Goku, Piccolo, and Korin walked into the arena following the tournament announcer. The announcer grinned at the crowd and called out, "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege to present to you the remaining contestants for the 23 Tenkaichi Budokai. Unfortunately, Tien Shinhan has had to withdraw from the tournament because of injuries sustained from his match with Ox King. This means that our defending champion Goku is automatically in the finals and will be facing the victor of our first match of the day. Goku, do you have anything you wish to say to the audience about the tournament before we begin the semi-final match?"

The announcer handed Goku the microphone who gave a sheepish grin. "I wasn't expecting this so I really don't have much to say. I just hope you all are enjoying the show and it's great to see people excited about something I love like martial arts. That's all folks." Goku handed the microphone back to the announcer and then left for the fighter's waiting room.

A small grin appeared on the announcer's face as he received the microphone. It had been on a pure whim that he had Goku speak to the audience, but it was a whim he was glad he followed. Goku was a wonderful poster boy for the Tenkaichi Budokai. He was modest, showed his opponents respect, and was simply in the tournament for the love of martial arts. The fact that he was still a humble young man after saving the world from King Piccolo was another major plus.

Returning to his task at hand, the Announcer started the semi-finals. "In our first match we see which of these newcomers is going to win the right to fight Goku for the championship. One of our contestants is the hermit Korin who proved in his match with Yamcha that being cute and cuddly doesn't prohibit you from kicking ass. Our other contestant is the mysterious Majunior about whom noting is known besides what he's shown in the tournament. Let the match begin!"

The size between the competitors could only have been more mismatched if Korin was fighting Ox King. The barely two foot tall cat glanced up at the over six foot tall Piccolo and grinned. "You alright there Majunior you're looking a little green. Maybe you should see a doctor." The tic mark above Piccolo's right eye told Korin that his barb had hit the mark.

Piccolo slashed at Korin planning on getting back at the cat for the insult. However, Korin was planning for that and he quickly latched onto Piccolo's arm with his own claws. Purple blood fell on the arena as Korin tore up Piccolo's arm. Piccolo glared at Korin sending two small ki beams out of his eyes strait towards the cat. Luckily, the old hermit reacted in time and just barely managed to jump away. The end result was Piccolo shooting himself in the arm.

Korin floated in the air above Piccolo as the namekian let loose a roar of pain from his self-inflicted wound. The floating cat held his arms apart with the palms facing Piccolo and brought his hands together in front of his chest with a circular motion. An orange ball of ki formed constantly growing and shrinking. Korin's face showed some stress as he powered up his ultimate attack. Just as Piccolo was recovering Korin yelled out, "Fist of the Beast King!" A massive ki blast over three times Korin's size spring from the cat's hands and flew directly at Piccolo.

With the attack coming at point blank range, Piccolo barely had any time to react. The namek slammed his wounded arm into the attack and jumped away. Piccolo stretched out his arm as he flew away using the arm to keep Korin's attack from exploding. Soon Piccolo reached the limit that he could stretch his arm to and cut off the wounded limb with his other arm. The Fist of the Beast King exploded shortly afterward blinding everyone watching the fight.

Both Korin and Piccolo used the smoke to float back down the arena and waited to see what the other would do. As soon as the smoke cleared Korin called out, "Hey Majunior! You look like you could use a hand. Why don't you call it a day and we let the monks get you a prosthetic?"

Piccolo smirked and shot back, "Unlike you foolish mortals, I can regenerate any limb I lose whenever I wish. Even with my current power, I could easily crush you after all that energy you lost in your last attack. However, I think I'll give you a taste of true despair by crushing you to dust by using 20 percent of my true power!" Piccolo let out a roar and a gust of wind billowed forth from him as his power level began to rise.

Korin stood his ground and didn't give into his instincts that were screaming at him to get away or he was going to be made into violin strings. Still trying to throw Piccolo off his game Korin started trash talking again. "Okay, you've proven that you can release the largest non toxic fart on the planet. That still leaves you minus a limb and unable to hit Hello Kitty's badass uncle."

Piccolo's response to this barb was to snarl and launch a barrage of ki blasts from his remaining hand. Korin expertly weave around the first volley prompting Piccolo to send another at the cat. This time, Piccolo spaced his blasts so there wasn't any weave room. Korin simply used his neko claw attack to slash through the necessary ki blasts and counter attacked Piccolo.

After avoiding one of Korin's neko claws, Piccolo took to the air and gave Korin a come and get me motion with his hand. Korin's response was to turn around, bend his waist so that his rear was sticking up, and started to shake it. "Come on you big green string bean, just try and hit my furry cute ass." There was no way that Korin was about to give Piccolo an aerial battle; that would cost him too much of the advantage his small size granted him and he needed every advantage he could get!

On the sidelines, Krillin muttered to himself, "Where does he hide them?"

Yamcha blinked his eyes in confusion. "Huh, Krillin what are you talking about?"

Roshi rolled his eyes and whacked Yamcha on the head. "You idiot, Krillin's talking about those brass balls the size of your empty head Korin is lugging around!"

Yamcha started to rub the back of his head and muttered, "Yeesh guys. What's with all of you making fun of me lately?" The rest of the gang had to hold back sinkers as they glanced at Yamcha's back where his new t-shirt said: 'I'm with Butt Monkey!' with an arrow pointing at Yamcha's head.

Up in the air, Piccolo looked mad enough for steam to come out of his ears. "I've had enough of your mockery Korin! Taste some of my Destruction Wave!" The ki beam shot out from Piccolo's hand strait towards Korin. The cat had enough sense to get out of the blast zone. However, Korin's eyes rose in shock as a wave of ki rushed out from the Destruction Wave tearing up the arena. The old hermit was quickly forced off of the arena and into the air as Piccolo's attack completely destroyed the ring.

Korin didn't get any chance to breath and Piccolo became a blur of motion moving to attack the cat. Luckily, Korin was as fast in the air as he was on the ground and was narrowly able to avoid Piccolo's kick. The duo was now locked in vicious aerial melee combat. Unlike before, Korin wasn't counterattacking Piccolo because he was barely able to doge the Namek's attacks. Eventually Korin's luck ran out and Piccolo landed a bone shattering kick on Korin's stomach. The tiny cat was sent rocketing towards the ground where he crashed into the stone pavement between the ring and the fighter's waiting room.

The announcer ran over to Korin to check and see if he was still alive. Korin's eyes clearly showed that he was seeing stars. The white cat was muttering to himself. "I swear Artemis that I wasn't fooling around with Luna."

Seeing that Korin was still alive, the announcer started his speech. "Majunior is the winner as Korin is out of bounds. As the ring is destroyed, there will be a recess as we patch everything up into a workable condition. Once that is done, there will be an hour notice for the final match to begin."

Getting the ring prepared for the final match didn't take as long as the monks initially expected. Mostly, this was because Krillin volunteered to lift concrete slabs from a nearby construction site and put them in place to rebuild the ring. Goku and Piccolo were now in the ring with the announcer. The saiyan had taken off his weighted jacket while Piccolo had grown back his arm. The announcer smiled at the crowd and began to start the introductions. "Alright folks, this is the moment you've all been waiting for in this explosive tournament. We have now arrived at the final match between defending champion Goku and the powerful newcomer Majunior. Can Goku take the championship again or will we have a new champion? Let the match begin!"

Piccolo and Goku didn't waste any time and immediately rushed at each other. The namekian started things off with a right slash, left kick combo which Goku block. The saiyan retaliated with punch to Piccolo's chest that connected. However, Piccolo quickly used his free hand to grab Goku's arm and then throw Goku onto the arena floor. Piccolo pulled his fist back and moved to punch Goku in the chest, but Goku pulled his legs close to his chest and immediately kicked Piccolo away.

For the next ten minutes, Goku and Piccolo traded stone shattering blows at lighting fast speeds. Shockwaves from when their punches and kicks collided started cracking the new stadium. Neither fighter was able claim that they had the advantage in the melee battle; Goku and Piccolo were simply too close in skill. After a while, Piccolo backed away from Goku and sent a volley of ki blasts towards the saiyan. Goku promptly deflected the attacks and even sent a couple back at Piccolo. Once Piccolo avoided the last of his returned attacks, he sent a Destruction Wave at Goku. The Destruction Wave was answered with a Kamehameha Wave with the two beams colliding in the center of the ring and exploding.

Once the smoke from the two attacks cleared, Piccolo could be seen smirking. "Very impressive Goku, I can see how you were able to kill my father. You and your friends have proven to be the strongest mortals that this world has ever produced. However, it is all for nothing. I grow weary of toying with you and it is time for you to see the true power that I, Piccolo the Prince of Demons, possess before I send you to face my father's wrath in HELL!"

Piccolo let out a roar of rage as he began to power up. The sudden releasing of Piccolo's powers quickly led to a small earthquake panicking the audience. A bluish-white aura of ki formed around Piccolo and then faded as Piccolo took complete control of his higher level of power. A nasty smirk appeared on Piccolo's face as he boastfully proclaimed. "This is the power I have gained in my quest for my family's vengeance Goku! Not even your giant ape form can measure to my power. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, there's no moon in the sky for you to transform! Surprised? It was rather easy to figure out the source of your power by reviewing my father's memories of his battle with you."

Goku calmly stared back at Piccolo and replied, "You're not the only one whose been holding back. I guess its time for us to get to our real fight." The saiyan warrior started to power up causing blue energy manacles to appear on his forearms. Piccolo gulped recognizing the manacles as an old martial arts technique to seal away a person's power until unlocked by a code word or phrase. How much power did Goku have if he could fight like he had with most sealed away? Goku gave his rival a grin and said, "By the name given at birth, let the power resting in my blood be awaken, Kakarot!"

Instantly, the blue energy manacles shattered like glass and a gust of air shot out from Goku as a blazing blue corona of energy engulfed his body. Everyone was spared a second earthquake because Goku had enough control to direct his escaping energy upwards. A smirk appeared on Goku's face as a frown formed on Piccolo's; the duo were almost equal in power with Goku have a small lead in pure power.

Without a word, the two resumed their battle at speed which none of the regular people could watch. Even the dragonball fighters and Bulma's computer were only able to catch blurry forms of the two racing across the arena and sky. Occasionally, Bulma's computer and the gang got a clear view as Piccolo and Goku slowed down just enough as they traded blows back and forth. Although it was almost impossible to see the fight, everyone could tell that it was a furious battle. Anything and everything that wasn't nailed down was shaking from the shockwaves and there were occasional flashes of light signaling a ki attack being using. A couple of ki blasts were dogged and exploded on the ground or the temple roofs.

Finally, Goku was able to land a solid hit on Piccolo and sent the namek rocketing into the arena. Piccolo quickly pulled himself out of his cement crater and wiped away the blood from his mouth. As he stood up the self proclaimed Prince of Demons muttered, "I refuse to be beaten." Piccolo let out a roar and a second set of arms popped out of his arms followed by a second set of legs. It looked for a second like the namek was tearing his body in half before the two halves leaped apart to reveal two Piccolos standing in the arena. The Piccolos grinned and called out to Goku, "If one cannot beat you Goku, than two will!"

Both Piccolos leaped into the air and brutally started attacking Goku. This new dynamic to the battle quickly worked out to Piccolo's favor. Every time the saiyan blocked one Piccolo's attack, the other Piccolo would kick, slash, or blast Goku where his guard was down. One time one of the Piccolos broke Goku's left arm. After that, the two Piccolos did a double team kick sending Goku right into the crater they had formed minutes earlier. They then began charging the same ki attack and yelled out together, "This is the end for you Goku, Destruction Wave!"

Lying on his bad arm, Goku looked up at the incoming ki beams with a defiant glare. He raised his good arm above him and powered up a ki shield. The destruction waves crashed into Goku's ki shield. This led to a blinding explosion that tore up most of the ring into shreds. When the dust settled, Goku could be seen crouching defiantly in his crater. The saiyan glared up at both Piccolos and called out, "I'm going to defeat you!"

The two Piccolos started chucking and one replied, "That's a good one Goku! However, making me laugh won't save your life."

A small ball formed in Goku's hand which he launched into the stratosphere at hypersonic speeds. Goku looked up at the ball and yelled out, "Mix and Combine!" His canines enlarged and fur sprouted on Goku's face as he began to transform.

The two Piccolos looked in shock as Goku started to transform. One of them muttered, "How the hell is he taking that form? There isn't a moon!" Talking with himself, the other Piccolo replied, "Maybe he's learned how to transform without the Moon?" Both Piccolos shut up when they came face to face with the being of their nightmares: Oozaru Goku. Both Piccolos unleashed a barrage of ki blasts, but they were effortlessly deflected off of Goku's fur.

Goku let out a primal roar of triumph and then glared at the two nameks. "I did not wish to fight you like this Piccolo. However, I refuse to let you use me as a source of 'revenge'. There is nothing about your father that deserves to be avenged. He killed thousands just out of a whim. He drove thousands more from their homes inflicting suffering upon them because it suited his mood. I witness him drain the life out of your brothers just to increase his powers and then claim he was doing it to avenge them."

"Know this Piccolo; although you have been born from darkness, you bare no darkness of your own. Your hands have yet to be stained with the blood of innocent people. Control yourself and grow above the abyss your father sank into or else monster and demon will clash!"

Both Piccolos sent withering glares at oozaru Goku and yelled out in unison, "I refuse to bow to the whims of my father's killer!" The duo launched another barrage of ki blasts that were to Goku like flies landing on his fur.

Growing weary of Piccolo's attacks, Goku stretched his arms out and then slammed them together catching both Piccolos. Both halves of Piccolo fused back together in Goku's grasp and then Goku began to squeeze. The young namek's face twisted in agony and then he let out a roar of pain. Goku relaxed his grip for just a second and growled out, "Just forfeit the match Piccolo! I don't wish to see you have to go through any more pain. You've already proven that you're braver and more powerful than your father. There is no reason for you to have to go through this over what happened three years ago."

Unknown to Goku, the light of his false moon caught Piccolo's eyes. Piccolo quickly realized that what he saw was a false moon created by Goku with the blast he launched shortly before he transformed. The young namek twisted his neck around and launched a massive ki blast from his mouth at the false moon. Piccolo's attack collided with the false moon blowing it up. Goku immediately started to shrink letting Piccolo escape from his grasp.

As soon as Goku returned to his normal state he let out a cry of agony. The oozaru transformation had a special muscular system that allowed a saiyan to manage with broken bones. This allowed them to wreck more damage while soaking up even more damage. However it came at the cost of mangling up the bone pieces even worse and was utter agony when the transformation ended.

At the other end of the arena, Piccolo wasn't in top condition himself. Most of Piccolo's efforts were being spent on simply standing. Slowly Piccolo brought his hands together and began to collect every bit of energy he could spare. "I will defeat you Goku, my father must be avenged Destruction Wave!"

Goku used his right arm to motion and fired a Kamehameha Wave. The two ki beams meet in the center of the arena and slowly, ever so slowly, Goku's Kamehameha pushed back Piccolo's Destruction Wave. Piccolo soon didn't have anything left to put into his attack and watched in horror as the Kamehameha rushed at him. Moments before the Kamehameha hit the namek, the beam widen and pushed him out of the arena onto the singed grass.

Letting his good hand fall to his side, Goku trudged over to check on Piccolo. The announcer proclaiming his victory didn't matter to Goku. Piccolo slowly opened an eye and growled at Goku. "Do it you bastard, kill me like you killed my father!"

Goku shook his head. "You've done nothing to merit death Piccolo. How would I justify it? That you must die because you were born into this world just to cause the deaths of others? If so, I would have to kill myself once I killed you. I came to this world as its herald of Armageddon, yet I rose above my base calling to a higher one. Do you, who fought me with such passion, mean to hint that you're so weak that you must enslave yourself to your own base calling?" That said Goku fell back onto the arena exhausted from his battle.

Everyone in the dragonball gang wanted to rush out and congratulate Goku for his victory. However, the monks wouldn't allow it since they needed to treat Goku and Piccolo. By the time they all were allowed to see Goku, he had mysteriously disappeared along with Piccolo. All that the gang could find was a small note saying that Kami had summoned Goku. What actually happened was Mr. Popo grabbed the two and disappeared using his carpet. Piccolo had been given part of a senzu bean by the genie and then dropped off in a safe place in the Great Wastelands.

As for Goku, he was promptly brought to the Lookout so that Kami could heal him. Once Goku was healed he gave Kami a grin and said, "Thanks for that fix up Kami. Do you want to head out with me to catch the gang for a party to celebrate my being the champion for another three years?"

Kami smiled and then said, "Thank you for the offer Goku, but I must decline. My appearance would raise too many questions. I must say I'm a little concerned about your decision to let Piccolo live, but I respect it none the less. You didn't choose the easy way, but you might have chosen the right way. Only time can tell for sure."

Goku grinned and replied, "I have to give Piccolo a chance. As I told him, if I killed him just because of his birth I'd have to kill myself for the same reason. As long as Piccolo doesn't start attacking people he has a chance to become good."

The wrinkled god smiled and got a faraway look in his eyes. "Well said Goku, you've made an excellent point about giving people a chance without being foolish about it. Now, there is something that I want to talk to you about and it's very important. I'm getting old as you can plainly see and I don't have much time left to serve as Earth's god. My ability to carry out my divine responsibilities in my condition is only a few years, maybe a decade or two if I'm lucky. It's time I stand down and let a new, younger god take my throne. I want you to be Earth's new god Goku."

"You have a kind and pure heart that has been tested in some of the worst examples of cruelty. With the power you wield you could easily be a tyrant worst than King Piccolo, but you've risen above base desires and used your powers for good. I've tried you throughout your training to see how you could handle the duties of being Earth's god and you've passed each trial remarkably well. I can think of no one better suited to be my successor. Please Goku, become Earth's new god. Don't worry about not having the experience; I will remain till the end of my days here to advise you."

Goku closed his eyes and thought about what Kami was asking him. He, a saiyan sent to Earth to destroy it, was being selected to guide it? Accepting the position would give him a golden opportunity to watch over Earth and insure that no one threatened her. Suddenly, Chi-Chi's image flashed before Goku's eyes like a knife to his heart. How could he watch over Earth if he couldn't look out for a friend? But what about what would happen to the Earth if he left it without a god? If Kami died without a successor things would slowly start to spin out of control. Just having a god insured that many basic cycles necessary for life continued without developing problems.

Finally, Goku opened his eyes and gave Kami his answer. "I accept the position of being your successor Kami. However, I can't assume the position just yet. My friend Chi-Chi was driven to suicide and I never saw any signs of her pain even after watching over her for two years. I know that even a god can't save everyone even a dear friend, but my heart refuses to accept that. Until I can accept this fact both mentally and emotionally, I won't be ready to be your successor."

Kami placed a hand on Goku's shoulder and then pulled the teen saiyan into a hug. After a moment, the duo pulled away from the comforting embrace. Kami gave Goku a small fatherly smile. "Knowing that you aren't ready just yet and admitting it only proves that I was correct in naming you as my successor. To help you solve this problem, I'd suggest you have a talk with Chi-Chi. At the very least, it will give you some perspective for reflection."

The saiyan blinked his eyes and scratched his head. "Uh Kami, how can I talk to Chi-Chi if she's dead? I mean, it's not like I can simply go visit her in the afterlife as a mere mortal even if I'm suppose to ascend to being a planetary god. She can't come here since it's impossible to resurrect her again and I know Yemma doesn't like letting spirits return to the living realm."

Mr. Popo quickly answered Goku's question. "On every living world there is one spot where the living realm and the realms of the afterlife are bridged. These bridges have many challenges in place to keep mortals out. However, one who successfully faces the challenges or who has the planetary god's blessing can go to these bridges and meet with the shade of someone they knew in order to find closure. Earth's bridge between the two realms is the Furnace of Eight Divisions which is hidden in and guarded by the mystical Mount Five Elements."

Kami then took over the explanation. "You have my blessing Goku. Go to Mount Five Elements and meet with Chi-Chi. Hopefully, you will be able to find closer you need."

Mount Five Elements was protected by a dangerous path barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Surrounding the winding pathway were jagged spikes. Goku faintly sensed several enchantments that had to be the defenses Mr. Popo was talking about. However, none of the defenses activated because he had Kami's blessing. Finally, Goku reached the inside of the mountain and saw the massive Furnace of Eight Divisions half hidden by steam.

A voice called out, "Whose there?" Goku looked up and saw the shadowy outline of a giant hiding behind the steam the furnace made. The figure turned a bit and then called out again. "I said who is there. I can see you down there and I find it rather rude that you came here and didn't have the courtesy to introduce yourself."

Goku blink his eyes and then replied, "I'm Goku Son, recognized child of Bardock and adopted grandson of Gohan Son. I came here to meet with the spirit of a dear friend. Could you tell me who I'm speaking to?"

The steam cloaked figure moved so that its arms crossed over its chest. The voice then called out, "I am Annin, Caretaker of the Furnace of Eight Divisions. It's obvious that Kami has given you his blessing to be here, but it is I who has the final say in this realm." The ground started to shake as Annin walked around the furnace. Goku's first clear view of Annin was a massive boot. An instant later Annin's boot disappeared and a young looking woman about Goku's size walked out of the steam.

To Goku's surprise, Annin had a bowl of noodles in her hand and said, "Good day Goku. Would you like to try some of these noodles? My assistants got the regulators repaired the other day and the noodles are just right."

Wither Annin realized it or not, she had just made one of the most tempting offers she could to Goku. Those noodles smelled wonderful and he hadn't eaten since he left the lookout hours ago. However, Goku forced himself to not jump at the offered food. "Thank you for the offer Annin, but I must decline. I came here to talk with my friend Chi-Chi and not have a good meal."

Annin shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Oh well, more noodles for me." The furnace's guardian quickly wolfed down the noodles in her bowl and then had the bowl disappear in a puff of smoke. Annin walked over to Goku and smiled. "Ah yes, you must be Kami's new apprentice. You know, you caused quite a ruckus when Kami went to my grandfather so that your father Bardock could train you. Letting spirits back in their physical form, especially spirits sentenced to hell, isn't exactly an easy thing. But, I suppose the threat that Piccolo presented to this planet was a reasonable reason."

Goku clapped his hands together and politely bowed to Annin. "It's nice to hear this Annin. However, I was wondering if I could see Chi-Chi. I'm sure you've got a lot of duties to take care of as the guardian and I don't want to waste your time."

To Goku's surprise, Annin smirked and then waved her finger like she was disciplining a child. "Oh no Goku, I have plenty of time seeing as the furnace won't need another tune-up for several months. However, the real question is whether or not I should waste my time letting you see Chi-Chi. You may have Kami's blessing, but that just let you pass Mout Five Element's defenses. In here, I'm the one who decides who can and cannot see a spirit. Usually, I let anyone who's made it this far to see the person that they wish to see since they've proven themselves getting here."

"But you're not getting an easy pass Goku. You were able to meet with your grandfather thanks to the old Fortuneteller. You got over six months with your father who died when you were a baby. You got a second chance to be with your friend Chi-Chi when she was revived with the dragonballs. Let's not forget your friends who died three years ago at King Piccolo's hands who you hung out with at the Tenkaichi Budokai. Most mortals are lucky to have a brief encounter with a departed love one in a vision and you've gotten more than three chances to meet with someone dear to you after their life ended. Why should I grant you yet another chance?"

Author's Note: Annin and the Furnace of Eight Divisions are canon people and places. True, they're secondary canon as they only appear in the anime filler of Dragonball.

Power Corner- Thanks to Bulma's custom scouter, all of the fighters were able to have their power levels recorded during their matches.

Goku: (starting the match) 945 (full power) 6,300 (as weakened Oozaru) 31,000

Korin: 651

Piccolo: (suppressing his power) 800 (using 20%) 1,200 (full power) 6,000