Now time for the final showdown of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament!
Based on MasakoX's What If series "What if Gine went with Goku to Earth?", but a retcon with some changes of my own on how I think the story would have went down had Goku's mother escaped planet Vegeta with him.
DISCLAIMER: The following is a fan-based work of fiction. Dragonball Minus, Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball Super, and Dragonball GT are all owned by FUNimation, Toei Animation, and Akira Toriyama.
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CHAPTER 26: MOTHER vs. SON
Cheers louder than ever before erupted from the stadium. It was time.
Kakarot pumped his fist into the air. "Alright! Let's go, Mom."
"Right behind you, son."
They both headed towards the ring entrance, while the gang cheered on with the crowd...
"GOOD LUCK, BOTH OF YOU!" Bulma yelled.
Chi-chi ran up and stopped Kakarot in his tracks to turn him around.
She kissed him. Passionately. Holding each other close with such desperation and wanting that left Bulma and Launch breathless from just watching.
"Oh my." Said Roshi, reaching for a cloth to wipe his forehead. The whole gang blushed at the romantic sight while Ox-King couldn't be happier at seeing her daughter in so much love. Gine rolled her eyes while she waited for Kakarot.
A few long seconds later, Chi-chi parted her lips from Kakarot's.
"For good luck." She said with a sultry wink. "I know you'll win this without a doubt."
Chi-chi's cheeks turned flaming red when she saw Gine waiting patiently for them.
"Er... hehe. No offense, Gine." She laughed awkwardly.
Gine shook her head chuckling. "None taken. Gotta take a side, right?"
They all laughed heartily. Bulma looked from Kakarot to Gine. "It's so weird to have to choose who to cheer for. But I'll be glad that you two have made it this far, so I guess it doesn't really matter who wins at this point."
"If I had to take sides between two really incredible friends, I think I'll have to root for Gine on this one." Said Yamcha. He gave Kakarot an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, bud, but if my fight with Hero...er, Kami, taught me anything, is that experience trumps strength any day."
Kakarot took his words appreciatively and sportsman-like. "Heh. Thanks, Yamcha. You may be right, my mom has been fighting real bad guys since she was little. But I'll still give it my best shot." He said, while his mother looked uncomfortable at the mention of her old life.
"He'll will win." Declared Chi-chi. "He beat me fair and square without trying too hard. If you could do that, you can beat your mom."
"Huh. Well... I guess you might be right if he could survive your fury." Yamcha joked.
"I'll be rooting for you, Kakarot." Ox-King offered. "If my daughter believes in you, then I do too."
Kakarot smiled up at him. "Thanks, Ox-King!"
Tien then bowed to Gine. "Good luck to both of you. Though I do hope it is you who succeeds... if it means taking the title form him." He said with a sly jab at Kakarot.
"Thank you." Gine said with an appreciative smile.
"Don't worry, buddy. I'll root for you too. Don't lose to your mom!" Krillin cheered.
"I'm not here to take sides. I know that both of you will have a great fight." Said Gohan.
Kakarot clenched his fist. "Oh we will, Grandpa! We'll do our best and see who comes out on top!"
"Right!" Gine agreed.
Chi-chi gave Kakarot a loving and determined look. "I know you will. I believe in you!"
"Thank you, Chi-chi..."
They shared one more kiss before Kakarot continued on with his mother to the arena.
"GO, KAKAROT! GO AND WIN!" Chi-chi cheered from behind with pure conviction. Soon they were around the corner and out of sight.
...
"Seems like she's your biggest fan." Said Gine as they walked.
Kakarot laughed. "Well, I guess that happens when you love someone."
Gine caught her breath.
"You love her?" She asked, pleasantly surprised.
He scratched the back of his head. "I.. well, hehe. It's hard for me to describe. I can't stop thinking about her. Like, she's become something so important after all that's happened. And..."
"You do love her, sweetheart." She said with an astonished smile.
Kakarot's face turned red. "When you put it like that... I guess I do."
Gine was amazed and overjoyed. She knew by the way he kissed Chi-chi that it was more than chemistry. But... Her son, a Saiyan born and bred, in love! It was something so strange yet so wonderful. The idea that a Saiyan male could not only feel such an emotional connection to a mate in such romantic terms but also express them openly was unheard of. Not even the King could do such a thing. For love among Saiyans seemed only reserved for the weak or softhearted like her.
It also made her think of how she said those words to Bardock on that fateful day so long ago. How he didn't reciprocate what she felt. But... as painful as it was, she loved him. It was the most beautiful thing in all of the cosmos. And her son was in love. Either this planet had gotten to him past his Saiyan-ness, or he was truly something special.
"That's wonderful, son! I'm very happy for you."
"Aw, thanks, Mom." Kakarot said embarrassedly.
They reached the arena entrance. The whole crowd went crazy at seeing their finalists. The mustached, blonde referee waved them out onto the battleground. "Who will be the next Master of Martial Arts? Let's find out, and welcome our final contestants to the ring!"
"You ready for this?" Gine asked, getting her mind in the game.
"Oh yes, I am. Let's go!" He answered excitedly.
Both mother and son walked onto the ring. The crowd that gathered to see the final fight was now in the thousands. Every seat that could be taken and every place a person could stand and watch was filled with eager spectators. Some of them were chanting Kakarot's name while others did the same in support for Gine. The roar of cheers was deafening to her ears.
"The crowd is getting extremely anxious, and it's no surprise! After all, these two warriors are both superhuman!"
More than that, Gine thought.
"And as I mentioned before, folks, one interesting thing these two also have in common is that, in fact, they are mother and son! It would certainly make sense about their incredible power, for these two make an unstoppable fighting family! Both fighters have demonstrated amazing feats from flying to shooting lasers and strength unthinkable for mere mortals. And now we are going to find out who among them is the strongest! No one knows what may happen during the course of such a sensational battle, but these two warriors are sure to entertain you. So cover your heads and get ready!"
They reached the square ring's center and faced of each other while the referee stood between them. Kakarot gave the respectable bow that his mother had instilled in him, and she returned it.
"So what do you say, Mom? Should we hold back a little since this isn't the Time Chamber? Or can we go all out?" Kakarot asked, his tone at the latter suggestion sounding hopeful.
Gine thought for a moment. Should they?... The arena was rather small for the fights they usually had. She wouldn't want to cause too much collateral damage or hurt anyone if they went too far. And the thought of putting the fights of all their friends to demoralizing shame...
But the contentment she felt for today with defeating her deepest fear and knowing what happy future was in store for Kakarot when this is over, made her reconsider... plus she did promise Kakarot that she would make him earn that prize money. And she never turned down a good fight with him...
Oh, what the hell.
Gine smirked at her son. "Sure! Let's put on a show for them, and make this something they won't forget."
"Yes!" Kakarot jumped excitedly.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "I was hoping you'd say that. Cause then I can actually beat you." He said while cracking his knuckles, his tail waved and curled behind him with anticipation.
"Hmph. We'll see about that, son." Gine retorted playfully, cracking her neck.
The referee backed away as they both got into their fighting stances. The beat of drums signaled the countdown to the match start. The crowd grew silent but the tension among them grew unbearable.
In the seconds leading up to the signal, Gine briefly wondered how things were going to go. Kakarot was indeed stronger than her since they got out of the Room of Spirit and Time, but the power gap wasn't that wide. Plus, Yamcha was right about her being more experienced. It felt like a toss-up. But she personally didn't mind if she won or lost. She was just glad that they were about to have a real fight for once.
"Ready... on my mark... get set... aaaaaaaaand... May the best fighter win!"
The gong went off.
In a flash, the two full-blooded Saiyans charged at each other. They met with a clash so powerful that it shook the stadium and made everyone stumble backwards.
They were fighting at staggering speed, trading blows that were so fast that no one was able to follow, not even Tien with his extra eye. Like blurs of orange and dark green that were standing still in the middle of the ring, the sounds of punches and strikes overlapping into a sound of machine-gun fire.
The blurs then shifted across the ring in locations. Their forms briefly became visible before fading out again to reappear somewhere else. The sounds of the blows being exchanged moved around the ring inconsistently with the afterimages of the them. They were moving faster than their own images and sounds could keep up, the ground rumbled with every punch that fell on the fighters.
"W-wow... look at them go." Was all Bulma could say at the spectacle that everyone was watching.
Gine and Kakarot suddenly reappeared in the ring's center, the last blow of kneeing attacks countered at the same time separated them and landed facing each other.
Both of their heartrates were racing, and their Saiyan blood was pumping. And that was just the warm-up.
Kakarot and Gine both launched at each other again with a punch they traded simultaneously. The blow forced them back, Kakarot backflipping and landing on his feet while Gine slammed into the ring creating a long crash trail of crumbling and pancaked tiles. Sitting up from her crater, she phased out of sight. A moment later, Kakarot did the same and they both met in mid-air for another barrage of strikes.
They fought with every ounce of their hearts and souls. Nothing mattered to either of them more than the fight itself. Not what the audience was doing, the area around them, no stray thoughts, or the passage of time. This is what really mattered.
The crowd watched with awed silence. Never in the history of the tournament had they seen a fight so fierce by warriors so unimaginably powerful. The gang too were stunned. It occurred to them that nobody in the group besides Gohan had ever seen Kakarot and Gine fight each other before. Though Kakarot told them many times in the past of how his mother was the greatest opponent he ever had. Now they could see why.
Gine went in to try and catch her son off guard by elbowing him in the side of the head, only for him to phase behind her for a kick to her spine. She was one step ahead of him and twisted to avoid the strike. Then tried to counter with a knee to his exposed ribs, but he parried that with his arm. One blow avoided to counter with another yet blocked. This trade of attacks continued until Kakarot was able to catch one of his mother's punches and lock her arm in his grip. Keeping her trapped and open for him to punch, pull back, and punch again and again with his left hand to her face. Each hit stunned her, like being hit with a sledgehammer. Unable to defend herself and rendered senseless, Kakarot let her go and then began side-swipe kicking Gine across the face. The sides of his boot knocking her head from side to side. Then finally, Kakarot finished with a back kick that nailed her square in the cheek. The force of which sent her flying up and away at great speed.
Gine recovered and stopped herself in the air, floating several hundred feet high over the grandstand. It wasn't technically out of bounds. She brushed her hand against her lip, inspecting the smudge of blood from it with an approving nod.
"Good job, son. You drew first blood!" She called down to him. "Now it's my turn!"
She instantly flew at Kakarot with such speed that a sonic boom cracked across the stadium, making everyone jump just as Kakarot met her flying punch with catching it with both hands, the impact making a thunderclap.
He grunted painfully from stopping her supersonic punch, then ducked she Gine threw her free fist at him. Then the other. Soon he was on the defensive as Gine pressed her attack. She let her fists fly, bombarding her son with a flurry of punches he struggled to block in time. Because she was nearly half his size, Gine moved around him so quickly and hit every opening she could find, causing him to groan under the impacts of her punches and kicks. The duo then ascended into the air as Kakarot tried to get away from her. Soon they were hovering high in the clouds above the ring. Deciding he had to break himself free before his mother could knock him out, he let out a powerful shockwave of ki that broke his mother's aerial assault.
Kakarot massaged his forearms that did all the blocking of her attacks. Just defending himself really stung, so he might have to bring out all the stops.
"Alright, Mom! Now it's time to get serious!"
Squeezing his fists tightly by his side, Kakarot strained to bring out his power. The very air around him vibrated and crackled with electrical sparks as the energy surrounding him built up, culminating with him screaming as it reached it's peak.
Seeing how her son was now ramping things up, Gine followed suit.
"FINE BY ME!"
Clenching her fists, she screamed with increasing volume too that echoed her sons. The air around her shimmered, bolts of electricity and light surrounded her form as her ki was brought forth.
Their combined summoning of outrageous levels of ki rattled the walls of the arena below. The gang couldn't believe the display of energy, least of all Roshi.
"Such power! It's unlike anything I've ever seen!"
"Ugh...Amazing! Their spirit energy is unbelievably strong! I can actually feel it!" Tien cried out.
Krillin struggled to keep himself composed at the display of such raw power. "H-how are they so damn strong?!"
With more ki unleashed, mother and son charged at each other again. The next barrage of blows traded were now fueled by boosts of ki that made every impact felt by everyone below, as if they were on the receiving end of those blows themselves.
With the increased power came with increased speed, thus making their movements impossible to track. Booming sounds echoed throughout the sky as they moved around trading blows. Like the sound of artillery in a warzone.
They reappeared suddenly, just as Kakarot had ducked from a boot to his face and countering with a punch to his mother's gut that sent her flying into the clouds. She recovered from the gut strike, and squared her shoulders.
She had to think of another strategy to get past Kakarot's guard. With both of their energy fully released, the situation was just the same before with him being the stronger one that overpowered any quick attack she threw at him. She had to move faster...
A light went on in her head as an idea came to her.
"Gotta go fast then!" She said aloud to herself before phasing out of sight.
Gine started circling her son. Flying around him faster and faster and faster. Soon she was circling him at supersonic speed, the air around Kakarot condensed and circled with his mother, forming a vortex of clouds like the eye of a hurricane. The cracking of the sound barrier boomed through the air. Down below, the rushing wind created by Gine's artificial tempest picked up speed. People desperately clung to their hats and anything lightweight that wasn't bolted down was carried away. The wood shingles of the common area building were ripped from the roof, branches of the palm trees torn free. The gang shielded their eyes and ducked from the gusts. Yamcha held onto Puar and Oolong clung to Bulma's leg for dear life.
Kakarot whipped his head around alertly, trying to track his mother. This move was new to him. What did she-
Without warning, Gine flew out of the circle right towards Kakarot at Mach Five. The hypersonic punch that slammed into his face was so powerful that the resulting pressure wave blew away the rushing wind, popping everyone's ear drums below and flooring them all to the ground.
A few seconds went by, everyone slowly regaining their senses after that literal stunning attack. Chiaotzu was quick to react by putting up an energy shield around the gang, but the sonic booms still made all their ears ring.
Yamcha was the first to look back up at the sky. "LOOK!"
Everyone saw, that Kakarot had been knocked out and was in freefall. Gine floated there triumphantly, watching her son plummeting.
Seeing an opportunity to finish him off while he was defenseless, Gine held out both her hands and yelled as she rapid-fired a volley of golden ki blasts that arced their path towards Kakarot. They blasted him as he fell, burning his gi off, and with almost a hundred more small spheres of energy following his plummet to the earth below.
"KAKAROT!" Chi-chi cried out in horror while the rest of the gang watched aghast.
"How could Gine fight so viciously like that with her own son?! She must have a heart of iron or something!" Krillin exclaimed.
Yamcha watched with suspense. "Let's hope the same can be said for Kakarot's bones. He's gonna be hitting the stadium pretty hard!"
Kakarot impacted the ring with enough force to make the ground shake. A cracked indent of his body's shape formed after bouncing off the tiles and he lay their motionlessly. Chi-chi nearly fainted and looked away, burying her face in Yamcha's shoulder and unable to watch.
Then Gine's volley of ki blasts rained down on him too, hitting with a cascade of explosions throwing chunks of tile fragments in every direction. People in the audience ran for cover from the falling debris and the gang covering their eyes from the flying dust.
A few seconds go by before the dust cleared, and Kakarot lay facedown in a shallow crater. His gi was smoldering.
The referee came out from his hiding spot, shaken. "It-it appears that Kakarot is down for the count! Gine had just delivered a devastating attack that plowed Kakarot into the ground, and he isn't moving!"
The referee started the countdown. "One... Two... Three..."
"No! Kakarot, get up!" Krillin shouted.
Gine floated down to the crater rim, eyeing her son's body laying in the dirt with an empty expression. Her tail swayed low, as if expectantly.
"Four...Five...Six..."
"Kakarot?" She asked her son's motionless form. Despite the lethality of the attack, she knew he was alive. But he still didn't move.
"Come on, get up!" Gine muttered under breath, feeling a nervous dread expanding in her chest. What if...
"KAKAROT!" Chi-chi shrieked. Yamcha and Krillin were trying with all their might to hold her back.
"Seven... Eight..."
"Let go of me! He's hurt and he needs me!"
"Calm down!" Yamcha shouted. "Kakarot hasn't lost yet, look!"
"Nine..."
"Huh?" They all glanced at Kakarot.
As if on que, Kakarot propped himself up onto his knees with his signature mischievous grin. The cheek she landed that punch with was blue and swollen.
"Hehe, still here!" He chuckled with a wince, caressing the side of his hurting face. Kakarot pulled his legs up and pressed his arms out to spring back onto his feet.
A collective gasp of shock and relief went through the crowd before they broke out into cheers, so did the gang. Chi-chi looked to be on the brink of bursting into tears.
"Kakarot, don't you dare die on me like that!" She wailed, half-serious and half-relieved.
"Unbelievable! After surviving a savage beating from his own mother, Kakarot is still standing! "
Kakarot inspected himself. His gi was already burned from the damage sustained by Chi-chi's heat ray attack and Crane's Dodon cannon from his last match. Now it was thoroughly darned with half a pant leg burned off and holes seared into the fabric everywhere. But aside from that, Kakarot himself was not even injured from his mother's attack or the fall save for that massive bruise.
"You had us scared for a moment, man!" Cried out Krillin.
The gang were flabbergasted as to how Kakarot could survive such a barrage. With the amount of ki released by Gine, had any of them been her target they would be dead. It made them fear just how powerful this Saiyan woman truly was. And the pure ferociousness in the way she and her son fought each other like wild animals shook them all to their core. Was this how Saiyans fought for sport?!
Ox-King shuddered. "Whoa... how could anybody get up from that?"
"Beats me. I always knew Kakarot was hardheaded, but he's got a tough hide to boot." Roshi noted with amazement. "I've never seen anyone take an attack so brutal and still be standing."
Gohan shook his head with an exasperated smile. "Kakarot and Gine have put to shame every notion of strength I ever thought possible since the day I found them. Even after all these years they still manage to surprise me by getting stronger and stronger still. I truly believe that if they push themselves hard enough, there is nothing they cannot achieve."
"That's my Kakarot! He is the greatest!" Chi-chi swooned.
Kakarot grabbed a piece of the orange cloth of his shirt, it crumbled in his grasp like ashes. "Phew, my uniform is cooked. It feels like paper."
He proceeded to tear it off, leaving his blue undershirt and his tattered pants on. Gine shook her head, she should've gotten him new cloths before the match.
He turned his attention back to Gine. "That was a cool move, Mom!"
"You think so?"
"Yeah! You flew around so fast, I couldn't figure out where you were going to attack. And with all that built up momentum from flying at hypersonic speed, you were able to break past any defense I could put up. If you were a little stronger, I'd be out of commission from that punch. That was ingenious!" He said while rubbing his purpled cheek.
Although Gine felt slightly disappointed that her attack with all the speed and energy she put into it just left Kakarot with a bump, she smiled at her son's honest critique and compliment. She always treasured her son's pure and honest heart, and with it he could be relied on to give her an honest assessment of what she did good or not so to gauge her own progress as a martial artist.
"Thanks, it was just something I made up on the fly."
Kakarot laughed. "Hehe. Cool! You sure know how to improvise, huh?"
"I like to think so." She shrugged.
Kakarot got back into his fighting stance. "I guess I'll have to beat you by not just being stronger, but I also gotta find a way to outwit you."
"Ha! If you can." Gine taunted playfully. Kakarot looked offended.
"Hey! I managed to do it before in the Time Chamber, I'll do it again!"
"I hope so too, son. But knowing you, that was probably a fluke. Not to mention that was months ago, before I also got a little wiser from that. So if you want to win this match, I suggest you just need to keep your guard up better." Gine shot back, jokingly stern.
Kakarot was silent for a moment. He took note that while his mother was chiding him about that very thing, she herself had not gotten back into fighting stance either and left herself open.
"Funny...I could say the same for YOU!" He shouted just as he throttled Gine with an uppercut to her jaw. Everyone inhaled sharply in shock.
Her head snapped back from the blow and was sent flying backwards. Kakarot leapt forward to catch up with her, then proceeded to knee her in the back, drive his elbow into her sternum, and nail a fist to her nose which elicited a cry of pain from Gine. Before she could fly out of the ring Kakarot phased into her path, swung his leg back and landed a powerful kick that sent Gine tumbling into the air. He sprang after his mother, flying past her and waited for her to reach him. He held his hands over his head and brought them down hard, slamming Gine right in of her temples.
Gine fell to the Earth below. She was thoroughly stunned by Kakarot's surprise attack, the headache from his first and last hits felt skull-splitting. But in the few seconds before impacting the ring, the impenetrable fog of pain began to dissipate in her mind. It was all that Gine needed to focus her mental energy and regain enough of her senses. Curling into a ball, Gine backflipped and landed on her feet gracefully.
Just then, Kakarot phased behind her for another sneak attack, but she felt his aura there and instinctively back kicked him in the solar plexus. Her quick recovery and the force of the counterattack caught him by surprise. The kick took him off his feet and nearly sent him flying out of bounds, but he stopped himself in mid-air and flew at his mother again.
They clashed again in the middle of the ring. After a few traded blows, Gine was able to fight him off and forced themselves away from each other. They stopped moving and eyed the other warily. The crowd went nuts.
"That was intense! Kakarot tried to take his mother out with a brutal surprise attack, but Gine managed to hold her own and stay in the fight. And I have a feeling that things are about to get more interesting from here!"
Gine winced painfully as she rubbed her face. It was difficult to breath as her nose was swelling up and trickling blood. She glared at Kakarot.
"That was a dirty move, son." She said before spitting out a few small shards of a shattered tooth.
"Maybe you just need to keep your guard up too, Mom." Kakarot shot back.
It wasn't backtalk to a Saiyan mother who was always trying to hammer home the importance of defense for her child's fighting ability. She had to admit that how he managed to turn the lesson on her meant that he was learning something at least.
"Huh... alright, good one." She conceited. Then got back into fighting stance.
"Still, you're gonna pay for that little cheap shot, young man!" She playful chastised him.
A second later she flew right back at an already prepared Kakarot. The two broke out into another lightening fast exchange that no one could follow. Gine was on the offensive this time, and Kakarot was doing his best to stay ahead of his mother. His wrists stung from the pain of blocking her furious blows, but he ignored it. He had to break free before she got through his defense. But she was as tenacious as he was, not giving him room to move or even think.
"There they go at it again, folks! Both fighters are moving so fast we can't even see who is doing what. It's anyone's guess now as to who is wining!"
"That's it! Tear her up, Kakarot! Show your mom who's boss! You can do it! Mop the floor with her!" Chi-chi yelled hysterically, terrifying the rest of the gang.
"Whoa, whoa! Easy!" Roshi and Krillin held up their hands trying to calm her down.
Back in the ring, Gine kept up her attack. Kakarot deflected every punch so far, but he couldn't do it for long. He was going to run out of room before his mother forced him out of the ring or make him open to attack. He had to break out fast, his Saiyan brain thinking with microsecond quickness with his mind's eye feeling his mother's movements through her aura.
Parry, block, swipe... an opening!
Kakarot landed a hard kick to Gine's ribs, which caused her to instinctively clutch her side. Taking advantage of the break, Kakarot delivered several punches to Gine's face, then grabbed her head with both of his hands. In one swift, violent motion, Kakarot sprang forward on one leg and rammed his other leg's knee into his mother's face. She flew back and let out a howl of pain, crashing into the ground with a rough landing.
Seeing a chance to go on the offensive himself, Kakarot launched himself at her while she was still getting up. But Gine jerked her head down just in time before her son's fist could meet her face again. Using her shorter height to her advantage, Gine ducked as Kakarot's follow up punch flew over her. She was now under him and his torso was left exposed.
"Gotchya!" Gine with all her reserve strength and ki then rapid fire punched Kakarot in the stomach with horrific speed. Kakarot doubled over his mother, each blow to his abdomen on top of the other at that speed left him screaming and coughing hoarsely.
Gine let off of her assault, then slid sideways just as Kakarot fell to his knees clutching his stomach and cursing himself for falling for that.
She stood above him now. Clutching her hands together, Gine brought them down on the back of his head with all her might. Kakarot's face slammed into the tiles, shattering it like glass.
He groaned under the pain, barely moving.
Gine shook her head in a tsk-tsk motion of disappointment. Here her son lay on his belly and face plowed into the floor, completely exposed and ready to be finished off.
"What did I tell you!" Gine admonished.
She sighed, then lifted up her booted foot intending to plow it into the back of Kakarot's head and knock him out for good. Oh well, the fight was fun while it lasted. And they could find other ways to help him get a home...
Just as she brought her foot back down, Kakarot rolled out of the way at the last moment. Her foot drove into the ruined tile and was stuck.
"To always keep my guard up!" Kakarot shouted up from laying on his back. He then grabbed the ankle of her buried foot with both hands in an iron-tight grip.
Gine's face lit up in alarm at the too late realization as Kakarot sprang himself up while still holding onto her leg and yanked her off the ground. He began swinging her around, faster and faster until they were spinning around at dizzying speeds. Gine's face turned green, closing her eyes trying not to throw up and prepare for what she knew came next.
Kakarot finally let her go, and Gine was thrown straight into the brick wall by the common area. It crumbled under her impact, the bricks and concrete statues came crashing down on top of Gine. The gang jumped back in alarm. Kakarot smirked to himself, glad he was able to reverse the advantage his mother had.
Then the pile of rubble exploded, sending brick fragments everywhere as Gine flew out of it furiously and straight at her son. Kakarot caught her hands and locked them in his. Both fighters were locked in a tug-of-war, straining to push one another out of the way, grunting hard and grinding teeth. They butted heads, glaring at each other and trying to overpower one another by sheer force of will. Their arms bulged as every muscle tensed, swelled, and twitched under inhuman strength. They both screamed with increasing volume, their combined energies clashing together made the foundations of the arena crack and the tiles rattling out of their slots. The crater they stood in deepened and widened as their explosive ki displaced the floor.
The spectators in the side lines felt the tremor of the clashing energies like an earthquake. They backed away frantically, both enthralled by the sheer awesomeness of the fight but terrified of the power threatening to tear away the ground beneath their feet. The referee was awestruck too,, shielding his shaded eyes from the gusts of wind and energy.
Soon it became apparent that Kakarot was gaining the upper hand. With his larger hands and tad increase of strength, he twisted her locked hands backwards, making Gine cry under the pain of her wrists' tendons being stretched to the breaking point. She buckled, and finally dropped onto her knees. Kakarot, sensing victory close, was about to use the opportunity to knee her in the face, but Gine beat him to it when she suddenly swung both her legs up and smashed her feet into her son's neck. He howled in surprise and let go of her hands.
With the lock broken, Gine backflipped and landed on her feet. Just in time for Kakarot to recompose himself and go for a new strategy.
He phased out of sight. But he didn't reappear anywhere...
"Wow! After an amazing tug-of-war, Kakarot has vanished without a trace!"
The arena went eerily silent. Everyone went quiet at wondering where he went.
Gine closed her eyes, trying to sense her son's movements. He was moving quick, faster than the sounds of his footsteps could keep up with. But if she could see in her mind's eye a ring-shaped aura surrounding her. Like that of her son's energy signature, moving incredibly fast...
"HYAH!" She screamed, jutting out her elbow which caught Kakarot in the chest. Before he could hit the ground, Gine roundhouse kicks him and Kakarot is sent crashing into the other brick wall separating the ring from the common area. The gang jump back as the wall crumbled on top of Kakarot.
"Good thing they put up those walls, huh?" Yamcha tried to joke while shivering in shell shock. No one laughed. Chi-chi had her eyes glued on where Kakarot fell, her hands clutched together in prayer for him to be okay.
Krillin approached the rubble pile, and his head perked up.
"Ah! Kakarot's gone!"
"Huh?" Said Gine in alarm, just as Kakarot phased behind her.
"Right here!"
He elbowed her in the kidney, making Gine howl in pain. Kakarot followed that up with a kick, and rapid fire punches to her face and gut. Soon Gine was stumbling under her son's constant barrage, then Kakarot leapt over her for a kick into her back that sends Gine careening towards the arena's edge.
Before she could fall out, Gine recovers in time and she presses her hands down on the floor, launching herself high into the air.
She hovered high above, eyeing her son below wearily and breathing hard. Kakarot was too, both of them bleeding and sore. They were at a stalemate, but they just getting started...
"Say, uh, how long have they been going at it?!" Someone in the audience yelled out. The referee heard them and looked at his watch before turning back to the microphone.
"Uh, wow, folks. It may be hard to believe but almost two hours have passed since this match had begun! This beat's our current record of thirty-four minutes! It's not often fights go on for so long, but they do happen!"
That announcement took both Kakarot and Gine out of the match and looked at the crowd. It was then that they noticed that the sun was lower in the sky that it was at the start of this very same fight.
"Although true warriors should duke it out until only one remains, this fight is surely dragging on! With both fighters evenly matched and not showing any signs of getting tired, so who knows how long this might go on for!"
Gine lowered herself back down to the arena.
"If we keep this up, I feel like we can go on forever like we used to!" Said Kakarot, his words not sounding like a complaint.
Gine shrugged. "Yeah, no doubt. Personally I wouldn't mind fighting like the way we do, but I guess we might have to wrap this up quickly."
The referee, who stood only a few yards from them, looked confused. "Huh? Wait, excuse me, but how long do fights between you usually last?"
"Oh, hmmm..." Kakarot brought his hand to his chin in thought. "Five or six hours usually. I think twenty hours straight is our longest!"
Everyone exclaimed in shock. These people could fight like this nonstop for almost a whole day? What were they made of?!
"You mean you guys are gonna keep fighting until tomorrow?!" The referee asked affrightedly.
Gine already knew that they were most likely not going to allow it. Kakarot let out a defeated sigh.
"No, I guess not." He turned to his mother disappointedly. "Sorry, Mom. I guess we'll have to cut this short."
"Very well then. Shall we end this with something special?"
Kakarot's face cheered up at that. "Yeah! Good idea, a nice little finale!"
He looked around at the devastated ring. About half of it was pocked with massive craters covering half of it's surface while most of the remaining tiles were shattered or dislodged.
"We might need to go a little higher for this."
Gine nodded. "Okay."
Both mother and son floated off of the tiles and ascended about a hundred feet up. Facing each other, they were also a hundred feet apart.
"So... what do they have in mind now?" Krillin reluctantly asked.
"I'm not sure." Roshi answered. "But from the looks of it, it's probably going to be spectacular if they need to put some safe distance between them and us."
The gang looked to Roshi and back at the fighting duo nervously.
Kakarot then cupped his hands behind himself in a very familiar posture, with Gine following suit.
Now everyone looked alarmed.
"Oh no! Not that!" Cried Krillin.
"Whoa! Prepare yourselves, people! It looks like Kakarot and Gine are readying themselves to dazzle us with what looks like the Kamehameha Wave! But what happens when two fighters use it on each other simultaneously is anybody's guess!"
Kakarot smirked at his mother. "Hope you're ready, Mom. I've been itching to try out the Super Kamehameha for a while!"
"Oh, really? Well, so have I!" Gine shot back. "Don't hold back soon, let's see who wins!"
Down below, the fear the gang felt for their safety turned into terror.
"D-did he just say Super Kamehameha?! Are they serious?! With the amount of energy they've been fighting with, just how powerful are those attacks going to be?!" Yamcha stuttered.
Blue orbs of blinding light appeared in both combatant's cupped hands.
"KAAA... MEEE..." They both chanted, their voices carrying an amplified echo.
"Looks like we're about to find out! TAKE COVER!" Roshi yelled, everyone dropped to the ground and covered their heads.
"HAAA... MEEE..."
Even the referee sensed the danger and was panicking. "EVERYONE, GET DOWN!"
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Kakarot and Gine fired their Waves simultaneously. Blue beams of light brighter than the sun shot out from their cupped hands and raced toward each other.
The beams collided with a thundering boom, violently shaking the ground below with such force as to cause deep cracks to open up. So much energy emanated from the exchange that loose bits of tile floated up and around them in the air.
The beams were large enough to engulf either fighter if it gave way to one direction or another. But it didn't, both fighters poured every last drop of ki into this attack. Gine and Kakarot strained and tried to force the energy beam to overtake the other, and it wasn't moving an inch either way.
Roshi, Gohan, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, Krillin, and Chi-chi were utterly awestruck as they watched this massive beam struggle. Whatever levels of strength they felt like they achieved through all their training efforts, had been put to shame by what they were witnessing. They all had a shared feeling that Kakarot and Gine didn't just leave the group in the dust, they were in leagues of their own. Lightyears ahead.
The referee watched the titanic struggle from behind the sidelines wall, just as everyone was running away or hiding in cover while watching. The noise of the clash was very loud, but it didn't drown out his microphone.
"I think I speak for everyone that this right here is the most spectacular fight we have ever seen at the World Martial Arts Tournament, folks! Not even the final fight of the last tournament compares to this! Kakarot and Gine are going at each other with Kamehameha Waves the likes of which that are literally earth-shattering! A true clash of titans! From what we can see it looks like they are evenly matched, so who knows who will prevail!"
They remained locked in the beam struggle for several long seconds. The cumulating energy grew, making the beam grow wider and more powerful. The gang was at least glad that Kakarot and Gine decided to do this up in the air, else the attack once unleashed could have enough energy to destroy the entire stadium. Or even the entire island of Papaya...
But neither Gine or Kakarot could think of such notions, trying to focus all their energy into overpowering each other. They kept at it, hoping that if they used up just a little more energy...
A momentary thought passes through Kakarot's mind. It was enough to break his concentration.
With less resistance on Kakarot's end, Gine's attack started to overtake his. Then it broke through.
Everyone below could only watch as the beam of blue light seemingly engulfed Kakarot, and shining so bright it was impossible to look at it. The beam continued on, shooting straight across the sky. Towards the open sea, and over the horizon...
Then the light faded, and all was quiet again.
Everyone reemerged from hiding and looked up. Only Gine was floating there. Kakarot was no where to be found.
She scanned the area in front of her where her son was a moment ago. Nothing she could see, she couldn't sense him either...
"Did... did she just..." Yamcha muttered with shock and horror, unable to finish that sentence.
Before the sick and dreadful implication could sweep through the gang, Gohan looked up and inhaled sharply.
"UP THERE!" He pointed to the sky.
Gine and everyone else's heads jerked up to see.
High above, a dot against the clouds, was Kakarot. Safe and sound, and with his hands cupped behind his back again.
"Ka...me...ha...me..." Kakarot shouted. Gine reflexively held up her hands in preparation to deflect the attack. She was out of energy, and had to-
Kakarot then unexpectedly flipped over, and cupped his feet behind him instead of his hands.
"HAAAAAAAA!" The blue beam of the Kamehameha Wave fired from beneath Kakarot's feet, suddenly rocketing him at Gine like a missile.
So shocked at the unusual display that Gine reacted too late when he slammed into her. The wind was knocked out of her, doubling over her son's upper body jutting into hers and flinging her away from him like a ragdoll...
She crashed into the grass just outside the ring's perimeter like a meteorite, plowing a crater into the dirt then shattering through the brick sideline wall, people scrambling to get out of her uncontrollable path and her finally skidding to a stop in the open viewing area.
Gine lay there groaning. The crowds around her gawked at her fallen form.
Slowly, she came to her senses and sat up. She shook her head to shake off the dirt and debris on her. Back in the ring, Kakarot had floated back down to the arena floor.
Gine sat there for a moment thinking of what her son just did. Ramming her by using the Kamehameha Wave as a means of propulsion. That was ingenious! And... and...
...And she was out of the ring!
The referee saw it too and jumped up ecstatically.
"Gine is out of bounds!"
He threw his hands in the air. "Ladies and gentlemen! The winner of the Twenty-Third World Martial Arts Tournament is Kakarot!"
The entire stadium roared into cheers and applause, louder than any cheers she heard from the crowds of the tournament before. Over in the common area, the gang were jumping up and down in joy. Kakarot pumped both of his fists into the air triumphantly.
"YAHOO!" He howled jubilantly.
The people around Gine faced her and applauded her too. She took in the sight with an unfamiliar feeling. They weren't just clapping for Kakarot, they were applauding her.
"WAY TO GO, GINE!" Someone cheered, others saying "THAT WAS THE COOLEST FIGHT EVER, GINE!"
She looked all around her at the people applauding. They were cheering for her. Her. Outside of her Earthling friends, Gine had never enjoyed such adulation before. It was so powerful and overwhelming that Gine stood there for a moment trying to figure out how to soak it all in. She settled with smiled at them all. It always felt so weird and uncomfortable for her to be the center of praise, but not this time. Now, for the first time in her life she felt happy for putting on a good fight for others to enjoy.
Remembering that Kakarot had beat her by knockout, Gine turned around and headed back towards the ring. People parted in her path and lauded her as she went by. But she didn't pay them more attention. This was her son's victory, his moment to savor.
She hoped back onto the ring just as the rest of the gang ran out to Kakarot.
"YOU DID IT! You did it! Oh, Kakarot, I'm so proud of you!" Chi-chi exclaimed before hurling herself at him and kissing him deeply.
"Way to go, buddy! What did I say?! I knew you could do it!" Krillin playfully punched Kakarot in the shoulder.
"Good show, my boy!" Gohan also congratulated along with the rest of the gang. The referee came up onto the ring with them and held the microphone to Kakarot.
"Congratulations, Kakarot! How does it feel to be the new world champion?"
Kakarot was beaming, his smile stretching from ear to ear. "How do I feel?... I feel like I'm on top of the world!"
So overcome with joy that he leapt on his feet like a spring and jumped high into the sky.
"I DID IT! I'VE WON! YES! I'M THE CHAMPION! YEAH! YOO-HOO! I WON! I WON!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, twirling as he flew.
He finally won the title of this tournament after six years of the most intense journey of training he ever had to endure. And he managed to defeat his mom in a true tournament style fight. He truly was the world's strongest now.
Everyone below watched while he danced with joy in the air.
"I've never seen him so happy!" Chi-chi swooned.
Bulma smiled brightly. "Hard to believe that the little boy I meet all those years ago is now the world champion. I can't wait to see what he does next!"
Gine couldn't help but smile too as she watched Kakarot. Enjoy the moment, son. You've earned it...
"How did you even consider using your feet for the Kamehameha?!" Krillin asked Kakarot. They and the rest of the gang were back in the common area, waiting for the audience to file out now that the tournament was officially over.
Kakarot chuckled. "I just thought that up in the spur of the moment. When our energy attacks weren't going anywhere and pushing us back, it gave me the idea. So I jumped up vertically to get out of the way of the blast so I could catch Mom by surprise."
"You certainly did that." Gine joked with a wince, rubbing where he body slammed her. Even after taking a senzu bean, she was sore all over and exhausted.
"Yes. Channeling your energy through all your extremities instead of just your hands is an extraordinary maneuver that only the most disciplined fighters can achieve. You've really come quite far as a martial artist, Kakarot." Roshi praised.
"Heh. Thanks, master."
Roshi turned to Gine. "You too my dear. It's hard for me to believe that in the last tournament you were a completely different person, not wanting anything to do with competition fighting. And now you and your son are like living gods or something."
"Hm. Yeah right." She said, thinking it funny that being gods among humans was just being akin to middle or elite-class Saiyan warriors.
"No, he's serious!" Offered Yamcha. "You and Kakarot fought so amazingly and have gotten so strong that it defies all logic! How could we ever hope to match that kind of power? It's like trying to break the laws of physics!"
She laughed at that comparison. "With a whole lot of training." Gine said half-jokingly.
Tien smiled broadly though as if believing her every word. "If anything, seeing how out of my league I am compared to you two gives me something to look forward too. Now that I've seen what you are truly capable off, the bar has been set to how hard I need to train in order to beat you next time."
Gine felt slight guilt for setting that bar too high for these humans to realistically achieve, but was glad that them being left in the dust won't stop people like Tien from trying. She really admired his determination to break limits as much as her son's.
"I was more amazed at the brutality of the fight." Krillin remarked. "I thought you two wanted to kill each other out there."
Chi-chi, at Kakarot's side, clutched his arm worryingly at the mention of her beloved getting hurt. Kakarot laughed heartedly instead.
"Hehe, I bet it did."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Chi-chi asked again for the twentieth time since the fight ended.
"It's okay, babe. I'm fine! That's just how we always fight!"
"What?!" The whole gang exclaimed. When they looked to Gine for an answer, she shrugged.
"It's true. We Saiyans fight like that all the time, and have been since he could walk. There were days when we'd go until we break all the bones in our bodies or almost die."
They looked between the two of them as if they were crazy.
"Even for training?" Yamcha asked incredulously.
"Yep." Gine answered simply.
The group shook their heads in disbelief. It sounded like Kakarot to train that way until his body was broken, and sounded like he got it from his mother too. They were crazy!
Ox-King patted both Kakarot and Gine on the back with his massive hands. "Well it was the most amazing fight I've ever seen, either way! And it makes me excited to see how you two could next with the way you two train!"
"Now that I can agree too." Gohan said with a smile, then placed a hand on her shoulder.
"So how about you, dear? Did you had fun?"
Gine was glad he asked. "I did actually!" She said with a smile, and she meant it.
Aside from the incidents with Tao and Crane, she had fun from beginning to end. Her training with Kami had paid off when she it came to controlling her anxiety around crowds, was great to be among all of their friends for a good time, and was thankful for that final test by Kami's visit. She felt like she had grown so much since the end of the last tournament only three years prior. Most of all, the fight with her son took the cake. Of course sparing with him was always fun, but this one was really special. No hardships or training or stakes at hand aside from simple prize money and it was so good to see him happy at winning the title. Even if they couldn't go all out, having to stay in the confines of the ring provided an interesting challenge.
And it was great to see that although Kakarot was stronger, he beat her using skill and cunning as he said he would. For that, Gine was really proud that lesson from the Time Chamber had finally sunken in for him.
"It really was an amazing fight!" Came a voice. They turned to see the blonde referee stepping out of the tournament office towards Kakarot, a thick envelope in his hands.
"Our sponsors told me that more people watched and enjoyed the finals match more than any other in the tournament's history! We we're the most watched event in the world today and got lots of future viewers! You two should be proud of yourselves!"
"Oh we are, for them. They put on quite a show didn't they?" Bulma said with a fist pump.
"Hell ya! They were shakin' the pillars of heaven and nearly blew the place to hell! That's a show I'd tune in to see." Said Launch.
Kakarot then scratched the back of his head. "Oh, yeah. Um, sorry about ruining the arena." He said sheepishly.
The referee waved him off. "Ah, don't worry about that. We're gonna have to build a bigger one anyway. With the show you put on, more crowds will want to see the next tournament, and the ring will probably need to be bigger if you guys come back and fight like that next time!"
"You betchya!" Kakarot said excitedly. They all laughed at that.
"Well, anyway, thanks for waiting, Kakarot. Here's your prize money. Five-hundred thousand zeni! Congratulations!" The referee handed Kakarot the envelope. Everyone crowded around and gawked and whistled low at the thick wad of stone cold cash.
"So, what are you gonna do with all that, Kakarot?" Asked Yamcha.
Krillin elbowed him playfully. "Might last him one good dinner I bet!"
"It's his to do with as he pleases." Chi-chi admonished.
Kakarot laughed. "Oh, well, I was thinking about using it to buy a house for myself."
That seemed like an interesting answer to everyone besides his mother and Gohan. They both nodded at each other approvingly, glad that Kakarot had no further qualms about the subject.
"You need a new house?" Asked Bulma.
Kakarot looked at her. "Yeah. Mom and Grandpa said I'm old enough to live on my own, so I should look for one."
The blue-haired girl perked up. "Oh, well you should've asked me!"
"Huh?" Kakarot, Gine, and Gohan looked at Bulma intrigued.
"We build small homes at Capsule Corp that can fit into capsules like these!" Said Bulma as she pulled out one of her many compartmentalized kits containing her shrunken technological wonders. She pulled out the largest one in the kit, labeled number "1".
"Oh, yeah! I remember that!" Said Kakarot. "We used to stay in that when we first went looking for the dragon balls all those years ago."
"That's right!" She continued. "These capsule homes were an idea thought up by my father and I to help people get affordable homes. So if you want this one, you can have it free of charge."
The Son family looked at in stunned disbelief.
"Really?! You'd do that for me?" Kakarot exclaimed.
Bulma smiled widely. "Of course! You're my friend, Kakarot. And I'm sure your mom could use some peace and quiet from you for once."
Gine nearly choked laughing at that joke and from this girl's kindness. To think that they wouldn't have had to go through the effort of fighting the tournament if they only asked her! "Bulma... that's so nice of you!"
Bulma waved her hand dismissively. "Aw, think nothing of it! I got plenty more where these came from!"
"Nonsense!" Protest Gohan happily. "You are quite too kind, my dear. I hope you know that what you are doing is an incredible thing."
"Well I'm glad I could do this for my good friend."
She placed the capsule in Kakarot's open palm. "Should still be fully stocked and all, so just open it on whatever piece of land you want to call home."
Kakarot held the precious gift carefully. "Thank you so much, Bulma! I'll never forget this!"
Bulma gave him the thumbs up.
Krillin raised an impressed eyebrow. "Oh wow! So now you got a new house AND five-hundred thousand zeni. Damn, why can't I have that kind of luck?!"
They all couldn't agree more. Winning the title of world's strongest martial artist, being financially set for the foreseeable future, and the problem of finding a house instantly taken care of with a free home to boot. All in the same day! Kakarot had to admit that he was feeling pretty good right about now.
"Oh, Kakarot. I'm so happy for you." Chi-chi said affectionately before adding, "What more could you possibly ask for?"
At her words or her touch, a moment of truth flickered in Kakarot's eyes. He thought of what his mother said before the fight. Of how he loved Chi-chi...
Yes, he did love Chi-chi. And if you loved someone, you never let go and hold onto them no matter what. That...
He recalled that 'talk' he had with his mother and grandfather six years ago. About what something that he thought was food was actually when you spent the rest of your life with the person you loved. Your partner that you couldn't stand being apart from. He thought of Chi-chi standing just by his side. Of how fascinated he was by her, of how warm and fuzzy she made him feel inside, of how a wonderful fighter she was, of how stunningly beautiful she was...
"Well, maybe there is one thing..." Kakarot said quietly.
Yes. He knew exactly what he wanted.
"Oh, what's that?" Chi-chi looked to him with interest.
Kakarot turned to her.
"Chi-chi, you remember how you asked me if I wanted you to be my bride, but I didn't understand what a bride was? That it was some kind of food?"
"Hahahah, what?! Seriously, Kakarot?" Yamcha burst out laughing.
"You really thought bride was a food?" Tien asked incredulously, also unable to help himself from snickering. Krillin buried his face in his palm.
"That's Kakarot for you." Gine muttered, but wondered where her son was going with this.
Chi-chi nodded with a giggle. "Yeah I remember. You were so silly back then."
"Yeah I was. My brain sometimes didn't know what my mouth was saying."
His voice grew softer, looking Chi-chi in the eyes. "But now I know for sure... and so does my heart."
He gingerly took her hands in his.
"Chi-chi, will you marry me?"
Gine could almost feel her jaw hit the floor, along with everyone else.
Chi-chi herself was at a loss for words for a good moment. Was this a dream? It had to be! But soon realized that this was in fact real, that Kakarot had just proposed to her.
The wide-eyed shocked expression on her face morphed into wide-starry eyes of joy, and a smile crept across her face that exuded pure happiness. It may not be a dream, but her wildest one had just come true.
She answered with an ear-piercing squeal of joy, throwing her arms around Kakarot and squeezing him as tightly as she could while they spun around and kissed deeply.
Their lips parted, and he asked innocently. "Is that a yes?"
Chi-chi laughed hysterically, and slammed her fist into his shoulder. "Oh, Kakarot! OF COURSE I'LL MARRY YOU!"
"ALRIGHT!" Kakarot yelled, letting out all of his excitement. He hugged Chi-chi tightly too and twirled around with her. They both laughed so happily, and Kakarot with the biggest smile Gine had ever seen him have on his face.
With that, everyone broke out into happy cheers for them too. Even the referee applauded them.
"Oh wow! I've seen fighters join forces here at this tournament, but nothing like this!"
Roshi chuckled. "Hehe. I guess you discovered one thing you can't beat. Love conquers all!"
Krillin looked pale and didn't clap. "Kakarot?! Chi-chi?! Have you two lost your senses?! What are you do-"
Yamcha slapped him on the back of the head. "Hey! Let them enjoy the moment, man!"
"Way to go, Kakarot!" Oolong and Puar turned themselves into fireworks at the joyous occasion.
Bulma laughed as well as cheered. "Way to go! I guess you can consider that house a wedding present!"
Blonde Launch, even for all her toughness in this state, couldn't help but feel touched by the scene. She clutched her hands together and looked at the new happy couple with hearts in her eyes. "Oh, how romantic!"
Ox-king looked about to cry tears of joy. He knew that Chi-chi wanted to be with Kakarot for so long since she fell for him after saving his kingdom. She had fallen head over heels for him, and been on so many adventures together with him. He could see how much she wanted to be with him and how she prayed for this moment to happen. Now that it did, and he had never seen his daughter so happy. Oh, how he wished his queen, his wife, could be here to see this too.
Gohan was more than happy too for his adopted grandson and applauded them. "Oh, my dear boy, what a happy day this is!"
He leaned over to Gine. "I guess we have a wedding to plan afterall."
Gine couldn't stop smiling at the sight of Kakarot and her soon-to-be daughter-in-law together. She couldn't believe how her son, her little Kakarot, was now all grown and doing such a grown up thing as taking a wife of his own now. She thought of that hilarious talk she had with him all those years ago. How it lead to this moment, this happy little union that was more genuine and filled with real love than anything she could ever imagine back on Planet Vegeta, was beyond her. But she was happy.
Her son happily in love. It was a beautiful thing for her to see before her eyes.
Also the world's strongest, financially secure, and fully independent. This day had gone very well for him indeed, and it didn't get much better than that.
"Yes we do." She said.
Kakarot and Chi-chi stopped their spinning and held each other tightly, not daring to let go.
"Oh, I wish this moment could last forever." Chi-chi beamed. She was so happy she felt like she could pop like a bubble.
Kakarot's lip curled back. "We'll make something last forever, that's for sure."
Chi-chi melted in his hands at that, and gave him another deep kiss. Kakarot held her by the waist and looked Chi-chi in the eye.
"We're gonna have such a wonderful future together..."
A/N: There we go! I swear, just one more chapter and we'll finally make it to Z!
See you then!