A Daughter's Difference Chapter 12: From Bad to Worse, a dragon ball z fanfic

Chapter 12: From Bad to Worse

AN: I don't think I have much to say this chapter other than I think this was done faster, or maybe it was just me. In any case enjoy. Also thank you to all those that reviewed.

"Uhhh!" Udo lifted his injured hand to quell the ringing in his head after head-butting his opponent. He released the captive Gohan to also use his other hand to place a little pressure where he thought the blood was coming from. He couldn't tell where it was coming from but he knew that he was bleeding slightly from his forehead somewhere.

Gohan ungracefully crashed on to the arena. His head bounced from the sudden contact with the metal platform. For a moment everything was silent in Gohan's mind; though the cheers of the crowds were almost deafening, all he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat.

The referee could only shake his head at what he saw as unnecessary violence against a child. Still he was a man with a job, and he could see that Gohan's eyes were closed and had yet to move even an inch aside from some convulsions, so he began his count. He just hopped that the boy stayed down for his own good.

The sounds of squeaks were the first thing Gohan heard. As he lay on his back, he slowly opened his eyes to see Cell standing over him.

Cell shook his head, 'Why must you fight it? You must realize that it's pointless. Can't you see that you that you're no fighter? This power you have is nothing but a curse, a curse Gohan! So tell me, why fight? What reason do you have for putting people at risk with this out of control power?'

Gohan tried to get the words out but only a mixture of spit and blood coughed out. He began to close his eyes once again.

"Daddy!"

The young savior opened his eyes once again, but couldn't see Cell anymore. He tilted his head to the side to see a nearby seating area, and in this area he spotted someone very familiar. He hadn't noticed it yet, but since they were in a different platform than the last one he destroyed in the previous round; he was closer to Pan in this one. He could see her fear-filled eyes, probably at his pathetic laying form he assumed.

"DADDY GET UP!" He could hear her scream.

'Pan… that's right I promised I would win this for you. I'm representing my little girl, so get up Gohan and keep fighting. Do you want this to be the image Pan has of you,' he mentally motivated himself. Gohan half rolled on his side to help him slowly push himself up to a sitting position. He could see his Udo shaking his head on the other side of the platform. The young Demi-Saiyan took a deep breath of air and released it, and could almost feel a new wave of energy infuse into him. Finally he felt ready to continue.

"He is up! Gohan is up! Barely beating the count from the official," yelled Arata.

Jimmy laughed, "Though I wonder how smart that was. Gohan must be hurting after that last hit, as Udo is still recovering from it."

Gohan massaged his temple to wane the small headache he had. He also took the time to wipe the side of his mouth with the back of his hand, and spit the fluids in his mouth.

The young fighter looked at his hand; he balled them up a couple time, and checked to he how he felt. He summoned a small ball of Ki in his palm, and found no resistance like he had felt before. 'Strange.' Still he smiled as he felt he had control once again, and Cell was nowhere to be seen. He looked back to Pan and nodded in her direction to let her know he was okay; once that was done he turned to see his opponent had also recovered.

"You're a persistent little worm, aren't you," panted Udo. "You should have stayed down; now I'm going to make you stay down permanently."

Gohan heaved but still smiled at his opponent obvious anger, 'I better finish this quickly while I still have control of my body and power.' He didn't know what happened to the image of Cell, but he was thankful that it seemed to have left him alone for the time being.

"Alright big man, think you can take me down, come get me," jeered Gohan while gesturing him the 'come-forth' with one hand.

This only served to further antagonize Udo as he saw this as a sign of disrespect from a mere boy. He charged across the platform with his one good fist pulled back to finally punch his opponent out of the circular arena. "Take this!"

"Is there any hope for our young competitor? Udo is charging at Gohan like an out-of-control locomotive," announced a frantic Arata.

Gohan shifted his stance with one open palm hand extended forwards and one leg sliding back, tilting his whole body to face the side. He raised his other hand and formed a fist that rested on his hip and awaited Udo's fist. He wasn't sure if his power was back or if it was an illusion, so he prepared himself for either scenario.

Udo's fist connected with Gohan's smaller palm with a might thunderclap, but Gohan's feet only slight slid back and stopped the massive man dead in his track. Gohan smiled once he realized what he had done, but quickly turned back to a serious face as he moved on to the next part of his plan.

The young Saiyan pushed the fist resting on his hip forwards and opened it to take a hold of Udo's wrist. Using his new leverage; Gohan pulled himself sliding forward and took the foot, which had initially been farther back, forward and kicked Udo's standing foot from under him. This quick action made Udo airborne. However Gohan wasn't about to stop there; he then moved his other hand to also grip Udo's wrist and finished his half rotation with Udo's fist momentarily resting on his shoulder as he used his strength to launch Udo over his shoulder.

Udo's facial expression morphed from anger to pain when his fist was stopped short, and finally shock as he saw himself slowly leave the circular arena. Time seemed to have slowed for Udo, as he tried desperately to catch on to the edge, but he just couldn't reach and began falling like an oversized stone to the water below.

"Incredible! Udo couldn't catch one!" reported Jimmy.

Arata continued, "He's falling, down, down, and… Udo is out! He has hit the water, thereby eliminated from the competition. Gohan… is moving on to the next round. You were wondering if it was a smart idea for Gohan to have stood up after that nasty hit with Udo, but as you can see Jimmy, Gohan has done it."

Jimmy just laughed, "I'll be the first to admit that Gohan wasn't my favorite to win in this match, but it was intelligent to make the big man charge at him, and then use Udo's own momentum against him."

"Still, that kid's got to have some major strength behind his small stature since he threw the massive man over his shoulder and out of the platform," argued Arata. "This kid is making everyone in attendance and yours truly into a supporter. Just listen to this crowd."

"They are really going wild out there. Udo was a clear favorite, and now this kid is making a name for himself by defeating him," remarked Jimmy Firecracker. "However he has many more challengers like Doskoi still in the running. How will our young rising star face up against those odds? We'll be right back with the next match, Krillin versus Ma Junior."

***Line Break***

"There seems to be something wrong with him," announced the Ox King to his offspring once the show went to commercials. "That match shouldn't have taken that long; I mean this is the same person that less than a year ago defeated the monstrous Cell. It's not right; he was bleeding too much at times."

Chichi massaged her belly as she listened to her father. Though she and Gohan had their difference, she couldn't help but worry about him; especially after seeing that match. "I noticed."

Gohan gave one final wave to Pan and the others, and then made his way to the referee and the walkway to the waiting room.

"Good job out there kid," congratulated the referee when Gohan stood next to him. "Let's go."

Gohan walked back the walkway he first came through, following the referee. He could hear the crowds still cheering as he got inside the backstage corridors. The referee walked forwards, but then took the first right. It confused the young Saiyan as he didn't remember turning when he first walked out, so he decided to make his inquire known, "Are you sure this is the way to the waiting room?"

He stopped and turned to Gohan who was a couple steps behind, "We have to first go see the physician to make sure you don't have a concussion."

"I'm fine," argued Gohan.

"That may be, but this is policy. You have to go get checked out before I can re-admit you to the waiting area. Plus you're on to the next round, so trust me all you could do back there is sit around and wait." He began walking again, "At least this way we're making sure you don't have any permanent damage. We may a be fighting institution, but we still have to care for our fighters."

Gohan exhaled, "Fine." He crossed his arms and caught up with the referee. His foot still throbbed slightly, but he could feel it was already getting better.

A referee with a small earpiece listened and when he heard to send the next two fighters, he looked down at his clipboard. "Krillin! Ma Junior! You two are up," he announced.

"Still it's shocking to think he has a kid already," Krillin related. He hadn't heard the referee call his name, but Piccolo seemed to have heard him and was already walking towards the double doors to the arena.

"Technically it's not his per se. She is my Master's daughter," contended Trunks.

Tien interjected, "But your Master is Gohan, so… his kid and you said he is going to be taking care of her. By the way, isn't that a little irresponsible of you guys to be placing such a big job on his shoulders?"

"Hey, that was his decision. He said he wanted to do it, and I'm not about to deny him that right, or her. By the way Krillin, I think it's your turn," Trunks said diverting the others to a different topic.

"Hmm… ah crap-baskets," he said has he lowered his head. "I guess it's time to go face tall, green, and grumpy."

Tien and Trunks cracked a smile at Piccolo's description.

"Krillin let's go!" yelled the referee.

"Man these guys are too uptight." Krillin turned to Tien, "Tien, with you I leave my parting words to this world as I leave it once again; my Will and last Testament should be read as follows—"

"KRILLIN NOW!"

"Get out of here before they eliminate you," joked Tien as he shook his head at his comrade's theatrics.

"I'm coming. Hold your horses," announced the short fighter as he saw the referee about to yell his name a third time. "Later guys, I'll let King Kai and Goku know you guys said 'hi'."

"And then there were two… well of our little group," remarked Trunks while looking at the other two silent fighters on the other side of the room. "I wonder where Gohan is? Think they took him to another waiting area."

Tien only shrugged. He could 'see' from his Ki-sensing that Gohan was walking in a different direction, so it was totally possible, "I'm more concern with why it took Gohan so long to finish his match, and why his Ki was erratic throughout the entire thing."

Trunks only nodded. Since the waiting area didn't have any TV or anything to display what was happening, they could only speculate based on what they read from the fighter's Ki signatures.

"So bets, five minutes under or over, which do you take?"

"Welcome back folks! The next fight is about to get underway, and we will be seeing the small fighter Krillin versus the menacing-looking Ma Junior. I wouldn't count Krillin out just yet as we saw in the last fight the smaller of the two won that fight. Will we be seeing a repeat in this match?" reported the ZTV sport correspondent.

Arata smiled, "If I'm not mistaken these two are not just any fighters, but fighters from olden days of the World Martial Arts Tournament; real legends in their own right."

Jimmy quickly scoffed when he heard what Arata said and changed his previous tone, "Ugh, don't tell me more fighters from martial arts' darkest days. I just don't understand why all these nobodies are showing up now. Well guess what tricksters, this arena has been furiously protected so you cheats wouldn't be able to set up your smoke and mirrors."

Arata shook his head. "They are not cheaters," he responded.

"Ah what would you know, you're just a youngling that doesn't know any better. I have been there. I have seen their tricks up close and personal. They may seem real, but I assure you they are nothing more than simple parlor trick as the glorious Mr. Satan put it," finished Jimmy, quoting Hercule's claim.

As the two commentators argued, Krillin was standing on the opposite side of Piccolo trying to get people on his side. He smiled at all the cheering he was hearing and turned to his opponent, but found that Piccolo wasn't even acknowledging him.

"Let's have a nice fight Piccolo," yelled the small monk but got no response in return. 'I can do this. He is not unbeatable; unless he uses his Special Beam Cannon, then I'm dead,' he thought with a sigh.

Piccolo kept glaring at the backstage area. His cape floated alongside the air current flowing through the field.

'I may not win but I'll go out with style,' Krillin mentally contemplated.

"Fighter ready?! Asked the referee. "Begin!" he yelled but neither Piccolo nor Krillin moved. The referee was about to yell that he had already begun the match when he heard the indignant remark from the small fighter.

"You're not even going to acknowledge me," he growled while balling up his fists. "That's it, I'm nobody's fool!" he screamed while bull charging Piccolo.

Piccolo's line of sight shifted from the area he could sense Gohan to the shrilling diminutive fighter in front. He slid slightly to the side as Krillin passed through his cape.

In his anger, Krillin saw his folly as he began to fall off the platform. Due to his confusion he had yet to even begin to lift himself in the slightest to float back to platform, but before he could fall any further he felt something grab him by the back of his Gi.

Piccolo pulled Krillin back up on stage and threw him to the center.

"Piccolo…" Krillin called out perplexed by his opponent saving him

The Namekian began walking towards the referee. "I have no need for this tournament anymore," he spoke loud enough for Krillin to hear him. "I now solely wish to speak with Gohan, but he seems preoccupied and distracted by this freak show. If he so strongly desires to win this, then forfeiting will speed things up for him."

"Sir, by leaving the platform you'll be forfeiting the match," warned the referee to the approaching fighter.

"Out of my way," growled Piccolo as he brushed past the referee, pushing the poor guy of the walkway to the water below. Piccolo was cut-off by a different referee at the entrance to the backstage and led through a different passage away from the backstage. Piccolo could do nothing but follow or create a bigger scene and have to wait that much longer to speak with Gohan.

"And, in a turn of event Ma Junior has forfeit the match," reported Arata.

"I guess Ma Junior didn't wish to further sully this sacred ground with his presence," argued Jimmy.

Arata could only groan at his partner's cheap-shot. He lifted and shook his fist in the air as he stared to the ceiling above, as if asking for divine intervention, before slamming his head on his forearm resting on the desk.

"Tien! Trunks! You're up," announced the referee with the earpiece.

"Ha, only three minutes. I'll be collecting the winning of the bet after tournament. You can pay for my dinner," Trunks laughed. He began walking towards the double doors.

"Wait a minute; the match is over!? But we barely felt Krillin slightly power up before everything was silent again," objected Tien. "How did he lose?" he asked the referee by the door.

He didn't look up from his clipboard but responded to Tien's inquire, "Fighter Krillin didn't lose. Ma Junior forfeited."

"Okay, that doesn't count Trunks," he yelled at Saiyan farther ahead.

Trunks' response could still be heard in the waiting room, "It still counts! You said the match would last more than five minutes!"

"I'm not paying for dinner! I've seen you Saiyans eat! One sitting with you guys at any place is a sure-fire way to leave a man bankrupt!" responded the three-eyed fighter.

Sky Dragon sighed, "Those guys are loud."

Doskoi nodded.

"The next match will feature a one-time ex-World Martial Arts Champion Tien Shinhan versus Trunks," happily stated Arata as the two fighters took their place on the platform.

"Oh yippee," Jimmy sarcastically remarked. "With any luck Mr. Shinhan will follow Ma Junior's example and leave before further disgracing himself."

"Kill me now," muttered Arata as he placed his palm over his eyes.

Tien took his weighted white shirt to leave him only with his green pants. "Hey Trunks, how about we give these people a good show?"

Trunks, who was waving at Pan and his mother in the stand nearby, turned to Tien. "Okay."

"Begin!" shouted the referee.

They both dashed forward as soon as they heard the referee and grappled in the center, both trying to overpower the other. When they saw no progress was coming from this they jumped back before running once again at each other, but this time exchanging punches.

"Look at them go! It's almost too fast to follow," yelled Arata. To him, and most of the public, could only see Trunks and Tien like lights jumping from side to side in the arena; except when they stopped to exchange punches and kicks.

"I see Trunks is also another person that likes to use flashy trick, but they won't fool this reporter," declared Jimmy.

Trunks jabbed but Tien managed to tilt his head to the side just in time to pass over his shoulder. Since they were so close, Tien took this opportunity land a devastating blow to Trunk's midsection. Trunks slid back a few meters while holding stomach.

Arata exclaimed, "How is that a trick? They are just punching one another. Sure they are fast, but that is possible."

"Hey I don't know Tien's secrets, but I know a trick when I see one," defended Jimmy.

"You're impossible, you know that. That wasn't a trick," maintained Arata. "In a beautiful display of power and skill, both fighters are matching each other blow for blow. However it seems the veteran fighter might still have an edge on Trunks, but can he hold on to that lead?"

Both fighters on the field landed a devastating hook to the temple area at the same time, so both sprung back a few meters to get some distance between them.

Trunks smiled, "I think this field is just too small for us."

"I agree; it's time to expand our parameters and take it to the air. We'll have more places for movement," replied Tien while lifting off the platform.

Trunks followed Tien's example, and within seconds they were flying around all of the platforms. The crowd was a mixture of emotions, with some cheering even louder when they saw both warriors in the air fighting; other held a face of disgust.

"There! See Arata! Tien is using his deceitful methods to fool the poor people in the audience, and it seems that Trunks might be a disciple of his as he is also 'flying'. I thought the whole arena had been swept for any cheating equipment. Someone should fire the security," Jimmy argued. "And then disqualify these two scam artists."

"This isn't a trick, in fact if I'm not mistaken this is called the 'Sky Dance Technique' first introduced by the Crane School in the twenty-second World Martial Arts Tournament," retorted a giddy Arata. He had seen pictures and read articles on flying people, but nothing could compare to seeing it in person. "This is simply amazing ladies and gentlemen; we are witnessing something only a few have ever been able to see. Tien and Trunks are flying through the air unaided by anything, but their bout isn't over as it seems to only further push both fighters to continue fighting even stronger."

"So the trick has a name, big whoop. It doesn't change what it is," replied a bored Jimmy.

Arata growled, "This is something magnificent. You take what you said back!"

Trunks managed to land both of his feet in Tien's abdomen, sending him plummeting towards to the water below. Tien managed to recover just in time to pushing his Ki below him so he could fly alongside the water rather than touch it.

The referee in a nearby stand, whose job is to make sure the fighters have touched the water to eliminate them, gestured to the others that Tien managed to not touch the water.

"I won't take anything back! I mean it! This is nothing but cheap parlor tricks, and you're a fool for believing in them!"

"Call me a fool one more time."

"Foo—"

"You Son-of-a—" Arata's feed was suddenly cut.

The Ox-King only saw as Arata jumped from his chair towards Jimmy before the screen was replaced with 'Technical Difficulties' image.

He smiled, "How lively, don't you think? Such passion for their ideologies," the Ox-King commented.

Chichi on the other hand barely paid attention the bickering announcers or Tien and Trunks. Instead she was deep in thought still about Gohan's match. Still she managed to somewhat respond to her father, "Yes, lively."

"Sire, I hope these snacks are to your liking." Kasa beamed while she placed the tray of assortment of snacks on the coffee table in front of the two aforementioned. "Lunch will be finished soon."

"Thank you Kasa," acknowledged the old king.

"TRI-BEAM HAAA," shouted Tien from the air as he unleashed his signature attack on the incoming Trunks.

Trunks barely missed the incoming Ki as he shifted to the side and flew parallel to the beam until he reached Tien. He didn't waste any time and decked the still recovering Tien.

Tien quickly wiped the small trail of blood on his lip and flew back towards Trunks. He struck the distracted teen back, while Trunks responded with a kick to his side.

The time traveler flew back, and readied himself to strike back with his own Ki. He gasped as he gathered the energy within him. He thought about turning Super Saiyan, but decided not to, and only elevated his Ki to the limit of his base form. He extended his hand and gathered Ki for a ball in each hand. Once he was ready he brought his two hands forward.

Tien, not one to be outdone, also gathered as much as he could for his Dodon Ray attack. His index finger sparked with purple electricity. Once he felt it was ready he pointed towards Trunks' incoming Ki Blast.

"Mr. Satan, could you please explain this extraordinary event," asked the reporter while shifting her microphone towards the sweating champion.

Hercule's vein was visible while he babbled an answer, "It's a simple parlor trick—quick change—smoke and mirrors, and –WAHH!" he yelled as the room was shaken from the shockwave Tien and Trunks' attacks produced upon collision.

As Hercule remained face down on the ground he began to mutter, "Why, out of all the tournament in the world di-did they have to enter mine-I hate this."

Vegeta, who had been watching the matches as well from his new TV, pressed the 'power' button on the controller. "Hmph, give me a break."

He tucked his arm behind him and rested back down on his bed. 'Just what is my purpose?' he asked himself.

'If I'm not supposed to be the strongest, then what am I destined to do? What is my purpose?' the prince asked once again. He sighed as he closed his eyes momentarily before opening them in alarm, "What am I saying, of course I'm supposed to be the strongest! I'm the Prince OF ALL SAIYANS!" he bellowed while sitting up. "Yet, in the end I keep getting left behind."

"Well whether you like it or not that is the direction of your whole species, if you want to continue. You keep stating that you are a Prince, well act like one and start looking out for your four members. It can't be too hard can it?" Bulma jested.

Vegeta only growled as he remembered his wife's words. He tilted his head and looked at his son's sword that remained exactly in the same place his son had left it. "Bah!" he yelled as he scratched his head.

Tien decide to borrow a note from Krillin and formed a disk-sized Ki in each hand. He sent the first one at the incoming Trunks which made impact but also created a smoke screen he couldn't see through. The three-eyed fighter started sensing his opponent, but this would be his folly because the initial hesitation cost him vital seconds that Trunks took advantage of and situated himself behind the strongest human fighter.

Trunks interlocked his fingers and swung his fists like if he were holding a baseball. Tien had no time to react and crashed into the sea.

The referee near the water gestured to the other referee that Tien has touched the water, not that the other referee hadn't seen it already.

The time traveler floated down to nearby rock, where Tien was holding on to while he got coughed out the water, and offered the downed fighter a hand. "This doesn't change that you're still paying for dinner," he quipped.

Tien just shook his head as he took his hand. "Good luck in the next round Trunks."

"I'm sorry … ladies and gentlemen … for the 'technical difficulties', but I'm glad to inform you that Trunks is moving," announced a panting Arata.

In the background a small voice could heard saying, "You'll be hearing from my lawyers."

"And Doskoi is moving on to the next round. That ends round two," reported a disheveled Arata with a couple of scratches.

Jimmy was holding ice to his head as he spoke, "We'll be right back after these messages, and to those in attendance please remain seated as the stands shift towards the inside of the Megadome and the home of the third round."

Pan kept jumping in her seat as the whole sitting area began to extend out before turning and entering the structure behind them. The process was certainly slow, with all the gears and metal support extensions, but within ten minutes all the previous outdoor sitting areas were facing the center of the Megadome.

"That was fun, right Aunty Bulma?" Pan gleefully stated while pulling on Bulma's arm.

Bulma patted her head and look down at the center where a pyramid of sorts stood.

"So he is still sleeping?" asked Trunks to the small monk.

Krillin shrugged, "That's what referee told me when I asked. They said that when they took Gohan to the infirmary that he fell asleep while they were doing some scans."

A referee walked into the waiting room with Doskoi. "Here you go Mr. Doskoi. You may have a seat while we prepare for the next round." He then turned to the other two finalists. "Please be advised that in five minutes we will be moving to the Arena.

"All of us? So it won't be another round of one-on-one?" inquired Krillin.

"Yeah, and where is Gohan? He can't miss the next round and he is not back yet," followed Trunks.

The referee smiled, "No, it won't be a one-on-one like you said, but the rules will be explained when we have all four of you in one room. As for fighter Gohan, he is still in the infirmary, but a colleague of mine has already offered to walk fighter Gohan himself to the arena. He seems to really be worried about the kid, and wants him to rest as much as possible."

Trunks and Krillin just nodded.

A deep rumbling voice sounded behind them, "You guys seems to be really worried about the kid as well. What gives? Do you all know each other?"

They both turned to find the large Doskoi looking at them. Krillin, being the ever friendly of the group, decided to indulge the large fighter, "Yes, we are all friends."

Doskoi laughed, "I guess if the next round is another battle royale then I'm screwed huh? But don't think I'm about to roll over."

Trunks spoke up, "Don't worry, although we are friends we like to fight one another more, so don't think we'll gang up on you. In fact eliminating Gohan is our priority. Hard to believe but he is the strongest one of us all."

"Really, the kid? But he can't be more than fifteen," Doskoi responded skeptically after Trunks claims. "I mean, he didn't seem like much more than your average fighter, no offence."

"Don't let Pan hear him say that, or she might claw out his eyes," Trunks muttered to Krillin. "I know it's hard to believe, but I'm telling you the truth."

"I guess we will see in the next match," Doskoi remarked.

The previous referee, which had stepped out, came back and called all the fighters in the room, "Okay, time to go. Follow me please and don't deviate."

"What is taking them so long Aunty?" whined Pan.

Bulma sighed, "They'll be out soon sweetie. Why don't you and Chiaotzu go get something to eat in the mean time? The vendor is just up there," she announced while passing Chiaotzu her card.

Pan frowned, but eventually just sighed and began walking. Chiaotzu looked back at Bulma and quipped, "The wonders of being a parent huh?"

"She's… just very attached to her father right now," replied the Capsule Corp heiress. "Why don't you hurry up because I'm starting to see people move down there, so Gohan and the others might be ready to start the next round, and I don't want to see a rushing Pan bulldozing people to get back here."

"Alright," spoke the small emperor as he floated behind Gohan's child.

"So, I have to ask, how did you get yourself eliminated in the first round?" questioned Tien to the man sitting directly across from him.

Yamcha sighed as he rubbed his temple, "I don't want to talk about it."

Tien smiled, "Sounds like the makings of an amazing story."

"Please drop it," pleaded the ex-desert bandit.

"Fine, so what do you have planned after this tournament?" Tien asked while sipping on his drink.

"Tomorrow or, you know, from now on?" He heard 'from now on', so Yamcha continued, "I don't know. At times I feel that I'm not making any progress and I'm just too behind." He exhaled, "Maybe it's time to hang it up. The world has people like Gohan, they don't need me."

Tien frowned, "I'll be honest, I do see the difference in powers, but that doesn't deter me from continuing. Sure we might not be able to stop the next intergalactic space tyrant, but that doesn't mean the people don't need us. As much as you hate Vegeta; he, Gohan and Piccolo can't be everywhere at once. That's where we come in."

The ex-baseball player crumbled his cup he heard Vegeta's name. "This coming from the reclusive one of the group; face it you barely interact with people unless you know them. Plus you heard Goku; we're in for a long period of peace." Yamcha leaned back in his chair with a content expression.

Tien was about to retort, but Yamcha decided to cut this sermon short, "Look I appreciate your concern, but I have bills to pay and saving the world isn't paying much. You have Chiaotzu, whose emperor status allows you some leeway, but people like me have to actually go out there and make a living."

Yamcha set his chair down and leaned forward, "If it will make you feel better then I'll try to keep up my training, but I'm tired of being seen as joke, and don't you dare tell me otherwise. I heard some of the jokes, not just from That Man, but also from you guys as well." He balled up his fist but continued, "I know it's all in good fun, and we joke about everyone, but I can't help but feel hurt when I hear it. You asked what my plan is for my future; I think I'm getting back into baseball. At least I'm not a joke there."

Tien listened to his rant, and once he said his piece Tien decided added something, "I'm not going to sit here and apologize to you. I know some of the joke can be taken too far, but they are just that, jokes. May I remind you that you like to make crude jokes as well, so just let it roll off. Trust me, keeping it inside won't do you any good and the only person you are hurting is yourself."

Both sat in silence for a little while, until their attention was robbed by the cheers of the people nearby directed to one of the monitors that showed as the four finalists were being lifted from holes in the pyramid structure.

"So Gohan is truly back?" Yamcha asked, but he didn't really need a response. He could see the boy as one of the finalist.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, THIS…IS…THE THIRD ROUND, and this round is inside the Megadome!" related Arata as he held all fingers except his index and thumb up. "With this new area mean new rules."

Jimmy has cleaned up significantly since the last round but a bump in his head could still be seen, "I want to state that I'm only here alongside this animal because my contract doesn't let me leave, but I'm working under protest," Jimmy remarked. "Our four finalists will compete for the coveted spot in the final showdown against Mr. Satan!"

Jimmy continued explaining the new rules, "Each fighter will get into their own pod where they will blast off into a separate battle-zone located below this arena! There they will fight one of the fighters from across the galaxy, but that's not all as for when they defeat their opponent they must race to take an elevator that will lead them directly here! The first one to arrive will have the distinct honor of facing the one and only Mr. Satan!"

"Animal huh?" snapped Arata. "I'll show you animal!"

'Perfect it's a race,' reasoned Krillin. "Which means I'll have the advantage," he chuckled.

Over the announcer's system, Jimmy's cries could be heard, "Ah, not the face! Anything but the face!" followed by another sudden cut of feed.

Gohan yawned as he rubbed his eyes and want to his pod. He could hear Pan's scream, so he took a moment to find her and acknowledge her.

The four referees went to each fighter to help them enter their pod. Once the fighter was situated the respective official gave a thumb up to signify the fighter was ready. Once all four thumbs were raised, the countdown began, and the arbiters stepped away from the pods.

Once the countdown reached zero, every pod rocketed along its metal path.

The large monitors in the arena displayed each fighter and what they could see. Those in attendance turned their attention to one of many monitors situated in strategic places for the masses to see.

Finally the first pod exited the bizarre tunnel into what looked like a playpen of a giant toddler, and its oversized toys spread out. Gohan's pod crashed into that barrier and immediately ejected him.

The young savior only grunted as he involuntarily flew following his expulsion. He shook his head and used his Ki to make a proper descent.

"Spooky," he snorted. He cracked his neck from side to side, to get any kinks out. "Alright let's look for this 'alien' so I can get out of here." He trudged through the toys, but kept feeling a shiver run up and down his spine with each step he took.

Trunk's pod also exited the tunnel as it skimmed the water before coming to a stop next to the shore. As soon as it had come to a stop, the glass top opened to allow Trunks an exit off the aircraft.

"That was a tight fit. I can't imagine how that poor sumo guy is feeling right now," he joked.

He finally got a good look around the area he landed and couldn't help but feel perplexed, "Okay, battle-zone huh? Are we supposed to fight or have a picnic here?" he asked himself, while looking at the calm rivers and the many flower beds.

In a different battle-zone which looked like the inside of a volcano, another pod began it's finally descent. The bald monk was aboard this ship, but rather than coming to a smooth landing like Trunks, it crashed with each possible rock formation. With its final bounce it landed in the 'lava' river. Krillin didn't give it a second thought and exploded out of his pod.

He patted himself everywhere to stop any areas that had caught fire. "Stop, drop, and roll!" repeated over and over Krillin as he rolled on the ground. Finally he looked himself over, but didn't notice much damage, aside from some singes at the edges of his Gi."Who in their right mind sends someone into an area with actual fire?" asked the baffled monk.

Though the 'lava' river wasn't actual lava, the room was super heated and small torches were hidden between the rocks that would spew fire every so often. "Still I got to give it to the props department. They sure know how to make a guy sweat."

Krillin immediately jumped. "Oh that's right I have to find my guy before the others do. I can still win this," he shouted as he remembered exactly why he was here. He ran as fast as he could towards the Ki source he briefly felt.

Bouncing between the boulders, Krillin approached a figure he could faintly see through the smoke of the battle-zone. "You must be my opponent," he declared to the figure, but the figure didn't respond.

He decided to introduce himself the poor fighter that was chosen as his stepping stone to victory, "My name is Krillin. Maybe you've heard of me, but be warned I defeated Piccolo today so ahh… you're a girl?!" he exclaimed when the smoke lifted, and he could clearly see his opponent.

His opponent passed her hand through her orange hair.

Krillin gulped and stuttered as he spoke, "Now don't think you can tempt me with your beauty." He gulped again and quickly added, "I have to win first place!"

The orange haired beauty brought her hand up as her hair quickly followed. Krillin immediately noticed a jump in her Ki, which made his eyes widen. She lifted herself off the ground and flew towards Krillin.

The short monk gasped when he saw her approaching, and only managed to speak one last question before she appeared behind him, "You know Ki?"

She smirked as she landed a devastating kick to Krillin's neck, bending his neck in an awkward angle, before punching him down. As Krillin began to fall forward, she rapidly moved to his side and caught him by driving her knee into his midsection. Krillin spit out saliva from that hit, but she wasn't done yet.

The blue-skinned fighter brought her elbow down on his back making him bounce off the ground. Before Krillin knew what direction was up, she spun kicked him into a nearby rock formation.

Krillin laughed from his position on the ground and wheezed out, "I think she likes me," before passing out.

The crowd was none the wiser about the implications of this fight, and just assumed there was a change in one of the fighter to include a female.

However some that knew Krillin personally knew this wasn't just any fight. There was something definitely wrong, since Krillin is a powerful fighter in his own right and for him to be taken down that easily meant this new fighter was very strong.

Bulma began to panic as she began to see the early sign of an impending battle, and not one the audience here paid for. She turned to the other screens to make sure Gohan and Trunks were alright, but it was during her scanning of the other monitors that she saw something that ultimately proved her worries as genuine. She gripped Pan, as she knew if this little girl was even half of whom Gohan was when he was her age, she would jump and try to fly towards her father. On the third monitor, she saw another blue fighter holding the sumo fighter, Doskoi, by his neck, and eventually twist his neck, effectively killing the sumo fighter.

Bulma had enough foresight to turn Pan from looking at the monitors into her side, blocking her view of Doskoi execution. Pan tried to fight Bulma's attempts to stop her from watching the fight, but Bulma turned to her and softly spoke, "Please Pan, don't fight me right now. Do as I say and don't move Pan."

"Wha is going on Aunty?" asked the terrified Pan, who was frighten by her Aunt bizarre behavior. She wanted to know why everyone was screaming, and it wasn't cheerful screaming like a few minutes ago.

"Oh no! Trunks," Bulma yelled as she saw her son was just attacked by a Ki Blast. At this moment all screens went dark, and were replaced with a 'Technical Difficulty' poster.

"Just who are these fighters? Where is security?" shouted Mr. Cash as he began to see his tournament fall into chaos.

Mr. Cash's assistant was screaming into his phone, "I don't care how many it takes, someone go down there and arrest those trespassers; by the by, how is it that these blue-freaks managed to enter the battle-zones without anyone seeing them."

He turned to Mr. Cash who was consoling his wife and son after the last images they saw, "I'm sorry Mr. Cash, but these aren't the fighters we scheduled. We managed to pull the cord on the feed, but we aren't sure how much got out before it was shut down."

Mr. Cash growled, "I want these trespassers in cuffs in the next few minutes, and where is Mr. Satan?!" Everyone looked around the room, but the current champion was nowhere to be seen.

"I…I don't know sir," his assistant responded. "He was here a few minutes ago."

"Find him, we might need his power to take down these killers," snarled the owner of the park.

Someone near the door spoke up, "Um… Sir, I saw Mr. Satan leave the room. He said that he was having stomach problems and was heading towards the bathroom."

The assistant ran to the cameraman who had spoken and shook him, "Which one?!"

"I don't know," answered the poor cameraman.

"Spread out and search; he couldn't have gone too far. Try my personal bathroom first though," yelled Cash as his assistant ran through the door.

The screams of terror from the stadium reached the ears of Tien and Yamcha, who were still sitting the food court. "Sounds like trouble," Tien bellowed.

"Yeah, let's check it out," Yamcha agreed as he saw people fleeing the stadium.

"So much for peace."

Trunks jumped over the Ki Blast hurled at him. He turned to find a sword-wielding fighter with his hand extended in a tree nearby. Trunk scowled, "Watch where you point that thing, I might get the wrong idea. Also who are you; you're definitely not one of the fighters of this tournament."

"Perceptive I see," spoke the blue fighter with a Caribbean accent. "But I don't give my name to dead people."

Trunks smiled, "Indulge me if you please. Consider it my final request."

The Hera shook his head, "Very well, it's a name that can haunt you for the rest of eternity, Kogu. Now you die!" Kogu charged at Trunks.

"Huh, I don't know what I was expecting, but that certainly wasn't it," Trunks jibed. The time traveler managed to evade his charge and mount his own counterattack, but Trunk's wrist was held by Kogu's bent arm, when he avoided Trunk's uppercut.

Kogu smirked and tossed Trunks over him. Bulma's son was able skid to a stop a few meters away. "What are you?"

"Someone not to be trifled with boy, and no more questions," retorted the blue fighter as he pulled out his sword and swung at his opponent.

Kogu sliced and was able to catch some strands of Trunks' hair, but his opponent barely moved out of the way just in time.

They ran into the water and stood steps away from one another; both waiting to see what their opponent would do next. Their standstill came to an end when Kogu stood up straight and sheathed his sword.

'I have a bad feeling about this,' thought Trunks as he saw his opponent tense up and his jewelry begin to glow. Within second the water rose up and blocked his view, but he could sense Kogu's power rising. When the water finally came down, he noticed his opponent has undergone a transformation and his skin pigment was green, while his hair had gone from orange to red. Another difference was that he was noticeably bulkier in muscle mass.

"Okay really, what the hell are you?" demanded Trunks. His response was his opponent disappearing for a moment before feeling a powerful punch that sent him flying.

"I said no more questions," snarled Kogu as he saw his opponent hit and break the barrier between this battle-zone and the next one. He sighed when he saw his opponent fall with the debris to the other side.

Kogu passed through the hole in the 'sky', but was generously greeted with two boots to the face, sending back through the hole he just came through.

Trunks spit out the blood that was collecting in his mouth and smiled, "Don't like it when you get hit out of nowhere huh?"

An enraged Kogu smashed through the barrier, creating his own entrance, and angrily flew towards the smirking Saiyan. He put all his power into his punch and attempted to strike the floating time traveler, but Trunk fell just under him and punched straight up as Kogu passed by above him.

Kogu bounced off the top of the battle-zone and dropped back down, but Trunk had other plans. He dropped kicked the falling Hera just as he passed him, increasing his momentum and forcing him to topple another structure.

He dusted his hand off, and was about to make another smart aleck response, but he thought back to Kogu's transformation, "No, this guy is dangerous. It's time I put him down for good."

The Hera however didn't come from the rubble of the building, but rather came from under Trunks taking him by surprise. His eyes widen watching the sadistic smile plastered on Kogu's face before the Hera grabbed Trunks by the head and flew up.

Trunks tried desperately to get himself released from his captor's hold, but his actions only resulted in another punch to his abdomen. He couldn't even get enough time to raise his power to turn Super Saiyan before Kogu would squander his attempts. He could feel as Kogu pushed his body through many building. His back ached and he couldn't even fight back.

Finally he could see once again, as the green skinned alien released him, but not before kicking him through another set of buildings. Towards the end of the set, he felt another kick rain in from above, and pushed him straight towards the floor. He bounced on the stone streets and spit out a mixture of fluids. Trunks could sense his opponent land a few meters behind him and was walking towards him, but Kogu made a terrible mistake in allowing Trunks this breather.

"Surrender, and you will feel no more pain," stated Kogu as he pulled his sword from his harness and pointed it at the Demi-Saiyan.

"Shove it," croaked Trunks.

"Very well," replied the Hera and swung, but Trunks' underwent his transformation and stopped Kogu's attack with his forearm. The green skinned fighter attempted to use all the strength his transformation offered to push down, but the Saiyan kept him in place, before the sword could handle no more stress and broke.

Trunks, having determined that this guy was too much of a threat to let live, infused as much power as he could into his fist and punched Kogu, bypassing him.

The Hera gasped as he felt his opponent arm through him. He could feel the coldness begin to take a hold of him at his extremities. He released his now broken sword, and fell forwards when Trunks removed his arm. He blinked a few times, and in the distance he could see the disapproving look of his boss, who was rapidly approaching, and with that last vision Kogu closed his eyes one last time.

Trunks breathed heavily after that match, but while he was recovering he hadn't noticed that another blue skinned fighter had arrived just behind him. When Trunks realized he wasn't alone, he quickly turned around, but was brutally punished for his lapse of awareness.

The Super Saiyan crashed on the floor, and his hair returned to its original color. The large blue pirate bent down and picked up the Saiyan. He began to walk, but noticed his fallen soldier on the ground. "Hmph, weakling," he barked. The blue pirate proceeded to spit on his fallen warrior and flew off.

Vegeta abruptly sat up. "Something is wrong," he quavered. He felt shivers running up and down his back. The last time he felt something like this was at the Cell Games.

He turned to the sword standing upright against the wall, 'Trunks.'

"Oh who could you mean with 'brat,' Trunks? Well he is my son… yours too if I'm not mistaken," Bulma jeered.

"Well you should know that pulling 'the Prince of all Saiyans' crap isn't simply a get-out-jail-free card when you are being an ass. Being a prince isn't all about receiving or taking, sometimes you have to give back to your people." Bulma snapped at Vegeta's lax attitude.

"Yeah, and who are my people?"

"Like Gohan—"

"Bah, half-breed. He barely counts as one," Vegeta interjected.

The Saiyan monarch threw his legs over the edge of his bed and sat there looking at his hands.

"No, it's not too hard," Vegeta answered the memory while balling up his fists. "I can be a Prince… to half-breeds, and as the Prince my job is to oversee their protection." He stood up and picked up Trunks' sword. "It's time for me to return to my former glory."

He summoned a ball of Ki and sent it through the wall that was the only barrier between his room and the outside. Through the smoke walked Vegeta outside, once there he turned towards the direction of the tournament and flew off as fast as he could, just as Capsule Corps' security came to skidding stop in front of the gaping hole.

Dr. Briefs, who had been on his bike, also came to a stop in front of all the security. He turned to the sky where he could see the trail of Vegeta's flight.

"Dr. Briefs, we haven't been able to identify the cause of this explosion, but we will know within the hour. In the mean time I suggest you clear the area as we don't know if there are any more explosive," the head of security explained.

"Ah don't worry, that was just my daughter's husband, who still hasn't found the door. I'll be sure to let her know. There is no need for a detailed investigation when I know the culprit; instead go contact someone to come repair this hole. It's a good thing I buy building supplies in bulk," said Dr. Briefs, waving the security away. He readjusted his black cat and got back on his bike.

Gohan walked along the haunted-looking toys. Gohan bent over a little bit as he felt a little pain in his abdomen. "Maybe I should have eaten something," he lamented. Aside from a few nibbles he hadn't really gotten anything to eat in a while. "Argh, there will be time after this joke of a tournament is over. To think even Piccolo didn't want to stay."

At that moment a loud noise could be heard, which Gohan identified coming from the giant clock resting a few meter ahead. He rubbed his ears, and was about to blast it, when the hands of the clock began to spin erratically until they separated themselves from the clock and flew in opposite directions.

Gohan followed both as closely as possible with his eyes, before he noticed them coming straight from him. He immediately pulled on his Ki to form an aura around him, but felt a slight resistance. Not enough to stop him, but noticeable enough. The two hands of the clock disintegrated as they came in contact with his golden aura.

In front of the young Saiyan a snorting floating upside-down person. One that Gohan, for the sake of him, couldn't identify, but one thing was for sure, he could feel this person had evil intentions.

"I truly hope that wasn't the best you got, because if it was…well you're going to find out what happens to people that threaten my life," growled Gohan. "I'll give you one chance, tell me who you are and what are you doing here? What happened to real fighter?"

The inversed person kept snickering, "They're dead, just like you will soon be."

Gohan growled momentarily before sighing apathetically, "How… original…"

AN: So the Bojack Saga isn't over yet. I swear I had hopes of finishing it up this chapter, but then I saw it was starting to get too long, so I decided to split it in two. I hope those of you that are still with me can tolerate one more chapter of these menaces. I hope to hear what you guys think will happen, as well as what is your theory on Gohan's situation as he seems to have gotten better in this chapter, but for how long?

Dear Ace Son,

It has been too long. I also wish there was a better way for communication. Don't worry man, I understand sometimes life happens. I hope you're doing well.

Dear feral creature,

Not for a while, and at this rate of progression it will take some time, but I do plan to visit the bubblegum menace. Even though I consider it to be one of the worst enemies. I'll have some time skips so that may help move us along.

Dear A,

Thanks for the motivation :) . I'm glad you liked the second half. I also liked the funny banter between Gohan and Trunks.

Dear Lightningblade49,

He really can't, but there are some shining moment like in this chapter. The question is how long does Gohan have before the ghost of the past return.

Dear KiwiS92,

Umm... yes and no. The way I think about it is, as a child I'm sure if someone used your parent's given name you would be able to associate it with 'Mom' or 'Dad', but you would never speak to them with their given name. Therefore in your vocabulary 'Mom' would be 'Mom', but if someone used her given name your mind would automatically register it as 'Mom' rather than the name the person spoke. Pan is the same way, if someone says 'Videl' then her mind automatically translates it to 'Mom'. The problem is that eventually as Pan grows up her mind will forget that 'Videl' is associated with Mom, and instead will have a blank slate for a lost name.

I'm glad you liked the chapter.

Dear Aaron Leach,

Thank you.

Dear dapmitidp,

Hopefully in the next chapter or the following I'll break down Cell and what he is.

It seems Pan did help slightly in this chapter ;). I'm glad you liked the chapter.

Dear Palazard95,

Oh I'm sure Gohan is not going to like a lot of things about Hercule when he finds out who he is. Pan will just be the icing to the cake.

I also really liked the hallucinating. It wasn't in the original but I think that was one of the few good things that came from the rewrite.

Thanks.

Dear pir84lyf,

I agree, but it's a dangerous job since Gohan is venting on that person. :) I wonder who wants to take the spot of ventee for Gohan hahaha *cough*Bojack*cough*

Dear Guest,

Not sure if you ever did give me the detailed review, but if you did thank you. In any case thanks.

Dear Shadow Tricked,

Yeah, yeah I have no excuse for that. The only thing I can say is that Ki dropping, but it's a weak excuse. More or less his whole body is falling part because of something that Gohan is doing. I'll get more into it later. I hope you can overlook my weak excuse for drama ;) You can check my response for A-Man for my excuse.

Dear SaintMichael95,

Well I hope this chapter was a little lighter. I tired to lift it up a bit, but like I mentioned in the PM, things will get darker, and very rapidly. I hope to still have your support.

Dear A-man,

I agree Gohan should have a lower limit that even Udo's strongest punch shouldn't even make him flinch, but there are some external events that are happening. Like you said, if Udo has a power of 110 and Gohan is trying to lower his Ki to zero to re-stabilize it, then momentarily Udo is stronger. Still we see that Gohan's retains some of his Saiyan's base strength as he is not being sent flying out of the ring, but rather rolls on the platform. From there his erratic Ki takes over in injuring him, similar to poison.

The difference between Udo vs Gohan and Hercule vs 18 was that Hercule and 18 were in full control of themselves; while in Gohan vs Udo, Gohan doesn't have full control of his own Ki and it's hurting him. He is trying to control it, but he is being attacked both mentally and physically so he can't concentrate.

And in the end it was done for tension purposes, so I hope you can forgive me.

Dear Joshrobo,

Hopefully Piccolo gets to him soon.

Dear Guest,

I think it's because she is a fighter and knows many fighters, and none of them have a job so she thinks fighters can only be bums. Still I agree Chichi is an idiot. haha

Dear RaptorZeroOne,

I'll be honest, I don't know what you're talking about. Sorry. If you want you can PM, and I'll happily explain whatever you want.

Dear The Fantastic Altruist,

I'm glad you liked how the internal battle is being handled.

I spoke to you about Videl's mom's name, but I'll put my opinion here as well. As much as I agree and like how each of the names in DBZ are play on terms, and each group has a certain topic (Saiyans are named after Vegetables ect.), the name of Videl's mom is just too weird for me. Miguel is a guys name, in my book. No matter what way I look at it I don't know any girl named Miguel, and as such I refuse to call Videl's mom Miguel. I might do what you did and put it as a middle name, but if we were going to the devil motif, than I rather a play on Lucifer where I can be changed to make it more effeminate like Lucielle or simply Lucy.

Thank you too all that reviewed!