A/N: Okay, guys, I realize I kinda goofed a little as far as the timing of these Otherworld Tournaments, but since in the canon they started an Otherworld Tournament to celebrate King Kai's death, which didn't happen in this story, I can just say that, either they would normally have had one and had it a bit early in canon to coincide with King Kai biting it, or that Supreme Kai arranged it all behind the scenes, and lied to Goten about how often they were done. Either way, it doesn't really matter to the story, and won't be addressed later.

All of you who are wondering about Beerus, I promise an Easter Egg scene (no, that's not a rabbit joke), but no, he won't be playing a major part in this story. Once you see what Gohan ends up doing, you will probably see why. If it bugs you, though, I will address it in the story.

Almost There

Kai Goten was enjoying himself immensely. He met another fighter from Earth, Olibu, who had apparently lived on Earth thousands of years before Goten was even born! He didn't have much time to talk with the other fighters, however, as he and Kibito had apparently arrived shortly before the match-up.

Goten's first opponent was a being named Chapuchai, from the East quadrant. He was short, very short, with a black mustache and beard. Goten wasn't sure what to expect. In no time, the gong was rung, and suddenly Goten was getting hit from all over. Chapuchai seemed to be 7 people, or at least, he moved so fast that he looked like 7 people. Goten barely had time to think, no matter how quickly he blocked, it just didn't seem fast enough.

He was in trouble, but he wasn't going to give up. Chapuchai was fast, but his hits and kicks weren't that strong. Goten closed his eyes, allowing himself to be hit, and focused on the truth…

Suddenly, his hand shot out, and grabbed Chapuchai's beard, the real one, and swung him down to the ground, his head hitting the hard stone of the arena.

All around him, six other versions of Chapuchai suddenly collapsed and disappeared. The real Chapuchai was out cold.

"Kai Goten wins!" the mushroom-headed announcer exclaimed, and Kai Goten bowed and left the arena.

"Well done," Kai Kibito said, as Goten went to stand next to him.

Goten smiled up at him. "Thanks, Master Kibito, but I couldn't match his speed, even if I tried!" he said, still feeling the little guy's punches and kicks.

Kai Kibito grunted. "And so, you didn't try," he said, glancing at the boy. "You found another way, using what you could do. You fought him like a Kai, focusing on the truth. That was your true victory," he said sagely.

Goten absorbed his master's words, remembering the moment in question. "I still haven't reached epiphany, but I felt close," he said softly.

Kibito nodded, a small smile on his face.

Just then, the announcer called Olibu and Tapkar to the arena. Goten smiled. "Olibu is from Earth," he said, hoping the human warrior would be able to win.

Kibito raised an eyebrow at him. "You're picking favorites based on where you're from," he chided the boy. "As a Kai, you must be above such things."

Goten grinned. "Yeah, I know. The Kai belong to the universe, they are from every part of it," he said. "But I'm still human for a little while, so while I'm human, can't I root for the guys from Earth?" he asked.

Kibito cast him a sideways glance. "You may very well be facing up against those fighters from Earth," he warned his student.

"I know!" Goten said, his grin widening. "I can't wait!"

The battle between Olibu and Tapkar had been less than entertaining. Tapkar had been fast, but had made the mistake of wearing himself down too quickly. Olibu had been able to knock him out of the ring with ease. Goten was certain the small, fast fighter had been close to giving up even before Olibu had hit him.

The next match had been between Goku and Caterpy. Caterpy was a large creature with over a dozen hands, but Goten didn't think his size would really help him in the fight. However, he was soon proven wrong when Goku was quickly grabbed, his hands and feet completely immobilized by the larger fighter. Goten frowned, mentally cheering Goku on.

And then… Caterpy began to tickle Goku. The Earth fighter began to laugh uncontrollably, and Goten found himself laughing, too, despite the fact that Goku looked like he was losing. He shared a look with Kibito, and the older Kai cracked one of his rare smiles, making Goten laugh all the harder.

"Give up! Say you give up!" Caterpy was taunting Goku.

And time seemed to slow down for Goten…

And Goku scowled, despite his laughter…

"I… won't… give… up!" Goku laughed…

And powered up…

And Caterpy was flung up into the sky…

"Hey! Hey, kid, you okay?" a voice floated to him.

Suddenly, sound came back to Goten, surprising him, as he hadn't realized everything had gone so quiet. And time was back to normal, and Kibito was looking down at him, concerned. He glanced at whoever it was who was speaking to him – it was one of the other Kai, North Kai, it seemed. He blinked, swallowing. "Yeah… yeah, I'm fine," he said softly, feeling a little nauseous. "I just… I felt…" He looked at the arena to see two other fighters were there now. "I'm missing something important," he said, and turned to look at Goku, who was standing about ten feet away, speaking with Olibu.

Kibito made a sound in his throat. "Almost there," he said gruffly, causing Goten to look at him sharply. He had a feeling he knew what Kibito meant, and swallowed.

His perception was changing, he could feel it…

He was close to an epiphany.