STRONGEST UNDER THE HEAVENS

The group of six soon arrives on Papaya Island and makes their way to the Budokai arena. Upon arrival, Yamcha starts feeling a bit nervous when he sees so many other people there (he had, after all, been living isolated in the desert until almost a year ago, so large crowds tended to be a bit overwhelming), but shakes it off and signs up to compete in the tournament.

Before they know it, an announcement is made asking all participants to head to the competition hall for the qualifying rounds. Yamcha gives Bulma and the Gems a quick goodbye, and heads off to change into his training clothes (a white tank top that exposes the top half of his gem, black gi pants, goes barefoot like his mother had, and still wearing his mother's jacket) and goes straight to the competition hall with all the other contestants.

Of the 137 participants, only 8 will be allowed to enter the tournament. The rules of the qualifying rounds are simple: each participant will draw a random number and be placed into one of four blocks, then they will fight atop the mats two at a time until one of them falls off, loses consciousness or pleads for mercy, but killing and the use of weapons are not allowed, and the two ultimate victors from each block will be entered into the finals.

Yamcha draws his number, 58, and finds himself in Block 2. After watching a few rounds, his number is called and he climbs onto the mat, where he faces a fellow martial artist. The second the match starts, Yamcha charges forward at shocking speed and punches his opponent in the gut with enough strength to send him literally crashing through the wall. The spectators are flabbergasted, and as the judge announces Yamcha as the winner of this round, he makes a mental note to dial it back a bit. He's used to sparring with Jasper and destroying corrupted Gems, after all.

Several more rounds pass, and Yamcha slowly but surely climbs his way up, until he defeats his final opponent and is declared one of the eight finalists. Yamcha is overjoyed, and decides to pass the time by watching the other contestants fight. He inevitably hears about a 'little boy' with great strength, and sure enough, he makes his way over to the mat and watches as Goku (in an orange Kame School gi) takes down his opponent with ease and is declared a finalist.

Yamcha feels nervous when he sees that Goku's tail grew back, but quickly shakes it off. After all, it's only a problem when he looks at the full moon, which probably won't be out anytime soon, right? Right?

Regardless, he's happy to see the boy again. Yamcha approaches Goku, who is glad to see him as well. Another boy (also wearing the same orange gi) joins them, and Goku introduces Yamcha to his training-mate Krillin. It's nice to meet him, but at the same time, seeing how strong both of them got under Roshi's training makes him a little nervous about the tournament.

OoOoOoO

The eight finalists have been selected, and now have a bit of downtime before the tournament officially starts.

While the contestants fought, Bulma and the Crystal Gems kept themselves occupied by getting some snacks and drinks, and by playing a few of the carnival games set up (which Jasper overdoes on the high striker thanks to her immense strength, much to the shock of spectators).

While Peridot and Apache try to catch goldfish at one stand, the others unexpectedly reunite with Oolong and Puar. Bulma's surprised to see them, saying that they disappeared right after they came to West City. Oolong explains that the city was overwhelming, so they moved to a small town just outside of West City, finding work and living a decent life away from crime. Oolong mentioned that he didn't want to come to the Budokai at first, but Puar was certain they'd reunite with their friends here, so he gave in.

Not too long afterwards, the group suddenly runs into Roshi and two mysterious women. Roshi tries out his usual pervy schtick with Bulma and the Gems, but Jasper shuts that down with a single kick.

And the two women? A pair of twin sisters who were on the run from the law, but now reside at Kame House. There's Lunch, the kindhearted yet oblivious girl with dark blue hair and big dark eyes, and Ranchi, the fiery and hostile girl with blonde hair and sharp green eyes. While Lunch usually spends her time inside cooking and cleaning, Ranchi prefers to practice shooting her IMI Uzi gun and spooking anyone who dares get in her way.

As soon as the introductions are out of the way, the group reunites with Yamcha, Goku and Krillin. When she hears that Yamcha passed the preliminaries, Jasper gives him a proud grin and playfully slaps him on the back, which sends him to the ground in surprise.

While Yamcha picks himself up, and the other Gems struggle to hold Peridot back from attacking Jasper, an announcement is made asking all eight finalists to head to the Main Hall. Yamcha, Goku and Krillin say their goodbyes and head off. As they leave, Oolong looks around and realizes that Roshi has disappeared…

OoOoOoO

Within the Main Hall, all eight finalists have gathered: Yamcha, Son Goku, Krillin, Jackie Chun, Namu, Ranfan, Giran, and King Chappa.

The Announcer tells them that they will now draw lots to determine match-ups and fighting schedules. One-by-one, he calls their names and they draw a slip of paper with a random number on it. In the end, the matches are determined.

Round One – Jackie Chun vs. King Chappa.

Round Two – Yamcha vs. Giran.

Round Three – Namu vs. Goku.

Round Four – Krillin vs. Ranfan.

Each match will be one round with no time limit. If you fall off the stage, lose consciousness, cry for mercy, or attack your opponent's eyes or privates, then you lose. The rounds following the predetermined ones will be based on who wins and who loses.

Of course, before the first round can start, Goku asks about lunch, much to the bewilderment of the Announcer and his fellow contestants.

But enough about all of that. Let the tournament begin!

OoOoOoO

The 21st Tenkaichi Budokai is well underway! Bulma, the Gems and the others have made their way to the spectator's area and, thanks to Ranchi and Jasper's antics (Rose disapproves of this, saying that they shouldn't scare innocent civilians, but Jasper waves away her concerns and reminds her that they've been protecting Earth for thousands of years and at least deserve something), managed to get themselves front-row seats.

While the others are excited, Peridot silently recognizes this place, and remembers watching a tournament here years ago with Holly at her side…

Jackie Chun and King Chappa enter the ring, and Round One begins. The two men fight for a while, impressing the crowd with their speed and strength. While King Chappa is a legend in martial arts, Jackie Chun is unfamiliar to even the enthusiasts in the crowd. They're neck-in-neck for a while, but before anyone knows what's happening, Jackie Chun delivers one final, powerful blow to the back of King Chappa's neck, knocking him out cold, and Jackie Chun is declared the winner.

For the next round, Yamcha and Giran step into the ring. Bulma and the Gems cheer their boy on, which includes Apache sitting on Rose's shoulders and holding up the 'Go Yamcha!' sign they made.

Round Two starts. Yamcha takes a minute to study Giran's techniques and fighting style. Giran proves to be intelligent and ruthless, nearly knocking Yamcha out of the ring with his tail and his infamous Merry-Go-Round Gum attack. But once he's sure of himself, Yamcha starts to fight back, making good use of his tactical mindset and what the Gems taught him in terms of attacking and defending. It takes a while, but eventually, Yamcha's able to land behind Giran, grab him by the tail, and slam him into the grass (even though it takes most of his strength and leaves his muscles burning afterwards). Giran is out-of-bounds, and Yamcha is declared the winner.

Right before Round Three begins, Jackie Chun senses something about Namu. Instead of the enthusiasm the other contests are displaying, Namu is completely serious and determined. Using his telepathic abilities, Jackie Chun reaches out and looks into Namu's mind, and sees why he's really here: to win the prize money so he can bring water back to his village, which is suffering through a drought.

Round Three begins. While Namu refuses to let his serious demeanor falter, Goku's clearly having fun with the fight. Their fight continues for a while, with Goku leaving the crowd in awe despite his small size. Namu goes all out, determined to win this tournament, but even his Cross Arm Dive isn't enough to take out the monkey-tailed boy, and Namu loses in the end.

In spite of his disappointments, Namu still honors his loss and wishes Goku luck in the next round. Right before he can leave, however, Jackie Chun approaches him and gifts him a capsule so he can store water from a nearby well in it. Namu is beyond grateful and thanks Jackie Chun, then goes off to get water before heading back home.

Up next is Krillin and Ranfan, and Round Four begins. Krillin becomes flustered thanks to Ranfan's beauty and flirtatious nature, but he tries to ignore that and fight her. It gets worse, however, when Ranfan strips down to nothing more than her bra and panties, allowing her to distract him enough to deliver a powerful Heat Fist. While Bulma contemplates the use of air friction with the Heat Fist, the Gems stare at Ranfan in disbelief, with Peridot asking why Earthlings are so strange.

All the while, Yamcha watches in surprise as Jackie Chun starts ogling Ranfan from his spot in the Main Hall. That's when it clicks in his head. His power, his oddly familiar appearance, his perverted nature…Could it be that Jackie Chun is actually Master Roshi?

Goku, not understanding why Krillin is acting this way thanks to his naivety, tells his training mate to focus and to hit her now exposed weak points. It takes him a few minutes, but manages to gather himself. By closing his eyes and focusing on the sounds and air movements around him, Krillin is able to move around Ranfan and strike just the right nerve to knock her unconscious. Krillin is declared the winner.

The quarter finals are done. Now for a short intermission before the semi-finals!

OoOoOoO

During the downtime they're given, Yamcha confronts Jackie Chun, demanding to know if he's actually Roshi. Jackie Chun denies this fervently, but it does nothing to dissuade Yamcha.

The Announcer eventually tells them the matchups for the semi-finals:

Round Five – Yamcha vs. Jackie Chun

Round Six – Goku vs. Krillin

From there, the winners of the two rounds would face each other in the finals.

And after a while of the four of them licking their wounds, having a quick snack or two (or more in Goku's case), and more back-and-forth between Yamcha and Jackie Chun, it's time for the semi-finals to begin.

OoOoOoO

Round Five begins. Yamcha and Jackie Chun launch at each other with a flurry of attacks. Despite Jackie Chun's immense strength and speed, Yamcha proves that he's no pushover. The two of them go back and forth for several minutes, much to the amazement of the crowd and the pride of the Crystal Gems, until Jackie Chun manages to whisper something to Yamcha.

"You're good, kid, I'll give you that," the old man says. "But you've still got a lot to learn. And I can't let you win this one. Not when I need to teach my students an important lesson."

Yamcha blinks in surprise, then smirks. "I knew it," he says quietly. "I knew you were—"

"And can you keep this between us?" Jackie Chun (or Master Roshi) responds. "You're a good kid. But this is between me and my students, and I can't let you get in my way."

And with that, Jackie Chun suddenly releases a powerful Kiai from his body, forcing Yamcha off the stage and onto the grass. As the Announcer declares Jackie Chun the winner, the old man helps Yamcha to his feet and quietly tells him, "Maybe next time, kid." Even though he's bitter over the loss, Yamcha bites his tongue and chooses to keep Jackie/Roshi's secret.

Once Jackie Chun and Yamcha are out, Goku and Krillin head in. Round Six starts, and they go all out. Thanks to all the months they spent training together, the boys know each other's strengths and weakness, know exactly where to strike, and how to dance around each other's attacks. Despite this, they still manage to surprise each other.

After several minutes of action that leaves the audience on the edge of their seats, Goku pours his energy into one last burst of speed, appearing directly behind Krillin and knocking him out of the ring before he can even react. Goku is declared the winner of this round.

And now for some more downtime before the final match!

OoOoOoO

During the second intermission, Yamcha meets up with Bulma and the Crystal Gems. They reassure him that, even though he didn't win, they're still proud of him, which cheers him up a little.

While getting a drink with him, Jasper comments that the matches looked thrilling, and that they stirred something within her. The orange Gem smirks as she drinks her raspberry soda, silently making a certain promise in her head…

Yamcha, Bulma and the Gems spend what's left of their free time back at the carnival games. A few Zeni later, Yamcha wins a cute little teddy bear at one of the stands. He gives it to Bulma, who happily accepts the gift.

Before they know it, the intermission draws to a close and it's time for the final round.

OoOoOoO

It's all come down to this. As Goku and Jackie Chun enter the ring, excitement brews within the crowd. The Budokai hasn't seen anything like this in a long time, and now that it's time for the finals, the crowd waits with baited breath to see who will win the championship.

There's no holding back this time. Goku and Jackie Chun are forced to go all out, both of them refusing to give each other an inch. Even though he's well aware of what Goku is capable of, Jackie/Roshi hopes for an easy victory over his student. But between the Kamehameha, the Afterimage, the Phony Drunk Attack, the Mad Dog, Rock-Paper-Scissors, the Monkey Attack, and even the Night-Night Baby technique, Goku keeps proving over and over again that he's more powerful than he looks.

Looks like Jackie/Roshi's gonna have to pull out all the stops for this one.

Jackie/Roshi resorts to the technique that once took down Grandpa Gohan: the Thunder Shock Surprise. Goku becomes trapped within an agonizing blast of electricity, but he refuses to beg for mercy, despite his friends' pleas.

That's when Goku looks up…and locks eyes with the full moon.

Goku transforms into a monstrous Oozaru again, easily breaking free from Jackie/Roshi's attack and begins mindlessly destroying the Main Hall. Spectators run in fear, but the Crystal Gems stay right where they are, summoning their weapons and tensing up. They were hoping they'd never have to deal with Goku's Oozaru form again, yet here they are.

Krillin tries to get Goku to stop, but to no avail. Yamcha quickly explains that this happens when Goku looks at the full moon. Jackie/Roshi overhears this and builds up a maximum-power Kamehameha, ready to aim it at the moon. But before he can fire it, Peridot jumps in front of his attack, stubbornly refusing to let him destroy the moon and demanding that he let the Crystal Gems handle this.

As Jackie/Roshi and Peridot argue, a bright glow catches everyone's attention, and they turn to see that Lapis and Jasper have once again formed Malachite.

"Hey, ugly!" Malachite yells, smirking widely as Oozaru Goku turns towards her. "Remember me?!"

Malachite manages to hold Goku back, much to the awe of onlookers. As this goes on, Apache yells to get Yamcha's attention and throws him Holly's sword (which they took with them 'just in case', especially after the incident on the beach). While Malachite holds Goku in place and Rose grabs his tail to paralyze him, Yamcha unsheathes the sword and slices Goku's tail off. Just like last time, the boy reverts back to his original form, with no memory of what just happened.

The crowd breathes a sigh of relief, while Malachite defuses, Yamcha sheathes his sword, and the Crystal Gems rush off the stage (with Rose once again holding Goku's tail). Thanks to Goku's clothes being destroyed, Krillin gives his friend his Kame School gi (swapping it out for his old Orin Temple clothing).

Even though they're both running on fumes, Goku and Jackie/Roshi still refuse to lose to each other. Eventually, after several minutes of back-and-forth, they manage a rare double knockdown. Since neither contestant is able to stand back up within the ten-second countdown, the Announcer gives an ultimatum: the victory will be given to the first person who can stand and proclaim, "I did so win!" while smiling.

Goku and Jackie/Roshi both struggle to get back on their feet. Goku manages to get up first, but ends up passing out from exhaustion before he can finish his sentence. Jackie/Roshi stands back up and yells out, "I did so win!"

Jackie Chun is declared the winner of the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai.

OoOoOoO

Goku soon regains consciousness and takes the news of his defeat in stride. Jackie Chun is rewarded the 500,000 Zeni prize, and says his goodbyes to Goku, Krillin and Yamcha (whom he winks at when the others aren't looking).

As the trio regroups with the Crystal Gems, Bulma, Lunch, Ranchi, Oolong and Puar, Roshi finds a hidden area and sheds his Jackie Chun disguise. Roshi heads back to the group, telling Goku and Krillin how proud he is of them. But he reminds them that their true training has only just begun. As strong at they've become, they must never forget that there will always be someone stronger than them, and that they must never become complacent. And as he watches this, Yamcha smiles in understanding.

Roshi offers to treat the boys and the rest of the gang to dinner, much to the delight of Goku…but he will soon realize what kind of mistake he just made.

OoOoOoO

The gang heads to a restaurant called Veggie Manor. Even after ordering a plethora of food, everyone's quickly reminded of Goku's immense appetite. While the others (and fellow diners) stare with wide eyes, Lunch notices that Peridot isn't touching any of the food and drinks, even though the other Gems are. Lunch asks if she's feeling okay, and Peridot says that Gems don't need to eat or drink. Confused, the blue-haired girl points out the other Gems, to which Peridot irritably replies that some Gems like to eat for fun, but she's not one of them.

By nightfall, the gang is forced to stop ordering because, simply put, Veggie Manor is completely out of everything. And when Roshi goes to pay, the bill comes up to 495,000 Zeni, and that's not even counting a tip for their poor waiter! Well, there goes all of his prize money.

The gang leaves the restaurant, and chat it up on their way back to the airport. Roshi tells Goku and Krillin that he's already taught them just about all he can, and that they must blaze their own trails now. Goku announces that he's going to search for his grandpa's four-star Dragon Ball. Granted, he still needs to wait a few more weeks before the Dragon Balls reactivate, but Goku decides to use that time to train.

Goku says his goodbyes to his friends, gathers up what little belongings he has, and summons his Kinto'un. He heads off, with his friends wishing him luck.

Yamcha, Bulma and the Crystal Gems head back to West City in the heiress' plane. Meanwhile, Roshi offers to let Oolong and Puar with him, which they happily accept.

OoOoOoO

One week after the Budokai, Goku continues his training in the midst of a wasteland. While doing so, he hears the sound of thudding and shouting. Goku quickly follows it and finds the source.

A familiar girl with long black hair, and wearing a blue, pink and green training uniform. She's too busy breaking trees and rock apart with a few swift attacks, and doesn't notice a surprised Goku until he says her name.

"Chi-Chi?!"

That takes care of the 21st Budokai. Up next: the Red Ribbon Army!

Yeah, I decided to turn Launch into twin sisters named Lunch and Ranchi. I have something special planned for them later on

I swapped out Bacterian for King Chappa because I didn't really want to write him...And I also mixed up the tournament order. Hey, if I'm gonna write an AU fic, I might as well have fun with the changes

I made Jackie/Roshi let Yamcha in on his secret this time (I swear, in early DB, Yamcha's the only character with a functioning brain!). It annoyed me so much the way he acted in the manga, so I changed that

What do you guys think Jasper has planned?

Yeah, the moon's staying intact. I think you can guess why I made this decision...

And yep, I'm bringing Chi-Chi in early! She had so much wasted potential, plus I wanted her and Goku to have good chemistry early on (I'm a huge GoChi fan!)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! God bless you and have a wonderful day/night/whenever you read this!