Tenka'ichi Budōkai, Audience Wings

"Outta the way! Make room ya wall flowers!"

Lunch exclaimed loudly as she fired a pistol into the air, spooking several members of the crowd. Fortunately for everyone involved, she was firing blanks. Once she and the rest of the group found ample spots to watch, Lunch put away her pistol with a smirk.

"Told ya I'd get us a good view," Lunch said as she faced the arena.

"W-Was that even legal?" Checka asked nervously, carrying an absurdly large stick of cotton candy.

"No one's bothering to call the guards," Gebo observed. "Either security here is lax, or gun laws on Papaya Island are lax."

"Either way, we got the best seats in the house," Bulma dismissed her colleague's concerns about Lunch's behavior. "Gotta admit, watching Jackie Chun fight is gonna be different now that we know who he is."

"Fights in general are gonna be different because we can follow 'em better than everyone else," Lunch added. "I kinda want to see the triclops in action."

"You have a thing for 3 eyes?" Bulma questioned, weirded out by Lunch's statement.

"I-It's to see his techniques, damnit!" Lunch stammered a retort, her face tinted red. "He'll probably fight better than your ex-boyfriend for all we know!"

"You leave Yamcha out of this!" Bulma snapped. "At least he's not with a rival school!"

Checka simply sighed as the two younger women began to bicker, Pu'ar taking Bulma's side while Oolong waddled back with several snacks in hand. The shapeshifting pig offered a chocolate bar, but Checka refused, her sweet tooth sated with the sugar sweet she possessed already. She also did not want to risk receiving candy that was half-melted because of bodily heat.

Tenka'ichi Budōkai, Waiting Wing

The finalists for the 22nd Tenka'ichi Budōkai stood in the waiting wing, awaiting the call for the lottery to determine who fights who. Gokū was keeping himself entertained with some basic gymnastics while Caulifla sat cross-legged, the only support from the ground being her tail coiled in a spring-like fashion. Yamcha and Kuririn meanwhile were having an idle conversation about their upcoming fights.

"Something tells me I'm gonna get lumped together with one of you guys," Kuririn nervously said with an equally nervous chuckle. "I mean, given who's made it to the finals and all."

"Hey, with any luck, Gokū and Caulifla will fight in their first round," Yamcha shrugged before holding his chin. "Though that might overshadow the remaining fights and make everything afterwards seem boring."

"Oh look. The Turtle Team made it," Tenshinhan sarcastically jeered as he approached the group, Chaotzu and Chi-Chi following at his sides. "The quality of competition must've hit a new low."

"Only because you and the ceramic doll are here!" Yamcha retorted with a scoff. "What, does your master only recruit weirdos?"

Before Yamcha could laugh at his boast, Chi-Chi phased into existence before him, staring him coldly in the eyes. "You're lucky you're not on my list," the Frypan Princess spat. "But don't try to push your luck…"

"Ease up, Chi-Chi," Tenshinhan implored, gently grabbing her by the shoulder and pulling her back. "You'll have your fights. I can deal with this joker no problem."

Chi-Chi backed off, averting eye contact, leaving the bandit slightly trembling. "She's scarier than her dad nowadays…" The ex-bandit muttered.

Over by Jackie Chun, Chaotzu approached the disguised martial artist with a blank expression on his face.

"Hello, little one," Jackie Chun politely greeted with a small bow. "I trust you will provide good competition this year."

"Big Wig!" Chaotzu exclaimed with a pointed finger aimed at Jackie Chun.

"Hey! This isn't a wig!," the disguised Kame-Sennin retorted, annoyed with how this boy easily figured his disguise. "Odd you comment on my hair when you have none."

"Nope," Chaotzu said as he removed his cap, revealing one strand of hair sticking right out of his porcelain head.

"...Okay that's just bizarre," Jackie Chun sighed.

"Alright!" The announcer called out, his sunglasses ever present on his face. "All finalists, please step forward!"

"Yo!" Gokū greeted with a light hand wave.

"Oh! You're participating again?" The announcer said with mild trepidation. "Just, don't destroy the buildings this time, okay?"

"There's no full moon today, plus I've been training for that, so we're good!" Gokū replied with an earnest grin and thumbs up.

"Phew," The announcer gave a sigh of relief. "Now where was I? Oh right. You 8 warriors will be choosing your matches by lottery. When I call your name, step forward and draw a slip. Let's see… Jackie Chun!"

"At your service," The disguised Kame-Sennin bowed as he drew a slip from the lottery box. "Number 3."

Over by the Crane School, Tenshinhan kept an eye out for who was going to draw next. "Think you can take him, buddy?" The triclops asked Chaotzu. "He's a semifinalist from the last tournament."

"Sure," Chaotzu answered flatly.

"Chao… Fun?" The announcer read as he adjusted his sunglasses.

"No, it's Chaotzu!" The doll-like boy corrected. He trotted over to the lottery box, which the monk lowered to his height. He reached in and drew his slip. "Number 4."

"Alright, Match number 2 against Jackie Chun," The announcer reiterated as he wrote the name on the board. "Next, Yamcha."

"Right here," The ex-bandit stepped forward.

"Make sure he's in the first round with me, okay?" Tenshinhan whispered to Chaotzu.

"Okay," The boy answered, before raising a hand and moving a finger.

"Number 1, eh?" Yamcha said as he read the slip he drew.

"Next, Chi-Chi."

Chi-Chi simply grunted in acknowledgement and drew her slip, which was Number 7.

"Alright, Match 4 for Chi-Chi. Next, um… Tenshinhan, is it?"

"Correct," The man in question politely answered as he stepped forward. He reached into the lottery box and a slip of paper floated into his hand. He drew it out and unfolded it with a smirk. He turned to Yamcha and showed the number 2 printed on his slip.

"I don't see why you're smiling," Yamcha said to Tenshinhan with a smirk of his own. "Me, I feel sorry you have to leave so soon."

"Does that remark come with a receipt?" Tenshinhan jeered. "Because I might return it back to you after our match."

"Okay. Son Gokū?"

"Yo!" The boy in question raised his hand as he stepped up to draw a slip from the lottery box. "Number 5!"

"Kuririn?"

"Don't be with Gokū, Don't be with Gokū, Don't be with Gokū…" Kuririn muttered to himself as he stepped up to the lottery box. Unbeknownst to him, Chaotzu gave him the number he wanted the least. "Aw man! Number 6!"

"Ease up, Kuririn," Gokū consoled the shorter monk with a pat on his back. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

"Gee, thanks," Kuririn sarcastically said to his friend.

"And the last one is Caulifla, so she will be fighting Chi-Chi," The announcer confirmed as he drew the last slip from the box. Chi-Chi meanwhile smirked devilishly, eager to put Caulifla in her place.

"Alright, I'll go over the rules for those new here. Each bout will be a single round with no time limit. If you fall out of bounds, fall unconscious for more than 10 seconds, or plead mercy, you lose. As always, no weapons and no fatalities. When you hear your name called over the loudspeakers, step forth onto the arena."

The announcer then turned to face Gokū for a moment. "By the way, do you need to eat before the match this time?"

"Nope, I'm good!" Gokū answered with a thumbs up. "I ate a filling meal before the lottery anyways."

"At least you came prepared, eh?" The announcer shrugged with a smile before stepping out onto the arena.

"That's one of the kids that killed Tao Pai Pai?" Tenshinhan whispered to Chi-Chi, uncertain if the princess was telling the truth.

"You're proving the thistle head's point by taking their skills at face value," Chi-Chi whispered back. "Make no mistake, those two are responsible, and I plan to take them down..."

Tenshinhan simply smirked at his fellow student's fire. "Well, if they're as strong as you say, at least leave some for me."

Unbeknownst to the Crane School, Jackie Chun overheard the conversation, and his mind was at work.

"Well at least I've seen Yamcha in action!"

"And how many fights has that Tusken Raider won?! Zero! Zip! Not a single one!"

"That's bull! He's won fights, otherwise he wouldn't have made it to the finals last time!"

"Oh and I'm sure the competition he had to blitz through was super tough!

"He came close to beating Gokū at one point!"

"And was it because the kid was hungry?! Even if he had Gokū on the ropes he still lost because he pissed himself when he saw you!"

"How do you know that?!"

The verbal fight between Bulma and Lunch continued for some time, and showed no signs of letting up. Oolong was leaning over the wall with a bag of ice on his cheek, a consequence for trying to break up the fight, and tried turning into a pair of earmuffs in an effort to drown out the noise. Of course the idea did not work because the shapeshifter's hearing was still exposed and merely changed shape.

"Um, excuse me," Checka meekly spoke up. "It looks like the matches are about to begin."

The lavender-haired woman and green-haired woman paid no heed to Checka's words and continued to bicker. Eventually, Gebo stood up and let out a loud sigh before gingerly pushing the two apart from each other.

"Enough!" The red-haired man sternly ordered. "The matches are about to begin, and I want to hear what's going on!"

"R-Right," Bulma meekly nodded as she turned to face the arena, but not without the occasional dagger-filled glance at Lunch, which she returned in kind.

"Thank you, Son,~" Checka thanked gleefully as Gebo leaned on the wall.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and those otherwise specified, thank you for your patience!" The announcer called out on his microphone, earning several cheers from the audience. We are now ready to present the 22nd… TENKA'ICHI Budōkai!"

The announcer paused to allow the crowd to cheer in excitement. "182 martial artists have enters the preliminary rounds, and only 8 have emerged as our finalists for your viewing pleasure! These 8 will battle before us all to determine WHO will win the 500,000 Zeni?! WHO will claim the title of Strongest under the heavens! Without further ado, let us begin the first match! Contestant Yamcha versus Contestant Tenshinhan!"

The two fighters stepped out onto the arena, exchanging challenging smirks at one another, eager to put the other in their place.

"Break a leg, Triclops," Yamcha jeered. "I won't have to listen to your insults after this."

"But of course," Tenshinhan shrugged. "I'm not one to add insult to injury."

"Astoundingly, 4 students of the Turtle School are our finalists, Contestant Yamcha among them!" The announcer exclaimed while sharing the trivia. "Even moreso, 3 other finalists are from the Crane School, the arch-rival of the Turtle School, Contestant Tenshinhan being one of them!"

Unbeknownst to anyone present, the Tsuru-Sennin and disguised Kame-Sennin sneered and grumbled at how the announcer mentioned them both in the same explanation.

"Kick his ass, Yamcha!" Bulma cheered from the stands, Pu'ar also cheering with the same energy.

"He's even better-looking without that qipao on!" Lunch exclaimed, almost going dreamy-eyed.

"Gentlemen, let the 22nd Tenka'ichi Budōkai commence!" The announcer cried out as he left the arena, taiko drums slowly building from the temple grounds.

"If you want to run, now's your last chance," Yamcha jeered as he settled into his signature fighting stance.

"Good luck making that happen," Tenshinhan jeered back as he settled into a comfortable fighting stance of his own.

"Yamcha's got this one in the bag!" Kuririn said as he watched from the waiting wing.

"I dunno," Gokū shrugged. "This Tenshinhan guy seems pretty good also, but let's wait and see."

The taiko drums ramped up to a trill until…

GONG!

"HYAAAH!" Yamcha launched himself with a flying kick aimed directly at his trinocular opponent, only for his kick to be blocked by a forearm. The ex-bandit saw that Tenshinhan was preparing an attack with his other arm and swiftly parried it away before it could hit, also keeping in mind the original blocking arm that began to attack as well. The Crane Schooler followed up his jabs with a swift kick to the torso, which Yamcha backflipped to recover from. Not planning to let up, Tenshinhan launched himself towards the Turtle Schooler in an attempt to strike, but Yamcha launched himself upward with his last backflip to evade the oncoming attack. Tenshinhan followed suit and soon the two students of rival schools were unleashing a series of attacks that were parried and blocked by the receiving party, until Yamcha noticed an opening and delivered a swift axe handle, sending Tenshinhan back to earth. Both fighters landed neatly and paused to catch their breath.

The spectators could only watch with slack-jawed expressions, barring Bulma and Lunch, who, while still captivated, could still follow the fight. Kuririn was in a similar stupor after what he had witnessed, while Gokū and Caulifla observed with wonder, glad to see how much Yamcha had improved, but also taking note of his opponent.

'Interesting,' Tenshinhan thought, mentally smirking to himself. 'This guy isn't just full of hot air. It's been a while since I've had to face this much resistance…'

'Alright, this guy has bite to back up his bark,' Yamcha thought as he gingerly rubbed his jaw where he was struck last. 'Speaking of bark…'

"Alright!" Yamcha shouted, taking a familiar stance. "Shin… Rogafufuken!"

With a battle cry, Yamcha charged forward, hands clawed and primed to attack, while Tenshinhan launched himself forward to meet the visage of the wolf head on. The three-eyed warrior struggled against the ferocious volley of clawed hands, but eventually picked up on the pattern, and countered accordingly. Yamcha failed to notice the shift in his opponent's attack patterns, and left an opening that was invited by a swift punch to his abdomen, launching him backwards and knocking the wind out of him.

"Holy crap!" Kuririn exclaimed. "He got right through that!"

"He picked up on Yamcha's attack pattern quickly," Caulifla observed, now worried for her friend. "That Tien guy is sharp…"

Yamcha struggled to get to his feet, clutching his stomach, but soon recomposed himself and smirked, prompting Tenshinhan to arch an eyebrow. "Alright then…" Yamcha sighed as he took a new stance. "Guess I'll have to break out the big guns."

"Oooooh boy!" Gokū exclaimed, recognizing the movements the ex-bandit was performing. "This'll be a surprise!"

Yamcha brought his wrists together and curled his index and middle fingers while keeping his ring and pinky fingers clenched. He then pulled his arms back and kept a bead on his opponent.

"What's he gonna do?" Kuririn asked.

"Kaaa… Meee…"

"Well now!" Caulifla shouted. "Someone's going out with a burst!"

"BĀSUTO!"

A large red sphere of ki launched itself at Tenshinhan, who swiftly brought his hands together with all of his fingers except for his index fingers laced together. He began to gather focus as the imposing red sphere approached. Yamcha smirked as the sphere finally crossed the threshold he wanted, and immediately pulled his arms apart, causing the sphere to detonate.

"HAAAAA!"

Tenshinhan let out a mighty shout that immediately blocked the force of the explosion, causing it to immediately rebound back towards Yamcha, prompting him to jump up to avoid the shockwave, which generated a smokescreen over the entire arena.

"He deflected the blast?!" Caulifla exclaimed as she watched her own technique rebound back towards Yamcha.

"How can you deflect an explosion?!" Yamcha grunted as he looked around for his opponent. "Who is this guy?!"

"YAMCHA, LOOK OUT!" Gokū and Caulifla cried out in unison, but the warning came too late, as three eyes met two. Tenshinhan delivered a swift axe kick to the bandit's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him and sending him careening towards the arena well beyond terminal velocity, and landing on his back with a loud impact and bounce. Yamcha was out cold.

Pu'ar screamed at the top of his lungs while Bulma couldn't bear to watch and covered her eyes. Lunch winced at the brutal display, until the three-eyed warrior began to dive down with one knee primed for one final strike.

"STOP IT!" Gokū cried out, realizing what the crane schooler was about to do.

CRACK!

Tenshinhan brought his knee directly onto Yamcha's left leg, creating a sickening crack and causing his leg to bend at an unnatural angle.

"H-His leg…" Kuririn stammered as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"That bastard…" Caulifla growled as he watched the three-eyed warrior stand up with a pleased look at what he had done.

"Uh, H-His leg doesn't look r-right…" The announcer stammered as he stepped into the arena to check up on the fallen Turtle Schooler. "Sir…? Sir?!"

"Yamcha!" Gokū and Caulifla cried out in unison. Gokū placed two fingers gently against his neck while Caulifla placed her ear against the fallen bandit's torso, both checking for a pulse. When they heard one, they breathed a small sigh of relief.

"I think you still have a job to do, sir," Tenshinhan said to the announcer. "He's still alive, right?"

"Y-Yes of course," The announcer nodded. "C-Contestant Yamcha is clearly in no position to carry on, though he is still alive. Therefore, the victory goes to Contestant Tenshinhan!"

The announcer turned his attention to one of the monks on standby. "This man has a broken leg! Get him to a hospital immediately!"

"I'll take him to the hospital!" Pu'ar cried out as he floated over. The shapeshifting cat then turned into a magic carpet, and beckoned the two Saiyans to place Yamcha aboard, to which they complied. The carpet flew off, prompting Bulma to leave and follow. Even Lunch felt compelled to do the same, despite the grievances she aired about the ex-bandit.

Gokū and Caulifla glared at the three-eyed warrior with fury they had not felt since Tao Pai Pai had killed Bora 3 years ago.

"You…" Gokū growled, trying to maintain a tranquil demeanor. "You knew Yamcha was knocked out, and you still went and broke his leg."

"Well, in my defense, he did tell me to break a leg," Tenshinhan shrugged. "I just forgot to do so after I knocked him out. I had no intention of killing him. Not when there are others asking for it..."

"This is about Tao Pai Pai, isn't it?" Caulifla frowned, realizing what Tenshinhan was getting at. "That jerk was hired by an evil shrimp to kill us first."

"Maybe, but that doesn't change my master's vendetta, and it especially doesn't change Chi-Chi's," Tenshinhan smirked.

"I'll get back at you for what you did, for Yamcha's sake…" Gokū said slowly.

"Well you'll have to get past the semifinals first!" Tenshinhan laughed. "Let's clear out. I'd hate to impose on the next round's contestants."

Gokū and Caulifla simply remained silent as they exited the ring, their mood soured by Tenshinhan. The man in question was greeted by Chaotzu and Chi-Chi, the former giving a happy clap.

"You won!" Chaotzu cheered as Tenshinhan entered the green room.

"Of course I did, buddy," Tenshinhan responded with a warm smile. "I have to admit, these Turtle Schoolers are better than I first thought. Good to be on our toes from here on out."

"Understatement right there, Tien," Chi-Chi said dryly. "That oaf you broke was just the opening act."

"If he was the opening act, then I'm curious to see how the others perform," Tenshinhan said with a challenging smirk.

"That's not the mentality of a to-be assassin," Chi-Chi coldly jeered. "Besides, there'll probably be nothing left for you if I have anything to say about it."

Chi-Chi strode off to take a seat on one of the benches nearby, Tenshinhan and Chaotzu opting to do the same. Chaotzu kept the same placid expression he had always worn, while the Three-eyed warrior had a slightly perturbed look on his face.

"Is she right Tien?" Chaotzu asked his taller friend. "About the whole mentality thing?"

"I don't think so," Tenshinhan shrugged. "Whatever the case, you're up next, buddy. Be careful out there."

"Okay!" Chaotzu nodded as he hopped off the bench awaiting the announcer's call.

A/N: Hookay! Yamcha can't catch a break! Not much to say about this one, other than Yamcha being Yamcha, and ominous rumblings regarding the Frypan Princess. I would've made this chapter sooner, but I recently dug up a long-dormant hobby of mine, so that took up some of my time. Digital 3D modeling can be fun, but tedious at the same time. This chapter was a tad shorter than usual, but I wanted to start this tournament arc off on the right foot. (Apologies to all Yamcha fans out there for that joke) Hopefully this was a fun read. :)

EDIT: Thanks to joepaul6 for pointing out an error I made. Silly me. :P