Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ!

After their hour-long break was over, the group made its way to the board to see who they would be facing in Round 2. All of the names were updated to reflect the previous rounds results.

Krillan vs Goku

Piccolo vs Killa

Gohan vs Spopovich

Android 18 vs Yamu

Krillan sighed over dramatically. "Well, it was fun while it lasted."

Goku chuckled at his friend. "I'll stay in base form to make it a little interesting for you."

"I appreciate that." Krillan said sarcastically. As if that would make my loss any less certain.

Suddenly, the announcer could be heard. "Alright fighters, time to return for Round 2!" The crowd cheered as the group made its way back to the arched waiting area that they had been in before. "To kick things off with Round 2 we have an oldie but goldie! Former World Martial Arts Champion, Son Goku will face off against another former runner up, Krillan! The last time these two faced off was at the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament! So, fighters, come on up!" With that, Goku and Krillan made their way to opposite corners of the ring, where they turned to face each other. Krillan sighed as he dropped into a stance. "I know that I don't stand a chance, but there's no way that I'm just going to let you knock me out!"

Goku smiled as he also dropped into the turtle stance. "I would expect nothing less out of you, Krillan!" Gohan smiled at the two best friends but he couldn't help but be ready for this fight to end. The faster this fight ended, the closer he was to avenging Videl. The announcer looked on in anticipation as he began the fight and stepped out of the ring. The two fighters suddenly disappeared, faster than the eye could see and reappeared at another spot trading blows. Though Krillan put up a valiant effort, he knew that Goku was holding back a lot which annoyed him. "Come on Goku! Take me seriously!" He began to ramp up the speed. "Stop playing around and don't hold back!"

Goku nodded, realizing that in holding back, he was disrespecting his friend. So, Goku stopped holding back and within moments, Krillan was out of the ring, unconscious. The announcer looked on in shock as he announced Goku the winner. He wasn't surprised at the outcome, just the speed in which the outcome arrived. I expected that to last much longer than it did. Just how strong is Goku anyway?

After Krillan had been revived, the two made their way to the back. Piccolo looked at Krillan critically. "You've let yourself go a bit." Krillan nodded at that. "Yeah, I did." Vegeta snorted. "If you want to get back in shape, you could always use the gravity chamber." Krillan blinked, utterly shocked at the invitation. "I may take you up on that, thanks." Vegeta waved him off with a huff as Piccolo made his way to fight the human, Killa. This fight was over even faster than the last as Killa was blown out of the ring as soon as the announcer started the fight. After being announced the winner, Piccolo made his way to the back, passing Gohan on the way. They stopped for a moment. "Be careful Gohan. You are a thousand times stronger than this guy, but his energy is really dark, evil even. There is a reason why Kibito wanted you to turn Super Saiyan so be watchful. His companion could be an issue during the fight. I'll have your back, but still, precaution never hurts." Gohan nodded in agreement with his former master as the two continued on their way.

"And now this fight is promising! On one side, we have a returning contender, Spopovich! But on the other side, we have a new contender on the scene! The son of Son Goku, Son Gohan!" The crowd cheered and Gohan could hear his school mates, Erasa and Sharpner, cheering him on. "Kick his butt Gohan!" He smiled briefly before scowling as he focused on his opponent, who had a manic grin on his face. "I'm gonna do to you what I did to your girlfriend kid!" Gohan didn't say anything in return, but he stared at the man, making sure he kept an eye out on Yamu as well. The announcer began the fight and Spopovich rushed Gohan and began punching. Though his punches were fast, Gohan was faster. He dodged every single punch, just barely even moving as Spopovich was trying to hit him. Finally, Spopovich nailed Gohan in the face, knocking his head to the side. Spopovich grinned. "Are you done?" The question shocked Spopovich as Gohan turned his head back to him, there wasn't even a bruise. There was no evidence that Spopovich had even hit him. Suddenly, faster than the naked eye could detect, Gohan struck, doubling the large man over as he buried his fist in the man's gut. Spopovich was shocked. He couldn't get a breath in as he held his gut and stared, shocked at his opponent who stood still again and stared at him, hatred written all over his face.

Gohan began to walk toward the man slowly, like a predator stalking its wounded prey. Spopovich, realizing that he was no match, began to back away. But Gohan wouldn't let the match end by simple ring out. He phased behind him and buried his fist in the monster's spine. Spopovich grit his teeth and spun, trying to catch Gohan off guard. It was a pitiful attempt. Gohan caught the fist that sped his way and kicked the larger man up into the air where Gohan was waiting for him. With an awesome hammer fist, Spopovich crashed back onto the ring, forming a crater as he landed.

Videl was in awe. Gohan was incredible! "H-he's amazing!" Even Vegeta was in shock, though he refused to show it, at Gohan's ferocity. Goku watched the fight, concern written on his face.

"The last time I saw Gohan play with an opponent like this," Goku began.

"Cell." Piccolo finished. He was not as concerned as everyone else though. "Gohan has learned from his past Goku. Watch."

Gohan had learned. He knew he had to end the fight. Not because he was tired, but because there was no need in drawing out the man's humiliation any further than he had. So, he lifted Spopovich by his throat and spoke just low enough that no one but Spopovich, Piccolo, and the two Saiyans could hear him. "You deserve far worse than what I've done. What you did to Videl was uncalled for and out of line. If you ever even look at her the wrong way again, I'll kill you." The bloody and beaten man looked on in shock before he was hoisted up and tossed over Gohan's shoulder, and completely out of the ring." The audience cheered as the announcer called Gohan the winner.

"In spectacular fashion, Gohan will advance to the next round! He has avenged Videl in a completely one-sided fight!" Videl blushed as Gohan made his way back to the waiting area.

Gohan smiled at her. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Don't worry Videl. After this is over, we'll get back to your training."

"Y-you mean it?"

Gohan nodded. "Next time, you'll be more than prepared for people like him."

Videl beamed, excited. Goku looked proudly at his son and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you son."

Gohan hadn't expected that, but felt his heart swell at the words. "Thanks dad."

"Alright you two, break up the love fest." Android 18 teased as she made her way to the ring to fight Yamu.

"Be careful out there. There's a dark energy surrounding him as well." Piccolo warned. The android merely waved in acknowledgement.

"I wouldn't be too worried Piccolo. She has limitless energy that she can access. Plus, the other guy was way stronger than this one." Goku advised, not worried in the slightest.

"That's true. But I don't want anyone to get complacent and think that this shouldn't be taken seriously. Those guys are up to something sinister, and I'd like to know what."

Goku nodded, a pensive look on his face. "You think it has something to do with why the Supreme Kai is here?"

Piccolo nodded. "If he's here, then it's something bad, universe threatening bad."

Goku frowned. "Then we'll meet the challenge head on Piccolo, like we always do." Gohan nodded in agreement.

Vegeta grunted, bringing them back to reality. "It's started."

Android 18's fight lasted about as long as Gohan's, shorter even. Goku had been correct in that Yamu was much weaker than his larger counterpart. As such, 18 was able to finish him off quickly and move on to the next round. "Well, that was easy." Krillin commented. Goku nodded, watching the sinister pair out of the corner of his eye. They had frustrated looks on their faces and kept looking at each other, almost frantically. "They're getting desperate." Goku observed. "And desperate people often do desperate things. We need to be careful." Everyone nodded their agreement.

An hour interval was announced before the next round. The fights would be as followed:

Goku vs Piccolo

Gohan vs Android 18

Vegeta sneered. Though they were strong, much stronger than most of the other fighters in attendance, they were not a match for Goku or Gohan. For all of their strengths, not to mention how strong Piccolo has gotten, they just do not match up to Kakarot and his brat. They will be good fights, but I doubt that they will have to expend too much energy.

Videl and Gohan walked a little behind the others. "So, what do you think about the tournament so far?" Videl asked.

"Well, it has been interesting so far. Although I was hoping we wouldn't have to worry about guys with evil tattoos on their heads."

Videl shivered at that. "Yeah, that guy was a monster."

Gohan noticed her mood and put an arm around her. "You did your best Videl." He didn't say how worried he had been, though Videl saw it clear as day and smiled. Gohan smiled back and the two teens walked in companionable silence.

Piccolo watched his former student, a smirk on his face. "He's just like Goku." Piccolo said to himself. He soon found himself walking next to Vegeta. "I know I won't beat Goku."

Vegeta snorted. "You'll give him a better fight than you think. But no, you won't win."

"I think Gohan might be stronger than Goku though."

Vegeta looked thoughtful for a moment. "It's strange how quickly he improves. He went from barely being able to reach his second form, to reaching an even higher form in a year's time. It is nothing short of incredible. Kakarot has a tendency to improve himself quickly, but I don't think that he is as strong as Gohan, not right now."

Piccolo nodded in agreement. "It's insane how much stronger he is. I think a part of that is the general atmosphere and the conditions of the time chamber, but a lot of it is just how quickly he improves. It's almost as if it's in his DNA that he gets stronger. He grows at an even faster rate than Goku, which is incredible."

Vegeta frowned. "And to think that he was wasting that incredible potential for so long."

"I don't think he ever moved past Goku staying dead. No matter what anyone has said, he seems to blame himself for Goku being gone which sapped him of any motivation to train. The lack of any real threat in the last seven years has only compounded that problem. Broly nearly killing everyone was a big wake up call for him. Now he knows, no matter how he feels, there are still enemies out there that will try this planet. He now understands that he has to be able to meet that threat."

Vegeta grunted in agreement but said no more.

As they came back to the stadium, they noticed Spopovich and Yamu looking at them maliciously. Vegeta sneered in their direction. "I wonder about them. No one can believe how much stronger they were compared to the last tournament. That, and their dark ki, what caused such a radical change?"

Piccolo frowned. "I'm not sure. Though I'm sure it has something to do with why the Supreme Kai is here." Vegeta grunted in annoyance. This caused Piccolo to look at the Prince oddly. "I'm sure you must be excited about the prospect of a universal threat?"

Vegeta scoffed. "Not as excited as I would have been years ago. Really it's all so tedious." He looked at the Namekian who merely raised a questioning eye, causing Vegeta to roll his eyes. "I'm always up for a good fight, but I don't want to endanger the family that I have." He looked sheepish all of a sudden which surprised Piccolo. "You know I don't like talking like this." Vegeta grumbled irritably.

Piccolo smirked. "I won't push you, but I think I get what you mean. It's more than a little surprising."

Vegeta huffed. "Bulma is, well, different. She knows about my past and she accepts me for who and what I am."

Piccolo smiled at the flustered Saiyan but left it at that. He moved towards the ring where Goku was waiting, stretching before their fight. Piccolo often wondered at the Saiyan's reason for that. He supposed it was probably a routine at this point since Saiyans were born to fight. He had never seen Vegeta or Gohan stretch. Finally, the announcer called for their match and the two fighters, former rivals and enemies turned friends, entered the ring on opposite sides. "And now ladies and gentlemen we have a rematch from almost twenty years ago! Son Goku vs Piccolo!" The crowd cheered though most had no idea what the man was talking about aside from some of the older generation who fondly remembered those fights. When the announcer yelled for them to fight, the two fighters stood there, sizing each other up before disappearing, only to reappear in the middle of the ring, their respective forearms locked in a stalemate.

Goku smirked at his former enemy. "You are a lot stronger than last time." He remarked.

"Training will do that for you." Piccolo answered before the two separated and rushed each other again, trading blows left and right, throwing knees every now and then to mix things up before separating again. This time, Piccolo popped his neck as he removed his weighted clothing. "It's time to get real." Goku only nodded before tensing up, his energy spiking ferociously into his Super Saiyan 2 form. Piccolo did likewise. Though the transformation was beyond him, he was able to unleash his latent power. At full power, Piccolo was at least as strong as Goku in his ascended Super Saiyan form. With a shout, Goku leapt at him. Piccolo met him midway and matched him blow for blow as the energy released from their blows shook the arena. Even most of the Z Fighters themselves were shocked except for Vegeta and Gohan, who watched passively. Even 18 could not believe how strong the Namekian had gotten.

"How is he this strong?" Krillan asked incredulously.

"He trains all of the time." Gohan answered proudly. "He never stops trying to get better and, to be honest, I think that he's been looking forward to this at least as much as Vegeta."

The two fighters kept at it, Goku throwing an uppercut, catching Piccolo under his jaw and thrusting him up into the air where Goku waited to with an axe hammer only for Piccolo to dodge the blow and hit Goku with one of his own, sending the Saiyan to the ground. Goku flipped midair, landing on his feet before powering back towards his opponent who was waiting, a smirk ever present on his face as Goku came at him. Piccolo met Goku in the air and the two started trading blows again. "Man Piccolo, I underestimated you." Goku said with a smile.

Piccolo harumphed. "I'm not Krillin. I was determined to get stronger and to prove that Saiyans aren't the only ones that have no limits." Piccolo dropped for a leg sweep that Goku leapt over only to be caught under his chin when Piccolo brought his feet together and kicked up, knocking the Saiyan up and backwards. With a back flip, Goku landed on his feet again, the smirk gone and replaced by a scowl. He released more of his power, powering to the very max that his current form could put out without ascending.

Piccolo smirked. "I know that ascending to your third form would likely do some damage to the planet, but I know I can't match you now."

Goku looked surprised. "How did you- right, former Kami." Piccolo said nothing else as the two fought again, this time, Goku had the clear upper hand and began to overpower Piccolo before, with a well-placed punch to the skull, knocking Piccolo out for the ten count. After, Goku sighed in relief. That had been closer than he would've liked, but a good fight was a good fight and Goku always enjoyed those.

Piccolo slowly picked himself up off the ground, glaring at Goku. "That was a cheap hit."

Goku shrugged. "Heh. I got lucky with that one. You and Vegeta were never going to be easy outs." They walked off of the stage together after the announcer called Goku the winner.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Now we have the final fight of the semi-finals! Both of these are newcomers to the World Martial Arts scene. First, we have Miss 18 who has been breezing her way through these fights, including beating the Champ himself!" 18 quietly stepped onto the stage, turning to face her soon to be opponent. "And next, we have the son of our previous world champion! He has been gliding his way to this fight, knocking out some contenders on his way, Son Gohan!" The crowd cheered as Gohan stepped up onto the stage. The air was tense as the two fighters met in the middle.

18 glared at Gohan as the announcer hyped up the match. "I never did thank you for saving me from Cell."

Gohan smiled kindly at her briefly, before returning his face to its scowl. "Repay me by giving me a good fight."

With a smirk, 18 flipped her hair out of her face. "Count on it goldie."

"And now, Miss 18 are you ready? Son Gohan are you ready?" Both fighters nodded their readiness. "Then fight!" With a leap, the announcer was out of the ring. The two fighters just stared at each other, assessing one another, before 18 leapt at her opponent who casually dodged her attempt before getting kicked skyward. 18 flew up after him but he disappeared. Stopping midair, she looked around for him.

"Looking for someone?" She spun around only to receive a headbutt that sent her crashing back to the ground. She exploded back out of the ground; rage written clear across her face as she determined to catch Gohan. The two began a dance in the air of punches, kicks, and dodges. Gohan was smiling, he hadn't been challenged like this and he was having a lot of fun as he struggled to dodge, failing often as 18 landed hits on him that no one else had been able to. He had allowed Spopovitch to get his one hit in, 18 was forcing the issue. Finally, Gohan knew that his base form would not be able to beat 18 so he dropped down to the ring floor with 18 following closely. They landed on opposite sides of the ring, staring each other down. Finally, Gohan tensed and, with a yell, went Super Saiyan. His hair stood up as the power of the first transformation took him over.

Videl was in awe, she had yet to see Gohan's transformed state. His hair spiked higher than Goku's, probably due to its length, but it looked like the same form. "I'm surprised he didn't jump straight into the next level." Goku exclaimed.

"Now Kakarot, where would the fun in that be? Besides, his Super Saiyan form is pretty powerful as it is. He may not need his ascended state."

"Oh, 18 will make sure that he needs it." Krillan said with a grin.

Back in the ring, the two had started trading blows again. This time around, Gohan dodged most of them and nailing plenty of his own. It was clear that the momentum was swinging in his direction. But, refusing to be outdone, 18 began adding in small ki blasts. "Here kid, let's spice things up a bit!" Gohan nearly yelped in surprise as the first ki blast got him in his side but soon got to batting them away as they came. Unfortunately, he didn't notice them hanging in the air until 18 got clear and, with a motion with her hands, all of them came at him at once. "I got this from your friend Piccolo!" With a powerful thunderclap, the blasts all detonated on Gohan, leaving the ring covered in thick smoke. Suddenly, the ring shhok and the smoke was all blasted away, leaving a scowling Gohan in his Super Saiyan 2 state. 18 merely smiled. "Finally got you to take me seriously huh?"

Without a word, Gohan disappeared and reappeared in front of 18, surprising her with a blow to the gut, followed by a kick that sent her into the air. Gohan disappeared once again, reappearing above 18, delivering another blow that sent her sprawling to the ring, leaving a crater where she landed. She struggled to her feet, glaring at Gohan who glared back as he lowered himself to the ring, mere feet away from her. They looked at each other like that for a few moments before they disappeared again, reappearing at another part of the ring trading blows. By this point, 18 new she was no match. This was the Gohan that killed Cell, and she knew she stood no chance. Though that did not stop her from trying, the inevitable did eventually come. 18 had been on her back foot, continuously backing away from Gohan until he had her back against the edge of the ring. With one final blow, she was sent sprawling onto the earth.

"And with a sensational knockout, Gohan is the winner." Gohan smirked at 18. "Thanks for the good fight 18." 18 merely flipped her hair. "Anytime goldie. Just make sure you win this thing." Gohan smiled before powering down and leaving the ring.

"We're going to have a 1-hour break to do some maintenance and then we'll have our final fight!" The group began to head off to see some more of the sights. Suddenly, as they walked, Gohan froze. Videl and Piccolo noticed and turned to find Gohan frozen in place, a look of rage on his face as Spopovitch and Yamu appeared out of nowhere, stabbing Gohan in the side with what looked like some sort of device. With a yell of rage, Piccolo went to intervene only to find Kibito in his way. "You must not interfere with the master's plan anymore!"

"To hell with that!" Kibito turned just in time to get knocked unconscious by Vegeta as Videl and Piccolo rushed ahead, but it was too late by then. Spopovitch and Yamu had gotten what they had come for and quickly flew off. The Supreme Kai walked up, looking at Vegeta with a look of disapproval. "Was that really necessary?"

Vegeta snarled at the kai as Krillin quickly arrived with a sensu bean. Within moments, Gohan was on his feet again, even more ticked off than he was before. "What were you doing inside my head?" He yelled at the Kai in indignation. All heads turned towards the Kai.

"I think it's past time that you explained yourself." Goku said in a deathly quiet voice as Kibito struggled to his feet. Shin closed his eyes. "I'll tell you on the way, but we need to leave after them now. The entire universe is at stake if we do not."

"What the hell are you on about Kai!?" Vegeta hissed angrily.

"Those two were only the beginning, but if we do not act now then a threat far worse than they will be unleashed upon this universe once more, and Kibito and I are here to stop it. However, to do that, we will need your assistance!" The Kai finished passionately.

"Fine." Everyone turned to see Gohan glaring at Shin and Kibito. "But you had better have a good explanation for what you helped them do." It was decided. "Vdeil, are you going to be ok?" Gohan asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm just so angry! He basically helped those guys attack you!"

"I know, I'm pretty angry too. But if there is a threat like he says, then we need to meet it before it gets out of hand. Krillan and 18 will stay behind with you. Keep an eye on my mom and Goten will you?"

Videl smiled. "Of course, I will." She then reached up and kissed Gohan, capturing his lips in a chaste kiss briefly before smiling at his stunned look. "But you better make sure that you come back to us."

Gohan finally smiled before leaning down and kissing her deeply. He backed off, leaving her stunned. "I definitely will!"

Moments later, they were off, leaving a smiling Videl. She didn't even flinch while 18 and Krillan teased her. She was too happy in that moment to care.

As they flew, Shin began to explain the crisis in earnest. "A long time ago, a wizard, named Bibidi, created a monster to erase all life from the universe. Eventually, the monster got too powerful so he began sealing him away as they traveled from world to world. Finally, when they got here, we were able to kill Bibidi before he unleashed his monster. However, it seems that he had a son, named Babidi, who now seeks to finish the work that his father started. Using his magic, he has mentally enslaved those with evil desires in their hearts to collect the energy needed to release the monster."

"So, ignoring the fact that you basically just handed them the energy of probably the strongest fighter in the universe, what is the monster called?"

Shin flinched at Piccolo's harsh tone. "I admit there was probably a better way to do that. The monster is called, Majin Buu."

Hey guys, sorry for the long delay…again! But I hope that you all enjoy this chapter! I know it may seem that I rushed some of the fights, but really this is probably my first story writing actually fighting so bear with me! Please feel free to leave a review or PM me with any questions or concerns, although I'd prefer a review as I actually get notified of those whereas your PM may sit for a while before I see it. Again, thanks so much for your patience!