Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ.

Chapter 18

"Seeing as Kibito has left the arena, and isn't present at the scheduled time of his match he is automatically disqualified. That makes Hercule the winner by default, and our eight and final fighter to advance into the quarterfinals!"

YAH! HAR! GWAR!" Hercule roared as he posed in the ring for the fans. The response he was receiving was deafening, and would've been overwhelming to any other fighter with any sort of conscious what so ever. "I've got them on the run now! They're not even brave enough to get in the ring with me! I've got this tournament locked in the bag!"

"What is that fool doing?!" Vegeta growled in disgust as he subjected himself to witnessing Hercule's display. "I don't know what makes me more sick! This cowardly fraud, or these idiot people who actually think a weakling like that could actually kill a monster like Cell! Does that fool have no shame?! He didn't even have to fight a match, and he's still celebrating!"

"I don't know…" Gohan sweat dropped, as Hercule began to flex his muscles. "But I'd hate to see the way he reacts when he actually wins one…"

"You should be worrying less about what that moronic human is doing, and keep your focus on me!"

Vegeta sneered, and turned his head to stare at Taro's hideous face. "Don't worry, I'll keep my focus on you when the time comes! So until then, spare me your dramatics! We'll be in that ring soon enough, so why don't you wait and get the beating of your life then?!

"Hey Gohan, what's going on?" Videl asked, as she and Ryo wandered back into the waiting room.

"Oh nothing... Taro, and Vegeta are getting ready to fight, that's all."

"Already?" Videl asked, looking confused. "What happened with the other two fights?! That was kind of quick wasn't it? We were only gone about ten minutes!"

"Well, your dad won by default. Remember that Kibito took off with Shin and the others… As for Eighteens match, let's just say she went out with a bang…"

Videl gave Gohan a funny look, as the MC prepared himself to call the start of the quarterfinals. "Now that the first round is complete, then the fighting for the quarterfinals will begin immediately! Our first match will feature Taro vs. Vegeta!"

Vegeta smirked as did Taro from where he stood towards the back of the waiting room. Vegeta stepped out onto the walkway, and waited for his opponent. All those hours of waiting would finally culminate into an actual battle, and from the looks of things this Taro might actually be worth fighting, making the fact it was finally his time to shine all that much more worth while. Both fighters exchanged a smirk as they started on their way towards the ring.

"You sure look cocky little man," Taro jeered. "I pray that you have good reason."

"You'll find out soon enough. You know they have a custom here on Earth. They usually pound their beef to tenderize it before it's processed. If you're not careful you might wind up on somebody's dinner table after I'm through with you!"

"As you can see I'm quivering."

"Do what you want," Vegeta said casually. "I don't care what you do as long as you're lying still on the ground when I'm through with you!"

"Both of these fighters took very different routes to get to the quarterfinals," the MC continued. "Taro scored a rather aggressive victory over Piccolo in the first match, while Vegeta didn't even have to throw a punch as he won via Shin's surprising forfeit. Tension has been building between these two ever since they discovered they'd meet in the second round, but they've patiently waited to take it all out in the ring! Now, when ever the fighters are ready you may begin!"

With the introductions done, the two combatants gawked at each other from across the ring, the same smirk still smudged across their faces. It was a brief war of wills, as Taro soon broke the silence. "Well little man, are you ready? Don't tell me that's all the power you have? This isn't going to be much of a bout, unless you're hiding something from me."

Vegeta's grin widened as his eyes closed, then slowly opened again. He had to admit, this bullheaded monstrosity was strong. To strong for him to risk going at him in his regular form. So why not give the ugly fool what he wanted? "You want to see power horn head? I'll show you power! You're about to realize the true strength of the legendary Super Sayian!"

"Super Sayian?" Taro's brow would've twitched if he had one. "You mean that old myth of the Sayian race? Oh, I get it now! Vegeta… I knew that name seemed rather odd for a human. You must be the boy prince of that dead planet as I recall. I see you managed to escape the downfall of the rest of your pathetic race hey?"

Vegeta snarled, as he began to focus his energy. "My planet may be dead, but my race isn't! Even if it is deluded somewhat, Sayian blood still pumps through the veins of my myself, my son, and Kakarott's children! As you're about to witness, Sayians are far from pathetic! Now I'm going to make you wish you never opened your fat mouth, you overgrown slab of beef!"

Vegeta let out a howl as his body ascended to the level of Super Sayian. Taro's eyes widened at the little man who was now surrounded in a golden light, but that air of surprise quickly faded back to one of sheer arrogance. "Oh my, so that's a Super Sayian? I guess that boy and his father who fought a while ago must've been Sayian's as well hey? Well, that light show is a charming little trick, but I'm afraid it's going to take more than that to defeat me."

"I'm sure of that," Vegeta grinned. "But I've got everything I need!"

With another growl Vegeta charged Taro, and the battle was joined. The ultra fast pace began with a flurry of punches and kicks, each fighter taking turns blocking or dodging the other's attacks. Though the majority of the crowd was hard pressed to make out much of anything, feet and fists were flying with malice intent regardless.

"No way!" Videl's eyes widened, as she watched Vegeta go super. "Vegeta can turn into a Gold Fighter too?!"

"Well, Trunks did it earlier, and Vegeta's his father so why not?" Gohan put it simply.

Videl gave Gohan a questioning look. "And you're positive I can't learn to do that?"

"No, you can't Videl," Gohan chuckled, and rolled his eyes. "As I discovered earlier, you know I'm half-alien, and this is something only my race can achieve."

"I see…" Videl turned her focus back to the ring, satisfied with Gohan's answer. Hell, of course she was satisfied, it was the first straight answer she'd gotten from him in two days. "Damn it! I can't see anything that's going on again! Somebody tell them to slow down!"

Almost as if he were answering her and the crowd's pleas, Taro came staggering out of the fray and dropped down to one knee. He rubbed underneath his chin, and grumbled. "Damn! He's a lot stronger then I thought… This isn't going to be as easy as I first believed…"

"You better believe it! Now here I come horn head!" Taro braced himself, and caught Vegeta's wrists as he charged into him. Taro sneered, and reared his head back, planning to head butt Vegeta right between the eyes. The Super Sayian gave a sneer of his own, and moved his head out of the way while prying himself free from Taro's grasp. Vegeta drove his fist into the back of Taro's skull, sending the big brut face first into the ground. Vegeta scooped him up after he pulled himself up to his knees, and slammed him down hard to the ground making yet another dent in the ring tile. Vegeta humphed as he stared down at his fallen opponent. "Get up you fool! Can't you do better then this?! I was hoping for a little sport!"

"So you want sport then huh?" Taro asked, as he pushed himself up. "Fine. I'm through playing games then. Let me show you my real power!" Taro drug his foot across the ring floor, and summoned up some of his power. "SHADOW HORNS!"

Vegeta looked indifferent, that was until Taro came speeding in like a bullet smashing directly into his gut. Vegeta hadn't even the time to blink, let alone defend himself. Vegeta folded over towards his knees, as sweat and spit spewed from his face and mouth. Taro crushed the Sayian Prince in the back with a double axe handle, and he went plopping to the ground. Vegeta sprung back up like a cat, jumping right into a gale of Taro's fists. Taro pounded on the smaller man, about half his own size, knocking him towards the edge of the ring. Vegeta wiped a trail of blood off his mouth, and growled in Taro's direction. "Are you trying to embarrass me you freak?!"

Vegeta hammered Taro right in the face with his fist, knocking his grin right off of it. Taro snarled, and the two combatants went at it again. They spent the better part of the next ten minutes knocking the stuffing out of each other, neither one of them seemingly able to gain any ground. Somewhere along the way, the battle took to the air where Taro appeared to have the advantage for a while. Taro head butted Vegeta towards the ground, wrapping his arms around the man from behind when he tried to shoot back up. Vegeta tried desperately to power out of Taro's bear hug, and finally succeeded with a mighty flare of his energy. Taro growled in frustration, completely lost for a reason why he was having so much difficulty warring this man down. Vegeta didn't even appear winded in the least.

"What are you staring at?!" Vegeta followed up with a punch to the face. Vegeta followed him down firing punches that Taro barely blocked, as they floated down towards the ground. Finally, Vegeta buried his fist into Taro's face, sending the big bull crashing towards the ring floor again. Taro picked himself up slowly, and when he did immediately received a spear from mid-air, as Vegeta crashed into him. Both men got up relatively quick, but Vegeta played the aggressor against the weakening Taro. He began to pummel him, possibly firing a hundred punches at one time that all landed on their target flush. Taro staggered around again, and with one last blow to the jaw was back on the floor. Taro pulled himself up again just asking for another beat down, and Vegeta was more then happy to give it to him. Vegeta knocked Taro around some more, but shortly afterward the monster was back down on his back.

"Humph! Do you enjoy wasting my time or do you have something more to offer?" Vegeta snickered, as Taro struggled to his knees again. "You look kind of shaken down there horn head. Don't tell me your giving in already, or are you just scared?"

Taro's lips curved upward. "Why don't you look into my eyes, and tell me just how afraid I look?"

Vegeta smirked, and decided to humor his broken adversary. He looked straight into Taro's beady red eyes, expecting to see nothing more then the puffy pupils of a fool too stubborn to give up. Instead, he saw a mischievous grin, right before his eyes flashed red. Vegeta wanted to laugh at this, for a second that was, before his eyes started to burn. It was only a minor irritation at first, but within a matter of seconds Vegeta wondered if his very retinas were on fire. With a growl, Vegeta hit his knees trying desperately to rub the fire out of his eyes. "My eyes! What the hell did you?!…"

Vegeta did demand a response, but noticed something as he listened to the crowd... He noticed he couldn't hear them. He doubted they were all stunned into silence from the Prince dropping to his knees and grabbing his face, so that could only mean… Vegeta stood up, and opened his eyes slowly, fearing what they'd see. He saw exactly what he had feared he would. Absolutely nothing. He was now completely blind, and deaf. Vegeta was knocked back into reality when Taro slammed his head into the Prince's back. Vegeta wasn't prepared for it, and hit the ground hard. Vegeta made it back to his feet slowly, and now it was Taro's turn to pound on him. All Vegeta could manage to do was keep his Ki up to prevent himself from being dismembered. He tried to throw a punch now and then, but they all missed horribly. Taro laughed in satisfaction, literally on occasion, slapping Vegeta around a bit before ramming him face first to the ring again.

Vegeta pushed himself up to knees slowly, and stayed that way for a moment. He couldn't see Taro… He couldn't hear him coming up from behind him, nor could he smell that putrid odor he'd been admitting on a plus note. So, he would have to rely on the one sense he had left, the only one Taro couldn't take away from him. His ability to sense other peoples energy. He waited patiently for Taro's Ki to get right on top of him, pretending to be further out of it then he actually was. He was betting Taro would probably be too busy basking in the glory of the beating he'd just given Vegeta to press his attack right away. Of course, Vegeta was right. Taro circled around Vegeta cockily, as Vegeta balled up his fist waiting for the right moment. He locked into Taro's Ki, and drove his fist towards the spot he felt him in, connecting hard with Taro's midsection. Taro doubled over in shock and pain, and staggered backwards. The blind warrior leapt towards the source of the Ki, and attacked Taro rapidly, refusing to give his opponent one second to regain the advantage.

"This is impossible, I know I've blinded you!" Taro snarled, as he tried to block Vegeta's flurry. Of course, Vegeta couldn't hear him, so he didn't answer. Taro realized his attack had worked, when he noticed many of Vegeta's attacks were way off target. Taro smiled realizing Vegeta must've been feeding off of some instinct driving him to press forward. The monster put his theory to the test, and side stepped out of Vegeta's way. Sure enough, Vegeta floated right through, punching wildly at empty space. Vegeta quickly picked up on this however, paused a moment, and came right back at Taro. Taro sidestepped him again, but this time made sure to take advantage of the situation. As soon as Vegeta skidded past him, Taro charged up a Ki blast and shot it directly into Vegeta's back. Vegeta let out a blood-curling scream, as the blast ripped through him. A hole burned in the back of his Gi, and he fell to his hands and knees. Taro walked over to him casually, and drove his foot down into Vegeta's back, slamming his face down into the ground. Taro followed this up with several sickening head butts, driving his horned forehead repeatedly into Vegeta's back. Taro then charged up another ball of Ki like before, and shot it downward at Vegeta. The Prince's body trembled as the energy surged through him, until finally his body fell still.

"Oh goodness…" the MC gawked, a trickle of nervous sweat dripping from his brow. "It looks like Vegeta may be out of it now…"

"No, he's not finished," Taro announced gruffly. "This one's too powerful, I can beat on him all day, and he'd still get back up. I guess there's only one other way I can win this then, and I might as well take advantage now while he's incapacitated."

Taro pulled Vegeta up half way before coiling his hand around the Sayian's neck, and lifting him up off his feet holding him out at arm's length. Normally, Vegeta would've tore the arm right off of anybody who'd dare to try something like that on him, but in his weakened state any thought of that was impossible. "How does it feel to know you're mere seconds away from losing this battle Vegeta?"

What Vegeta had to say was simple, but difficult for him to chock the words out. "You know I would've won if I had just beaten you when I had the chance…"

"Perhaps, but we'll never know now will we? What do you have to say to that?"

Vegeta responded by spitting right between Taro's eyes. "You know the only good thing about being blind is that I don't have to look at that ugly smirk I know is on your hideous face right now!"

Taro growled at him, then smiled. "Goodbye Vegeta."

Taro pulled his arm back, let go of Vegeta's neck, and planted his fist right underneath Vegeta's chin. The mighty Prince of the Sayians flew backwards never once stopping until his back slammed against something hard, and then the unthinkable happened. Vegeta slid down, landing softly on the moist grass surrounding the ring.

"And Vegeta has landed out of the ring! That makes Taro our winner!" The MC called it like he saw it, but some people still didn't believe it.

Videl looked out disappointedly towards the ring, but when she shifted her head to both sides, the looks on her friend's faces said something much different. Both Gohan and Ryo had their mouths hanging open, staring out at the ring like they had just watched the red-sea part, or some other mind-boggling miracle occur. "What's up guys? What's with the pelican impersonations?!"

"He lost…" Ryo muttered stupidly. "How could he... What the hell is that thing?!"

"This isn't possible!" Gohan seconded Ryo's sentiment of surprise. "And I'm going to have to fight that guy next!"

"No way… There is no way…" Trunks stammered in utter disbelief. "There's no way my dad can lose! Something must be wrong! I'm going down there!"

"Hey Trunks, wait for me!" Goten called after him before flying off after his friend.

"Goten, you get back here this instant!" Chichi barked at her son, but he was already half way down to the ring area by then. The boys ignored Mrs. Son's calls as they flew towards Vegeta. "Damn that boy! He takes too much after his father if you ask me!"

"He lost…" Bulma muttered for about the tenth time in less then a minute. "How is that possible? He trains so hard…"

"It's kind of funny once you think about it," Roshi observed. "Just a few hours ago you two were arguing over if Vegeta or Goku were going to win the tournament, and it looks like neither one of them is even going to make it to the semifinals. Funny isn't it?"

"NO, IT'S NOT FUNNY YOU DIRTY OLD MAN!" Bulma and Chichi yelled into Roshi's face simultaneously, knocking the elderly martial arts master out of his chair.

"Okay… Forget I said anything…"

"Dad, dad, are you okay?!" Trunks asked his father, as he landed next to him. Vegeta was rubbing his forehead as he was just coming to. He groaned when he saw Trunks. At least he'd gotten his sight and hearing back, but Trunks was the last person he wanted to see right then, aside from maybe Kakarott. Not after he just disgraced himself, his family, and his entire race.

"Don't touch me!" Vegeta growled, as he pulled his arm away from Trunks. The boy's eyes grew sad and wide, and Vegeta's face almost showed regret as he rose to his feet. "I'm fine boy, don't worry about me. Go tell your mother that for me. Right now I don't wish to be bothered… I have to handle my disgrace on my own…"

Trunks looked bewildered as he stared after his father. He looked over at Goten who had arrived with him, and the younger boy just shrugged his shoulders.

"What happened Vegeta?" Gohan asked, as Vegeta passed him. "You had that match in the bag, and suddenly you lose just like that?"

Surprisingly, Vegeta refrained from snapping at Gohan, or reacting any other way he'd become famous for. He just looked at the floor, and clenched his fist in frustration. "That bastard used some sort of tactic on me that affected my senses!… I was blind and deaf out there for the last few minutes of that match. Ironically, my senses seemed to be restored to me the second my ass hit the outside of the ring."

"So that's what happened?" Gohan said. "I knew something fishy had to be going on. You were too much in control of that fight, just to snowball like that so quickly. It just couldn't have been legit, you should've…"

"Stop that right now! I'm a Sayian warrior! I don't make excuses, and I don't sit around and cry over my defeats! I learn from them… I let my own self-confidence get the best of me… I should've finished him off when I had the chance, but then!… Then he pulled into his bag of tricks, and stole the advantage… My lose was deserved."

"Vegeta…" Gohan may have followed after him if it hadn't been for one important fact. Besides the fact that he was Vegeta, and that meant Gohan should stay away from him at all costs. He had a fight of his own that was coming up next, and he wasn't going to miss this for anything short of the end of the world. His expression grew serious, as the MC's voice rang over the microphone.

"Wow folks! What an amazing tournament so far hey? Now let's get on with our next match that features…" The MC frowned when he read the first name on the card, but smiled at the second. "Spopovitch vs. Gohan!"

"Spopovitch?!" Hercule growled, recognizing that name. "That's the creep that put Videl in the hospital! I'm going to show that overblown creampuff he can't mess with my daughter, and get away with it!"

"Sir, where are you going?!" One of the monks codling to his every need asked him. "Please calm yourself sir, you can't interfere with the match!… Oh why do I bother? He never listens!"

"Well, I guess it's time to get this over with," Gohan grinned.

Videl's face grew tense, and she clutched Gohan by the arm. "Gohan!"

"What is it Videl?" Gohan asked, giving her his full attention. "Is there something you want to say?"

Gee I don't know. A whole lot of things, Videl thought to herself. Be careful, don't go out there, kick his butt, I love you, take care of yourself, don't do anything you'll regret for my sake, do I have to let go? All that and a whole lot more, but which one do I say?

"Videl is something wrong? I have to get out to the ring."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Videl said, crashing back into reality. "Look Gohan… There's still a part of me that's scared to death for you after what that creep did to me, and that doesn't like your chances. Yet there's another part of me that looks into you eyes, and wants to believe you can handle yourself out there. With everything that's been going on today, I'm just not sure which to believe. Please make a believer out of me Gohan."

"No problem Videl." Gohan's smile widened. He slipped his arm out of her clutches, with a slight bit of resistance from her. "I'm doing this one for you after all. That creep isn't going to know what hit him!"

"Yeah, but I think I know what Spopovitch is going to be hitting in a minute," Ryo jumped in abruptly.

"Huh? What are you…" Gohan looked in the direction Ryo pointed, and saw Hercule stalking towards Spopovitch. "Uh oh… This isn't going to be pretty. I better get out there before he gets himself killed!"

Videl smirked, as Gohan ran off to intervene between her father and his next opponent. "Yeah right. He's probably just worried my dad will do the job before he gets a chance to."

Ryo rolled his eyes behind Videl's back, and muttered his breath. "Yeah right…"

"Hey Spopovitch!" Hercule growled, as he walked up to the man. Spopovitch turned his attention to him and grinned. "Don't look at me like that! So, you think what you did to my daughter in that ring was funny huh?! I'll show you the true meaning of being beaten within an inch of your life! Once a creampuff, always a creampuff! I don't care how big, or goofy looking you are now! I'll…"

Spopovitch practically laughed, and was about to say something in response when an exuberant Gohan, jumped in between them. "Whoa whoa! Calm down there guys! The fighting is supposed to be done in the ring, not out here on the grass! I know you two have issues, but you need to save them until you meet in the ring. Besides Hercule sir, I'm facing Spopovitch in this next match, so you'll just have to wait your turn."

"What?! Are you out of your mind?! Get out of my way kid!" Hercule tried to swat Gohan out of his way, but was shocked when Gohan didn't budge and inch. Hercule sweat dropped, grabbed Gohan by the sides of the arms, and tried to push him out of his way. He nearly fell out of his face he tried pulling so hard, and eventually lost his grip and was sent crashing down to his butt. Hercule quickly stood up, and shook it off like nothing had happened. Hercule sweat dropped again, and pointed over Gohan's shoulder towards Spopovitch. "You're lucky he's standing in my way, or I'd be pounding you into hamburger right now!"

"Whoa, save that adrenaline for your next match Mr. Satan! How about you just cool down, and leave this guy to me?"

"Are you nuts kids?! There's no way you can beat that guy! He pounded Videl into a pulp, and she's the second strongest person in the world next to me! What do you think a skinny runt like you is going to accomplish?! Get out of the way you punk, and let a real man handle this!"

Gohan wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh, or punch Mr. Satan in the face. He wisely did neither, and decided to lull the man towards his way of thinking. "I know how bad you want to get at him sir, but think about it this way. You're the World Champion, and these people are counting on you to put on a good show for them. You have to save your strength for the rest of the tournament. You'd hate to do something drastic, and get yourself disqualified for the rest of tournament now would you?"

"Well, you do have a point… I'd hate to disappoint my fans…"

"Besides, someone as strong as you can tare Spopovitch into pieces just like that! Why waste your energy?! You just stand back, and take a breather while I do your light work for you. You are the World Champ after all, and if Spopovitch is really that strong you'll wind up meeting him in the finals anyway."

"Yeah, you're right! I am the Champ aren't I?!" Hercule growled. The champ part was obviously the only thing he heard. "This is a matter that should be settled in the ring… Okay, have it your way then kid."

Hercule wandered off to the side somewhere to bask in his own greatness leaving Gohan to wonder if the man even had a brain to think with. Gohan hadn't even gotten to the part he thought would get Hercule to back down, but oh well. Whatever worked to keep the big goof from getting his head beaten in. The MC, who had witnessed the entire display, pulled on his collar and cleared his throat. "Excuse me guys, but you can get in the ring and we can get this match started whenever you two are ready."

"Oh sure! Sorry about that." Gohan glared at Spopovitch, who simply smirked in response. Gohan ignored it, and walked into the ring with Spopovitch lumbering behind him. "I can barely wait to get started in fact."

"Excellent, that's the kind of attitude we need! Now let's get started!" The MC backed up a few feet, and hung his head down over the ring. He spoke softly in the direction of one of the monks at ringside. "You might want to get a stretcher ready just in case. We saw what Spopovitch did to Videl, so I don't like this skinny kids chances, Goku's son or not."

"I heard that," Gohan said, causing the blond man to pop back up nervously. "Forget the stretcher, you're going to need a fork lift to pry this big ox out of here after I get through with him."

Spopovitch chuckled slightly at the boy standing across from him. This is great! First I can have some fun with him then steal his energy. He doesn't look all that strong to me… I don't care what that stupid energy thingy said.

"Laugh all you want Spopovitch," Gohan said, shooting the big man a look only an angry Sayian was capable of. "While you can anyway. You aren't going to think things are so funny in about ten seconds!" Gohan growled, and began to power up.

Videl rubbed the top of her hand nervously. "Why hasn't he changed into the Gold Fighter?"

Ryo studied the Demi-Sayian, and concluded that Gohan had no intention to transform. It wasn't necessary after all, so why waste all that energy? "He probably wants to do this as Gohan. He went just about ballistic after watching Spopovitch pound on you, so I guess this is important to him."

Videl blushed on all counts. Was Gohan in this fight for himself, or more for her? "Do you really think he can beat him Ryo?"

"No sweat Videl. You saw how I handled Yamu, and Gohan's a lot stronger then me."

Videl looked shocked. "You're kidding!"

"No, I'm not joking Videl," Ryo snickered. "Just watch and you'll see. I'll wager you'll probably begin to start understanding things as this tournament continues on."

Videl looked thoughtful as she considered this, and didn't say anything in response. She looked out towards the ring praying Ryo was right.

"You think it was funny what you did to Videl don't you? You're real proud of yourself huh?"

"I enjoyed myself if that's what you mean," Spopovitch jeered in that ogre like speech impediment of his.

"Figures you sick bastard," Gohan grimaced. "Well, let's see how funny you think it is when you're the one getting clobbered around the ring."

"Oh, I'm so scared."


"Well you better be," Gohan grinned evilly, as an aurora of energy surrounded him. "Now fight me you butt ugly bone head!"

"You want some of me! Then fine!" With a loud roar, Spopovitch rammed his fist into Gohan's face. Gohan's head jerked back a little, but otherwise held his ground. Spopovitch then nailed him in the face again with a left, then again with his right, then continued pounding him throwing at least two dozen punches in rapid succession. The crowd grunted and groaned with each blow, wondering how in the world Gohan's head managed to stay attached to his shoulders each time it was spun around.

"Gohan!" Videl screeched from the waiting area. Ryo had to grab her by the shoulders to keep her head from hitting the roof. Actually, he was worried she might do something stupid like run out to the ring, but this didn't hurt for that either.

"Calm down Videl. He's just baiting him…"

"Baiting him!" Videl frowned at him. "Are you watching the same fight I am?! He's getting his head knocked off is what he's doing!"

"Just wait and see Videl. Wait and see…"

Spopovitch fired his fist at Gohan one more time, forcing his head to the side one more time. Gohan stumbled back, looking like he was going to fall. Spopovitch grinned as Gohan's head slowly turned to face him. He expected to see fear, or pain, or something in those coal black eyes of his. But he got neither. Gohan's eyes met Spopovitch's , and he smiled. "Nice try. Now it's my turn."

Before the big man's eyes had time to widen, Gohan rammed his fist into Spopovitch's gut. The big man didn't even see what hit him, though he sure felt it as he bent over. He didn't notice Gohan's fist come up and hit his jaw either, until his head was bouncing up and down like a cheap bobbing head doll. Gohan grinned at the look of shock Spopovitch gave him after he stumbled around. "That's just to let you know what you're in for."

Now realizing what he was up against, Spopovitch entertained the thought of turning face and getting the hell out of there. He might've done just that if he'd had the time. Gohan's fist were coming at him much faster then Babadi's henchmen could think, not that that was saying much, landing over fifty different punches over any part of Spopovitch's body he could find open. This was all in the small span of about twenty seconds, as Spopovitch hobbled around the ring after every blow. If he knew Gohan wasn't even coming at him with even a third of his actual strength, the poor guy might've wet his tights. Gohan suddenly halted his assault, allowing him to tilter to the side groggily for just a second before serving a crushing blow to his face. Spopovitch went sailing across the ring, ticketed to crash right into, or possibly through, the wall to the far side of the arena. However, Gohan suddenly zipped towards the edge of the ring, catching Spopovitch in his arms before he could fly out of the ring. Spopovitch peeked down at Gohan nervously, a trickle of blood flowing out of his nose.

"Oh no, don't think you're getting off that easy creep. I'm not finished with you yet!" Gohan grunted as he tossed Spopovitch back to the center of the ring. This was much to the surprise of the crowd, and especially his two friends watching in the back.

Videl stared in shock while Gohan pounded on Spopovitch, and sent him flying. She was even more surprised when she watched him prevent his opponent from getting a closer look at the architecture of the arena wall. "What did he do that for?! He could've won the match! Is he crazy?!"

"No, he's angry," Ryo gritted his teeth. "He wants to get back at Spopovitch for what he did to you… I'm worried what he might do if he gets too carried away… Anyway, I think he believes he's doing this all for you…"

"Well if he is, he can just stop! If he wants to defend my honor, he can do that by beating him in the ring, not stooping to Spopovitch's level! He's better then that…"

"I know that, and you know that… I just hope he remembers that…"

"He's wasting his time," Vegeta spat, as he approached suddenly from behind. He wiped his mouth clean, and looked out towards the ring. "He needs to be worrying about Taro, and not wasting time with this fool."

Ryo and Videl looked up at Vegeta surprised to see him, but both shook it off quickly and looked back out towards the ring. Ryo bit his lip hoping Gohan wasn't doing the one thing he promised himself he wouldn't. Don't do this Gohan… You'll regret it later… Remember what you said about letting your Sayian side take over? Well, that's exactly what's happening here! Just please don't go overboard…

"Get up you creep!" Gohan growled, kicking Spopovitch in the face. Spopovitch rolled over, and struggled to get back to his feet. Gohan knocked him around some more, Spopovitch serving as not much more than a large punching bag. Gohan was enjoying it too, that part of him from his father's side that thrived on this sort of thing. The Sayian blood beginning to fizzle, and roam free through his veins after being suppressed for so long. He'd see Videl with every punch he threw, and that heated his blood to a near boil each time. Every time he'd hit her… Every time he heard her scream or cry out… Every second he had to watch her roll around in agony on that damn cot… Every bruise he saw on her face, every second he had to stand back unable to do anything for her, and those brief moments he feared if she would even make it or not. One blow for each thought, and each thought made him want to pound on him that much more. Faster and faster, and harder the angrier he got. The only thing that made him feel better was to hit him again, and that only lasted a second or two so he nailed him over and over. Spopovitch crumpled to the ground again barely moving. Gohan stalked around him methodically, practically begging for the lunk-head to get to his feet again. There wasn't much that could stop a Sayian on a rampage. But there was one thing that could calm this Sayian at least.

Gohan caught a glimpse of Videl out of the corner of his eye, and turned around to look at her almost instinctively. Her look puzzled him to some degree. She looked almost concerned over something, maybe even a little disgusted. Gohan stared in her direction another second or two until Videl shook her head, a silent way of telling him that if he thought he was doing this for her he needed to spot right there. The life suddenly drained out of Gohan's eyes, and looked dejectedly her way just then realizing what he was doing. Showing her the one side of himself he never wanted to. Videl seemed to pick up on this to some degree, and smiled at him warmly to let him know she loved him anyway. Well, of course Gohan didn't know this yet, but that's what it meant regardless. Gohan smiled back at her, that brief surge of Sayian adrenaline fizzling out as it began to almost on eye contact with her. It was pushed back into the forgotten regions of soul alongside of fear, greed, and every other urge or emotion he had no need for feeling, allowing his more distinctively human side to show through. The Gohan that Videl, his friends, and family all knew and loved.

A frown burned into the boy's face, as he looked back down at his fallen opponent. The big goon was actually picking himself back up to his feet. Well, time to end this thing I guess. I think I made my point… No need to sink to his level.

"Alright you ugly piece of crap! I've had enough of you! Time to say good-bye!" Gohan charged his Ki up, holding back just enough so he wouldn't kill him. Gohan helped Spopovitch up, only to clobber him with a monstrous right hand. Spopovitch literally went flying, knocking down a pillar next to the wall, as his body sailed out of the arena. Spopovitch hit the ground and skidded a good half a mile, leaving a bulky body trail in the dirt as he slid out of sight.

"What the…" Hercule gasped, his jaw hanging open once again after witnessing Gohan knock Spopovitch half way to Brazil. "How did that kid?! But… But… Videl couldn't even… How is it possible?! Its just like that other kid did to Yamu, and there was that big freak with the horns on his head… I'm going to have to fight a couple of these guys eventually! I think I might be in trouble…"

"Oh Kami, tell me he didn't!" Videl screeched clasping her hands together, and putting them to her chin.

"Don't worry about it Videl, Gohan held back enough not to kill him," Ryo told her.

Videl looked at him with disbelief spreading across her face. "He held back?!"

"Oh yeah. He could've knocked Spopovitch all the way to the moon if he wanted to. Remember, he didn't even transform."

"You have a point," Videl admitted, as a smile crossed her lips. She watched Gohan as he waved to the crowd blushing somewhat while they cheered. Most of them were overjoyed to see Spopovitch get his butt whooped after watching what he did to one of Satan City's most treasured citizens.

"Whoa baby!" The MC raved, as he stared at the dirt trial of carnage Spopovitch left after leaving the ring. "Where ever Spopovitch landed, I think it's safe to say it was out of the ring! That makes Gohan our winner!"

"I don't think you'll be needing that," Gohan said, pointing towards the two monks holding the stretcher by the side of the ring. The two men sweat dropped when they remembered the reason they were sent to fetch it. "Unless you want to go find Spopovitch, and haul him back here."

"Speaking of witch I guess we can't make this match official until we're sure Spopovitch is still breathing, so we better go find him. We'll have a brief intermission until then, so hang tight folks."

Gohan smiled, satisfied with his victory. Satisfied up until the point he'd walked about halfway back to the waiting area, and saw the look on Videl's face. She didn't look angry, upset, afraid, nor did she really put any other emotion on display. Maybe confused at best, and possibly a little shocked. Whatever it meant, that look still made Gohan nervous, rather Videl made him nervous anyway, and he approached her cautiously unsure of what type of reaction he was going to receive from her. He still had nothing to go on by the time he was face to face with her. Gohan smiled anxiously, and rubbed the back of his neck while speaking the only word that managed to pop into his head at that moment. "Hey…"

Videl blushed, and stared back at him. She had a decision to make here. She could either stick to her guns, and try to stay indifferent towards him at least until he told her the truth that night. Either that, or she could do what she really wanted to do. Well… For just this once Videl decided looking tough could slide for a few seconds.

"You won!" Videl laughed, and wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. She was, for the most part, happy that she was wrong, and Gohan could handle himself in the ring up against Spopovitch. She had a feeling he'd pull it out, but not quite as convincingly as he did. Gohan blushed, and cautiously returned the embrace. He made sure to be careful where her put his arms though, afraid Videl might realize what she was doing, and rip his arms right out of the sockets. He wouldn't have to worry long however, for Videl quickly pulled away from him. Her smile remained on her face, as she wiped a strain of black hair out of her face. "I mean… Congratulations."

"Thanks," Gohan replied softly, relieved Videl wasn't angry with him.

"Look Gohan… I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, so I don't need anybody defending my honor for me okay? But in this case… I know your heart was in the right place, and thank you anyway…"

"Your welcome."

Ryo smiled, while Vegeta snorted and tilted his head away from what he perceived as a disgusting human display of emotion. Their attention however, would soon be diverted as a group of large Ki's were felt flying in their direction. One of course was the unmistakable energy of Goku with Piccolo, Krillen, and Eighteen right on his heels.

"What are they doing back here already?" Ryo asked, as they made their decent down to the arena.

"The Kai and his stooge aren't with them," Vegeta noticed. "Maybe the little purple man led them on a wild goose chase."

"Well… There's only one way to find out…"

"Hey dad!" Gohan greeted his father, as Goku landed in front of him and Videl. "What are you guys doing back here? I thought you went with the Kai to find that wizard guy's ship."

"Well we did…" Goku trailed off. "But it's the weirdest thing really. He kind of caught on to the fact that we were following him, and he kind of blew himself up before we found the spaceship…"

"Blew himself up?!" Gohan's eyes widened. "How did he catch on to you guys anyway? I'm sure Shin was strict on being discreet while you followed him."

Goku sweat dropped nervously. "Now, now Gohan! Ha, ha… There's really no point in you knowing that."

Piccolo and Eighteen rolled their eyes disgustedly, while Krillen started to laugh. "Well, let's put it this way Gohan. Your dad kind of decided to break wind in a different way then the rest of us while we were tailing Yamu. I'm not sure if it was the sound or the stench, but something sure got Yamu's attention."

"My guess would be the stench!" Piccolo growled. "I just happened to be the one stuck behind him, when Goku decided to pass gas in mid-air…"

"I'm sorry guys, I wasn't trying to!" Goku whined, as he grabbed his stomach. "I probably shouldn't have eaten all that pasta before the tournament…"

"Hey, where are the Kai, and Kibito at anyway?" Gohan asked, noticing they were absent from the group.

"They wanted to keep looking for Babadi's spaceship," Goku replied. "They have reason to believe Yamu was close to home when he blew himself up. They said they'd keep us informed if they find anything, so we decided to come back and watch you guys finish the tournament. What did we miss anyway?"

"Well, Gohan just finished kicking Spopovitch's butt all over the arena," Videl smiled, causing Gohan to blush.

"Well, I pretty much expected that," Goku said. "I guess that means it'll be you and Vegeta in the next round hey?"

Both Gohan and Ryo cringed, while Vegeta growled and clenched his fists. Needless to say, their reactions had Goku curious. "Is something wrong with what I said? What's going on here guys?"

Gohan thought about telling him, but looked back towards Vegeta to make sure the Prince didn't want to tell the rest of the Z-senshi himself. Vegeta seemed to understand, and nodded to the younger Sayian letting him know he was indeed man enough to face the music on his own. Gohan expected no less from the Sayian Prince. Vegeta forced his head to rise, but shifted his head to the side so he wouldn't have to look them in the face.

"I…" Vegeta balled up his hand tighter, trying to force the words out anyway he could. "I… I will not be fighting Gohan in the Semifinals… I lost my match to Taro…"

Goku and company's faces faltered in shock, even eighteen as her mouth curved in a strange way. Goku's head nearly fell off of his shoulders. "What?! You lost, but how was that…"

Vegeta's face exploded with frustration. "I should've beaten him! But… I let myself grow overconfident… I underestimated his resolve, and he used that against me. Look, I'm not going to stand here, and make excuses for my failure. I lost, and now I'm going to have to live with that shame…"

"Vegeta lost?" Krillen said over to himself, a panicked look on his face. "This is unbelievable! Where the hell did this guy come from anyway?!"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Vegeta growled.

"Yeah…" Gohan trailed off, and addressed his father. "To tell you the truth I'm kind of worried now. If Vegeta couldn't beat that guy, then what chance do I stand against him?"

Vegeta overheard this, and jumped in with a passionate flare before Goku could respond. "What are you talking about boy?! You're a Sayian warrior, of course you can beat him! You just have to find a way too… There has to be…" Frustrated with Taro, and pissed off at himself, Vegeta swung his arms in the air, and charged off for some undisclosed location away from the other Z-senshi.

"Man, he sure doesn't take losing very well does he?" Videl observed.

"Actually, I think he's taking it rather well," Goku disagreed. "A few years ago he might've gone berserk, and have tried to destroy the entire planet after losing a fight. He's come a long way since then to admit defeat, and not point the finger in another direction."

"Get real Goku! Like Vegeta could really destroy an entire planet!" Videl snipped, clearly not believing him. Not long afterwards though, her eyebrows perked up remembering much stranger things had occurred over the past few days. "Can he?"

Goku smiled at the way she asked that. "Well, I've probably said too much. You'll have to ask Gohan about that, I'm sure he'll tell you all about it later tonight."

Videl frowned at his. "Oh right… Another one of those things huh?"

"Hey Ryo," Gohan said, catching his friend by surprise. He'd snuck away for a second as his father and Videl shared some sort of brief conversation. "I wanted to ask you something… You haven't happened to have any visions about me and this next fight have you…"

Ryo's brow furrowed. "No, and to tell you the truth I haven't had many visions at all when it comes to this tournament. It's strange… Maybe because I'm involved in it, I don't know… To tell you the truth I don't really like it… I'm used to having some sort of idea as to what I'm up against when it comes to situations like this, and it kind of bothers me now that I don't… Sorry man, but I can't help you."

"That's okay… I guess I should rely on making my own fate anyway…"

The boys attention shifted when they overhead the MC's voice ring through the arena. "Your attention fans! We've just gotten word that Spopovitch is still alive, but is in serious need of a good chiropractor if there's one in the audience at this time. That means Gohan can continue on to the semifinals to face Taro! Now let's move on with the second round shall we! Our next match features Hail and Ryo!"

Ryo took a deep breath, and smiled over at Gohan. "Well, guess it's time for me to get my butt out there again."

"Good luck," Gohan wished, as Ryo walked out towards the entryway.

Hail made sure to split the gap between Eighteen and Krillen on his way to the ring. Krillen tensed up a bit, while Eighteen snarled at him. Hail snickered beneath his mask, and stepped out into the daylight. Ryo was just about to step out to join him when Eighteen stopped him abruptly.

"Listen kid. There's nothing I can do about him right now, so I want you to kick his ass into next week you got me?"

"I'll try my best." Ryo frowned slightly, unsure if that would be good enough. "Somehow, I don't think this guy's going to be a walk in the park."

Ryo felt Hail's eye shift towards him. Ryo returned the half glance without turning his head either. "Well, well, it looks as if the Ray Lien are down to one now aren't you? Or do you even care that Eighteen toasted your friend a while back."

"It's not my job to care," Hail said, as they began their walk to the ring. "What I am concerned with though is that it's now my responsibility to take up that weakling's job along with my own."

"In my humble opinion, Hail shouldn't even have been allowed to continue on in this tournament after his heinous actions in his first round match," the MC announced. "However, after a convincing win against Yamu in the first round, Ryo has proved he can handle himself in the ring. This should prove to be a most interesting match up."

"So, just what is your job anyway?" Ryo asked Hail. "Who are you after I mean?"

Hail didn't answer, and continued towards the ring until they were both inside. The two combatants stared across the ring from each other waiting for the MC to start the match. He yelled begin soon enough, and Hail struck a poise, squinting his eyes as he stared back at Ryo. "Don't worry about who my target is. Right now my only concern is you."

End.

-Yes everybody! Vegeta lost, get over it.

Preview of Chapter 19 The conclusion of round two as Ryo and Hail square off. Soon after, round three begins, and Gohan has to figure out a way to defeat Taro after watching Vegeta's stunning defeat.