Last time on Dragon Ball HPA! Krillin fought a fierce battle with Kotomi Ikuta and managed to win out due to the former's greater amount of experience, Kotomi having burnt herself out by using up all her energy in the fight.

Then, a shocking twist came when Femme Fury battle Piccolo. It was a fierce battle, but ultimate Piccolo was knocked clear from the ring.

"If this weren't a tournament and we met out in the open and it was a matter of life or death, she could've killed me right at the start of the fight."

With the mysterious costumed warrior moving onto the next round, the third match begins. How will Akane fare against the mysterious Shin? The story continues now!


Episode 5: Witness the Fruits of my Training!


Barely paying attention to Piccolo's loss, Akane continued to stuff her face of food. "Man and I thought you had bad table manners," Krillin said to Goku.

Goku laughed nervously and approached Akane. "Hey, Akane. Your match is soon. You don't want to be too full to fight do you?"

Akane looked at Goku with food and spit stuck to her face and tried to talk before swallowing. She punched her awaiting palm and stood up. "No, sweat! I'm all full of food and ready to go! Where's that purple guy? I'm ready to fight!"

Shin then happened right by the table. "Indeed. I am most intrigued by how you will fight, Akane Owari."

Blue ki flashed from within Akane. "Yeah…starting to get pumped up!" Her face flashed a grin most terrifying.

"I can't wait to see what Master Roshi and Vegeta have taught you," Goku said with a smile. "Show me what you can do, okay Akane?"

"You bet!" Akane exclaimed. "I've got this!"

She and Shin were called the arena at an appropriate time. Shin stood there with his arms behind his back, unmoving, still with a faint smile upon his lips.

Braaaaaa! Went the gong.

Akane instinctively stood up straight and turned her body, clenching a fist. She immediately intended to strike, but her gut stopped her, not because it hurt, but because it was warning her: don't attack recklessly.

"What's the matter?" Shin asked. "Come at me however you like?"

Akane paused, studying her foe. What's with this guy? He's not even guarding himself. And the fight has started. My gut's telling me I need to be careful.

That smug, calm smile remained on Shin's face.

Screw it! If he's not gonna throw the first punch, Akane thought, pivoting her body and leaping for Shin, body turned so that her shoulder was aiming for his face, right fist reared back, I will.

Her fist connected with Shin's index and middle finger of his right hand. The small, purple man didn't even budge. He'd stopped Akane's momentum cold.

Akane didn't let that stop her though. She threw every hard punch and kick she could muster and threw at Shin with reckless abandon and wild fury. Every attack was stopped easily by a faint smile from Shin and only two fingers.

"Akane!" Videl shouted. "Quit screwing around and get serious! He's shorter than sensei for crying out loud!"

Vegeta's gaze narrowed at the quip regarding his height.

Gohan stared at Akane's poor attempts at making Shin budge. "She is," he told Videl. "I could feel the force of Akane's blows from here. First Femme Fury, now this Shin guy. What the heck is with today's tournament?"

"Stubborn bastard!" Akane shouted. She retreated back and charged tension all throughout her arm, wind and energy coursing through it. "New Bison!" Akane shouted and tore towards Shin with speed and fury unlike her other punches.

This finally got Shin to move as Akane's strike whiffed the open air and he flicked her just below her well-endowed chest. She went hurtling back and almost fell out of the arena, but she was able to right herself. Much to her shock, Shin did not try to follow up. He simply put his hand back behind back.

"Come now, is that really all you can do?" Shin asked.

"Damn you! Don't mock me!" Akane roared and charged Shin down.

Now the fight was in full swing. As Akane charged, she stopped when she noticed Shin was already floating above her in what looked like slow motion to her, but when he landed behind her, pain wracked her body as if she'd gotten hit by twelve separate punches.

"Akane! Be more careful!" Gohan shouted.

"How can she? I didn't even see that attack," Videl complained.

"I did," Gohan said. This guy's good, just like that Femme Fury woman. No, I think he might be even stronger."

"Well then she's a goner," Vegeta said. "Blast it! Of all the rotten luck that my own students are getting butchered like cattle. It's embarrassing!"

"Doesn't look like it's getting to Akane go. She looks happy," Goku said with an approving smirk. "She's far from done."

"Yeah, well," Vegeta said, not wanting to have less faith in his own students than his rival. "She could be trying better."

In the ring, Akane turned to face Shin, brushing off his punches just now like they were nothing. She leapt through the air and tried to kick him in the neck with a mighty kick. Shin very calmly ducked under her attack then swept her free leg before firing a small ki blast that nearly sent Akane skidding across the arena and out of the ring. Fortunately, she flew into the air to avoid falling out.

Shin calmly flew into the air after her.

If I could hit him with the Kamehameha, I could probably do something akin to damage, but I can't do it like this and I can't get the audience hurt.

Shin waited patiently for Akane to come up with her next move, staring at her serenely.

Finally, Akane hatched on a plan. Yeah, yeah that might work. Immediately, she began flying around Shin in circles. He followed her calmly with his eyes.

"What's she trying to do?" Videl asked.

"Not sure," Gohan thought. However, right as he said that, the sun got conveniently got into his eyes and he had to blink and lost his focus. This was a blessing in disguise and he was able to see something he couldn't when he was able to keep up with Akane completely. "Oh, I get it now!" He exclaimed. "Good idea, Akane! Keep it up!"

Akane smiled and kept it up, flying faster and faster and that's when Videl saw it too: after images. No, they were getting…more solid.

"Multi-form technique? Where'd she learn that?" Krillin questioned.

"No, that's a little bit different from the multi-form technique," Goku said. "The multi-form technique doesn't require speed. It's ki manipulation."

"Wait, so then what's this?" Gohan asked.

"Something new and I'm intrigued," Goku said, "Let's watch."

Akane was now moving so fast she made a tornado of a blur of herself around Shin. Four solid forms of herself appeared in the chaos. "What's the matter? Can't keep up."

"How interesting," Shin said. "Am I correct in assuming you couldn't perform this technique until just now?"

Akane only grinned.

Shin fired an energy blast into the brown tornado, but it passed right through.

"I knew it," One of the Akane's said, "You don't know where I am right now. I'm moving so fast my location is a mystery. Which means, now's my chance to bust this out." Akane began charging energy in between her hands. "KAAAAAAA!" She and her solidified after images stated together. "MEEEEEE! HAAAA! MEEEEEE!"

Only one clone unleashed the loud and proud "HAAAAAAAA!"

Shin dodged, but the energy blast he dodged was somehow naught but a mirage. And no sooner had he realized this that Akane materialized in front of him and still had a charged Kamehameha ready to unleash.

"How did she—"

Shin was cut off by a loud and mighty, "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Right in his face. The attack rocketed all around him and across the air, lighting up the early afternoon sky and streaked onward beyond the horizon, twinkling into the clouds.

Akane panted, hoping to see Shin fall out of the air or at least look burned and beaten up when he emerged. However, a casual backhand slap to her cheek showed her that her efforts had been for naught and she went careening into the stone arena.

"Akane!" Gohan shouted in concern.

"Contestant Akane is down!" The announcer shouted. "I'll start the ten count. One!"

"Well played, Miss Owari," Shin said, charging an energy blast, "Good fight."

"Two!"

Shin fired the energy blast as it hurtled towards the arena.

"Three!"

From one eye only, Akane saw the blast hurtling towards the ground and gasped.

"Four!"

KABLAM!

The blast took out a chunk of the corner of the arena…but Akane was nowhere to be seen.

Videl looked horrified, wondering if her friend and rival had been vaporized from the face of the planet. However, Chichi, of all people then shouted from the audience, "Up there!"

Shin followed the index finger of the mother of two and found, indeed, Akane was alive and well and flying no less. However, there was something different about her all of a sudden. Shin then gasped.

"Her energy…what's…going on?"

A tranquil state of Akane's mind had fallen over her body. Her eyes were closed and her energy was climbing at an alarming rate.

Vegeta folded his arms and smirked. "Here it comes."

Gohan expected Akane to lunge forward immediately, but then her eyes opened…yet her power didn't decrease one iota.

"Did she get better at it?"

"You didn't really think she'd be my student and not master such a mysterious power, did you?" Vegeta asked.

"Whoa, what happened? She's like a hundred, no maybe two hundred times stronger than she was before," Goku pointed out.

Gohan was quick to explain, "Akane said that sometimes she, as she worded it, goes blank, and lets her gut and her body do the fighting for her."

"Oh so she fights on pure instinct, that sounds pretty neat. I wonder if I could do that," Goku wondered.

"Try it and see sometime, Kakarot. Maybe you'll learn something from watching Akane," Vegeta pointed out.

Goku studied Akane carefully. Her next lunge was fluid, much unlike her brutish charge from earlier. Despite this, Shin looked behind him before Akane got there. However, Akane leapt over Shin's arm height, knowing he was about to take a swing at her with the flat of his arm. It was then that she landed the first hit on Shin all day, planting her foot in his face. The force of which sent him careening towards the arena, but he was able to right himself.

However, the shock of getting hit left him wide open to Akane's next attack that punted him across the horizon like a soccer ball. Shin, still reeling from the attack, opened one eye as he went flying and saw Akane very calmly flying towards him. Her greenish gray eyes were now shimmering and had developed a blueish tint.

This power…who is this human? Shin wondered. However, now that the initial moment had passed, he was able to get his bearings. He and Akane were pretty far from the arena, leaving many stadium goers wondering what the hell was happening, even resulting in a few complaints.

Shin dodged Akane's next strike by sliding to one side and proceeded to deliver a hefty elbow strike to her stomach, which connected.

However, Akane suddenly surprised Shin by grabbing him by the hair and hurling him at the arena at top speed.

Did she let me hit her? Shin thought with surprise.

Akane rushed Shin down, eager to finish what she'd started. However, Shin's surprise gave way to a serious stare and his smile faded. He was done messing around. He skidded to a halt in the middle of the air and drew a circle of energy with his hand. This circle divided into 8 separate energy blasts that blasted towards Akane. Like Femme Fury when she fought Piccolo, Akane dodged each of these spectacularly, only to take a punch to the face by Shin.

Her movements are still predictable, Shin thought as he dodged a downward sweeping motion from Akane's right arm as if her nails were claws, and she isn't fast enough on her own to correct her own mistakes. He punished this opening by grabbing Akane's arm, pulling her forward and elbowing her back.

Akane lurched forward and Shin blasted her in the back with an energy blast, sending her careening towards the ground. Then, moving at speeds she couldn't comprehend, Shin kicked Akane in multiple areas mid-descent, making sure they left their mark. The last one, which landed square under Akane's right breast, hit against her ribs and sent her careening into the arena. She landed on her back, coughing and in pain. The shimmering of her eyes faded out.

"D-Dammit," Akane coughed, sitting up, only one eye open. "Who's that little guy think he is?"

Shin then suddenly appeared in front of her, standing in between her legs. He was smiling. "Please tell me. That technique you just used, what do you call it?"

"Huh?" Akane was confused. "You mean the Kamehameha?"

"No, not that," Shin stated. "The one you used to fight so well just now?"

"Huh? That? That's just my battle instinct," Akane remarked. "What's it to you, shorty?"

"I see. Thank you for letting me know." And with that, Shin kicked Akane clear out of the ring and into the wall.

"Akane!" Gohan ran over to her to check on her.

"Ugh," Akane remarked, feeling woozy. "G-Gohan? Why are you three people?"

"You may relax," Shin said, "Her life should not be in any danger."

Gohan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Gohan, can I borrow your shoulder?" Akane asked.

"Yeah, sure," Gohan said and helped her up, slinging her arm over his shoulders.

"Thanks," Akane said. "Having trouble walking. Might nap."

"You're not upset?" Gohan asked, leading her away.

"Nah, I mean. I knew I'd never win the tournament. I just wanted a good fight. I gave it everything I had. Sucks that I didn't win the first round though, but hey, there's always next tournament and the gymnastics tournaments in between that," Akane said with a smile.

Gohan led her over to where Goku and Vegeta were. "You've got a lot of work to do, Akane," Vegeta told her.

"Yeah, I know. Hey, does anyone have a Senzu Bean?" Akane asked. "I'm pretty banged up here."

"I've got one," Krillin said, reaching into his pocket. "Here you go." He handed it to Akane.

"Thanks," Akane said and crunched it down swiftly. Instantly, she perked up and flared her ki. "Ohhhh yeah! That's the stuff!" She laughed. "Man, what a battle. I feel bad for whoever has to fight that Shin guy next."

"Please, I hardly need your pity," Vegeta said, cracking his knuckles. "Juzo. We're up."

"Huh? You know the guy you're fighting Vegeta?" Goku asked.

"Of course I do, you clown. I haven't been teaching at Hope's Peak Academy for only the year your son enrolled. Now come on, let's get this farce over with."

Juzo felt like he was walking to a noose. Fight Vegeta? The guy manhandled him and Kyosuke at the same time on the regular in training. Now he wanted a one on one brawl with no restraints? Juzo would be lucky if the fight lasted five seconds, he felt. But, he was a martial artist. At the very least he could try and show Vegeta how much he'd learned in the three years he'd known him.

As the two approached the arena, Goku went over to Akane. "By the way, Akane, that technique you used. Vegeta said you mastered it, but I'm not sure. I think it could use a lot of improving."

"Oh? You think?" Akane sounded more surprised than upset at the criticism.

"Yeah," Goku said. "Like, you said when you enter that form that you "go blank", but it looked like you were trusting your body too much and your mind wasn't helping at all."

"I mean isn't that the point of instincts?" Akane asked. "I don't…really use my head."

"Hmmm, how should I put this?" Goku asked, casting his head down. He was no good at explanations. "I guess…oh!" he realized how to word it. "If you rely on just your body, you'll end up making mistakes relying purely on instinct, but if your mind and body are completely in sync, you can do a lot more in the moment."

"Oh! I think I get it! Man that's a lot harder to do than it sounds you know," Akane said.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Goku said, wiping a finger under his nose, "I can't even do that. But man, now I wanna do what you can do. That power looks really convenient. You weren't wasting energy at all just now. It was pretty impressive. If you were as strong as me, you could've mopped the floor with Shin," Goku told her and laughed.

"Then I'll just have to get stronger," Akane said with a laugh. "Hey, will you teach me next, Goku? You learned from Master Roshi too, right?"

"Well I'd love to Akane, but after the tournament," he pointed to his halo. "I gotta go. I'm just back for the day."

"O-oh…r-right," Akane looked pretty upset by that. "So then…I'll never see you again…after today I mean?"

The gravity of this point seemed to only now just weigh down on Gohan. Sure, Goku was here now and everyone was happy, but after the tournament, it'd been like he'd never been here.

Goku's last moments of being alive played out in Gohan's mind and guilt hit him right in the chest. He wanted to say something to his father, but the loud echo of the gong signaled the start of Vegeta's fight with Juzo, cutting the tension of the moment.

Absolutely predictably, Vegeta was in no mood for games. Juzo charged down his former teacher and swung at him. Vegeta grabbed the punch, squeezed to lock Juzo's arm in place. He then punched up under Juzo's elbow at the same time letting go of his arm to make the pain cause Juzo stumble about and instinctively nurse his forearm with his other hand.

Then, without hesitating, Vegeta unleashed a royal blue energy blast that blew Juzo completely out of the ring and into the wall. The fight was over before it had even started. Vegeta then marched off the arena while the audience was still stunned. The Ultimate Boxer brought down with a few simple punches.

"Um, Mr. Vegeta, sir, could I…have a word?" the announcer asked him.

Vegeta glared.

"Well, it's just there's a lot of weird things going on in today's tournament and it would be really nice if you could shed some light on it given you work for Hope's Peak Academy."

Vegeta sighed. He didn't want to, but better this than let the mustachioed fraud that was Hercule Satan keep feeding these people lies. He snatched the microphone rudely.

"Listen here and listen good," he said to the audience, "If your eyes are too weak to see the fast paced movement laden out before you then get better eyes!"

From the stands, Bulma sighed. She could tell this was going to be yet another tirade of Vegeta's ego stroking.

"True martial arts comprehension isn't meant to be brought down to the level you pathetic weaklings should easily be allowed to comprehend. I train the elite of the elite at Hope's Peak Academy every day, breaking ceilings and bones at the same time in the name of progress. If you simpletons still want to call our techniques mere tricks because some oaf with a mustache said so because his predecessor, your former champion," he shouted, pointing to Goku, "was too stupid to come back and remind you all what real martial arts is all about, then you're brain dead!"

Goku laughed nervously. Vegeta wasn't wrong. If he'd taken a day off from training against the androids to maintain his title, people wouldn't think ki attacks were flashy tricks. Still, things were better this way, he felt.

Vegeta, now done with his little speech, shoved the microphone back into the chest of the announcer and marched off.

Gohan looked at Videl. "You're not gonna say anything?"

"What's to say? Everything he said was right. Your dad can beat up my dad while sleeping."

Gohan struggled to find a comment, but then relented. Videl wasn't wrong in the slightest.

At this, Yamu pushed past Gohan towards the arena, giving Videl stink eye as he marched up onto the stone platform.

"You sure you're ready for this?" Gohan asked.

"I was born ready!" Videl exclaimed, grinning and cracking her knuckles. "I got this!"

Videl stood across from Yamu and sized him up. Unlike with Shin and Femme Fury, this guy didn't seem to be unsettling nor extremely powerful. She should have this, right?

Braaaaaaaaa!

At the sound of the gong, Yamu and Videl charged at each other with blinding speed. Their fists connected in a cross counter, hitting each other in the face. Videl stumbled a little bit more than Yamu at the impact. After merely rubbing his chin, he followed up on the young woman by decking her in the face again. Then, raising his leg in a high rising sweeping motion, he axe kicked her into the arena. Videl's chin ate stone as Yamu prepared to kick her out of the arena like she was a soccer ball.

Although his foot properly connected with her midsection, she didn't go streaming out of the arena. Instead, before she flew off the edge Videl flew…up. Yes, the daughter of the previous champion was now floating in the air just like the previous six combatants, much to the awe of the crowd and the utter shock of her father.

Videl took this opportunity to zoom straight for Yamu and delivered a hard kick to his chin, turning her body in the air to increase the momentum of her kick. She intended to kick him straight out of the arena, but no such luck. Yamu's lower body went nowhere and his torso rolled with the kick as he grabbed her leg and tried to hurl her out of the ring. Videl stopped in midair, taking a moment to catch her breath, baiting her opponent to come to the edge of the arena. However, Yamu then surprised her greatly.

The bald man folded his arms and then slowly floated off the ground.

He can fly too?! Videl thought.

Gohan and Akane both gasped at this. "But…how?" Akane was well acquainted with the fact that normal humans couldn't fly and it took special training. So where did this guy get it from?

Yamu flew straight at Videl. With a mean smirk, he brought his left fist towards her in a meaty left hook. Videl countered with a left jab of her own. From there, the fight took to a rapid-fire street brawl…in midair.

"Yes, folks, you are seeing this right! Videl and Yamu are fighting mere inches above the grass around the arena! This is not a trick! This is not a special effect! Our combatants are flying right above the—"

Both fighters suddenly vanished.

"—Ground?"

The two reappeared 6 feet above the arena, still continuing their brawl. Yamu's calm, mean smirk met Videl's gritted teeth as she tried to block and counterpunch her way to an advantage. And then, finally an opening came.

"HA!" Videl flew back, up and then flew her foot into Yamu's face. He crashed into the arena in a fraction of a second.

"Awesome, Videl! Hit him with a ki blast and go for the win!" Akane shouted.

"She can't," Gohan said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Akane asked.

They both watched Videl slowly float down and touch down on the arena, watching Yamu get up and beckon her to come to him. A snarling Videl and a smirking Yamu then met in the center of the arena again, their fists colliding into the other's cheek before a blur of punches and kicks became the focal point of their match.

"Videl struggled with ki attacks, even when I tried to teach her," Gohan said. "She tried, Akane. She really tried, but she just couldn't do it."

"Takes after her old man. A failure to the end, and a disgrace," Vegeta said, glaring at the match.

"Don't say that about her!" Gohan snapped.

"She's the only member of our training that couldn't unleash a single technique, boy!" Vegeta told him. "She's more than capable, yet she's incompetent at the same time."

"That's…" Gohan grit his teeth and clenched his fist.

Goku took this opportunity to have one of his rare moments of being a good dad. He put a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Don't worry, Gohan. Sometimes energy blasts aren't everything. Let's have faith in Videl."

Gohan smiled. "Yeah, you're right dad." He put his hands on his cheeks. "Keep it up Videl! You're doing great!"

"You can do it, Videl!" Akane cheered with him.

Videl pulled her torso back as Yamu's incoming punch missed her body and then she headbutted him in the temple.

"Oh! A nasty move from the daughter of the Satan Castle Dojo! Now that's using your head!" the announcer exclaimed.

With Yamu reeling from the attack on his noggin, Videl poured all the strength she could into her next punch and smashed him in the cheek, making him dizzy. She took that opportunity to finish it.

Videl might not have been able to use ki attacks, but her body was more than built to withstand the ki flowing through her body. Focusing her body and tempering her spirit, she cut all non-essential stimuli from her eyes and ears and focused squarely on Yamu's waist. She focused on the distance between it and her leg and then she poured all the strength she could into her left leg.

"This is it!"

With a mighty kick, Videl landed a powerful blow to Yamu's pelvic area, cracking the bone and sending him hurtling towards the wall, but he stopped before the sound of a slam could be heard.

"He's out!" Chichi cried prematurely.

"Not quite," Yamu said with a mean smirk. "Hey, ref. Come take a good look at my body."

The announcer came running over to Yamu and saw that, despite how close his tucked in feet and his spread out arms were to the wall, no part of his body was out of bounds.

"Yup, that confirms it. Contestant Yamu is still in bounds! The match shall continue!"

Yamu flew forward and then somersaulted into the arena, holding his left arm up like a knife, right fist tucked in at his injured waist.

From the spectator's around the stadium, his ally, Spopovich, a big muscular man twice Yamu's size, grew impatient. "Yamu! What are you doing? Finish her already!"

"Patience, Spopovich," Yamu said. "I'd like to see you do a better job. The girl has spirit and vigor, much more so than her cowardly father."

Videl kicked at the dust on the arena floor. "If you're trying to get a rise out of me by dissing my dad, you're wasting your time." She got into a ready stance. She bent her knees, left knee forward, left hand out like a claw, right fist tucked by her chest. "I'm not some daddy's girl. I'm my own woman. And I'm gonna kick your butt."

Yamu's mean smirk grew wider. "I'd like to see you try." His stance suddenly shifted and he extended one arm towards Videl as dark colored energy began to course through his right fist.

"Is that an energy blast?!" Gohan exclaimed as his, Krillin's and Akane's jaws all dropped.

The spherical blast hurled towards Videl, but she tilted her shoulder and head and evaded the attack as it went sailing into a tree, disintegrating it.

"Something's wrong," Goku said, gaze narrowing. "I'm pretty sure in the last tournament, that guy couldn't fly or throw an energy blast."

"How do you know something you weren't here for?" Vegeta asked.

"Is that what you're gut's telling you?" Akane asked him.

Goku nodded. "Yeah, I guess you could call it that. That…and something about that energy blast…seemed really off just now."

In the ring, Videl was now calculating how to change up her approach. She hadn't expected Yamu to suddenly start chucking energy blasts.

"What's the matter girl? Worried that you couldn't play with my energy ball? Don't worry," he said as more energy gathered. "I've got plenty more where that came from!"

He fired blast after blast after blast at Videl, forcing her to dodge nimbly back and forth, not just on the ground, but in the air.

Worse, her concentration on the energy blasts left her wide open to a physical attack as Yamu kicked her in the cheek diagonally and from above.

Videl tapped the ground as she sailed towards it with her palms, splitting her legs open as an energy blast sailed between them. She then tumbled forward and leapt to her feet, standing up as she tempered the strength of her arm and then swatted away the incoming blast. It hurt, but it was like punching a brick wall that didn't do anything, nothing she wasn't used to.

Yamu flew in and connected his fist with her stomach far faster than anything she'd seen from him thus far.

"What's the matter? Losing focus? Or maybe you're just running out of steam."

Videl held her stomach from the pain, only to start getting wailed on by Yamu as she got pushed towards the edge of the ring. Punches were landing and there wasn't a thing she could do.

"Is this all you can muster? Better throw a punch soon because I won't be showing you any mercy!"

Videl wasn't ready to call it quits though. In retaliation she shouted, "How about a kick?"

Her foot landed against Yamu's shoulder and knocked him away. Flying towards him, she landed a powerful uppercut to his jaw before interlocking her fingers and hammering her hands into his torso, knocking him clean off the arena, but he floated and then flew up to avoid getting rung out.

From the air, Yamu then began barraging Videl with energy blasts that pelted the arena. Videl nimbly dodged the attacks back and forth. She was at a clear disadvantage because she couldn't fire back any ki of her own. Even when she had a moment between blasts, she opened her palm, but all she saw was a momentary glow and then…nothing.

Cursing her powerlessness, Videl flew up towards Yamu in rage to land a hefty jab to his stomach, but her saw her coming.

With a swift kick, he kicked Videl in the side of her ribs before she got close, then he followed up with an energy blast, sending her careening towards the grass around the ring.

"Videl!" Hercule called for his daughter.

Thankfully, Videl was able to push back right before she landed out of the ring and flew back upwards, but Yamu grabbed her hair and began to fly swiftly down towards the ground.

"This is your end, girl!" He shouted practically in her ear.

However, Videl wasn't called the Ultimate Brawler for nothing. Wrapping a her left hand around her right fist, she brought her right elbow backwards into Yamu's stomach with all her might, forcing him to let go and then kicked with both her feet into his stomach, launching him into the air. She paused, floating just inches above the grass as she flew back towards him, but he disappeared.

He grabbed her leg and hurled her at the arena below where the stone cratered from the impact. Videl stood up and swayed. Something warm ran down from the right side of her forehead onto her hand. She looked at her palm. It was red with blood. Her blood.

Yamu was at the opposite edge of the arena. Videl was relatively close to the center.

Opening his palm, he hit her dead on with an energy blast, knocking her back.

"Videl!" Akane shouted. The girl was defenseless at this point and everyone watching knew it, even Videl herself.

Though she stood with grit and determination, it was clear that Videl was running out of steam. Her legs felt like jelly and her brain felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

Dammit! She thought as she was pelted with energy blast after energy blast, her body battered with every blow, shreds of cloth flying off in the process. I don't…I don't want to lose!

She stomped the ground and then ate an energy blast right to the face. More blood poured down it.

"You're stubborn, I'll grant you that. So, I'll show you cruel mercy." Yamu began charging up an energy blast. "I'm going to show you the full extent of my power and blow you clean into the wall. "You've lost, girl! It's over!"

Yamu's laughter echoed as Videl stood there, eyes still full of fire. Even if her body was quitting on her, her mind had not given up. She clenched a fist so hard, her nails pierced her skin.

"Videl, just give up! You don't want to get hit by that!" Gohan shouted.

"He's right, girl. There's nothing wrong with bowing out gracefully. I'm sure your hack of a father would prefer to have a daughter that's still conscious when she loses!"

Dammit! Videl exclaimed. She strained her jaw and grinded her teeth. Dammit! I…I refuse to lose. She clenched her fist harder, blood dripping onto the ground. It's now…or never! But…I don't have a lot of time.

Akane thought about all the time she'd seen others use ki attacks in training. From the Kamaehameha, to Gohan's Masenko and even the original techniques her classmates had come up with.

But…one technique in particular stuck out, one ki attack she'd seen performed over and over, more than any of the others.

Videl turned her body and bent her right arm into an S-shape. She brought the back of her right hand close to her left palm and focused, but nothing was happening.

"If you think you can just deflect this, you're sorely mistaken!" Yamu shouted. "Give up while you can!"

"Never…" Videl hissed and felt anger and rage flow through her. The spirit of a warrior shined through as she shouted, "Never in a million years!"

Then…at that moment, her glass ceiling shattered and energy began to course from her body into her hands and it was as purple as an amethyst crystal.

Goku, Gohan and even Vegeta all gasped.

Videl barely paid attention to the fact that she'd succeeded as she dug in her heels and the energy around her coursed and crackled. Videl's body strained. Her arms felt like they were going to explode.

From where he was now observing the tournament, even Piccolo was stunned. "That…that attack."

"I am not my father! I'm me! Videl Satan! The Ultimate Brawler!"

"I don't care what you call yourself, girl! YOU LOSE!" Yamu shouted, firing a powerful dark energy beam from one hand straight at Videl.

Videl didn't lose focus. The easy part was over, now came the hard bit, putting this pile of energy into an attack, but she knew the stance. She'd seen it performed hundreds of times. She'd practiced this exact stance just like Kotomi had as a building block, but only now, in her most desperate moment was it working for her.

The light from Videl's ki made it seem like her whole body was glowing purple as she shouted, "GALICK GUUUUN!" She thrust her arms forward. "FIRE!"

The two attacks collided. A struggle between the beams ensued and lit up the arena in a spectacle of purple and black. Videl pushed against Yamu's attack.

"What…but…how?" Yamu stammered, his arm buckling from the clash. "A moment ago, she couldn't move. So where's all this power coming from?"

Vegeta smiled. Of all the crazy stunts for Videl to pull, he hadn't expected this, but he wasn't any less proud of his student.

Despite being a complete novice in ki attacks, Videl seemed to instinctively know how to amplify her beam and pushed Yamu's back. "This is my sensei's technique…but this is my power!" Videl roared. "Yamu! YOU! CAN! ROOOOOOOT!" The beam became twice its height, girth and speed as Videl poured more energy into it and sent the bald man hurtling out of the ring.

"WOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" Yamu screamed as he was hurled back across the arena over the grass.

"Everyone scatter!" the people standing by that area of the arena wall shouted and ran for cover as the beam tunneled through the wall and continued through a nearby tree before finally dissipating.

Yamu was on the ground on the parking lot just underneath someone's car.

"Contestant Yamu is out of the ring!" The announcer shouted.

At that exclamation, Videl fell over, planting her face into the stone arena.

"But Contestant Videl is down!" The announcer shouted. "Per tournament rules, she has until the count of ten to get up or she will forfeit her right to advance."

"Get up, Videl!" Gohan shouted.

"Videl!" Akane shouted.

Easy for them to say, Videl thought, exhausted. They're not the ones feeling like everything is made of raspberry jam right now.

"Videl, get up honey! You can do it!"

Great, now even dad's shouting at me.

"Hey! Get up, Videl!"

Is that…Gohan's kid brother?

"Get up, Videl!" Trunks shouted at her as well.

Videl groaned, but then she heard the crowd chanting. "VI-DEL! VI-DEL! VI-DEL! VI-DEL! VI-DEL!"

Videl wanted everyone to shut up, but as the crowd's droning carried on and on, the ground suddenly felt far away. Wait, why? Videl looked down at her feet. She had stood up before she realized it. Oh.

The crowd erupted into applause and celebration.

"Incredible! Videl Satan is on her feet! Her victory and advancement to the next round is assured! Let's hear it for the Daughter of the—oops. I mean, let's hear for Hope's Peak Academy's Ultimate Brawler!"

More cheering erupted from the crowd. Videl was sort of blown away by how many people were cheering for her. Not the daughter of Hercule, but her, herself. She had done so much more than just won a match, she'd made her mark as her own person not tied to her father.

"Videl!" Akane came running up to her and gave her a big bear hug.

"Yeowch!" Videl exclaimed, her entire body was sore. Akane loosened her grip, but still hugged her friend.

Gohan pat the back of her shoulder. "You did good, Videl. You had me worried for a second."

"Sh-shut up," Videl said, turning her head away from him. "I didn't win because you wanted me to."

Akane and Gohan both helped Videl back to the others. Thankfully the teen could still walk properly on her own two feet.

"That was extremely reckless of you," Vegeta said when she got close. Videl, Gohan and Akane stopped as Vegeta glared at Videl. "But I wouldn't have my students behave any other way. Giving up is the coward's way out. I expect the same effort in your next match, no matter how powerful that Shin character is."

"Right," Videl nodded with a smile.


After the tournament took another commercial break, the time had come for the next match: Hajime Hinata Vs Sonia Nevermind.

"I am humbled by our match," Hajime said, bowing politely.

"Likewise," Sonia said, bowing back. She then took expert note of Hajime's gi. "Oh? You are a black belt?"

"Uh, just in a few schools," Hajime said. "Kempo, Jujitsu, and a little bit of Aikido."

"My, that's quite impressive. Have you been training your entire life?"

"Eh, kind of," Hajime shrugged. "When I was little I—"

Braaaaaaa!

"Er, I guess that's it for the small talk then," he said, chuckling nervously.

"Quite, but I would love to hear more later. For now though," Sonia entered into the signature stance Vegeta had taught everyone, the same one Kotomi took when she started her bout with Krillin. "Let us begin."

Hajime adopted a more traditional left lead stance. However, when Sonia bolted towards him, he was taken completely off-guard. Despite his strict training and desperate attempts to use his newfound growth to his advantage, he had his legs instantly swept out from underneath him. Sonia then grabbed his leg and hurled him over her shoulder and proceeded to hurl him out of the ring with a loud. "HEYAH!"

Hajime, having had no one to teach him how to fly, crashed into the wall and fell straight onto the grass.

"Contestant Hajime is out of the ring! Princess Sonia advances to the next round!"

Sonia rushed over to Hajime. "Goodness! Are you all right? I'm sorry! I just naturally assumed that you—"

"Ugh, I think I'm fine. My back hurts though," Hajime said, rubbing the back of his neck, one eye open.

"Here, give me your hand," Sonia said, offering him a gentle hand.

"Th-thanks," Hajime said. He was surprised by how compassionate and warm her hand was.

"I must say, I expected more out of you, Hajime. Were you not paying attention to my attacks?" Sonia asked.

"Huh? What are you saying? You had me completely blindsided," Hajime said, confused.

"Truthfully? Odd. I sensed a great power in you. I was hoping you would show it to me. Oh well, there's always another match."

Yeah, maybe for you, Hajime thought. He sighed and excused himself to the men's room, changing out of his gi back into his normal clothes. Great, just great, he thought, running water through his hair. He spent all that time training and for what? To get his butt kicked in the first round by the exact type of person he didn't want to lose to.

Guess that sells it then, Hajime thought, shutting off the water, drying his hands and tossing the paper towel in the trash, there's a world of difference between ultimates…and ordinary people.


With Hajime finding himself a comfortable spot in the stands, he watched as Goku and 18 stepped into the arena.

"Boy, this arena's a bit scuffed up don't you think? I hope it holds," Goku said, laughing nervously.

"That depends, are you going to go Super Saiyan?" 18 asked.

"Huh? Oh. No. Gohan and Vegeta asked me not to."

"Oh? Is that right?" 18 asked, crouching and taking a stance with her arms bent and hands open like claws. "I heard all about the fact that you used to go to Hope's Peak from Krillin."

Goku waved his hand across his face. "Yeah, I did, but I really don't want the attention. Could you not talk about that so loudly?"

"So, no Super Saiyan?" 18 asked, chuckling. "Then this should be interesting. I can't wait to see the look on Vegeta's face when I break your arm."

"You can try," Goku said with a stare of confidence and readiness. He sank into his signature stance.

"Odd choice of fighting pose. You're unguarded from all sides," 18 told him.

"You think?" Goku asked.

18's expression turned to one of astonishment briefly before going back to looking sassy. "Guess we'll find out."

"I gotta be honest, I'm really looking forward to a match with you, 18. A challenge like this will be a good measure to see just how far I've come," Goku said with confidence and eagerness.

"Just don't cry when I beat you," 18 said, smirking.

"I won't," Goku said, adjusting his posture slightly. "But that's cause I'll win!"

An old match that never had a chance to become reality sparks with fury at the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament: Goku vs 18. After some intense battles, two Z-fighters finally step into the ring. Can Goku best 18 without having to go Super Saiyan, or is the Saiyan warrior's time in the tournament over before its even begun? Find out next time on Dragon Ball H! P! A!


(Writer's notes: Nu is the pronunciation of Wildebeest in Japanese and is also the letter following M or Mu in the Greek alphabet. It's both a joke on M. Bison and putting two large stampeding herbivores in Akane's attack as all of her original attacks will be named after animals)