"Dragonball AS: 32nd Budokai Saga"

Chapter 52- "Rivalry Rekindled: Part 1"

By- Tiny

Bra lay virtually motionless on a stretcher, thanks primarily to the beating she had received from Gohan added to her own foul performance. Laying next to her on another such stretcher was the Saiya-jin warrior who had beaten her, thanks entirely to the furious Ubuu and Boxer. As such, Gohan wouldn't be able to fight in the finals for at least an hour, a development that disappointed the fans greatly.

"Well ladies and gentlemen, I guess that it's time to move on with the Budokai by starting the final fight of the semi-finals!" Bardock cheered, "In this match, we have two people who are probably the most powerful men in this entire stadium! Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for Briefs Vegeta and Son Goku!"

The crowd cheered wildly as the two fighters stepped out into view, Vegeta with a scowl on his face as Goku waved happily to the crowd. The Saiya-jin prince was clearly in a foul mood, as his aura was filled with frustration and seething rage, and that worried some of the onlookers greatly. The Saiya-jin warrior next to him didn't seem to concerned with his opponent's rage, however, and anyone who could sense ki could tell that Goku himself was angry for some unknown reason.

Both fighters stepped into the ring at the same time, falling into stance almost as soon as they reached the center of what was to be their battlefield. A slight breeze blew by, ruffling the red fur and black hair of both fighters as their aura's flared out around them. The stadium was filled with cheering, yet neither fighter could hear any of it as they stayed wrapped up in each other's stares, both eager to get the match underway.

"Now play nice kiddies!" Bardock snickered, "Think you can do that?"

"JUST GET THE DAMN MATCH STARTED!!!!"

"Umm....sure," the announcer gulped, "FIGHT!!!!"

Two red blurs converged about twenty feet above the ring as sparks of electricity flew out and struck the energy shield, signaling that what was supposed to be the most heated battle of the entire Budokai was underway. Neither fighter was giving an inch to the other as blow after blow was exchanged, not one getting through to either fighter as they switched from offense to defense rapidly.

The once excited and cheering crowd was now deadly silent as they watched the match on the vid-screens, unable to believe that two men were actually fighting each other like this. All of the other matches had been rather quick and most were over by now, but these two hadn't even broken a sweat! It didn't look like they would be doing so for a while yet, either...

Vegeta threw a rapid punch at Goku's face, which the younger man barely avoided as he aimed a kick for his opponent's chest. Vegeta saw the move just in time to move out of the way, putting up his arm to block the younger Saiya-jin's other leg. Goku smirked as the Saiya-jin prince did so, throwing a fist right into Vegeta's unprotected stomach. The first successful blow connected with incredible force, knocking the wind out of the prince along with a bit of blood, and was followed up by a knee in the face.

The Saiya-jin prince was not about to allow this to go unpunished, however, and drove a foot into Goku's back as he phased around the younger man. Goku rocketed forward at tremendous speed, coming face to face with Vegeta's knee as the Saiya-jin prince rematerialized on the other side of the stadium. A small amount of blood trickled out of the younger Saiya-jin's nose, but he ignored it as he flung a fist at Vegeta's chin.

Vegeta was caught off-guard by the rather underhanded move, since it was being done by Goku, and went soaring into the air from the impact of the blow. Goku teleported just above the prince and followed up his initial attack with a hammer blow to the top of Vegeta's head. Vegeta went back down towards the ring again, Goku teleporting below him to prepare for another attack.

The mighty prince was prepared for his opponent this time, however, and turned himself around quickly to face Goku, firing a medium-sized ki blast at the slightly younger man. Goku's eyes widened in surprise as the blast rocketed towards him, hitting the super warrior in the face and temporarily blinding him. While he couldn't see, Vegeta sent a barrage of punches and kicks to the younger Saiya-jin's body, knowing that Goku couldn't see to attack back.

Just as Vegeta went for another blow to the chest, Goku regained his sight and teleported out of harms way just in the knick of time. Vegeta snarled in frustration as he stretched out his senses to feel Goku out, finding the younger man just as he was pulled into a stranglehold. The Saiya-jin prince struggled to free himself but was unable to do anything but strengthen the hold, much to his opponent's delight.

"Does this humiliate you, Vegeta?" Goku chuckled, "Much the way you humiliated Diive? Or Trunks for that matter?"

"What is with you people!?!" Vegeta growled, "Let go of me you third-class buffoon or I'll...."

"You'll what?" Goku interrupted, "Make me regret this? Oh trust me Vegeta, beating the living daylights out of you is something that I am not going to regret..."

"I beg to differ Kakarot," Vegeta snarled, "You are going to greatly regret this."

"You think so, do you?" Goku laughed, "I'd like to know how!"

"LIKE THIS!!!"

Goku was confused as Vegeta spoke, but soon felt exactly what he meant when Vegeta's arms suddenly went lax and he simply slipped out of the hold. After he was freed, Vegeta rammed the side of his body into Goku's open chest, a loud popping sound following the blow as Goku soared back a few feet. Vegeta smirked at his handiwork and went about pushing his other arm up, making another popping noise, and waved it around in the air.

"That was slightly painful, but I guess it worked," Vegeta smirked, "Dislocating a shoulder is never something enjoyable..."

"So that's what you did, huh?" Goku snarled, "Well don't expect it to happen again, cause I don't fall for things twice!"

"Sure you don't Kakarot," Vegeta chuckled, "LOOK! FOOD!"

"Where!?!"

While Goku searched frantically for the alleged food, a powerful fist drove into the side of his face, rattling his head a bit. Not wasting a moment of his opponent's distraction, Vegeta brought his hands down on the younger man's head and sent him hurtling into the ground. Tile flew up all around the stadium as Goku collided with the arena floor, the energy field around the crowd just barely holding the shrapnel off.

Vegeta landed on the ring to watch for any sign of the younger Saiya-jin warrior, knowing that Goku was notorious for teleporting out of dangerous situations. Then, for some unknown reason, the Saiya-jin prince pulled his elbow up into the air and brought it back behind him, coming into contact with Goku's face. The younger man flew back across the stadium again, stopping himself just before falling out of the ring, much to Vegeta's disappointment.

"So, still have some fight left in you, eh Kakarot?" Vegeta chuckled, "I don't know why your so adamant about beating me this round, but I can assure that I will not allow that to happen!"

"Then I'd say it's time to get this party started," Goku smirked, "I've had enough of this warm-up!"

"As have I, Kakarot," Vegeta laughed, his eyes turning blue, "The time has come to remind you just where you stand!!!"

The stadium was filled suddenly with a silver light as the two Saiya-jin's auras flared out all around them, cracking the very ground upon which they stood due to the increase in pressure. Red fur faded to pure white, black hair to a shimmering, brilliant silver as the two Saiya-jin warriors continued to power up to their maximums, dwarfing everyone else in the stadium greatly. Energy surged between the two fighters as they pushed their power to it's absolute limits, engulfing the stadium in a brilliant flash of silver light that could be seen from the very depths of space.

The real battle was about to begin...

NEXT TIME: Vegeta and Goku, as is usual for the two Saiya-jin, have beaten, broken, and bloodied each other up on the field of battle, and they were only warming themselves up! As the real battle gets underway, many questions linger in the air around these two fighters. Why is Goku so determined to humiliate Vegeta in this match and, more importantly, will he succeed? Find out in the next installment of Dragonball AS!!!!!!