," the father said, regarding the girl with respect before then turning to share a grin with his son. It was in that instant the pigtailed fighter was able to see the physical and emotional similarities between the pair, which had her gaze at the adult and child duo in wonder.

As the group stood in the middle of the intersection catching up, they were soon joined by Piccolo and Zangya floating down from above. After tracking Gohan's signature out of the stadium area and further into the district, the pair had quietly taken off from the coliseum walkway and followed the children outside of the sacred battle grounds. It was only until they started their approach of the two fighters did they suddenly notice they weren't alone, and that they were accompanied by yet another familiar face.

The Namekian recognized him almost instantly, whereas it took the Hera-seijin some time to identify the man in the orange and blue gi; someone who looked remarkably similar to a picture she saw back in the Son house.

Spotting the two aliens landing nearby, the Saiyan grinned, "Hey, Piccolo. Great to see you."

"Goku," the green warrior murmured, appearing surprised at first before smiling shortly afterwards, "Well, isn't this the weirdest day ever. First a complete rehashing of our youths happens in the semi-final rounds and then you show up. Did you come here to haunt us or something?"

The man laughed at his rival-turned-friend's comment and rubbed the back of his head uneasily, at about the same time Gohan snickered as well. "Maybe. It's kind of hard to tell. What? Am I looking a little bit transparent to you guys or something?" He then checked his halo and patted himself down.

His actions earned a roll of the eyes from Piccolo, "No. You're not transparent."

"Oh, thank kai. That would have been scary," Goku chuckled, placing his hands on his hips and breathing out in relief. "The last thing I want to come back as is a ghost. Seriously. If I did then I wouldn't be able to eat any of Chi-Chi's delicious cooking."

"Yep. That's Goku alright," the Namekian thought before narrowing his eyes, "So… you popped down here just to say hi?"

"You could say that. I've got some time left before Baba comes around to pick me up, so I'll be sure to make the most of it." It was around this point Goku finally noticed the orange haired woman standing beside the seven-foot-tall fighter and fixed his attention upon her curiously. About several seconds later the Saiyan's hair stood on end and his eyes bugged out of their sockets when he finally recognized who she was. "GAH! Y-YOU?! A-Aren't you one of Bojack's henchmen?!"

Zangya smirked, "Former-henchmen, if you please. I may have been his lieutenant at one stage in my life, but I was officially kicked out of his little gang of Galaxy Soldiers the second he tried to kill me."

Her response had Goku blink a few times before swallowing nervously, "Oh. Uhh… okay."

"The name's Zangya, by the way," the Hera finished, putting her weight onto one side of her body and staring back at the befuddled visitor confidently.

Slowly recovering from the shock, Goku then turned his attention back to his son and smiled his way, "You really are meeting a lot of interesting people, Gohan." When he saw the youngster grin, the man returned it with gusto before then beckoning everybody over, Videl included. "We can catch up soon enough. But I think it's about time I took all of you guys home. It's already getting close to lunch and I bet Chi-Chi is wondering where everyone is."

Slowly, the entire group lined up alongside the Saiyan and made sure they were all comfortably arranged. With Goku placing a hand on his son's shoulder, the youngster in turn then took Videl's hand in his, making her blush at his bold action. Zangya then wandered over to Gohan and lightly gripped his shoulder and Piccolo went over to the Saiyan and rested a hand on his shoulder. Once he felt everyone was onboard, the spiky haired warrior placed two fingers to his forehead and, after a couple of seconds of pause, the entire group vanished in an instantaneous blur.

OOO

(Meanwhile)

Many, many miles away from the island, far to the north in the Tsumisumbri Mountains, the green skinned demon Paprika could be seen standing on the edge of a high cliff glaring out over the ice covered edifices stretching for miles around her. Ignoring the stabbing cold winds brushing over her and adorned in her full battle garb consisting of leg warmers, gi pants, midriff top and thick red scarf, the youngster had spent the past hour or so just staring out over her white expanse of landscape.

After the vicious scrub she'd gotten into with Gohan, which had seen both of them receive enormous amounts of damage, the girl had retreated to this spot in the Arctic Circle to clear her head. Managing to reproduce her usual outfit through magic materialization and fix up most of her wounds as best as she could, the girl now stood there with a few patches on her face and eyes narrowed.

Reason for her current irate expression was plain and simple.

"He beat me," the Makyan thought, a snarl escaping her lips as another gust of wind blew past. Arms folded and fangs bared, the white haired fighter then drew a hand and, after pulling it back, fired a blast into one of the nearby landmarks. The explosion that followed took a massive chunk out of the ice and left a noticeable scorch mark in the rest of the enormous wall.

Panting and lowering her arm, Paprika frowned, "I swear, one of these days I'm going to smack that arrogant smile off of his face and bury his nose in the concrete."

Considering how pissed she looked, it was extremely difficult to deny that she meant what she said.

OOO

(Sometime later)

When Gohan and the others returned to the Son residence, Chi-Chi got the biggest surprise at the front door when she saw who was accompanying them. At first the woman thought she was just seeing things, but after she slowly walked up to the man and prodded him with her fingers a few times, all remaining doubt left her in a heartbeat. She threw herself at Goku much like her son had previously and embraced him for several long minutes. While there was definitely a slap or two to the guy for being gone for so long, Chi-Chi's random mood swings eventually calmed down enough to give her husband a proper warm welcome. She even gave him a kiss… several kisses by the spectators' count.

Heck, she was so caught up in greeting her husband that she completely overlooked the fact that Gohan was looking like he'd been run over by a heard of stampeding wildebeest.

Once she was done lavishing attention on him, she then introduced Goku to their newborn son. Not at all surprised yet still looking overwhelmed the Saiyan knelt by his cradle just as his eldest son had done and marveled at the little tyke up close. He even had a chance to say hello and cradle the little rascal, being extra careful not to handle him too roughly.

After spending a terrific lunch with the family, along with Piccolo, Videl and Zangya, the group then sat around the living room and had some tea together. It was in that time Goku was able to catch up with his wife and son, and allowed Videl to see how the father of the little clan acted around his family. Watching him from her place on the couch brought a warm smile to her face, as she could see how happy the people closest to him were to have him there and how they all relished the time spent together.

Another hour or so eventually ticked by and, after sharing an affection-filled farewell with his wife, ventured out onto the front lawn with his eldest child.

Both dressed in the same orange and blue gi, making them look almost identical to one another, the Saiyan pair wandered a little ways from the house till they were standing quietly out on the plains. Looking back at the building where his family lived, the Son father smiled and looked down towards his son. "I'm happy to see you're all looking after each other so well. You, your mum, dad… you three really have a handle on things here."

"Yeah. Aside from a couple of mishaps over the last several months, things have been going great," Gohan said, smiling as he glanced up at his old man. "So far, no aliens or old enemies asking for you have shown up. While I can overlook the whole Bojack thing being a direct result of Cell, Kana just happened upon this place by accident and would have ended up fighting me anyway, and Paprika showing up was mostly my fault, since I was the one who chucked Garlic Junior into the Dead Zone. Other than that, life has been great."

Following along with the youngster's recapping of the situations, Goku then turned away with a rather nervous look coming across his face. Feeling his son's eyes fixed upon him, an anxious sigh escaped his lips as he then focused his attention on his older son once again, "I'm sorry, Gohan." The demi-Saiyan blinked in surprise. "I'm so sorry I put all of this on you… entrusting the fate of the entire world to you when you're still so young."

"Huh? W-What are you saying, dad?"

"I'm saying that this life… the one that you've lived… I never wanted it for you. I never wanted any of it to happen to you," the Saiyan whispered, looking at the boy with a solemn look in his gaze. "When you were first born, I was so amazed at how small and fragile you looked that I was afraid to pick you up. But you were so strong… and you were filled with boundless energy. Every time you grabbed my fingers or my hair, you just refused to let me go. I knew right then, from the moment I laid eyes on you, that the life we had together was the life that I wanted. I wanted to hold you, to keep you safe and to watch you grow up to become a great man."

Gohan balked when he saw hurt and sadness cross the man's face as he then looked away to gaze across the fields of their homeland.

"But instead, I was taken away from you when Radditz came to earth looking for me. I sacrificed myself to save you from him so that you could continue living, but instead I was forced to watch as you went away with Piccolo and came back a whole other person. Even though I was happy and proud to see you again, a part of me hated myself for what had happened to you. That year you spent training for Vegeta and Nappa's arrival… was a year I wanted to spend with you and your mother as a normal father… and it was all wasted. You were only four, and yet you were exposed to the worst that this world had to offer, growing up surrounded by violence and death. That's something no child should ever have to live through."

Eyes shimmering with unshed tears, Goku glanced back around at his son and looked at him with pain evident in his visage.

"Despite all that, you always did your best. No matter how big the obstacles were or how terrifying the challenges, I saw you fight and smile through it all. You put so much faith in me and everyone around you, and in turn I put my faith in you. When I saw your incredible strength, I'd convinced myself that you could handle anything thrown your way and blindly pushed you into situations I never should have from the beginning. You were just a child… and I sent you to fight not only Cell, but Vegeta, Ginyu, Frieza, and Cooler too…"

Goku then clenched his teeth and wiped his eyes on the back of his fist, a gesture that shook Gohan up something awful, as he'd never seen his dad cry before.

"I'm a terrible father. I had no idea what it was like to be a normal parent. Ever since I was your age, I'd been living all alone in the wilderness, constantly fighting and never taking the time to think about other important things in my life. Even when I had the perfect opportunity to stop and become something more than what I was, I was thrown into yet another battle… and to make things worse… I took you along with me," Goku said, shaking his head as tears trickled down his cheeks. "Fighting is all that I ever knew in life… and I did the best that I could to spend time with you and to share my knowledge just as a father should have." He then stepped towards him with a beaming smile on his face. "My only hope is that you can forgive me for putting you through all of that and placing so much weight on your shoulders."

Touched by his father's words, Gohan smiled back at the Saiyan and shook his head, "There's nothing for me to forgive, dad. You did the best you could with what you had and I couldn't ask for any more than that… you and mum both. Heck, if I hadn't started down this road, I never would have met Piccolo, Videl, Trunks, or Zangya… or any of the other people I know today. I'm glad that I was born to be your son… and I'll never forget the time we were able to spend together."

The youngster's words had the man gulp uneasily, "R-Really?"

Gohan nodded his head affirmatively. "For years I've wondered what I really wanted to do with my life and where I wanted to go. While you just wanted me to grow up happy and healthy, and to act like how I was supposed to act my age, mum wanted me to study and grow up to become a scholar. The two of you were always fighting over what I should become, leading me this way and that, trying to find my destiny. But after all the adventures we've been on and after everything that's happened in the past few years, I've finally realized what I want to become," the demi-Saiyan said, before looking up at his father with confidence burning in his eyes. "I want to become a strong fighter, just like my dad."

Taking in his son's answer had the man clench his fists and tremble. Allowing his mind to process what'd just been said to him, the emotionally moved Goku sniffed and, stepping towards his son, placed his hands upon his shoulders. "Even though this wasn't the life I wanted to give you, I am still damn proud of the man you're becoming, Gohan; one worthy of all the graces of the world." He then opened up his arms, a sight the demi-Saiyan walked into without hesitation and allowed his father encase him in a hug. As soon as their arms wrapped around one another, the eldest son buried his face into his dad's gi and felt him rub his head affectionately. "I love you, son."

"I love you too, dad," Gohan murmured.

After what seemed like several hours drifted by, the father and son separated. While they grinned and shared a laugh with one another, they failed to notice Chi-Chi, the Ox King, and the rest of the home's guests watching them from the front door until a couple minutes later. When they waved back at the family and received a wave in return, a shadow appearing beside them drew their gazes to the side. Upon which, they noticed a very short, very old lady in a witch's garb hovering beside them on top of a crystal ball.

Fingers laced together, the old group's acquaintance nodded to the two Saiyans in greeting before then focusing her attention on the one she was here for, "It's time to go, Goku."

Smiling sadly, the warrior nodded. "Okay," he replied, breathing a heavy sigh and slowly following the fortune teller out into the open.

Once he came to stand beside the mystical timekeeper, the spiky haired fighter turned back to his family. Looking from his son, to his wife, to the baby Goten she was holding protectively in her arms, to Videl, the Ox King, Piccolo, and then to Zangya standing around them, the man gave the group a wide grin and his characteristic salute.

However, before he could take off, he suddenly saw Gohan grin his way and throw his fist towards him in a challenging fashion, "Dad! I'm learning how to use the Instantaneous Movement technique! As soon as I've mastered it, the first place I'm visiting is Otherworld! So watch out!"

Goku, expression brightening even more so, held up his own fist in a similar gesture, "I'll be waiting, son."

Tears reflected in their eyes, the pair spared one last smile with one another before both Goku and Baba faded away on the wind. Their departure was marked by a gentle breeze across the fields, which whipped through the area and ruffled Gohan's hair and clothes.

Slowly, but surely, the cheerful boy's gaze moved from the spot his father once stood to the horizon beyond the mountains.

Though he had no idea what was waiting for him up ahead, Gohan had a feeling that things were going to be alright… and he was going to face the future with his head held high.

OOO

(That night)

On the other side of the planet, high above a collection of expansive snow-covered valleys and mountain ranges, a storm was starting to gather and slowly make its way across the land. The blanket of clouds being so thick that they completely blocked out the starry canvas of night, the eerie, almost hellish conditions presented the perfect backdrop for the arrival of yet another unexpected visitor to the earth.

But unlike with Goku, this one was not a guest that the Z-fighters would be welcoming gladly.

As the region howled with an ungodly wind across the heavens, a small, sphere shaped craft with a single porthole, dropped in through the planet's atmosphere and, upon arcing over one of the larger edifices of the area, crash-landed at the base of a hill. Its impact with the earth being marked by a great explosion, which itself was drowned out by another series of thunderclaps, the craft managed to form a massive crater in the ice cold ground, with the ship suffering no damages whatsoever.

It was then, moments after landing, the pod ejected its one and only passenger. Glowing in a haunting, radioactive like aura, the figure crawled out of the vessel and collapsed at the very bottom of the crater. There, the man rolled over and began to speak, his words coming out in ragged breaths and pained cries of anger.

"K-K-Ka-ka-rot…" Teeth clenching as his scarred body was hit by yet another agonized spasm, the green haired titan then sucked in a deep breath of air before letting out the most spine chilling cry anyone had ever heard. "KAKAROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!" After which the green aura surrounding the figure's body faded, and not only did the man's size and muscle mass decrease, but his green-tinted hair turned blonde, indicating a sudden loss of steam.

Following his terrifying roar, the large man, with his stomach and chest ripped open and blood pooling all around him, began to pant and breathe heavily once again. However, after clawing desperately at the ground to try and find some purchase, and after several attempts to sit up, the golden haired man with the teal colored eyes gritted his teeth one last time before, with a gasp, he went out like a light. In that same instance, his blonde hair faded to black and his body fell limp.

Despite seemingly succumbing to a most welcomed death thanks to his grievous wounds, the fact that the man's chest was still heaving indicated he was alive and well. But due to the wounds he'd sustained in his battle over a year ago, he was unable to maintain consciousness and so slipped into a quiet coma.

The world could only hope it was a long one, because as the days flew by, the crater the Saiyan visitor was lying in filled with water and iced over. The freezing temperature brought on by a freak storm meant the man was flash-frozen inside a massive pool of ice, perfectly preserving him and inadvertently placing him in suspended animation.

Those who would venture nearby would think it was merely a lake turned into a block from the extreme cold of the mountains.

But in reality… it was a cold bed for the most dangerous being to ever be born into this universe.

OOO

(Meanwhile)

Far away from the planet, currently on its seventy-five year orbital flight of the Solar System, Halley's Comet could be seen tearing through the expanse of space at breakneck speeds, leaving a blue trail of dust and gas in its wake. Recognized as one of the only short-period comets in that part of the galaxy, this majestic mass of rock and ice was right now blowing past Mars's orbit on its way to Earth's rotational path, where it was set to make its grand reappearance to the people of the world.

On the surface it seemed like nothing more than a harmless homecoming of an old astronomical milestone; one that'd been observed since the days of the old philosophers.

However, what the people of the earth failed to recognize was the dark secret the comet held and what was currently being contained within its mineral encrusted form.

Buried deep inside of its eleven kilometer dimensions, sitting in the very nucleus of the comet itself, there sat a single, lone chamber. Surrounded by substances that were over tens of millions of years old and seals that were beyond the knowledge of even the most educated of scholars, the room was filled to the brim with a sturdy, solid material strongly resembling crystal. Though this seemed like a typical core for a comet of this age and origin, it was what was resting inside of its center that was the reason for such an elaborate system.

A gargantuan being, five times larger than any man with grey, rhino like skin, a body layered with enormous muscles and bone plates protruding from its shoulders, arms and face, could be seen with its hands and legs bound to the sides of the room. Its shackles, combined with the diamond crystal surrounding it, kept this creature locked in a constant state of living death, out of sight of the universe and away from any curious passers who would seek to awaken it.

It seemed like a sure system to keep whatever it was contained inside for all eternity.

But just when this entity seemed like nothing more than a corpse banished to drift forever in a cold and unforgiving void, in the dark of its crystal prison, a pair of blood red eyes suddenly opened up and a low, guttural growl reverberated throughout the chamber.

A sleeping evil has been awakened…

(TO BE CONTINUED)

---

Author's Note: Well, what do yah know. Goku is only back for a few hours and bad shit starts to happen.

Perhaps his premonition was right all along. Whenever he's around, evil shit starts coming to call.

Good thing one of them is in a coma and the other is still millions of miles away.

If anyone wants to take a guess as to who the two new faces are, be my guest. The last one though will take a bit of research for you to find out who he is. Look for something fitting the comet prisoner's description and you'll have a good idea of what's coming around the corner. I was inspired to create the comet prisoner based off of one of the most dangerous comic book villains ever created, and I figure the DBZ universe could use with an enemy like this.

Anyhow, Gohan's fight with Paprika is over and he was able to spend some time with his dad. I took inspiration of the fight from Goku and Piccolo Junior's battle and Goku and Turles's, since I thought they blended well.

Oh, and just some extra bits of info, I've included a couple new numbers below:

Cell Games:

Gohan – 12,000,000 riki

Gohan (Super Saiyan) – 160,000,000 riki

Gohan (Super Saiyan 2) – 335,000,000 riki

Gohan (Super Saiyan 2 Injured) – 275,000,000 riki

Perfect Cell – 180,000,000 riki

Buff Perfect Cell – 200,000,000 riki

Super Perfect Cell – 300,000,000 riki

Present:

Gohan – 16,000,000 riki

Gohan (Super Saiyan) – 200,000,000 riki

Gohan (Super Saiyan 2) – 375,000,000 riki

Paprika – 15,000,000 riki

Paprika (Super Makyan) – 190,000,000 riki

In this story, Paprika represents a milestone that Gohan couldn't previously reach before. But after his training he's now able to fight against someone of Perfect Cell's caliber in only his first Super Saiyan form.