Mount Paozu, Shinma Dōjō; Late At Night

A hectic day had come to an end, and the Son family had retired to their beds for the night. Pen was sound asleep, her sparring match with the Muten Rōshi having tired her out immensely. The dōjō was quiet, and Gohan and Erasa were quartered away in their room. Atop a king-sized bed, the couple lay beneath a sheet; Erasa was lying on top of Gohan, both stark naked, the former stroking the latter's face fondly, a besotted smiled on her face.

The half-Saiyan was smiling back, but his expression seemed distant. Erasa, far from blind to her husband's mannerisms, glanced at him with concern. "Gohan," she asked quietly, careful not to let her voice travel down the hall to their sleeping child. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothi—" Gohan immediately tried to deny his misgivings.

"Don't give me that," Erasa replied firmly, cutting her husband off mid-sentence. "What's the matter? You've been acting strange since you got home. Is it about the Tenka'ichi Budōkai?"

"No, that's not it at all," replied Gohan quietly, placing a gentle hand to her face. "Besides, you know the Budōkai will be one heck of an event. I'm actually looking forward to it, even if their method of inviting us all involved attacking people in their homes. No, it's not that. I just didn't want to worry you, but it's a feeling I'm getting."

"A...feeling?" Erasa frowned. Her smaller hand met his, and she kept a firm grip on it. The fact that she could easily match his strength was a sort of joy not lost in the past ten years. "You sound like Piccolo." It was said in jest, and a giggle escaped, quiet but giddy.

Gohan smiled, relaxing. "That's exactly what it's like, though," he said. "And I'm sure Piccolo can feel it too. Something big is on the way. We all worked too hard ten years ago to defeat Majin Bū. And we've trained too hard in those ten years since to lose the peace we've come to enjoy."

"You don't need to be so worried," Erasa admonished gently. "No matter what comes, you and I will be here to meet it when it does. And we've get through it together." Her hand gripped his, if possible, even tighter. "I won't say you're wrong, but for now, why don't we get some rest? We've got quite the day ahead of us."

With their hands entwined, the two began to drift off, but his wife's comforting words assuaged his fears for only a moment. In the deepest recesses of Gohan's mind, his instincts were telling him that he was right. The winds of change were beginning to blow once more.

And it would be a storm.

Southern Galaxies, The Universe, Outer Space

"The Western Galaxies and Eastern Galaxies have been cleared," replied Beerus in almost a bored tone. Throughout his entire patrol, he'd only destroyed four planets per quadrant; or at least he'd tried. He made a horrible smacking noise, trying to clear a taste off of his tongue. "I'm still sick from whatever they served on planet Kuon!" That planet had been his unfortunate eighth victim of retribution for the crime of serving food so horrible he, the Hakaishin, had regurgitated it.

Whis let out a resigned sigh. "That's what you get for wolfing down the whole ten-course meal before you let me even taste it, Lord Beerus."

"Well, it's their damn fault for serving me something so disgusting!" cried Beerus indignantly. "They should prepare their best dish, not second helpings of whatever they found in their garbage!" His expression turned from furious to bitter. "It's been centuries since I've had something delicious! Isn't there any race in this Universe that's mastered the culinary arts?!"

"Pardon me, Lord Beerus, but no one knows your tastes better than you," replied Whis rather ruefully. He had, of course, just fed Beerus before they even left, and had a particular amount of pride in his ability to craft a meal. "You could cook for yourself once in awhile."

Beerus laughed, casting Whis an annoyed eye. "Please, Whis; who ever heard of a Hakaishin cooking for themselves?" As they came to a stop in the middle of space, Beerus placed a finger to his chin. "I must say, I'm surprised; I've noticed that there's more life in the Universe now than there's been a real absence of planets with life."

"That's correct," replied Whis. "The last time I checked — oh, about five years ago? — there a notable disparity between planets with life and those that were barren. There were twenty-eight before; the destruction of planets such as Sadal and Vegeta, among others, decreased that number."

"Damn it, Freeza," muttered Beerus. "That can't be good in the long run, but if the humans aren't progressing..."

"You can't claim to be blameless either, Lord Beerus," pointed out Whis, reminding him of the very recent loss of planet Kuon for no reason other than their food. "And yet," the man materialised a staff, and began to look into the jewel that rested at its centre, "it would appear your contemporary has been quite busy himself, creating life in an attempt to fill the void."

"The Kaiōshin?" replied Beerus, amazed. "He's actually doing his job? I suppose he would, now that he's resolved that fiasco with Majin Bū."

"To be honest, it's astounding," replied Whis. "I haven't seen a Kaiōshin work this hard since the birth of the Universe. To see life flourishing on this many planets. He appears to be skipping a few stages of development, but beggars can't be choosers."

"Tell me, Whis," inquired Beerus, his tone dubious. "Who was it that handled Majin Bū? I doubt it was the Kaiōshin."

Whis gazed into his staff, and saw as the events of the past unfolded before his eyes. A young man, clad in Kaiōshin training gi, fought Majin Bū with the ease he wasn't accustomed to seeing in those of the mortal realm. His movements lacked refinement, but Whis could tell the young man had potential. "You might find this interesting, Lord Beerus. It seems a Saiyan and his friends were the ones to kill Majin Bū."

"A Saiyan," mused Beerus. "First Freeza, and now Majin Bū. The Saiyans have been up to quite a bit while I've been asleep. This is suspicious, very suspicious. All this talk of Saiyans...and I feel like I'm forgetting something."

"If you can't remember, it will come to you later, Lord, Beerus. Shall we finish the patrol?"

"We might as well," replied Beerus lazily. As the two started to move, a foreign craft came into view. It was round, with a flattened bottom and top. The craft was divided by a black middle; the top was beige, while the bottom was a pale white. It floated along without visible means of propulsion, though it appeared to have a goal in mind. The ship caught the eye of the duo, and Whis was the one to address it.

"Lord Beerus, isn't that...?"

"Yeah, that's a ship belonging to the Galactic Freeza Army," assessed Beerus. "It would appear that, even though he's dead, his army is still intact. I suppose there's no harm in cleaning up the mess."

Unknown Section of the Universe; The Furthest Reaches

In the furthest reaches of the known Universe, a figure was currently concealed. Their presence was muted, their form concealed. But it was quite clear that, if anything, they were upset. "Inconvenient," muttered the voice, and it was feminine. "Ten years? That was all the time my meddling bought? The fact that the meddlesome Hakaishin is up and about yet again. You should have simply stayed asleep, Beerus."

Silence again.

"It seems I must act again," the voice stated. "It's still not time, and yet Beerus could become a complication. How bothersome. No matter; I suppose this is when one simply moves their piece across the board, no?"

The Day of the Tenka'ichi Budōkai, Earth, the Palace of God

The Palace was quiet. Unusually so, perhaps, as far as Dende and Mr. Popo were concerned. For the first time in years, the Palace was devoid of the sounds of fighting. The tiles were cracked and worn, ten years of training two half-Saiyans and bizarrely talented human girl had rent the Palace of God asunder. Piccolo and Dende both lamented it in their own ways, but to Piccolo, this was the best place for training.

The Nameccian in question was floating above the centre of the ring, crackling lightning snapping around his body. A sphere of ki encircled him, flickering in and out like an apparition. Veins throbbed around his body, and yet he looked peaceful. Piccolo was fully aware of why the Palace was so quiet now; the Tenka'ichi Budōkai was lingering in the back of the minds of those who were chosen or those who aimed to compete.

Gohan had informed him rather quickly once Muten Rōshi had given him the invitation. His senses had stretched over the Earth, and he'd felt that the other Schools had been invited in a similar manner. The Budōkai wanted only the strongest. Naturally, he intended to enter, and of course, Goten, Trunks, and Videl had to enter on principle — if everyone else was entering, what better way to see the results of their training?

You never know what you can do until you're in the ring, thought Piccolo. With Goten and Trunks, he was sure of their progress. Trunks had been slacking in recent months, something to do with his new line of work, but it shouldn't have been that detrimental to his training. His interest lay in Videl. Saiyans were naturals at battle; Earthlings were more difficult to judge, and only gave their best performance under pressure. So the Tenka'ichi Budōkai would be critical for Videl.

And yet I can't shake an ominous feeling, thought the Nameccian. It isn't...evil. It's just a force. We're in for something big. His eyes shot open, the sphere dissipating. "There is no Budōkai without an incident, is there?"

Papaya Island, Tenka'ichi Budōkai

The stadium was huge. In the past ten years, Papaya Island had undergone renovations that rivaled the original change from the Budōkai that originated over a century ago. Originally, the Tenka'ichi Budōkai was a small festival, held on Papaya Island at its temple. As more and more participants began to seek entry, the Tenka'ichi Budōkai exploded into the phenomenon it became during Son Goku's time.

However, the recent revolution in martial arts, and the development of powerful fighters and schools to teach them budō had revitalised the Tenka'ichi Budōkai. Furthermore, Bulma had lent generous funding the project, and the arena itself had been improved to become massive. With Bulma's funding, and the advent of ki becoming common knowledge, the stadium had undergone a refurbishment over the last several years, placing any Tenka'ichi Budōkais which should have taken place on hold. The tournament now made generous use of technology to project its audience from stray ki — to prevent a stunt like Vegeta's from ten years ago, and to allow fighters to engage in battle without holding back — and the matches had become wondrously intense.

Furthermore, the Tenka'ichi Budōkai had reverted to an ancient system of recruiting particularly skilled martial artists to compete in the tournament. By sending a fighter in their employ to engage the prospective competitor directly; those who lost during their invitational match were deemed unfit to compete. For those who were accepted, it was considered a great honour to compete — refusal was, in fact, considered disrespectful.

And so, applicants from across the globe — both those invited and those who hadn't been invited — poured towards the island. The island itself had been artificially enhanced in size, due to the anticipation of the sheer size of the Tenka'ichi Budōkai. It was the first of its kind since the incident with Majin Bū, and with the world having undergone its revolution, Bulma and the Budōkai staff wanted to see this tournament be a success.

Gohan, Erasa, Pen, Chi-Chi, and Goten were the first to arrive, four contestants, one spectator.

"I don't think I've ever seen Papaya Island this big," said Gohan, taking in the entire sight with amazement. He'd dressed for the occasion, donning the giand earrings that he'd been given by the Kaiōshin. His hair was in a comb-over — the less apparent it was, the less likely it was to be pulled — and he still wore his glasses, though these would be removed in the arena. "Just how much money does Bulma have?"

"Doesn't she more or less run the world now?" inquired Erasa. The woman had donned her gi from the Majin Bū; her purple dopo over a black silk undergarment, and the gi pants matched this colour, complemented with a pair of black shoes, wrapped around the ankles in purple cloth. A black obi waswrapped around her waist. A white line ran vertically in the center of the dopo with gold pins buttoning it from the bottom up to the collar. The most notable feature of her uniform was on the upper left of the dopo, was a insignia; a white background within a circle with the kanji "新魔", in reference to her new school. "I stopped being surprised six years ago."

"There's a lot of people here, Papa!" Pen was standing on her tip-toes, though it didn't help much given her short stature. Her father, ever happy at her eagerness, bent down to pick her up and place her on his shoulders. Pen's wide-eyes took in the whole of the crowd at the entrance of Papaya Island; she could see a large variety of people, from mere spectators, to those dressed in a variety of dōgi. What made it even more interesting was that some of the people in the crowd were obviously foreign — not to the country, but to the planet — some of whom had emigrated to Earth, and some merely came to the Tenka'ichi Budōkai to see the kind of show only Earth could offer. Some were even applicants. As it stood, Pen could beat several of these prospective "competitors" with ease. "I want to fight the really strong ones!"

Erasa laughed. "That wouldn't be fair, sweetie, for any side!"

"You could say that about us entering," came a dry voice. The family of five turned to see Tenshinhan standing behind them, accompanied by the blue-haired Lunch. Tenshinhan was clad in a green sleeveless gi top with the symbol for "鶴" on the front with the symbol of "神" on the back. The gi bottoms were also green, lined in red; they lead to bare feet, which possessed ankle weights wrapped around them. On his forearms were vambraces. "Though, to be fair, I'm sure you received an invitation as well?"

Erasa and Gohan flashed an invitation, while Goten explained he was entering simply to test his skills.

"My invitation is Muten Rōshi's," explained Gohan. "He told me to enter in his stead; he didn't feel like competing this time around."

"So this means I might wind up fighting against you, Gohan," muttered Tenshinhan. There was a glint in his eye, and Gohan was quick to notice it. He placed Pen on the ground, and the girl had the ingenuity to move before Tenshinhan lunged. A knifehand strike was deftly avoided by Gohan, and Tenshinhan unleashed a familiar Machine-Gun Fist combo. Each and every blow Gohan avoided, and on the final strike, he caught Tenshinhan's fist with ease.

The entire crowd looked on, while Erasa smiled. Beneath Tenshinhan and Gohan, the ground had cracked. Chi-Chi had let out an involuntary gasp, but Goten and Pan looked only excited.

Tenshinhan grinned. "Fantastic; you haven't lost an ounce of power."

Gohan chuckled. "And you've improved considerably."

The youngest son of Goku smirked. "I followed about twenty-five of those. Tenshinhan, how many hits did you let loose?"

The Crane Master thought about it for a moment. "I'd say around fifty."

"You all never change," sighed Chi-Chi. "Who attacks someone randomly in broad daylight?"

"You guys aren't starting the party without me, are you?" called a familiar tone. Yamcha was walking towards the group, accompanied by Pu'ar in the latter's human form. Yamcha still wore his hair unkempt around his face. His attire was the same as at his school; a red headband was worn on his head, and his outfit was a white tangzhuang with black lining, and the "亀" symbol embroidered the chest and back. The pants were of a matching colour, and he wore black slip-on shoes with white socks.

"No, I was just making a test run," replied Tenshinhan with a grin. "It's been awhile, Yamcha." The two rivals walked over to each other, the Turtle and Crane Masters of the new schools, and shook hands in a vicegrip. "Think you'll make it past the first round this time?"

"I like to think I've got a fair chance," replied the Turtle Master, grinning. "Who knows, maybe I'll knock you out of the first round, Tenshinhan."

"Say, who's the kid?" inquired Goten, gesturing towards the blue-haired individual who was floating next to Yamcha. Pen was running around them in circles, giggling as she tried to leap at them, only for them to float just high enough to frustrate the quarter-Saiyan.

"It's Pu'ar," replied Yamcha, as if it was obvious. Everyone's shocked reaction, however, indicated this was an accepting nature Yamcha had developed from a decade of seeing Pu'ar in this form, and was far from 'normal'. The Turtle Master explained that Pu'ar had mastered his transformative skills sometime after the battle with Majin Bū, and had since opted for a more humanoid form.

"I don't need to have a permanent form anymore," replied Pu'ar cheerfully. As if to show off, Pu'ar exploded in a BOMF! of smoke. He donned the form of a diminutive young man with spiked black hair, clothed in black. "See?" he inquired cheekily, before re-assuming his former appearance.

With congratulations in order, Chi-Chi looked around at their rather sparse group. "This isn't everyone, is it?" inquired the widow. "I'd do a headcount, but we're missing a few heads."

"We might be the owners of those heads," came an incoming voice. As if to simply answer Chi-Chi's query, another group was approaching them. Piccolo, Trunks, Videl, Bulma, and an unknown face that no one in the Son party recognized was approaching. Piccolo looked the same as ever, and hadn't bothered adjusting his appearance to fit the Tenka'ichi Budōkai — granted, he'd never cared for fashion.

Trunks' long hair was still tied in a ponytail, though he'd foregone his work glasses. His gi was altered from his childhood. It was a navy blue, with a "魔" symbol embroidered on the back. The gi's top possessed yellow markings on both shoulders — meant to mimic his father's original Combat Jacket — and he wore the white gloves and boots that accompanied the jacket. The sash that tied the gi was red.

Videl's appearance was perhaps the most interesting out of the group. She had not aged much from a decade ago, and appeared to be closer to Trunks and Goten in age, despite being almost in her 30s now. Obscuring the "M" on her forehead was a simple white headband. Her gi was more intricate than Trunks', consisting of a purple gi top, which flowed at past her legs, and was tied by a large red sash, worn over a red undershirt. The gi bottoms matched the top, and her boots were navy, with white cloth tied around the ankles. Fond of her gloves, she'd never truly abandoned them, opting for another pair to compete in the Budōkai. Her hair was short, and had been cropped now; still straight, it reached barely to her neck.

Bulma looked thoroughly ragged, appearing her age more than anyone present. She was clad in a labcoat, despite not working, and much like her son, her hair was tied in a ponytail. In spite of coming all the way to the Budōkai, her skin had the pallid look of someone who hadn't quite seen the sun in several years, and she had dark bags under her eyes. Her entire left arm was bandaged, more than likely the result of a lab experiment gone awry, or some kind of injury. The former Capsule Corporation President stifled a yawn, one eye barely open.

If Videl was more shocking due to her familiarity, the woman that walked in stride with Bulma was even more surprising due to her utter strangeness. She was an attractive woman, appearing older than Videl, but younger than Bulma, with a pale, milky complexion, and wild chestnut hair that reached to her back. The hair hung in three locks to frame her face, which bore black spectacles over stern silver eyes. Her outfit was a red and blue checkered one-piece dress, detached black sleeves, with black stockings; her footwear were heels that possessed the same odd colour scheme of her attire, and she wore hooped earrings. Her nails were painted a black colouring

"Hey, Piccolo! Bulma! Trunks!" Gohan waved in their direction, motioning the party to join them. Gohan greeted Piccolo, Bulma sleepily spoke with Chi-Chi, while Erasa and Videl chatted easily. The latter's strange youth was a byproduct of how Babidi's "M" emblem had transformed her body — Piccolo theorised it functioned this way so that his servants lasted longer — and due to this, Videl's aging had slowed. She'd come to terms with this several years ago, and it wasn't news to Erasa, as the friends kept regular contact within the past decade.

"Looks like I was right, wasn't I?" grinned Goten, jabbing his best friend in the ribs. The President of Capsule Corporation winced, giving Goten a nasty look.

"Right about what?" He asked, emphasising the question in the hopes to make Goten back off.

"About you and Videl, of course!" replied Goten audibly. "So how'd it happen, anyway? I'd love an answer to that one."

"Didn't you mature at all, Goten?" Videl butted in, the abnormally youthful woman shooting him a look that was matched by Trunks'. "It wasn't my idea, if you're so curious. But Trunks worked up the courage to ask me about two months ago, and, well, I fancied the idea more than I did being alone."

"The reason I never let you in on this little bit of information, is because I knew you'd do pretty much what you're doing now," added Trunks. His tone was light, and it was clear he wasn't as angry with his best friend as his face was letting on. However, given that Videl hadn't exactly eased into the situation, he didn't want Goten making it more difficult.

"I think it's sweet," interjected Erasa, firmly placing a hand on her brother-in-law's shoulder. Goten winced, and quickly understood the message. "So it's only been two months?"

"Yeah, not too long," replied Trunks. "Honestly, between my job, and training, we haven't had much time to do anything...couple-y," he finished lamely.

"I don't mind it," replied Videl with an earnest smile. "I don't think I'd be any good at...couple-y...things like that in the end. Besides, I'm just happy with your company. I didn't say yes expecting anything extravagant, so let's remain the way we are for now. No sense in rushing, right?"

"R-Right," agreed Trunks, only slightly pink in the face. He had only just noticed how close Videl was to him, physically, but didn't do anything to move away. She was right — he enjoyed their proximity, even without outlandish dates.

Gohan, Erasa, and Chi-Chi were all wearing warm smiles of varying degrees; they recognized the stage that Trunks and Videl were in, and were quite obviously reminiscing on the earlier stages of their own relationships. There was an awkward silence following this, which Goten interrupted.

"I don't mind being the only sane man present, but is no one going to ask about the new chick on the block?" He gestured towards the ginger-haired woman who was standing silently next to Bulma. "I've gotta be honest, she almost looks familiar; like I've seen that face before."

"Oh, her?" Bulma replied sleepily, placing a hand lazily in the pocket of her lab-coat. "She's another project of mine, originally designated "AT-01" — Automaton Model 01 — and her completion is pretty recent. She's analogous to Dr. Gero's Androids, and she's certainly based on his blueprints, right down to the appearance, but she's the first in my Automaton line of Artificial Humans." Bulma nudged the Automaton in the ribcage. "Go on, you can introduce yourself."

When the woman spoke, her voice was bell-like, high-pitched and crystal clear. If anything, she sounded like the doll she was. "It's a pleasure to meet you all," she said cordially. "I'm Qirka, designated as AT-01. Thank you for caring for my Master, and I trust we'll get along well."

"So she's an Android," replied Gohan. "That explains why I didn't feel any ki from her." A realisation hit him, as if by freight. "While we're on the topic, where's No. 18?"

"Already checked-in," replied Bulma casually. "She mentioned it to me earlier. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go have a word with the Tournament committee. Qirka, I'll leave you in the care of my friends!" She waved sleepily as she walked off, towards the temple.

"M-Master, wait," called out Qirka nervously, but Bulma was long gone. The Automaton girl was left in an awkward silence, surrounded by strangers she knew only from the data programmed into her.

Gohan whistled. "I think we should make our way in as well, yeah? Those of us who are competing should register — Mother, I'll see you from the stands — since they went through all this trouble to get you all here."

"Bye-Bye, Grandma!" said Pen cheerfully, hugging her grandmother as the woman made it towards the stadium. The large group instead had went to register, each of them placing down their names as competitors. Pen was joining the Junior Division, which would be held simultaneously with the Adult Division in a smaller arena. The Junior Division was in the process of being reworked, as Pen should by all means be fighting the adults, but Bulma had yet to work that out.

The quarter-Saiyan parted ways with her parents to go compete in the preliminaries for the Junior Division, while Gohan and the others went to compete in the preliminaries for the Adult Division. As they walked, ignoring the megaphone calling all participants to the preliminaries, the group talked casually. Qirka notably began to relax once she realised these people weren't a threat to either her or her Master, and was speaking shyly with the rest. Trunks and Videl had linked hands without thought, the latter chatting animatedly with her best friend.

Piccolo and Gohan, however, were more serious than the others. Piccolo broached the subject first, casually walking alongside his first student.

"Do you feel it?" he asked Gohan gravely.

"Yeah," replied Gohan darkly. "I haven't been able to shake the feeling I've had since last night. Something's moving; I wouldn't call it "evil", I just know it's a force." He chuckled dryly. "As rude as it is to say, I believe I'm still the strongest one here. In a straight fight with everyone here, I don't think I could lose. But this sensation still makes me uneasy."

"I figured you would catch on to it," Piccolo noted with a hint of pride. "But even I can't say what it is. So be on guard today."

"I know."

What made Gohan even more uneasy was that, deep inside, there was a part of him that was growing excited. Perhaps he wasn't as content with a peaceful life as he'd thought, but the idea of an enigma arriving from somewhere unknown that gave even him and Piccolo gooseflesh was at the same time an stirring prospect. It was proof, in the end, that he was a Saiyan too; that his Saiyan blood would rush this way.

The group made it into the preliminaries hall, which, fitting with the way the Tenka'ichi Budōkai had been revamped, had also increased in size. It had enough room now to fit the hundreds of people who had come to apply, the ceiling was now domed. Hundreds of competitors were gathered in the buidling, Earthling and extraterrestrial alike. Matter Wave attendants — beautiful girls in low-cut blouses and short skirts, but emitting that glow that gave them away as Matter Waves — were attending to the needs of the prospective combatants, offering refreshments and the like.

"Kuririn was right," Erasa noted, remembering something the late monk had said ten years prior. "The Budōkai really does get bigger every time, doesn't it?"

"It does," replied Piccolo. "I thought it was being turned into a gameshow the last time we were here. But it's different this time; I can feel some real spirit."

"You really can feel it," Yamcha agreed, and Tenshinhan affirmed with a nod. "Fighting spirit permeates this building."

The whine of a microphone filled the room, silencing the chattering echo that so pervasively spread throughout the building. Everyone turned their attention to a large podium, where a wizened old monk stood with a microphone. Balding and mustachioed, the man was dressed in the traditional robes of Papaya Island, and next to him, in her lab coat and still looking thoroughly worn, was Bulma.

"Bulma?!" Erasa gasped in surprise, but no one made a further comment; the monk was going to begin the speech.

"Welcome, one and all, to the Tenka'ichi Budōkai! It is an honour to see so many prospective competitors, young, old, native to Earth, and foreign, attending the Tenka'ichi Budōkai at its revival Tournament! But it is not my job to address you fully, not this time around. Let me pass the microphone to our generous sponsor, Bulma, of Capsule Corporation; she could like to say a few words!"

The lavender-haired woman took the microphone from the monk, clearing her throat as she turned to address the contenders. "Welcome to the Tenka'ichi Budōkai, everyone! It has been a long ten years, working non-stop to change this world towards the future! Technology, living conditions, relationships with other species, and, as you all know, understanding of martial arts has improved considerably in this past decade! It wasn't easy, but once the world was on the right path, it seemed only fitting to reinstate the Tenka'ichi Budōkai, and throw my full influence behind it!"

There was a cheer from the crowd; clearly those whose lives had been changed and impacted by the introduction of ki and martial arts saw Bulma as some sort of hero.

Bulma seemed to have regained some of her energy, if only a little. The bags under her eyes hadn't vanished, and her skin's pale pallor wouldn't fade, but her speaking was becoming more animated. "What do I gain from this? Only something every scientist craves in the end; information! I want to witness the strongest battles our Solar System has to offer! I've seen countless battles over the years, some of them here at this very tournament. All of you are going to have to work hard to impress me! So, all you martial artists! Show me battles that will do nothing less than shake the planet!"

The roar was deafening, with contenders shouting various things from "Hell yeah!" to "Bulma!" to "Marry me!", and so forth, but one thing was clear; spirits were high. Bulma let the crowd get it all out, and spoke again only when the voices died down.

"I have a little more to explain than just what I want, though," the woman continued once the voices had ceased. "At my own behest, the rules for the Tenka'ichi Budōkai have been adjusted. Martial arts are wide and varied; limiting what a fighter can do in the ring to such a stringent degree as we have been simply doesn't fit how the world is now! Killing your opponents is still off the table! However, we are now allowing the use of weapons, with some exceptions; firearms and bladed weapons are forbidden as always, but in the case of the latter, one can simply use a wooden replacement. If the weapon does not possess a blade, and lacks the capacity to be a firearm, consider it fair game — however, the moment it gains an edge, through being broken or another method, it must be discarded.

Falling out of the ring won't completely knock you out of the tournament, but the standard ten count will begin once you touch the outside of the ring! Make it back into the ring before the ten count and you're good! The standard rules for falling unconscious or pleading for mercy still apply." Bulma handed the microphone back to the wizened old man, who thanked her and took it upon himself to explain how the preliminaries would be held. He gestured to miniature arenas that scattered the area.

"With a massive 750 applicants; we're going to divide you into 15 blocks, with 50 fighters to process per block. Matches shall last a minute; if they go over this time, the victor shall be determined by judges! The victor from each block will progress to the finals! At the request of Mr. Satan's, Mr. Bū has a free entry; this means there will be 16 contestants is the semi-finals!" As it had been in the previous Tenka'ichi Budōkai, the contestants had drawn lots; 750 combatants, and each one had to draw from a small box.

It wasn't a quick line, and in fact, Gohan was beginning to let his mind wander to his daughter's matches in the Junior Division, simply due to how long the line was taking.

An unspecified amount of time later, and everyone had drawn their lots — Gohan was in Block 4, Erasa was in Block 5, Videl was in Block 6, Piccolo was in Block 3, Qirka had made it into Block 1, Tenshinhan found himself in Block 15, Yamcha, Block 12, No. 18 (who had since not breathed a word, only making her presence known now) was in Block 13, while, lastly, Goten and Trunks found themselves in Blocks 7 and 10.

"A little convenient," noted Trunks, clutching his slip of paper.

"None of us are in the same preliminary block," Gohan noted, looking at the tournament roster which had been adjusted to show precisely which contestant had drawn which lot. "Talk about lucky."

"You don't think Mom rigged the draws, did you?" inquired Trunks.

"I doubt she would," replied Erasa, sounding unsure. "This must be just one of those strange moments of fortune."

"Shouldn't we pay attention?" interjected Tenshinhan. "The matches for Block 1 are about to start. It's never a mistake to scout out the competition."

"The matches for Block 1 will now commence!" One of the proctor monks announced. The matches would take place simultaneously, but the majority of the Dragon Team had relatively middle-to-low numbers as far as the order was concerned. And it was only natural to observe. Will fighters 1 and 2 please step into the arena?"

At the request of the proctor, two fighters stepped into the arena. The first was a beautiful young woman with pale skin, dark green hair and black eyes. Her hair was tied in two loops which resembled a bow. The woman's attire consisted of a short green one-shoulder top, worn over a white undershirt, black arm guards, a yellow sash, and a red miniskirt. Her footwear is long black socks, tied by belts, and red shoes. Balancing on her left leg, she bent her right knee, leaving the foot slack; her left arm was placed at her side, fingers clenched, while she held her right arm out in front of her, hooking her forefingers. It was a familiar pose to anyone who had seen Tenshinhan fight before.

"Is she someone you know, Tenshinhan?" asked Yamcha. "The battle hasn't even started, but she carries herself a lot like you."

"She's one of my students," replied the Crane Master gruffly. If anything, he seemed a bit embarrassed. "Her name is Yūrin, and she's...quite gung-ho, if that's the best way to put it. Out of all my students, she has the most talent, so I let her enter the Tenka'ichi Budōkai."

Erasa's opponent was a pale extraterrestrial by the name of Abyav. His skin was chalk white, with irises of an equally pale pallor. His hair was a luminescent white, and the man seemed to be robed in silk. His species wasn't from the Sol System, but was from a more distance star system. He had come to Earth, as had others from other systems, with the assistance of the Galactic Patrol, for the sake of competing in the Tenka'ichi Budōkai. His stance was less rigid and more lax; both hands placed in front of him, palms out, and his left foot in front of the other.

"My time here is brief; forgive me, but I'll remove you from the tournament early," Abyav said, his voice soft.

Yūrin's face worked, and her reply was far more rambunctious than his statement. "Don't underestimate me! I've trained too hard for this tournament! I'm gonna crush you and beat you down so hard you won't be able to move!" Her violent promise were accompanied by ridiculous hand gestures, and her face simply got more expressive.

"So you're training a child," Yamcha noted, amused.

"She's in her 40s," replied Tenshinhnan dryly.

"One minute! Begin!" The proctor shouted, starting the match.

Abyav rushed forward, and from the hem of his robe spawned a wooden bō. The pale man lunged, thrusting the bō forward. Yūrin dodged deftly, sliding along the ground. Abyav lifted the bō to his side, letting it slide from his grip but briefly, firmly latching onto the base and jabbing towards Yūrin again. She parried the blows with her arm guards, wood clashing against the reinforced material.

With them locked in a close match, the pale alien swung the bō above his head, spinning it before swinging it down. As if her life depended on it, Yūrin avoided the strike, sidestepping it before cartwheeling away from the follow-up blow.

He's a super-strong weapons master, Yūrin thought, leaping directly over him as he struck from the right. Getting in close with that bō won't be easy; he's got too much reach in this stupid little ring! She landed neatly on the other side, and placed two hands to her face. "Taiyōken!" There was a blinding flash of light — the Dragon Team members watching had the common sense to close their eyes once they recognized the build — and Abyav was blinded.

"D-Darn it!" He growled, gripping his bō and spinning it around his body as a protective manoeuvre. The bō method he utilised resembled a dance, and it was enough to keep Yūrin at bay.

"Oh would you just give up!" Yūrin complained, but that wasn't going to happen. We can't have more than 30 seconds left...I didn't want to do this in the prelims! Groaning, she turned her irritated expression to Tenshinhan. "Hey! Three-Eyed Badly! Watch this!" She took a deep breath, and felt warmth flood her right hand. A similar warmth enveloped her left, and she glanced at both hands with some satisfaction. Ki in my right hand...magic in my left... She pressed both hands together, and a powerful aura exploded around her, mixing in hues of white and purple. The onlookers let out a shocked gasp, but Yūrin knew she had ten seconds at most. Rushing forward, she utterly destroyed the bō with a simple open palm strike, and landed a second blow directly to Abyav's chest.

The blow was crushing, and the extraterrestrial fell to his knees as the proctor called for the end of the match.

"Okay, so what did I just witness?" asked Yamcha, looking from Tenshinhan to the victorious Yūrin in utter confusion.

"Her power exploded, but I didn't sense her ki increase at all," muttered Erasa.

"To be honest, it's a unique little trick of her's," supplied Tenshinhan. "None of us would have any use for that technique. Before I met took her into my school, Yūrin practised Witchcraft. She has a natural talent for magic — almost as much as she does for causing chaos — and she channeled those talents into this technique. Sorcery at it's core gains power from the atmosphere; you draw in ambient energy and it's converted into magical power. This holds true for all forms of magic. By combining external magical energy with internal ki, it boosts her power tremendously. She's calling it 'Wúxiàn Néngliàng'."

"That's a bit pretentious," replied Yamcha with a chuckle.

"But not an inaccurate name," said Erasa. "Utilising her ki as an 'anchor' of sorts for the ambient magical energy in the atmosphere...she might not be too far off. It's formidable, if nothing else."

The next few matches went on without much incident. The Dragon Team observed a great many fighters in the 15 blocks— some masters who had simply been improving over the years and waiting for this moment, and some extraterrestrials from other systems who had gone through much to get here — and witness a varied display of techniques. Due to so many matches occurring at once, they were bound to miss some fighters.

Piccolo was the first of their team to be called into the prelims — Combatant 23 vs 24 — and easily handled his Earthling combatant with relatively little issue. Yamcha followed, placing at Combatant 28 against 29, and won flawlessly. His opponent has been a female extraterrestrial, but he'd managed to win with the basic Rōgafūfūken. With matches that were only a minute total, the more experienced Dragon Team members where utilising their basic skills to their fullest, conserving their energy for the semi-finals.

"Combatant 32 and Combatant 33!" The Block 6 proctor called for the combatants. Videl stepped into the ring, accompanied by a burly man dressed in a simple gi. Videl took her stance, raising her right hand up to her side, while placing her left forward, fist clenched. She bent forward, spread at the legs, staring intently at her opponent. Said martial artist — Shoy — had taken a stance that resembled a tiger baring its fangs.

"One minute! Begin!"

"One minute is too much!" cried Shoy. "I'll end this in five seconds!"

Everything that followed was a blur. There was a thud, and Videl had moved with the speed of blinking. Where she had been standing before was only empty space; now, she had her hand pressed into the man's torso, pressuring the diaphragm and disrupting his breathing. "Five seconds is too much. I'll end it in one." The Demon Clan woman lifted Shoy with ease, before bringing her knee up to collide with his body. In a strange flip, she forced him to crash into the ground behind her.

He was knocked out cold.

"My mistake; two seconds."

"You've improved," lauded Erasa as her friend was pronounced the victor and stepped out of the ring. "I'm gonna have my work cut out against you, aren't I?"

Videl flashed a genuine grin, and shrugged. "Dunno, we'll have to see. But just don't let someone show me up and knock you out of the prelims, alright?"

Erasa's turn in Block 5 was running up, and the proctor's called for combatants 30 and 31. The head of the Shinma School of Martial Arts stepped into the ring. Erasa readied herself, right leg bent forward right, left leg steadied behind her with her right fist clenched tight at the base of her side. She extended her left hand, clenching her fingers.

Her opponent was a man by the name of Raiar. He possessed a distinctive appearance, with that of a strong nose, grey eyes and face clean shaven like that of a hermit. He wore a grey-brown gi with a black obi wrapped around his waist, for footwear, he wore only a pair of tower clogs -adding nearly twelve inches extra to his average height- with a pair of leathern protectors worn around the knuckles to the wrist, leaving his fingers and palms open and free save for the straps wrapped around them. A muscular build was all but concealed by his attire but it was neither too bulky or too thin, showing a great balance in his diet and training, readied for the moment he was summoned to this tournament.

"A child, is it?" Raiar observed, sounding disappointed. "You are young, and yet you want to enter this prestigious tournament? You would do better to surrender, and leave this to your betters!" He extended his left arm, fingers clenched, and raised his right arm to be level with his head. "But if you insist on fighting, I will show you the difference between us!"

"Forgive me, but you're wasting your breath," Erasa replied sweetly. "I'm not a child, and I run a martial arts school. It will take more than just words to scare me off. If you think you're my superior, than show me in a battle; but I know better."

"One minute! Begin!"

A rocketing clash thrashed the arena. At the moment of the announcement, Raiar and Erasa met in the center, their arms crashing with the sound of thunder. Raiar struck forward with a powerful palm blow, but Erasa parried easily, deflecting the force with the backside of her palm. Fist struck fist, and the two moved around each other in a veritable dance of death. For a man nearing his elderly years, he moved with the grace and skill of a man much younger.

The ring began crack and heat beneath their feet; Raiar let loose a powerful kick with the force of a cannon, and Erasa raised her arm to block it. The blow sent her skidding slightly, and she felt surprise at the skill of this man. Retaliating, she rushed forward, slamming a double palm strike towards his chest. Raiar raised both arms in front of his body, and the brunt of the damage was blocked.

All of this had occurred within twenty-seconds of them beginning their match.

"I might have to take what I said back," said Raiar, standing up fully. "Your power is real, young one. I've devoted my life to the ways of the Hermit in the mountain ranges of the Central Capital. Forty years of training in the martial arts, and I told myself that after I completed my training, I would enter the Tenka'ichi Budōkai." Readopting his stance, the man's face went wild. "I cannot lose here today!"

"I'm sorry," Erasa replied with genuine remorse. "But I'm going to be the one to slice your dreams in half. Is this your first proper battle after your forty years of training, sir?"

"It is," he replied.

"Then there's your first problem," replied Erasa. "In terms of battle experience...I far eclipse you."

"What did you—?"

Erasa flickered forward, her body blurring. Raiar lunged, performing a sharp knifehand strike towards Erasa. To his surprise, her body completely faded away. Before he could respond, he felt a multitude of sharp blows to his back and neck; specifically twelve pinpoint strikes. The man crumpled to the ground, and Erasa was declared the victor. Bowing slightly, she stepped off the arena.

"What did you do to him?" asked Goten, looking at his sister-in-law with some degree of trepidation. "I looked away for a moment and you hospitalise someone."

"He'll be fine," replied Erasa genially. "I only struck the pressure points required to render him unconscious. He'll be up and about in an hour." As she spoke, the man was being carried away on a stretcher. "But let's keep our eyes where they should be, Goten; Gohan's match is about to begin."

Goten looked across the room to see his brother in the arena with a young woman by the name of Shiming. She had deep violet hair with a side-braided ponytail with a red band tying it. Her attire a sleeveless gold silk top with a rose insignia placed over her left bosom to represent the "Paramour School of Martial Arts," with "間夫" put on her back both in red lettering. She wore red bandages stretch over the forearm to tightly wound up to her knuckles and digits, covering the scarring of intense work she put herself through. A kama skirt covering the rear and flanks,, she bore short-shorts and long toned legs of smooth sheen down to a pair of bare feet, calloused on the soles but smooth on top. She possessed striking green eyes, slanted thin brows.

"You're...strong..." Shiming stared at Gohan intently, and a bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. Shiming took her stance, turning her left hip towards her opponent, she raises her left bare leg up suggestively in a bent direction to the right while her left leg stands erect and firm. Her back arched back slightly, her bosom pushed, and her right slender arm folded over the top of the crown of her head with the thumb folded over a gently open palm; Shiming's left hand lowered at an angle, the thumb wrapped similarly around the palm, her fingers angled downwards. "I can feel it drifting off you...!"

Gohan slid his feet along the arena floor, crouching forward. He extended his left arm forward, folding two fingers back, clenching the remaining three and thumb. His right arm was raised level with his shoulders, fist clenched. "Sorry. It's been several years since my last true battle; I'm finding it hard to restrain my ki."

"One minute! Begin!"

At the figurative bell, Shiming made the first move. She released a thunderous kick, forcing Gohan to sidestep to avoid it. The air pressure boomed, sending a shockwave past the half-Saiyan. His earrings jangled, but he himself remained untouched. For each strike, Gohan's quick footwork avoided every single kick. For all of her efforts, Shiming wasn't able to make contact. To those watching, it appeared as if Gohan was dancing.

"Stay! Put!" The woman shouted in fiery frustration. She flipped onto her hands, balancing on her fingertips and performing an upside-down rotating straddle split. Spiraling towards Gohan, she let loose this rotating combo of multiple kicks. Reading her movements clearly, Gohan leapt backwards, Shiming's powerful kicks unable to register properly. Gohan's white boots slid across the ground, and he bent into a crouch; with great speed, the Saiyan-half took to Shiming's back. Clencing his fist, he rushed the young woman, slamming the whole of his arm into her back.

Pain rocked her body, but Gohan wasn't done yet. Kneeling, he performed a powerful sweep kick, knocking the young woman off her balance entirely. Rushing forward, Gohan crouched above the woman, thrusting his fist forward, before stopping short. A shockwave was released, hitting the woman with a blast like a wind cannon. The sudden shock rendered young woman motionless, deciding the match.

Gohan stood up, declared the victor and winner of the preliminary match.

"Your power really is ridiculous," muttered Shiming, sitting up, her face flushed with embarrassment. "I didn't even see you make that last attack."

Gohan chuckled with some degree of humility. "Please, don't praise me quite so much. I see a lot of potential in you as well. If you keep training, I'm sure you'll get even stronger. If you want to refine your skills, you should consider seeing my wife; she runs a school of Martial Arts that you could benefit from."

Leaving her on this note, Gohan leapt from the arena. The Dragon Team continued to win straight through the preliminary matches, each fighter winning their respect blocks. By the end of the preliminaries, the entirety of the Dragon Team had qualified for the semi-final rounds.

It was time for the matches to be decided.

A/N: The things I do to bring you all a chapter. It is almost 4 AM where I am, I have to wake up at 7:30, and I work at 11:15. But here I am, writing this chapter and author's note out 'cos I wanna give y'all something nice. I sincerely hope everyone enjoys this chapter, now WHERE TO START?

Nothing I need to truly explain in the first half; Beerus' has just erased the remainder of Freeza's forces. Revival of 'F' will not be a thing here. I'm sorry to anyone who wanted to see me write Freeza. Moving on, everyone's introduction in the Budōkai was quite a thing to write. Videl's was, perhaps the most interest. As I described, she's barely aged any at all. To anyone wondering precisely why, I've taken several dozen liberties with the "Majin emblem". One thing we know for certain is it alters the user's body to a degree, and increases their power. OK, two things. So I took that to the logical extreme, and gave it the "reduced aging" you see in Videl; because why would Babidi want useful soldiers to expire? As for her and Trunks...yes, it's a bloody thing.

I've freely adjusted tournament rules to be more in line with the Dark Tournament from Yu Yu Hakusho, with obvious restrictions.

Yūrin was a character in Super I actually enjoyed, so I included her here. To anyone wondering why I said she's in her 40s...did you know she was a kid when Tenshinhan left? Meaning she's almost as old as Goku is. Which was weird, the episode made her seem so young. Her technique, the Wúxiàn Néngliàng 無限能量 (infinite energy), is based on the Kankahō from Mahō Sensei Negima!

Now for the real elephant in the room. Android No. 21. I'm going to be honest. I DID intend to have Bulma build an Android before the revelation of 21, but the moment I saw her design, I figured I'd make use of it. It's non-canon anyway, so why not? The original look was going to be based on one of the Androids from Heroes, but I like this option better. Her name, "Qirka", is from Quirkat, the Arabic word for "chess"; it references her clothing.

Abyav, the alien Erasa fought, has his bame based on the Arabic word for "White". Shoy is based on bol'shoy (большой) which is Russian for "big".

I do believe that accounts for everything. As always, thanks to Demod20 for proofing this, and I'll see you all in the next exciting installment of the Erased Chronicles!