Bulma ran up passed the ushers and made it to the sidelines of the stage thanks to some assistance by Oolong and Puar. She ran up yelling to Yamcha "Your okay right!?" She hugged him fasters than he could response then pulled away and began inspecting herself looking for cuts bruises. He looked quite happy to see that his girlfriend didn't seemed pissed at him anymore.

He flexed a bit"Yeah I'm okay."

Puar flew into his hands crying saying "Yamcha I was so scared."

He waved both of them off with a smile "Don't be. I'm not the one we should be worried about."

Chi-Chi and Krillin both sadly said "Right."

"Well isn't this just the lamest pity party. Glad I wasn't invited to it." Launch was on crutches with bandages virtually all over her. She must have sneezed again as she was blonde. She was in a hospital gown but with some of her clothing over the bandages. She looked in pain, but she had a grin on her face from them seeing her.

They all yelled out at once "Launch!" but Bulma quickly followed asking "Shouldn't you still be in the hospital?"

Launch waved her hand "You sound like those doctors. 'Miss you need a caste and bed rest.' Bah as soon as I faked being blue and they left I got the hell out of there. Glad the walk was short." They all were stunned but with a twinge of acceptance after all they should have expected this from her.

"You look like a mummy." She said with sincerity that nearly made the group fall over.

Launch grinned at her comment "Yeah I guess I do kid. By the way sorry I missed your fights."

Yamcha chuckled "Don't sweat it you were busy. Besides I didn't really like that everyone had to see me get my ass kicked."

Krillin nodding in agreement "Yeah me too."

"Eh it ain't all bad news. Kiddo manage to at least get to the second round."

Krillin with a bead of sweat "Yeah and the guy she had to go up against had like crazy mental powers. I couldn't imagine going up against him."

Chi-Chi with bright eyes "I'm sure you would have done fine." They laughed. Krillin blushed as she patted him on the back.

Bulma guardedly said "Well I suppose you all are going to want lunch then?" There was a cheer from them as she rolled her eyes. "Fine I guess I feed all of you."

They all had a laugh while the Crane students who had been watching along turned to each other.

Kakarrot looked at Tien, he was tense already very mentally prepared to fight Roshi but also very aware of Shen's anger to Chiaotzu. The young man was already giving hints of his displease at all of this.

So Kakarrot decided to strike another blow "Me and my grandpa are going to get some lunch you two want to join?"

He was tense "No I think Master wants to have a word with me and Chiaotzu."

Kakarrot holding back a smile said "Brother you know that you don't always have to do what Master wants? Not that's it's any of my business but Master has put us on the path to become great fighters. Why don't we start acting like great fighter?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just a random thought. I mean sometimes I think we act more like his errand boys then great martial artists." Seed nice and planted in his mind. "Well I see yay." Kakarrot flew off chuckling to himself as he landed in front of the waiting Gero and Green.

Meanwhile Tien looked as though a bomb had been dropped in his skull. Tien had always prided himself on hid loyalty to the old crane master but now his thoughts had turned. More and more angry thoughts were coming to his head about his master. All of the beating were now coming to the forefront of his mind and the insults.

Shen appeared before the group of Tien and Chiaotzu. Shen looked absolutely pissed as he stated daggers at Chiaotzu who was nervously coming closer to Tien. Shen hands came and grabbed hold of Chiaotzu pulling towards him. Instinctively Tien hands moved to stop him, but his hands stopped the moment he remembered who he trying to stop.

Shen then took out a whip from his robes and began to strike Chiaotzu over and over again with it, as Tien watched. Chiaotzu meanwhile crying out in pain.

Shen was yelling "This is what happens when you lose! You worthless little moron!"

Tien was growing angrier and angrier and he was about ready to kill Shen but was interrupted.

Roshi yelled "ENOUGH SHEN!"

The disguised Roshi had been the last one left around behind the walls of the sidelines around were they were. The Crane Master and students looked, as Tien breathed a sigh of relief at this welcomed intrusion.

Shen angrily spat out "Butt out of this Roshi I don't tell you how to raise your weakling student why should I let you?"

"Because there is a big difference between teaching and abuse which you most certainly crossed and if I report you attacking a fighter you will find you butt on the street."

"Still the tattle tale I see." Shen's grip on Chiaotzu's faded and his whip went back into his robe and he smiled cruelly staring down Roshi.

"Tell me why did you bother getting into this ridiculous costume and fighting in this Tournament anyways?"

"Unlike you Shen I don't like hurting my students, but this is the best way to teach them."

"Teach them what exactly?"

"Teach them that there is always more to stride for always more to learn. I wanted to give them a challenge that they couldn't beat so that they would believe there was always someone stronger out there."

Shen evilly giggling "So let me get this straight to have them compete in a Tournament that you don't want them to win with the only one capable of stopping them being yourself. To teach them a lesson on how weak they are, to keep them training?"

"It's not like you say but… sort of."

"That is so dumb on so many levels I can't even articulate. The point of this Tournament is to prove who is the strongest, and yet you don't even care about that do you."

"Nope."

"You are so painfully shortsighted. You aren't even planning to throw it in their faces that you were stronger than them, were you?"

Roshi shook his head 'no'.

"I think you missed the point a bit of all of this. Students are just a way to continue your teachings. Power is an end unto itself. This is a place where you can flaunt that power and show that you are better than everyone else."

"No Shen you miss the point." (His eyes came to Tien). "I'm surprise young man that you became such a good fighter under such a lousy teacher." He turned and walked away as Shen was fuming and going back into full rage mode.

Tien meanwhile seemed a bit stunned his master's rival had just gave him a compliment with no hint of sarcasm like Shen liked to do.

Shen in a far more quiet rage said to the non-attentive Tien "You are going to kill him."

Tien looking back at Shen in a sort of double take "What?"

"You heard me. This Tournament means nothing. Kakarrot will win his match anyways and will be declared champion. I have had enough of Roshi. It's time to end it. Kill him and take the disqualification. The police won't arrest you and even if they tried, they couldn't hold you. Tao has been a killer for hundreds of years and no one can stop him."

Tien hesitatingly bowed and said, "It will be done Master."

"See that it is." Shen begins to walk away but turns his head back towards Tien and says to him. "Oh and next time I give an order don't hesitate or else."

Tien went over to look at the cut up and bleeding Chiaotzu on the ground as Tien began to think deeply to himself about what the hell he was doing right now.

Bill was sitting at a café looking at the Ribbon detail around Green, Gero and Kakarrot. Kakarrot was doing his usually thing of eating consuming a virtually unbelievably amount of food while others looked on in horror and curiosity.

Bill had remembered in the academy that they would talk about a monkey tail monster that ate POWs. It had been a rumor but clearly rumors were now becoming more fact than fantasy and somehow, he knew that the boy knew that they were here. This had been a through the looking glass kind of mission. That just kept getting weird, but one thing was clear. The boy was far more then he appeared.

Frank sat down having been talking on his phone to command. Frank looked nervous for the first time since he began working with him.

"Well Sir?"

"They're watching but not totally convinced. I'm sure they will be but will it really matter in the end?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. They have a flying monkey that can blow up tanks without a gun. How in the hell to you counter that?"

"I don't know sir. It's not my department but I mean that's why they have that place where they have all that alien tech. I'm sure they have some sort magic bullet there."

"There's a reason we don't use that crap because we don't know how to use all of it safely."

Bill looking back at the eating Kakarrot while still talking to Frank "This all does bring up some interesting questions."

"Like what exactly?"

"Do you remember the storys about Piccolo?"

"That old horror story?"

"Is it? The things described sure as shit sir match the kid sort of."

"No really he's supposed to be a ten foot tall green giant that spits demon from his mouth?"

"Your right sir but the powers the yellow glowey energy. The fact he could destroy whole armies with his finger."

"Look kid the Great Collapse was not caused by some mystical green monster from like three hundred years ago."

"I'm not so sure sir. Aliens are thing, I mean there's a whole warehouse worth of proof of that and even humans can do those things."

Frank now irritated "You're talking about ancient demons and myths when we have actual alien in the hands of the enemy right now."

"I know it sir. It's not relevant now. I'm just saying that maybe this had happened before and is going to happen again."

"Well right now let's stay focused on the problem at hand now."

While the two UNIT agents discussed things amongst themselves across the way as Kakarrot finished up.

Green smiled and asked, "So you enjoyed your fight kid?"

"Eh he wasn't really a challenge and I was a little distracted."

Green sarcastically "Something distracted you? Color me shocked."

"Very funny. No, I've gotten a lot better about that sort of thing."

The good doctor inquisitively asked "So, what do you think of the next match?"

"Jackie Chun (Roshi) has the edge, Tien is conflicted. Roshi has like hundreds of years of knowledge and is good about getting in your head which is Tien's weakness. I know from experience."

"Now there is my adorable little psychopath. If this whole fighting thing doesn't work out, I could always use you as an intelligence agent."

"I plan to be a little more than that Uncle General."

"I figured. Just remember who your friends are went you get to the top."

"I plan to uncle."

Gero angrily asked Green on something that had been irritating him since become he had got here "Why is Red cutting my budget?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Your management Green."

"Oh, I suppose I am. I don't know he got some crazy idea in his head about magical balls or something. He's spending a ton on this locator thing."

"I know that. He's making me the build the stupid thing."

Green in a smile and a whispers "Well the man might have lost his marbles because he seems to have the idea is that if he gets seven of these magic balls, he will get a wish."

Both Gero and Kakarrot started roaring in laughter.

"You have got to be kidding me?"

Green shrugged "I'm a comedian not a fantasy novelist. The man might be off his ever-loving rocker. Me and some of the other generals nearly lost are shit when he gave us our orders. Whatever meds that he's on ought to be doubled. I mean we're supposed to be getting ready for a show down with the Royal army and the UNIT not this shit. He's deploying a tons of troops and blowing a year's budget on this crap."

Kakarrot dead serious "Maybe it's time for new leadership." Both Green and Gero then got real quiet.

"Son you can't say those kind of things…"

Green interupted "Well I'd never say anything against the man, but I suppose there has been grumblings."

"Who pray tell?"

"Maybe a man sitting across from you."

"You would really?"

"I'm not one for the big chair but hell you might be a little Alexander the Great conquering the world before he was thirty. Better yet he couldn't rip tanks apart with his bare hands. Blue is a toady. White's a drunk. Brown gets knocked over by a gust of wind. Copper is the only real other choice and we're not really friendly but you know it's just a random thought."

Kakarrot and Green smiled at each while Gero seemed a little nervous about all of this. Kakarrot noticed this and said "Stop worrying Grandpa. We're just talking hypotheticals. Besides aren't you the one always saying how important and godlike I am?"

"Yes, son but this is all a little too soon?"

"Not if it's hypothetical grandpa."

The Turtle school came walking by the Ribbons as Kakarrot locked eyes with Krillin who gave him a dirty look. Kakarrot smiled back and as his focused changed as he locked onto Chi-Chi's eyes. The two stared at one another and she blushed as the Turtle group passed them by as Chi-Chi rejoined the conversation at hand.

Bulma looking around "I just don't get it. Where is that lecherous old man? I mean I looked he wasn't in the crowd. He came all this way and doesn't even want to watch his own students fight?"

Oolong picking his snout "Seems strange but the old man does tend to get around."

"I've been thinking about that. You know that Jackie Chun you know seems familiar."

Puar questioned "What are you saying Yamcha?"

"I don't know but I think there is something going on."

Nervously and hurriedly Roshi in his typical getup comes rushing over to them his ears no doubt burning and him sneezing.

Bulma and Launch both look angrily and suspiciously at him.

Bulma angrily asked "Where have you been exactly?"

Roshi stammering out a response "O nowhere in particular but I saw your fights. You all did great."

Krillin and Yamcha both looked sad at that comment.

"No, I mean it. Yamcha you went up against Jackie Chun one of the foremost Martial Artist on Earth and held you own for a time. Krillin you went up against a very powerful alien and lived to tell the tail. (Pun intended.) Launch you managed to survive against Shen's star pupil and somehow are still walking… when you should really be in the hospital right now come to think of it. And Chi-Chi you went up against an opponent that you couldn't have trained for, with radical power and yet you managed to win."

"Yeah I suppose master but I would like to have had made it to at least the second round."

"Don't worry man I'm sure you will do better next time."

"Hey wait a second! You still haven't answered our question. Where were you?"

He was stammering again "Well I aw…"

"Spill it old man! You were doing something disgusting like hanging around the bathroom or the dressing room hoping to get a peek weren't you?"

Roshi taking advantage, lowered his head "Well you caught me."

Launch angrily shouted at first "I should give you a good beating right now… but for various reasons I can't right now. So Bulma would you kindly?"

Bulma nodded and very politely said back "Of course what are friends for." Bulma smacked Roshi on the face as hard as she could.

Roshi of course as always pretended it hurt. The group had a nice laugh as they walked away except for Chi-Chi who had stayed behind.

Chi-Chi looked to find Kakarrot with his tail signaling her into a far more secluded way. He had given Grandpa Gero and Uncle Green the slip. She ran over following him to an ice cream stand out of any of their friends or family visual range.

Kakarrot had in his hand some money he had no doubt stolen from someone pocket. She came up to him. Gave him a kiss and he asked her "Want some ice cream?"

"Sure but where'd you get the money?"

"Grandpa gave it to me." He said most likely lying.

The wad of cash had bought them the biggest soft serve with all the fixings for Kakarrot and Chi-Chi a small vanilla cone with nothing on it.

"I can't believe you didn't want more I had plenty of money."

"Well I kind of just ate."

"So what?" He asked as in mere moments after he ate the ice cream cone and all.

Chi-Chi seemed shocked "Doesn't that hurt with the brain freeze and all?"

"Maybe but I wanted to do it so I did."

"By the way did you say something mean to Krillin?"

"Hmn?"

"Well it was just that Krillin seemed to think you were not being very kind to him."

Kakarrot not skipping a beat "You saw me try to help him out. I said some light trash talk but you know I was what I was taught to do. If you want me to, I'll apologize to him?"

"No, I just wanted to know why he was a little angry."

"What can I say? I guess he's got thin skin."

Chi-Chi giggled "Yeah I guess you're right." Then she got more serious. "So how about our fight?"

Kakarrot smiled "I want you to pull no punches. I want you to treat me like the confused me from a year ago that you gave a good thrashing to. If I'm going to have a fight with you, I want a proper rematch." She nodded in agreement. "Good."

Over the intercom system was the voice of the Announcer piping in "Will all the remaining contestants come back to the stage." As this was being said Kakarrot looked into the air and smiled. He looked passed the speaker and could see a low hanging moon in the sky.

It was the one aspect of himself he had yet to fully master, but it was comforting to know it was coming if he needed it. The flux waves wouldn't come until the atmosphere calmed around twilight probably when he faced Roshi. It would seem luck and chance were on his side after all.

In his time with Shen he had nearly lost track of the calendar almost costing Yurin her life. A good thing he had checked but this was a double-sided blade. He didn't want to kill them all at least not, yet which was hard to do in that form. He would just have to be careful he thought.

Kakarrot to Chi-Chi "Well it looks like we are begin summoned."

The two were careful to go back separately and as they did the audience started t stream back to their seats. Chiaotzu was forced to sit next to Shen but the Turtles took their places in the sidelines. Bulma and the others were looking for Roshi as Jackie Chun arrived.

"Welcome back everyone in a few short minutes the next match of the world Tournament will begin and I'm sure it is going to be one magnificent fight so don't touch that remote."