Dragon Ball Z Dynasty

by Feraligreater328

When travelling along Snake Way, Son Goku suddenly finds himself plummeting down to Hell. There, he meets a surprisingly familiar ghost from his past that promises to change everything about his life going forward. How will the Saiyan react to this sudden, positive change in his life? Find out in Dragon Ball Z Dynasty.

163. Chapter 161: Videl vs Spopovich

Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Chapter 161: Videl vs Spopovich

In the World Tournament ring…

Videl stood across the ring from her towering opponent with a determined look on her face. This was it; the first match on her road to winning her father's belt. The first step toward Videl fully coming into her own. And Videl was not afraid in the slightest. Spopovich was big, but she had beaten bigger. And that stupid "M" tattoo pasted onto his forehead only made him less intimidating in her eyes. Videl had beaten an entire building full of scumbags like him not too long ago. This was going to be an easy win.

On his side of the ring, Spopovich seethed as he glared down at Videl. This little rabbit had her father's eyes. Her father's hair. Spopovich shivered in anticipation at the thought of snapping his jaws around her neck.

Videl snorted. "Lighten up, why don't you? There are kids watching~"

Spopovich growled like a rabid wolf, gripping his fists so hard that his knuckles crackled. Videl frowned. 'This guy is out for blood. Guess he's still pissed about losing to Dad. Then again, I'm still pretty pissed with him what did toDyadya Pirozhki. Gotta throw him off his game right away…'

Vale raised his hand into the air. "LET THE THIRD MATCH OF THE WORLD MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT BEGIN!"

Videl shot forward like a bolt of lightning, spearing her heel into Spopovich's gut and sending him skidding back to the edge of the ring. The backward slide continued until the backs of Spopovich's heels hung over the edge of the stage, casting shadows on the grass. He looked dumbfounded. If there was just a bit more strength behind that kick, he would have lost... again.

Videl landed with a smirk and motioned for Spopovich to come at her. Spopovich's vision went red. With a hideous, beastly snarl, he plowed back towards Videl like a charging rhinoceros.

In the crowd…

Erasa and Sharpner were all nerves as they watched the action play out in front of them. Videl seemed to be handling herself quite well as the match really got under way, dodging and ducking Spopovich's clumsy hits while going in for quick damage of her own. It would normally seem impossible for someone so much smaller to outdo such a large opponent, but Videl had a great deal of practice in the area. She flipped and threw Spopovich around with a casual air and a ferocious grace.

Still, Erasa looked over at the rest of their fellow spectators, Gohan's family, and saw that quite a few of them were watching this match with what could be no less described than apprehension. Sharpner was calming, even starting to cheer, but Erasa remained quiet. She clasped her hands in front of her face and began to mumble prayers under her breath. "Please, Videl, please take care of yourself..."

In the fighters' waiting area…

Watching the fight in the ring with what could only be described as ennui, the two halves of Mighty Mask were hoping it would be over soon. No offense to Gohan's girlfriend, talented as she was, but she was easily the piss-break match between Vegeta vs Piccolo and 17 vs Tien. And Trunks was all too willing to take the scornful terminology literally. He whispered down to his lower half. "Ranch, I have to pee..."

Ranch whisper-shouted back up to him. "Are you freaking kidding me?! I have to walk you to the bathroom now?!"

Trunks snapped back in whispers. "Well, we don't really have that many options, now do we?!"

With a quiet grumble, Mighty Mask stumbled away, only plowing into two or three things before making their way out the door. Not that any of the Z-Fighters noticed or cared in the slightest. They all had their attention focused on the match. Piccolo and Tien were both apprehensive. Piccolo growled. "Something isn't right here..."

Tien nodded. "I can't quite place my finger on it..."

Goku smiled, trying to stay positive. "Come on, guys. Don't be downers. She's just starting to warm up~"

Gohan smiled as well. "Y-Yeah!"

But, in his heart, the boy knew that he agreed more with Piccolo and Tien. Something was wrong here. Very wrong. But he couldn't quite gel in his mind what it was. Just a feeling, a rancid feeling like the moment before a natural disaster strikes. Gohan swallowed a lump in his throat. "Be careful, Videl..."

In the background, Shin watched Spopovich with a razor-sharp glare.

Back in the tournament ring…

Spopovich roared like a rabid beast as he charged at Videl once more. The girl scoffed, rolling her eyes and leaping up. She planted her foot directly into the bridge of Spopovich's nose, sending him stumbling back once more. Then Videl charged in and followed up with a barrage of sharp punches right to her opponent's gut. Spopovich buckled and Videl shot up, ending her combo with a furious uppercut to the jaw.

Spopovich fell onto his back and Videl smiled.

He quickly bounced back to his feet and she scowled.

Spopovich ran forward, swiping his massive paw of a hand and trying to grab Videl by the arm. But, once more, the girl was too fast for him, reaching out and seizing his wrist instead, pulling him forward and springing up, planting both of her feet into his cheeks and sending him skidding back.

Videl landed on her feet, smoothly ducking a punch before she even really saw it coming. She weaved through another one of Spopovich's sloppy assaults and quickly tripped him with a sweeping kick. As Spopovich fell back, Videl did a front flip and landed right on Spopovich's face, slamming the back of his head into the ring. Videl leapt off her foe and did a picture-perfect three-point landing, smiling and glaring across the ring at him. "Let's see you stand up from that one, lummox."

Spopovich happily obliged, standing up with two streamers of blood pouring from his nostrils. He quickly snot-rocketed both of those away and dragged his hand over his face, virtually unfazed by the hellacious beating he had sustained thus far. Videl gasped, then clenched her teeth. "Are you freaking kidding me?!"

The brute was clearly damaged, his face, chest, arms, and legs being covered in bruises, scratches, and scuffs. And yet he was standing there as if nothing had happened in the slightest. For the briefest of moments, Videl was unnerved. Then, a vein bulged from her forehead, and she charged her foe again. The two fighters exchanged blows back-and-forth, all of Spopovich's missing wildly and all of Videl's hitting their marks with pure precision.

The hulking goon attempted a savage haymaker, but Videl quickly caught it and used all the momentum behind his attack to send him flying over her shoulder. Spopovich bounced and Videl moved to start a follow-up attack. But then, faster than her eye could follow, Spopovich's hand shot out and wrapped around Videl's ankle. With an unnerving amount of strength, the brute sent Videl careening through the air, all the way to the other side of the ring.

Videl landed on her palms, flipping back to her feet and scowling. "That was a lot of speed out of nowhere..."

She gripped her fists tight. "What the hell is going on? I've seen my fair share of people enduring punishment, but he's too damned unaffected by it. It's like I'm smacking around a heavy bag..."

Spopovich stood, cracking his neck. And then, with a malefic grin, he bounded across the ring in three mighty leaps, clearing the distance between himself and Videl in seconds. Videl gasped as her massive opponent was suddenly right on top of her. Spopovich raised his fist into the air and brought it down like a falling anvil. Videl quickly leapt out of the way, circling behind her opponent as his fist sank through the stone tile. She began to charge in, but Spopovich quickly twisted at the waist, almost as if he were made of rubber, grabbing Videl by the shoulder and flinging her toward the edge of the ring.

Videl gasped, but quickly regained her senses. "Damn you!"

She thrust her feet down, making contact with the edge of the ring and then shifted her weight forward, almost defying physics as she reversed her flying momentum and rocketed herself back into the ring, sliding between Spopovich's legs and getting behind him once more. Spopovich turned with a scowl in time to meet another harsh flurry of punches and kicks from the now livid Videl. She hammered her fists into Spopovich's gut before falling into a spin and belting him across the face with her foot.

Videl landed on the ground and skidded back, glaring with purpose and observing the results of her latest round of punishment. Spopovich stood there, still as a statue. Blood poured from his busted lips at several points and Videl cringed. "P-Purple...?"

Spopovich smiled, his split lips and teeth stained a sinister violet. He began to cackle under his breath.

Videl stood up straight, quickly trying to catch her breath. She watched as Spopovich swiped his hand across his mouth, licking the violet splatter from his palm like a dog and savoring the taste. She shuddered. "Damned freak..."

Spopovich looked at her, cackling just a little bit louder. "Yeah~"

Videl's eyes went wide. "Huh?"

And then... suddenly there was a knee in her stomach. That knee, of course on the end of Spopovich's extended leg, plowed into her like a compact car, making her eyes bulge and sending her flying with a solid crack. Videl felt all the air leave her lungs and felt something warm, thick, and metallic chasing it up. She quickly swallowed that bag down and landed sturdily on her feet. The daughter of Mr. Satan glared at Spopovich, and then fell to one knee with a hideous wheeze. Videl coughed, a few drops of blood spraying out onto the ring tile.

Immediately, her strategic fighter's brain registered something that wasn't quite apparent to all the laymen onlookers in the crowd. 'That was much stronger than any blow he's attempted in this match thus far. He's been holding back.'

Videl stood, clenching her teeth and fists. Then she shouted at the top of her lungs. "HOW DARE YOU TOY WITH ME, YOU BALD BASTARD?!"

Her inner fire now blazing, and her resolve steeled, Videl charged into the fray once more. Within a manic sneer, Spopovich lifted his foot and went to stomp on his much smaller opponent. As the boot came down, however, Videl smirked. She feinted out of the way at the last second and baseball slid between Spopovich's legs once more. Then, with a slender and practiced grace, Videl wrapped both arms around Spopovich's planted foot, yanking it with all her strength and forcing him into a much unexpected split. For the first time, Spopovich showed a hint of pain on his face, reaching down and gripping his groin. Videl roared with fury and charged in, pulling her leg back for a heavy punt kick that she was going to angle right up to her foe's head.

At the last possible moment, however, Spopovich reached up and caught Videl around the ankle once more. Videl braced herself, expecting a throw. But then, with a sadistic twinkle in his eye, Spopovich began to squeeze and twist. Videl let loose a brief whimper, feeling the bones in her ankle compress and grind.

This son of a bitch was trying to break her foot!

Looking somehow even angrier, Videl responded to this implied cruelty by springing up and kicking Spopovich directly in the nose. The brute's nostrils exploded with purple, but his head only receded a couple of inches back. He smiled and guffawed at the girl. "Haw haw~"

And then he leapt to his feet, swinging Videl up and slamming her down to the ring. This caught Videl quite off guard, and she only just managed to wrap her arms around her head, cringing as her upper and lower jaw clashed together with a tooth-rattling click. Videl quickly opened her mouth and spat out a small sliver of one of her back molars. Her tongue dragged across the damaged tooth, almost cutting itself on the now razor-sharp edge.

Spopovich moved to slam Videl a second time, but Videl knew an emerging pattern when she saw one. She quickly shot her foot forward and slammed it into the thumb joint of Spopovich's arresting grip. His hand involuntarily popped open and Videl shot out a second kick to the brute's face, sending herself a considerable distance back from him.

Videl stood, poking her finger into her mouth and feeling her broken tooth. "Goddammit."

She looked down at her leg, seeing that bluish-purple welts in the shape of Spopovich's fingers were already forming. She glared across the ring at her foe and watched as he, with sickening ease, forced his thumb back into socket. He gripped his fist a few times to make sure everything was in working order, and then he looked at Videl and began that same unnerving cackle once more. Videl frowned and took on a fighting stance. "This guy is a nobody. I can't afford to screw around with him when so many people from Gohan's family are here competing. I need to save something for the second round..."

She nodded. "I have to knock him out in one blow. If not unconscious, then out of the ring."

Spopovich smiled wide, and then he rushed toward Videl like a freight train. Videl nodded, expecting that at this point. Spopovich was fast for someone his size, but that speed didn't seem to include dexterity. The moron was predictable. Videl made a small leap backwards as Spopovich's bowling ball fist smashed into the concrete. This was her moment. She had to put everything into this kick.

Videl sprang off the arena with a valkyrie's scream, drawing her leg back and then shooting it forward with all her might. "LET'S SEE YOU LAUGH THIS OFF!"

Videl's boot collided into Spopovich's jaw, making his left eye bug out. He went flying across the ring, landing in a heap just short of falling out the other side. Videl cursed and went sprinting.

She went charging in. "I won't lose this! I won't! This is my-"

Vale's voice cried out. "VIDEL! NO!"

Videl came to a screeching halt, looking over to Vale and flinching at the ghastly white look of horror on the announcer's face. Taking a moment to breathe, Videl noticed that the crowd had also gone silent. She looked around. "What's... What's going-"

Her eyes went wide as they fell on Spopovich. Immediately, Videl dropped to her knees. "N-No..."

Laying on the ground, his neck bent at an angle that would make an owl blush, Spopovich was lying completely, deadly still. Videl pressed her hand over her mouth. "N-No..."

In the fighter's waiting area…

Gyuhime cried out in horror, falling back onto her mostly exposed butt. "OH MY GOD! SHE KILLED HIM!"

The Z-Fighters all stood shocked, to say the least. As Spopovich laid there, totally motionless. None of the warriors could drum up any words to say. Tien, Piccolo, and the Androids watched on in silent horror. Meanwhile, something analytical was going on behind the eyes of Goku and Vegeta. Something was wrong with this picture that they could place their fingers on.

Gohan's entire body felt numb. He watched as Videl fell to her knees, her hand pressed to her mouth and tears beginning to shimmer in her eyes. Videl began to shake and Gohan began to head out to comfort her. However, he quickly stopped himself. He wasn't sure whether that would be the best thing to do at the moment. "Videl..."

Spike the Devilman sighed. "Even accidentally, such a shame. For such an innocent young lady to have stained her hands with murder..."

In the background, Shin narrowed his eyes as he observed the still body of Spopovich.

Outside the waiting area…

Yamu stood in the shadows, atop the thatched top of a dividing wall. He watched the tragic scene of his partner's death play out with cold disinterest. Kibito, standing a few yards back around the corner of another wall, kept his gaze trained on Yamu with serious intent.

In the crowd…

Erasa screamed in horror at the sight of Spopovich's unmoving corpse. Sharpner cried out in shock. "N-No way! This can't be real! Videl, she... she couldn't... she wouldn't..."

The rest of the spectating Z-Fighters watched in stunned silence at this sudden display of brutality. Trixie covered the eyes of her and Android 17's children, a green look of sick despair on her face. Chiaotzu looked miserable for Videl, but couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Yamcha squeezed his knees. "Damn... that poor girl. And in front of all these people..."

The only ones who seemed unaffected by this morbid turn were Raditz, Gine, Chi-Chi, and Chika. Gine crossed her arms. "Something about this picture isn't right..."

As if someone had just slapped her across the face, Erasa recoiled. She turned to Gohan's grandmother and shouted. "O-Of course it's not right! A man was just killed! And by-"

Gine raised her hand to silence Erasa. "That's not what I meant."

Chika groaned, pressing her hands to the sides of her head. Bulla quickly moved to check on her. "You okay, Chika?"

The daughter of Goku moaned. "My brain feels itchy all of a sudden..."

Chi-Chi stared at Spopovich, feeling a similar sentiment to her daughter. Only Chi-Chi was able to pinpoint a more direct cause. "What the hell...?"

Finally, Raditz spoke. "I've snapped a lot of necks in my life..."

Sharpner cringed. "D-Dude! This is no time for a morbid joke. For real, what's wrong with you?!"

Raditz shook his head. "At the moment, not as much as what's wrong with this picture. When you break someone's neck, there's always a twitch. A spasm. And yet Spopovich is still a sack of dirt. Videl kicked him hard, but she didn't kick him that hard..."

Raditz went silent. And then his eyes went wide. "This is an act..."

Down in the ring, Vale was frantically trying to decide what to do. Videl was slumped over on the ground, dry-heaving and otherwise totally shut off. But Gine wasn't focused on either of them. She watched what little she could see of Spopovich's face, watching on as a twisted look of shock morphed into a sadistic grin.

The Saiyan grandmother was immediately on her feet, cupping her hands around her mouth and crying out. "VIDEL! SPOPOVICH IS FAKING!"

In the tournament ring…

Vale was just getting ready to announce a disqualification when Gine's voice rang out. He stumbled back, looking up into the crowd. "Wh-What?! Who said-"

Videl slowly began to lift her head when, to her pure astonishment, a familiar yellow wrestling boot crashed into her chest and sent her flying back. She landed hard on her back, groaning in agony and holding a now tender spot right between her breasts. She coughed, sputtering for air, and then looked up. Vale yelped out in fear. The two of them, alongside all the spectators, watched as Spopovich's body stood steadily on its feet.

Videl stood up as well, gripping her chest and fighting a roiling feeling in the pit of her stomach. "What the-"

Everyone watched in horror and confusion as Spopovich reached up to his twisted head, tightly gripping his own ears and beginning to slowly twist. And then, with one sickening crack, Spopovich turned his head back the right way, stretching his neck up farther than any human should be capable and setting it back in place.

As such a sickening sight, Videl couldn't hold it anymore. She doubled over and watched as her morning breakfast suddenly appeared between her feet. She gripped both arms around her torso and began to whisper to herself. "What the hell is going on...?"

As Videl trembled in place, Spopovich began to march forward. His cold, hateful eyes and his haunting grin both set themselves upon Videl. He licked his lips and began that same horrid cackle from before. He shamelessly began to crack his "broken" neck back and forth, almost tauntingly at the girl. Videl shuddered. "I..."

Spopovich pulled his foot back for another kick. Videl wiped her mouth with her glove and then glared at her opponent. "I guess I shouldn't pull my punches with you, huh?"

Spopovich flinched at the sudden cold fury in Videl's icy blue eyes. Before he could react, Videl rushed forward and smashed her elbow into Spopovich's stomach with all her strength, smiling as she felt ribs shatter. Spopovich's eyes went wide and he yowled in pain. The brute skidded back and Videl charged forward, leaping into the air and slamming her heel down onto his head, driving him into the ground. Spopovich slowly rose, his manic grin gone. Videl glared at him. "What?! You were in such a good mood a second ago! Yucking it up because you scared the little girl, right?! Had a laugh at my expense, huh?!"

She shot forward and kicked Spopovich in his waiting forearm. He slid back even more and looked down at the massive, boot print-shaped welt on his forearm. Videl looked furious. "I thought you were just a dopehead! All drugged up for your fight today! I've seen shit like that in the past! But, no, you're just some hyper-endurant masochistic freak, right?!"

Spopovich snarled, rushing forward and throwing a punch. Videl quickly sidestepped, gripping Spopovich across the face and driving his head into the ground. "You like misery, Spopovich?! You like pain, huh?! Well, how about I beat you to within an inch of your life, eh?! That oughta fuckin' hurt!"

For just a moment, fear flickered in Spopovich's eyes. Memories of the last tournament flooded into his brain all at once. And then veins spider-webbed across the surface of his bald head. He quickly clapped his hands together, aiming to have Videl's head right between them. She quickly leapt back, taking a furious fighting stance. "You think you can just play with someone's emotions like that?! Come take your medicine, shit-stain!"

Gohan, Erasa, and Sharpner all recognized that tone in Videl's voice, though even they had rarely heard it before. She was angry. Genuinely furious. Coldly livid. She had the same blind rage she fell into on prom night. All three went to speak, but only Erasa could find the words to cry out. "VIDEL! CALM DOWN!"

But it was too late. As Spopovich charged with a primal roar, Videl charged right back. This match was only just ramping up in the eyes of both its furious contestants.

Elsewhere on the tournament grounds…

Ranch was impatiently waiting outside the nearest men's room she was able to half-blindly stumble to, feeling like an idiot standing there in Mighty Mask's oversized boots. Trunks had been gone for nearly 6 minutes now and the half-Saiyan girl was quickly running out of patience. She slammed her fist onto the bathroom door. "DID YOU FALL IN?! HURRY UP!"

On the bright side, at least all the passing tournament staff had been kind to her, waving and respectfully bowing to a recognized Junior Division finalist, though looking more than just a bit confused as to why she was standing there. And Ranch could mentally agree that she looked odd standing next to the men's toilet. She wanted to pull her toque down over her eyes, but found nothing waiting for her when she tried to grab it. Ranch groaned. "Oh, right... Koriocha still has it. I got so distracted talking to Trunks last night I forgot to get it back..."

Ranch sighed and dragged her hand over her face, only to suddenly snap to attention when the door directly across the hallway opened. And, immediately, Ranch understood why everyone was actually looking at her weirdly. Standing there, in the doorway, with a senior monk, was the champ himself.

Mr. Satan stepped out of his dressing room, looking annoyed. "Why the hell didn't you tell me my daughter's match was happening?!"

The monk bowed in apology. "F-Forgive us, Mr. Satan. In the spectacle between Vegeta and Junior, we honestly didn't notice you had left..."

Mr. Satan flinched, looking taken aback. He sighed. "C-Can't a champ take a few minutes to meditate without having to worry about missin' out?! Seriously! I bet my babygirl has already sent that Spopovich turd packin'!"

Stepping out of the room, her cane tapping against the flagstones, Hiki Komori grimaced. "I certainly hope so. The way that thug brutalized poor Pirozhki has me worried..."

Mr. Satan chuckled. "You worry too much, Hiki! Videl'll be fine!"

The champ pointed. "Now, let's-"

He quickly locked his eyes onto Ranch. Ranch scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. "Wh-What are you staring at?!"

Mr. Satan was quiet for a moment, but then he nodded. "Ain't you that other little lady from the Junior Division finals?"

He walked up to her, crouching down to eye level. "I'm sorry I missed ya yesterday. I wanted to talk to ya..."

Ranch roughly shrugged, turning her head away from the champ. "Who cares? It doesn't really matter whether you talk to me or not. I lost."

That comment made both the tournament monk and Hiki frown. They could tell just from the tone that this little girl was desperately trying to mask that her self-confidence was fairly shattered.

Mr. Satan frowned as well. But then, he cleared his throat and spoke in the most fatherly tone he could manage. "Look, kid. One loss ain't what defines a person. Heck, a hundred losses don't define a person. To become a champ, you just gotta keep pushin' and pushin' until the wins come easy. You mighta lost this one..."

Ranch looked over. The champ smiled and shot her a victory sign. "But just know, you always have ol' Mr. Satan rootin' from your corner! I love young up-and-comers~"

For a moment, Ranch was like a deer in headlights. Unsure of what to do next. Eventually, she blushed and looked away again. "Th-Thank you..."

Mr. Satan stood and laughed. "Now, speakin' of up-and-comers, let's get goin' and watch Videl get her first win!"

The champ led the charge, followed by Hiki and the flustered tournament official. Ranch stood there for a while longer, frozen in awkward silence. She swallowed a lump in her throat and slammed her fist against the bathroom door. "DAMMIT, TRUNKS! DON'T MAKE ME COME IN THERE!"

Back in the tournament ring…

With a furious roar, Spopovich shot both of his fists forward, one of them whiffing through Videl's hair but the other cracking her across the jaw. Videl began to spin in the air, but quickly stopped her momentum by hooking her foot behind Spopovich's head. Then, with a quick jerk, she pulled herself in and smashed her knee into the hulking brute's throat. Videl unhooked her foot, taking Spopovich's moment of stunned surprise to take the upper hand. She launched toward him with a furious scream, unleashing a rapid fire stream of kicks into her foe's chest. Putting extra oomph into the final blow, Videl spent Spopovich flying across the ring onto his back.

A thin curtain of sweat was pouring down Videl's forehead. Her joints felt like they were on fire. She was over-exerting herself and she knew it, but this lummox had very much pissed her off. Spopovich sat up, a hideous, vigorous smile frozen on his face as he cackled at Videl. She gripped her fists so tightly her knuckles popped. "You should quit while you're ahead, moron! I'm angry enough that I might break your stupid neck for real this time!"

Vale and all the spectators in attendance looked unnerved, both from Videl's sudden, seething anger and from Spopovich's hateful presence. The thug was smiling, but within his eyes was a dull luster that made it clear he was through playing around.

With an animal snarl all her own, Videl rushed forward and speared her shoulder right into Spopovich, knocking the brute off his feet with the sheer force of it. Handspringing off his torso, Videl followed this up with a spinning ax kick to the face. That drove Spopovich's head through the stone.

Videl snarled under her breath. "Stay down, you prick!"

A massive, meaty palm shot up and slammed into Videl's stomach, pushing her up and off her downed foe. Spopovich stood up, spitting two teeth into the grass outside the ring. He smiled wide, showing his new gaps.

Videl scowled. "Want me to knock out a few more?!"

Spopovich cackled. "Try it!"

And then, with speed even greater than he had displayed before, Spopovich practically vanished from sight. He closed the nearly 20 meters between himself and Videl in the blink of an eye and Videl gasped. "How the hell-"

Spopovich heaved in an excited, hitching breath and grabbed Videl by the ears, holding her tightly in place. Before the girl could react, he shot his knee up at full strength, a feeling that made Videl's skin crawl, and slammed his knee right into her nose. Videl's pupils shrank, feeling bone in her face crumble into bits against something akin to a concrete block. All at once, the girl's face exploded with blood and Spopovich howled like a wild animal. He pulled his massive, tree trunk arm back and tossed Videl with wild abandon, spiking her into the ground and making her bounce like a basketball.

Videl skidded away the ring, leaving a spattering trail of crimson red in her wake, before digging her fingers into the stone and forcing a stop. The daughter of Mr. Satan quickly pushed herself up, adrenaline fueling her and disbelief blocking the receptors in her brain.

She opened her mouth to speak, and a small waterfall of blood splattered to the ground. Videl shakily reached her hand up to her now warped, utterly defunct nose... and then she screamed at the top of her lungs and fell to her knees.

In response to this, for the first time, Spopovich laughed out loud!

In the crowd…

Once again, Erasa screamed in horror. This time, however, she quickly pressed her face into Sharpner's chest, hiding her eyes in the crook of his arm. The baseball jock sat there in disbelief, blinking his eyes once and then twice more in hopes that what he was seeing wasn't real.

The rest of the spectating Z-Fighters were stunned as well, none of the experienced warriors able to quite quantify what was going on. Yamcha summed up the overall confusion best with one quiet outburst. "What the hell was that?!"

In the waiting area…

Gohan was frozen in place, his hands trembling as if frozen over beneath his Saiyaman gloves, watching on as a seeming river of blood ran down Videl's face. The other Z-Fighters were also taken aback, but for quite a different reason all together.

Vegeta crossed his arms with a scowl. "Well, that was a unique sensation. Where the hell did that come from?"

Goku stood there with a dire, serious look casting a shadow across his face. He was studying Spopovich now, really giving the hulking brute a head-to-toe examination. Tien frowned. "His power just shot up out of nowhere. But... what is it?! Something about it feels wrong."

Piccolo snarled. "There is something very wrong with Spopovich."

As the Z-Fighters and Spike watched on, and as Gyuhime cowered away from the action, Shin once again shot an icy glare out to the arena, watching Spopovich with an unfettered intensity.

Back in the ring…

Vale quickly ran into the ring, shouting out Videl's name. "Videl! Videl, are you-"

The announcer stopped short, a hoarse gasp bringing in words to a halt. A shallow pool of her own blood quivered in Videl's shaking hands. And in the middle of that puddle sat an otherwise healthy tooth. Videl was staring at it intently, as if still trying to process what had happened. Her lips curled back into a snarl and Vale recoiled at the sight of a missing canine. As Videl stood, Vale stammered out. "V-Videl! Do you need a medic?! I can have one out right-"

Videl snapped. "Absolutely not!"

Vale flinched. Videl glared down at him, several trickles of blood still dripping from her chin. "Asking for a medic is akin to a forfeit! Don't try to trick me, I know how this works!"

The announcer trembled. "B-But Videl-"

Videl waved him off. "But nothing! No medical aid! No forfeit! I didn't just lose a tooth and have my nose broken just for this bastard to win!"

Videl wiped her busted nose, only briefly cringing at the pain, and spat another mouthful of blood on the floor. She barked at Spopovich as she slowly picked up speed. "YOU HEAR ME, YOU HALF-ASSED CHEAPSHOT ARTIST?! YOU SORE LOSER!"

Spopovich flinched. Videl adopted a cruel, devil-may-care smirk. "Yeah, that's right! I got your number! Does it still sting, Spopovich?! That spot on your glass jaw where my dad kicked you and won?! Huh?! Does it hurt?!"

Videl narrowed her eyes. "Or does it hurt more to admit that you never had a chance playing with the big boys?!"

The brute's eyes went wide. Videl motioned him forward with a petty little wave. "Come on, jackass! Let's see if a high school girl is more your speed!"

And with that, all manner of faux decorum was gone. Spopovich, in a blistering fury, let loose a primal scream of anger and charged at Videl with his fist drawn back. Videl nodded. "Good. Now, if Jackie Chun vs Krillin in the 21st Tournament taught me anything..."

Spopovich was right on top of her. Videl snorted deep, building as much in her throat as she could, and then spat the mother of all bloody loogies right into Spopovich's eyes. The thug snarled in frustration and clawed at his face. Videl wiped her mouth. "Spitting is legal."

And then, without skipping a beat, Videl leapt up and slammed both of her knees into Spopovich's lower jaw. The hulking wrestler went flying back and Videl gave chase, wiping a fresh stream of blood from beneath her now fully purple nose. "Now we're even!"

She slid under him and stomped her foot directly into his lower back, sending him into the air. Videl gave chase one more time and smashed her opponent across the throat with her calf, bringing him crashing down for a devastating guillotine leg drop. Videl knew that such an attack would put an ordinary opponent into the hospital, so she immediately jumped back and waited for Spopovich to stand up.

And, after a noticeably much longer period, stand up he did. Spopovich raked his massive, pale hand across his face and wiped away the last of Videl's blood. His face was a seething mask of pure hatred. Videl took on her best fighting stance and rushed forward. One broken nose was all it took to convince her. She wasn't going to let Spopovich have another devastating blow on her for free.

Spopovich attempted to strike hard with a brutal, hateful fury, but Videl quickly dodged around each slamming punch. The rough side of Spopovich's left fist grazed the side of Videl's face, but she didn't care. Another lumbering punch went shooting by and Videl took her opportunity, jamming her elbow into the crook of Spopovich's shoulder joint and dislocating it with a solid twist.

The dead arm fell to Spopovich's side and his disbelieving face was left wide open for the furious assault of Videl's well trained feet. She delivered five kicks in sequence and then grabbed the strap of Spopovich's singlet, yanking herself up and punching him in the mouth. Spopovich went tumbling back and Videl followed up her shattering punch with an almighty hammerfist, smashing the larger man to the ground with little effort.

Videl landed feet-first into Spopovich's face, springing into the air and falling hard onto the bastard with a piercing elbow drop. Retching, Spopovich reached up with his good arm to seize Videl, but the girl saw it coming. She quickly pushed off his arm with her foot to propel herself away. Flying off Spopovich, Videl thrust her feet to the ground, causing herself to shoot up into the air. Then, just as quickly as she went up, she came back down and smashed both knees into Spopovich's elbow, feeling a satisfying snap as the joint exited the socket and smirking.

Videl sprang back and landed on her feet. She glared down at her opponent. Spopovich laid writhing in the ground, howling in pain at his broken arms. But it seemed as if Videl was the only person who was able to hear those cries over the sound of the crowd chanting her name. She looked around for a moment, scanning for her friends. She eventually landed on the entire group: Gohan's family, plus Sharpner and Erasa.

What she saw, however, made her heart sink. Erasa and Sharpner weren't cheering. Erasa looked shellshocked. Sharpner looked panicked. Videl sighed and turned back to the screaming Spopovich. "Time to give up. You're defenseless. I win. Do us both a favor and flop out of the ring, already. The edge is right there."

Videl motioned to the edge, a scant few feet away from her anguished foe. But then, to her surprise, Spopovich suddenly stopped screaming. The juggernaut stood back up with a psychotic smirk on his face and, with a quick snap to the side, reset both arms back in place. A mask of fatigue draped over Videl's face. "Oh come on..."

Not wasting a moment, Videl rushed in with a mighty haymaker. She swung for the fences but, unfortunately for her, Spopovich saw it coming. He threw up a sturdy guard and Videl's blow lost all its impact. Not one to let something like that stop her, however, Videl quickly grabbed onto the lumbering oaf's arm and pushed herself up, stomping down on Spopovich's skull hard enough to make two jets of purple shoot from his nose. The force of the impact was so great that Spopovich shot to the floor, making the ground spider-web beneath him.

Videl leapt back a few meters and groaned in frustration as Spopovich stood up again. She shook her head and seethed to herself. "I take it back. He must be on some sort of drug..."

She groaned. "Either way, it certainly seems like I'm not gonna be able to knock him out cold. Only option left is to cause a ring out..."

As Videl was talking to herself, Spopovich had already cleared the distance between them once more. He grabbed Videl by the collar of her shirt and pulled his fist back to punch her lights out. Videl tightly gripped the wrist that was gripping her, ducking Spopovich's punch and using the heavy momentum to throw both her opponent and herself to the other side of the ring. As they tumbled, Videl pulled her shirt free from her opponent's grip and made sure she was in the correct position. If she timed this right, then victory was surely hers.

Seeing the edge of the ring rapidly approaching, Spopovich panicked. He lost track of the girl and simply focused on not falling out. The brute managed to get his feet under him and stood up just in time to teeter over the edge. He breathed a sigh of relief, only for a boot to suddenly stomp into the back of his neck.

Videl snarled. "Fall out!"

Videl had managed, in the rolling chaos, to secure a spot on Spopovich's back. Now, she was firmly in the winning position, and he was frighteningly on the backfoot. Quickly, Spopovich tried to retreat from the edge, but Videl stomped again. "Fall!"

Spopovich could feel his balance becoming more and more precarious. Videl stomped again. "Fall, dammit!"

The brute was windmilling his arms, staring in total shock at the grass of defeat. Videl roared and stomped. "FALL! FALL! FALL! FALL! FALL! FALL! FALL! FALL! FALL! FALL!"

And then the balance broke. Spopovich was falling forward, helpless. Videl was riding him down, with a smirk of triumph on her face. She had won. She had-

Spopovich thrusted his hand forward... firing a Kiai at the ground and the recoil sent him and Videl both shooting back into the ring!

Videl landed first, crashing hard onto her ribs and feeling something break. She coughed hard and clutched her torso in pain. She slowly opened her pain hazed eyes and groaned. "Dammit. What-"

She heard Gohan cry out. "Videl, look out!"

Videl jerked her head skyward, gasping at the sole of Spopovich's boot. At the last microsecond, she jerked her head out of the way. The girl breathed a sigh of relief, but it was a sigh too soon as the other boot dropped. It dropped like a steel anvil, right onto Videl's ankle. A sound not unlike a dry stick being snapped in half rang out and, suddenly, Videl found herself screaming in agony as Spopovich grinded his heel on her broken left ankle.

The crowd gasped in horror. All the spectating Z-Fighters recoiled in shock. Erasa screamed bloody murder.

But then, as if enough damage hadn't been done, Spopovich yanked Videl up off the ground by her hair. He held the screaming girl at face level, his face contorting with more and more anger as she continued to wail. A vein bulged on Spopovich's head and he drew his fist back. "SHUT UP!"

The brute's fist crashed into Videl's mouth and everything went silent, from the crowd to Videl herself. Spopovich pulled his fist back and examined his knuckles, finding several white enamel shards buried in his skin. Videl hung there in shock, an additional two teeth shattered from her face. And then her scream evolved into a shriek as a burning haze of pain ignited afresh across her face.

Spopovich laughed out loud at this, the visible pain overwriting any anger he felt for just a moment and replacing it with sadistic cheer. Wanting to keep his good time going, Spopovich let Videl's hair loose and then kicked her really hard in the stomach as she was falling. A sound like a tenderizing hammer slamming too forcefully into a steak rang out and Videl went flying across the ring toward the out of bounds.

Horrified, and not knowing what else to do from the sidelines, Gohan screamed at the tops of his lungs. "VIDEL!"

This call, from the man she loved, was enough to snap Videl back into her senses. Just before she would have crashed into the spectator stand, the girl stopped herself in midair.

The crowd all gasped, everyone once again going silent. Vale cried out. "Wh-What the?! Videl can fly too?!"

Seeing this as her chance to regroup, Videl quickly propelled herself into the air, leaving a very confused Spopovich in the ring below.

In the crowd…

Up in the crowd, Sharpner let loose a great sigh of relief. He watched as his friend rose higher and higher into the air, the sound of the announcer's voice in the ring a mere whisper compared to the thunderdrum beating of his heart. "Hoo... thank God she flew up..."

He turned to Erasa. "Just stay calm, Erasa. Stay upbeat. She's safe now and-"

Sharpner flinched, really taking in the sight of his trembling, petite friend. Erasa's face was pale white. Her hands were shaking and she was quietly sobbing out words under her breath. "... B-Blood... her ankle... n-nose... t-t-teeth..."

All the images of Videl's brutalized state flashed through Erasa's head and, all at once, she threw up between her legs. Erasa continued to vomit and sob and Chi-Chi, Suno, Trixie, and Bulma were all on her in a heartbeat.

Bulma rubbed her back. "There, there, hon'. It's gonna be okay..."

Blonde Launch sadly frowned at Erasa and then glared at Spopovich. "That sonovabitch..."

She looked over at her friends and family, cringing at the serious looks of concern on their faces. They were all focused on the current state of the fight. And their faces were all the commentary Blonde Launch needed to know what the result of this was going to be.

Chika whined, gripping onto her aunt tight. "Auntie Launch. Is...is Videl...?"

Blonde Launch lovingly ruffled Chika's hair. "It'll be okay, Chika..."

She quietly snarled. "Oughta blow that guy's brains out..."

To her left, Blonde Launch heard a scanner chirp and turned to see Android 16's eyes flashing. The towering Android, holding the horrified Muffin, Socks, and Marron tight, gave a forlorn frown to the sky above. "That girl is almost at her limit..."

In the fighters' waiting area…

There was a funneling cloud of confused dread swirling around the Z-Fighters as they watched Videl rise into the air. The group had observed many strange feats from Spopovich, but none of them had expected ki. Not even enough to unconsciously produce a Kiai. 18 scowled. "He has to be modified in some way. That's the only way a talentless goon like him could do that..."

17 nodded in agreement. "What other explanation could there be? But, who'd be out there to make another Android?"

Piccolo shook his head. "There are other paths. I personally suspect that some devilry is afoot."

Vegeta and Goku watched Spopovich with keen, silent interest. Spike the Devilman scowled. "I ought to run that brute through with my trident. This isn't martial arts. He's torturing her for fun."

Goku spoke up. "I agree."

Everyone turned to him. Goku looked over to his son. "Gohan. You need to tell her to quit. Right now."

There was a collective flinch. This was a first. Since when did Goku think that forfeiting a match was the answer?! And yet, the stony serious look on the Saiyan from Earth's face said it all. Goku frowned, looking more serious than he had since the fight with Cell. "She can't win, Gohan. She might be safe up in the air, but that's only promoting a stalemate. She's nearly crippled. If she comes back down into the ring as is, Spopovich is going to kill her."

Gohan started. "But, Dad-"

Goku cut him off. "Kill her, Gohan. Or... he'll try. And then the tournament is over and everything that she's been training and fighting for will have a permanent black mark."

The disguised teen looked down at his father's tightly gripped fist. Then he looked down at his own. His father was right, Spopovich would certainly try to kill Videl. And then things would spiral out of control very fast. Slowly and silently, Gohan nodded. And then he sprinted out of the waiting area.

In the air…

Videl knew just how badly things were going for her. Despite her reckless nature, she was no idiot. Her ankle was throbbing with her heartbeat. Her face was a burning wall of wet, sticky pain. She felt sick, with nausea and fever competing for dominance in the spell that spiraled around her head. She attempted a deep breath, only to shudder in some of the worst pain of her life. This wasn't like Prom Night where what she thought to be broken ribs were just bruised... there was something stabbing through something inside of her. She let her attempted breath hiss out and it was followed by a ghastly, wet cough.

Videl groaned, her vision doubling and tripling. "Oh shit..."

Immediately, she knew that she was never going to fully recover from this. Videl closed her eyes and attempted to gather her thoughts. "Wh-What do I do now...?"

And then, a familiar voice called out from the ground below.

Back in the vicinity of the ring…

Vale and Spopovich both turned toward the sound of Saiyaman's voice. The so-called superhero was pleading into the sky, calling out a single name. "VIDEL!"

Despite how far up she was in the air, the announcer, the brute, and the crowd could all see that Saiyaman had grabbed her attention. What Saiyaman shouted next was enough to whip the onlooking masses into a frenzy. "VIDEL! YOU HAVE TO FORFEIT! THAT'S ENOUGH! JUST QUIT ALREADY!"

Immediately, the crowd began to boo. Who the hell did this moron think he was?! How dare he order the great Mr. Satan's daughter to just throw in the towel? Saiyaman ignored them. Their jeers meant nothing. He looked at Videl pleadingly, hoping that the mask of disbelief on her face would shift to understanding.

Unfortunately, the girl's face turned the exact opposite way, blistering into rage. She shouted down. "QUIT?! IN MY DEBUT MATCH IN THE ADULT DIVISION?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

Saiyaman didn't give an inch, his hands trembling as he stared up at the love of his life. Videl spat. "HOW COULD YOU EVEN ASK-"

Another voice called out, one just as familiar to Videl. "WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN FOR ONCE?! PLEASE?!"

She looked down into the stands, seeing that Erasa had stood up. Tears were pouring down the blonde's face. She looked just as miserable as she had on prom night. Erasa sobbed out. "Please, Videl! Just throw the match! Please! Look at yourself! It's Prom Night all over again! This is too much! Please! Just! Stop!"

It didn't take one more second for Videl to come to her senses. She groaned and closed her eyes. "D-Damn it..."

And then, to the relief of Saiyaman, Erasa, and Vale, Videl began to slowly descend toward the waiting grass outside of the ring.

And then, to their collective horror, Spopovich smiled wide and began to speedily rise into the air.

Back in the air…

Gohan's voice cried out in shrill panic and Videl opened her eyes. "I'm coming, dammit! I-"

The world screeched to a halt. Videl stared in cold, mortal fear as Spopovich lunged right at her. The hateful gleam in his eyes was flickering like the overstocked fires of Hell. His teeth were clenched into a hideous grimace of murderous delight. His massive fist was curled tightly into a concrete ball of pain.

Videl could barely gasp out. "What the hell...?"

And then, on instinct and nothing more, she raised her arms up in a quick and sloppy defense. Spopovich's fist smashed into Videl's forearms and she went flying back 10 meters before willing herself to stop. The girl lowered her arms, feeling the flesh, the muscle, and the bone buzz with terrific pain before falling half numb. She groaned. "Y-You can fly?!"

Spopovich cackled, pointing to the mark on his forehead. "My master made me strong."

Videl was breathing hard. "Master Babidi again, huh? You cult freaks sure found a dangerous guy to work under, huh?"

Spopovich answered with an animalistic scream, lunging at Videl with all his weight and bulk propelled by his newly revealed powers of flight.

Faster than Videl could react, the massive foe wrapped his equally massive hand around Videl's throat, squeezing until no air could pass. As Videl fumbled desperately, still completely baffled by this oafish fool's newfound skills, she knew what she had to do. If Spopovich was operating on a higher level, then so should she.

She unleashed a series of three heavy Kiais directly into the hulking lunatic's ugly face, freeing her from his grasp and knocking him away. Videl gasped desperately for air, each breath feeling like she was inhaling fire. As she tried to speak, a deeper pain emerged, but no sound. Spopovich has damaged her windpipe. But, why?

The realization hit Videl like a truck as her inner monologue screamed in her head. 'Because he doesn't want me to call out a forfeit!'

Knowing she only had one other open, she continued her barrage of Kiais. A visible dent smashed all Spopovich's features inward and sent him careening back. Videl immediately started to retreat the other way. And then, not planning on letting up, she fired off a dozen more shockwaves.

Spopovich howled as Videl strafed him like a fighter jet, twisting around the brute in a trail she was making up as she was going along and hammering him like her life depended on it. And, at this point, both fighters were well aware that it did. As she was overwhelming him, the resigned look on Videl's face vanished and she smiled triumphantly. Clearly, Spopovitch was even newer than her to flying.

On the ground…

Gohan watched on in horror as Videl started to fight afresh. He was genuinely baffled, unable to process for the briefest of moments just what could be going through Videl's head to continue the match as injured as she was. But then, he remembered whom he was watching and that made him freeze up even more. He hoarsely moaned out. "Videl... you've gotta stop..."

Luckily, another voice called out to the landlocked hero. "SAIYAMAN! GO STOP HER!"

Gohan's head jerked over and he looked into the crowd, seeing a frantic Erasa standing there and staring at him. The two locked eyes and, after some form of unconscious telepathy between the two, Gohan nodded. He immediately rose into the air, willing to disqualify Videl and potentially himself if it meant saving her life.

Gohan took off with force...

... only to crash into something 10-feet in the air. He recoiled off the invisible object, bouncing off the ground and sliding back into the fighter's waiting area. Erasa gasped. Chiaotzu called out. "What the hell?!"

In the fighter's waiting area…

Gohan and Vegeta both shouted in unison. "What the hell?!"

Immediately, both Androids activated their scanners. 17 and 18's eyes flashed and chirped for nearly thirty seconds. And then 17 answered the question. "We're trapped."

Everyone turned to the Androids. 18 clarified. "Somehow, someway... we've all become locked inside of a barrier."

The others turned to watch as Gohan sprang to his feet. The boy sprinted face first into an invisible wall, stumbled back, and then ran in again and started pounding on it with his fists. Piccolo snarled furiously and fired a Finger Beam at the wall, watching it harmlessly dissipate.

Goku pressed his fingers to his forehead, but found himself unable to spread his Instant Transmission range beyond any of the temple exits. Stepping forward, next to his frantic son, Goku looked up into the sky and watched Videl continue her fruitless endeavor. "Come on, Videl. You have to realize your limits before it's too late..."

As the Z-Fighters and Spike went back to watching the fight, and as Gyuhime continued to cower, Shin stood still as a statue in the background, his eyes giving a subtle, piercing glow.

Up in the air…

Even as she carried out her strafing plan, Videl knew deep down that it just wasn't sustainable. She wasn't hurting Spopovich in the slightest, she was just jailing him in place. She wasn't marching to victory, she was trying to route a volcano. Once more, to her displeasure, the girl was forced to swallow her pride. She had to time it right. She knew once she stopped her assault, that there would only be a few seconds where he was still stunned. Then, she could use that to race to the ground and land outside of the ring. Then the match would be over.

The two of them locked eyes through the cloud of dust that Videl was kicking up. She briefly considered flipping him off, but thought better of it. Instead, she fired the most powerful Kiai she could muster right into his face and then immediately turned tail and shot toward the ground.

She made it only 20 feet away before, to her shock, Spopovich was suddenly right in front of her with a hideous, blood-stained grimace of triumph. Videl couldn't force a stop to her own forward momentum in time and flew throat first right into Spopovich's grasp. Videl choked, sinking her nails into the bastard's flesh in order to try and loosen his grip. Spopovich chuckled. "Gotcha~"

In the ring below, Vale was frantically calling something out. The winds of high above made the words indistinct, but one could easily make out the fear and panic dripping pouring out of his voice. Spopovich looked down at the ant for just a moment, and then at his frantic squirming prey. He slowly pulled Videl close to his face, so close that Videl could smell his wretched, rotting breath. His mouth was close enough to her ear that Videl could feel his chapped, cracked lips on her skin. He spoke a single sentence that made every inch of her go numb. "I'm gonna hurt you now..."

Videl's eyes went wide, her pupil shrinking very small. Spopovich dragged his flapping purple tongue over his sandpaper lips. And then he punched her in the chest as hard as he could, sending her flying across the sky like a rocket. Before Videl could catch her bearings, Spopovich was already behind her. He sent her flying up with a devastating kick directly to her lower back.

All of Videl was numb, except her left kidney which felt boiling hot and her chest which felt to be a void. Two hits. All it took was two hits to utterly incapacitate her. As she tumbled up through the air, Videl mentally wished that she had broken Spopovich's neck for real.

Spopovich shot toward her and Videl countered with a shockwave. Spopovich fired off one of his own and the two attacks crashed against each other, causing an invisible burst ripple that sent Videl careening. She cracked open her eyes and Spopovich was already there again, his fists drawn out. Videl tried to calculate in her head what he was about to do, but it was too little, too late. Spopovich's massive gorilla fists crashed into the sides of Videl's head. She felt her skull crackle under the blow, crying out as blood poured from her ears. Spopovich hooted with triumph and punched her in the cheek, cutting off the shrill cry of pain and digging a thumb into Videl's eye for good measure.

Videl went flying only a short way this time, stopping herself midair and glaring at Spopovich. The left side of her gaze was hazy and hardly able to focus. The right side was tinted red and eventually turned completely black as Videl's eye swelled shut. The two fighters stared at each other, Spopovich drooling from the corner of his mouth. Videl realized with disgust that he might actually be having the time of his life.

Spopovich cackled. "Tear you to shreds~"

She flinched.

Spopovich was giddy. "Tear you to shreds. Tear you to shreds. Tear you to shreds. Eat until I'm full and then throw what's left to Mr. Satan~! Then, I'll kill him too~"

Videl was at her wit's end. She spoke in a muted rasp. "This was all over a tournament loss?! How much of a petty, sore loser can one man be?!"

Spopovich's hideous rictus grin didn't drop. He shrugged. "Whatever kind Master Babidi wants me to be. He gives power. I will kill Mr. Satan!"

Spopovich laughed. "You don't matter! Only your death matters! Now, you ready to go say hi to mommy, little girl~?"

Videl's eyes snapped wide open as something in her head snapped. Her pupils shrank as small as they would grow as she shot the ultimate death glare at Spopovich. And then, entirely on natural-born instinct, Videl thrust her hand to the side, summoning a basketball-sized Ki blast, and shooting it directly at Spopovich's ugly, grinning head with a throat shredding scream. "FUCK YOU!"

Everyone on the ground below gasped in shock. Videl was shocked herself, looking down at the steady wisp of smoke rising from her palm. "Wh-What the? Did I just-"

Spopovich leaned forward through the cloud of smoke covering his head and cackled. He raised his hand and summoned a glowing purple sphere. "You too."

This time, Videl heard Son Goku's voice from down below. "VIDEL! DODGE THAT!"

Videl was almost too stunned to move, watching as a purple death laser shot from Spopovich's palm and directly towards her. She jerked out of the way, just in time to avoid a hideous death but only just that. Videl cringed in agony as she felt the burning, shredding energy wash over her arm and shoulder. Her shirt caught fire, but was mostly shredded off. Her sports bra blackened, but held its place by just a few dozen meager threads. Videl looked over and watched as her now dead arm fell limply to her side, charred as brown as one of her father's favorite steaks.

For a moment, Videl felt a scream in her chest. And it almost came out, too. But then, it simply slid down her throat like bile. She clutched the dead vine of flash-firing nerve endings tightly with her other hand and released the sort of groan only the grievously injured could muster. Spopovich gave a hideous, madman's laugh and launched at Videl with his fist drawn.

The crack of the blow that followed was enough to make several members of the audience faint.

In the crowd below…

The spectators in the stands could only watch on in horror as Videl took her beating. Erasa was practically unconscious on her feet. Sharpner's face was as pale as the tiles of the arena. Raditz gripped his fists in barely restrained fury, clearly reaching his limit. Yamcha was practically boiling in his seat. Chi-Chi looked ready to kill. Blonde Launch reached into her jacket and pulled out a machine pistol.

Gine and Android 16 were furious, pulling the kids in close and preventing them from watching the brutality.

Atop the fighter's waiting area…

Finding themselves blocked by some kind of invisible wall, the two halves of Mighty Mask came to an agreement to simply watch from the roof of the waiting area instead. Trunks glanced into the ring, confused. "What the heck is going on? Where's the fight?"

Ranch noticed the announcer screaming, pleading for sanity, into the air. She looked up. "Looks like people are flying. Maybe Tien and 17 are-"

Her eyes went wide. "Oh my God!"

Trunks looked up, gasping in shock. Videl was hanging limply by her dead arm in Spopovich's grip. One eye swollen shut, her left ankle crushed like a dangling fruit. Videl was a broken mess. Too drained to even scream. Trunks was lost for words. Ranch snapped. "Where the hell is Gohan?! How is he letting his girlfriend get beaten up like that?!"

In the fighters' waiting area…

Gohan was helpless, his voice hollow as he watched his beloved get beaten more and more and more. Videl was but a fleshy ragdoll in Spopovich's hands, but the bastard was refusing to let up even an inch. The screams of pain, which had become yelps, which had become whimpers, which had become grunts, were now a chilling silence that any seasoned warrior could not help but notice.

Gohan pounded his fists against the barrier. "Out."

Again. "Let me out."

Goku frowned, looking miserable. "Gohan..."

A sharper edge to Gohan's voice. "Let me out."

The voice seemed to double as Gohan pounded his fists against the barrier, a deeper and more sinister tone oozing from beneath the surface. "Let me out."

The Z-Fighters all took a precautious step back. Spike flinched. "What in the seven hells?!"

Gohan pounded his fists against the barrier, a blood-red and ebony black aura erupting around him. The sinister voice overtaking his own. "LET ME OUT!"

Up in the air…

Spopovich held Videl by the tatters of her shirt, hammering her over the head with his fist and watching with cruel delight as two jets of blood erupted out, followed by an imperceptible gurgle of pain. Even such a miniscule cry was music to his ears. He grabbed Videl tightly by her hair, holding her limp form aloft and dangling her over the ground. He faked dropping her once, in hopes it might stir his victim, but to no avail.

Annoyed, the brute slapped her several times across the face. Finally, after a moment, Videl cracked her one good eye open. Spopovich delighted, wanting to take in the broken misery of Mr. Satan's scared little lamb. Instead, he saw that same fiery intensity from before. Videl glared at Spopovich and, in spite of his advantage, he flinched like all her injuries had just spontaneously healed.

Videl hissed through the pain, unflinching and unblinking as she spat at her tormentor. "You still lost. No belt for you, Spopo-BITCH."

Videl watched, almost uncaring, as Spopovich's face morphed into the same mask of rage it had before. She closed her eyes and waited for whatever was next to come. But then, instead of resuming the beating, Spopovich smiled.

And then he let her go.

Videl was falling. She could feel the wind in her hair, feel her body twist as she plummeted. She opened her eyes, but thankfully didn't see that ape again. She scanned around and saw Erasa and Sharpner both standing there, sick with worry. She glanced back to the fighter's waiting area and saw Gohan punching at an invisible wall. Delirious, and at the end of her rope, Videl smiled. She opened her mouth to speak.

In the fighters' waiting area…

Vegeta watched as Spopovich shot into the air and then rocketed, elbow first, toward the falling Videl. He recognized the cruel intent behind that move and, in spite of himself, the Saiyan Prince couldn't help but sympathetically cry out. "OH NO!"

In the air…

Videl closed her eyes and thought of lunch with her friends atop the rooftop terrace of St. Gentleman. She smiled. "I can't wait for school to start back up..."

And Spopovich's elbow smashed into her lower back. A truly shattering blow. It sounded like a chicken bone being snapped in high definition. The crowd went silent. Vale dropped his microphone. Videl coughed, blood and spit jetting from her mouth, her eyes going white. Everything seemed suspended for just a moment.

And then Videl slid off of Spopovich's visibly reddened elbow and plummeted the remaining 18 feet to the ground below, landing with a dull thud in the middle of the ring.

Videl lay still. Spopovich landed and nodded with pride at his work. And then he began to laugh.

Over in the fighters' waiting area…

Everyone was silent. The Z-Fighters, Spike, and Gyuhime alike couldn't form words. Shin's eyes and ears drooped in a look of genuine regret. He raised a single hand in silent prayer.

Gohan, meanwhile, stood at the invisible barrier. His fists dragged down it, wrinkling his visibly bloody gloves as they slid. The sinister aura from before ballooned out, tendril-like hands beginning to form. It was very clear that two distinct voices were screaming as one. One was furious, the other sobbing in utter grief. They both snarled as one. "LET ME OOOUUUT!"

In the crowd…

Unaware of what was going on in the waiting area, the Z-Fighters in the stands were numb. Blonde Launch was busy loading a fresh clip into her pistol. "I'll turn that bastard's head into hamburger!"

Tightly gripping her grandmother's dress, Chika sobbed. "V-Videl..."

Erasa didn't think she'd ever be able to find her voice again. But, of course, there was one person in her life who could always drag that back up. She shrieked at the top of her lungs. "OH, GODDAMMIT VIDEL! JUST STAY DOWN!"

In the ring…

Spopovich's gruesome laugh suddenly came to a stop. He turned in the direction of that shrill shriek and looked down at his victim. Vale was just as frantic as Erasa was, fruitlessly stammering into the mic and trying to form any words to say as Videl pushed herself up.

Finally, Vale cried out. "STAY DOWN! PLEASE, VIDEL! YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH!"

Videl didn't hear him. She couldn't hear anything beyond the ringing in the head and the blood gurgling in her ears. All she could hear was one voice in her head screaming at the top of its lungs. "Ring out. Ring out. Ring out. Save your life with a ring out."

Videl nodded in agreement. If she ringed herself out, the pain would stop. She still had a mission. She had to quit like Gohan and Erasa asked her to!

With effort almost no one in that arena could have matched, Videl began to drag her battered body toward the edge of the ring. If she was paying attention to the crowd, she would have realized something was amiss. But she had no time for them as she dragged her body and her sickeningly limp legs behind her.

Videl crawled and scraped, seeing salvation draw closer and closer. She looked to the gaudy chair that her father was supposed to be sitting in and felt a passing twinge of annoyance. Where was he at a time like this?

Videl was still a good six feet from salvation when, suddenly, her clawing was fruitless. No matter how much she pulled, she couldn't move forward. She watched the crowd, some frightened folk jeering and others too stunned to speak. Who were they yelling at?

Almost unconsciously, Videl twisted herself around and found that Spopovich was the one stopping her, his foot harshly stomping down onto her shattered ankle. Strange. Shouldn't she be able to feel that?

He glared down at her with that same disgusting smile. The same pure hatred was boiling behind his eyes. Finally, having come to a group consensus, the crowd of the World Martial Arts Tournament broke into a full-scale panic.

In the fighters' waiting area…

Goku snarled, his fist gripped. He turned to his friends. "I don't know what the hell this barrier is, but if we combined our strength with Gohan's Alpha Saiyan power, then it would crumble real fast!"

Vegeta nodded, his Super Saiyan 2 power erupting. Piccolo and Tien powered-up as well. 17 and 18's Turbovolt and Terrablaze both ignited at the same time. The entire group was prepared to rush the barrier, and then presumably tear Spopovich to shreds, when suddenly Piccolo threw his hand up. "W-Wait..."

The Alpha Saiyan power boiling off of Son Gohan was attacking indiscriminately. It was slashing beams, setting benches alight, carving veritable ravines in the walls. The black hands emerging from Gohan's back had fully formed. He snarled one last time and Son Gohan's voice was gone, replaced by something deeper and more ancient than anything any of the Z-Fighters had dreamed to face before.

Cumber snarled with all the wretched emotions of his host and wedged his fingers through the barrier. "LET HIM OUT!"

Cracks formed around the holes the sharpened tendrils made and all the Z-Fighters back up a step, Vegeta and the Androids dropping their transformations. As Gohan/Cumber began to drag their razor-like fingers down through the barrier, only Piccolo could hear a quieter cry of anguish beneath the hysterical screams of Gyuhime. The Namekian turned and saw that Shin had fallen to one knee, his glowing eyes half squeezed shut and his hand clutched to his visibly throbbing head.

The purple elf closed his eyes and, at the same time, the barrier finally shattered.

In the crowd…

Meanwhile, as Gohan/Cumber raged behind a soon-to-be-shattered wall, Mr. Satan and Hiki stepped out from the Champ's Tunnel and into a horrific scene. The crowd was screaming in panic. Hiki looked around. "What's going-"

Her eyes fell onto the ring and she shrieked, falling back in panic and landing on her butt. Mr. Satan stared out into the ring as well and his worst nightmare seemed to be playing out before his eyes: Videl was on the ground, bloody and battered.

And that hateful gorilla Spopovich was looming over her!

Vale, the powerless announcer, was pleading with Spopovich, fruitlessly yanking on the thug's singlet and begging him to stop. A billion thoughts ran through Mr. Satan's mind all at once. Overwhelmed, all he could do was scream. "VIDEL!"

In the ring…

For Spopovich, it was a dream. That bastard Mr. Satan was flying over the dividing wall of the stands, a look of murder in his icy blue eyes. The whelp had stopped struggling. The announcer was still buzzing like a fly. But, none of that mattered now. This tournament didn't matter anymore. Babidi didn't matter anymore. Everything that made up Spopovich's pointless, single-minded life was bounding right at him.

Next to the thug, Vale cried out. "MR. SATAN! YOU'VE GOT TO STOP THIS MADNESS!"

Spopovich cackled. "MARK~"

Mr. Satan snarled. "I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!"

Spopovich laughed out loud, lifting his other foot and shooting down at Videl's head. With any luck, something would splatter right into Mark's mouth. And then Spopovich would rip his heart out. At that same moment, the barrier in the fighter's waiting area shattered like glass and Gohan was charging. "SPOPOVICH!"

Spopovich's foot continued to fall…

*POP*

... and then it grinded to an immediate halt.

Mr. Satan stood there, heaving furious breaths in and out, his fist pressed against Spopovich's oversized boot. And next to that hairy fist was another hand, a high-end Capsule Watch ticking away the seconds on the wrist.

The champ looked over to see who this other intruder was and found himself staring eye-to-eye with Raditz. Recognition tried to flare up in Mr. Satan's head, but rage quickly pounded it back down. He snapped. "Who the hell are you?!"

Raditz responded in a quiet, even voice. "A little girl's father."

There was a small pause, and then the two shared a nod. Raditz gave a feather-light shove and Mr. Satan heaved with all his strength. Together, they sent Spopovich sprawling back almost 10 meters. The brute's look of satisfaction disappeared, the blind rage returning in force. Once more, he was ready to fight and kill!

Mr. Satan took on a fighting stance at once. Raditz, meanwhile, turned to the frozen Gohan and nodded. With the blind rage of an alpha silverback, Spopovich bounded toward the two warriors and the fallen Videl. "MARK! MARK MARK MARK MARK MARK MARK MARK MARK MARK MARK!"

Mr. Satan was ready for a fight to the death. Raditz casually raised his hand, aiming his palm directly at Spopovich's head. Spopovich had at least ten streams of drool ribboning out of the folds of his mouth.

And then, right as death was about to occur, Yamu's voice rang out. "STOP, SPOPOVICH!"

The brute skidded to a halt, turning to his partner who was standing atop one of the dividing walls next to the fighter's waiting area. Spopovich snapped. "WHAT?!"

Yamu was grave. "Can you not see that that man is about to kill you?"

Spopovich looked at Mr. Satan, his furious mortal enemy. And then he looked past him, at Raditz. Spopovich had totally dismissed the doughy little fat body before, but something had clearly changed in Raditz's face between instances. The rounded features were sharp. The eyes were cold. The lips unmoving and drawn into an almost business-like sneer. And Spopovich felt a special kind of evil hiding under that palm. This man had killed thousands, maybe millions, in a previous life. And that previous life was more than willing to make a reappearance for the right reason, no matter how unimpressive the current shape was.

If Spopovich were to take one more step, his head wouldn't be coming with him. Yamu sneered in agreement with that silent thought. "End this now."

Mr. Satan was unwilling to let things slide so easily. "Y-You think I'm just gonna let you-"

The champ started to charge. Raditz quickly stepped in the way, placing the same murderous hand, calmly and without malice, against Mr. Satan's hairy chest. "Stop."

Mr. Satan, more unnerved that he was willing to admit that Raditz was able to stop him with one hand, raised his fist at the Saiyan instead. Raditz sighed and looked at him with sympathetic eyes. "You're upset. I understand. But it would be more prudent to focus on your daughter right now, wouldn't you say?"

Slowly, Mr. Satan looked down and saw Videl's shattered, limp legs between his own. One of them was bent at such an angle that the Champ could never see it fully healing. Just like Hiki. Unable to help himself, tears began to flood from Mark's eyes. "V-Videl..."

Raditz turned to Vale. "Mr. Satan and I both interfered mid-match. We shoved Spopovich. That means Videl is disqualified, no?"

Vale flinched. "Y-You want to just let Spopovich get away with it?"

Raditz shook his head. "My brother is Son Goku. Spopovich will be getting away with nothing. I was assured that you were aware."

Vale fell silent, looking queasy but giving a firm nod. He called into the mic, his voice drained of energy. "Your winner by disqualification: Spopovich."

At that, the crowd began to boo and boo heavily. Yamu scowled. "Now hurry along, Spopovich."

Spopovich grinded his teeth, staring at the crouched form of Mr. Satan as he gently shook his daughter. Videl, barely conscious, locked eyes with the brute... and gave him that middle-finger she neglected earlier. A vein popped out of the monster's scalp, but Yamu called again. "SPOPOVICH! NOW!"

With a snarl, Spopovich leapt over the fence, going past Yamu without a word. Yamu remained a moment longer, locking eyes with Raditz. Raditz was the first to look away, walking up to help explain things to the rushing medical staff. Yamu smirked, happy in his thought that he had unnerved the other man.

As she was loaded onto the stretcher, Videl finally faded from the realm of consciousness. The last thing she saw before her one good eye fluttered shut was a familiar flash of green going by. Mark followed, effortlessly keeping pace with the medical staff and never letting his baby girl out of his sight.

Raditz gave a respectful nod to Vale, exiting the ring and looking into the stands. As he had expected, Sharpner and Erasa were long gone.

Gohan was standing there in a daze. As quickly as he had appeared, Cumber's presence had vanished. Raditz, unaware of how close they had all come to an Alpha Saiyan meltdown, thumped his fist against his disguised nephew's chest. Gohan looked at his uncle and Raditz pointed toward the fighter's waiting area. "Hustle. You have somewhere to be."

Without a word, Gohan turned and went running, his tattered red cape detaching and fluttering to the ground behind him. And, after a moment, Raditz shrugged and followed as well.

Atop the waiting area, Trunks smiled and gave a small chuckle. "W-Wow, Ranch~ I didn't know your dad could be so cool!"

Ranch stared down, watching Raditz disappear through her peepholes with a look of pure scorn. Images of how quickly, how effortlessly, he had jumped in to care for Videl played through Ranch's distressed mind and she sneered. "I guess not every girl is unworthy of his attention..."

In the fighter's waiting area…

As Raditz walked into the waiting area, he watched Shin being ushered out by Kibito. The elder brother was quick to notice all his friends glaring at the purple stranger and he cleared his throat. "I get the weirdest vibes from that guy..."

Everyone nodded. Piccolo scowled. "Weird vibes indeed."

Raditz sighed, grabbing Goku by the sleeve and giving his younger brother a tug. "Come along. We need to follow Gohan."

Goku nodded, looking uniquely distressed. Seeing Videl up close had rocked him to the core. "R-Right..."

As the two brothers left, the other Z-Fighters turned to one another. Piccolo's face was grave. "I don't like what's going on today."

17 nodded. "Yeah. No shit."

Tien clasped his hands behind his back. "Those pale ghouls..."

18 sneered. "That purple elf bastard and his helper..."

Vegeta crossed his arms. "The plan, Namekian?"

Piccolo pointed to Tien and 17. "You two hunt down Spopovich and Yamu. Try to listen in on their conversations. I want to know what they're up to here."

The two warriors nodded and immediately set out. Piccolo pointed to 18. "Watch your husband until he wakes up. I'm not sensing mortal danger, but I won't have any of us getting caught alone."

18 turned and walked over to the bench. "Don't have to tell me twice."

Piccolo turned to Vegeta. "You're with me."

Vegeta smirked. "Oh really?"

Piccolo nodded. "Yes. That Shin fellow seemed to have hurt his head. Perhaps we should be polite to our fellow warriors and go check on him?"

Vegeta chuckled. "Kakarot told me about your little breach of etiquette at the Grand Kai Festival. We certainly wouldn't want you getting yelled at again."

And thus, Vegeta and Piccolo set out on a mission of their own.

At the tournament medical building…

20 minutes had passed since Gohan, Erasa, Sharpner, Goku, and Raditz had been told to wait outside the chief medical officer's room. The only people currently within that loosely outfitted chamber were Mr. Satan, Hiki, Videl, and the best doctor on the island. Everyone was uneasy. Erasa had been crying non-stop, taking turns being held by both Gohan and Sharpner. Gohan's turban and shades sat discarded on the floor.

Finally, the door opened and out came Mr. Satan. The world champion looked 10 years older and paler than a sheet. Next to him, a shell-shocked Hiki stepped by. She marched down the hallway, not bothering with her cane in spite of how bad her limp was without it. She jerked open the door to the ladies' room and it slammed shut behind her. The woman had looked aghast.

Mr. Satan gave a weak, uneasy smile to the gathered crowd. "Sh-She's awake if you wanna see her..."

The three teens were on their feet before Mr. Satan had finished speaking, rushing past him into the room like their lives depended on it. Mark's forced smile dropped and he looked at the two men who were left. He gave Raditz a solemn nod of respect, and then turned to the other. All at once, recognition burned in Mr. Satan's eyes. "S-Son Goku..."

Goku raised a sympathetic hand in greeting. "Hey..."

Mr. Satan motioned for them to come in as well.

Within the VIP medical facility…

Videl was a poor sight laying in her bed. She was covered in bandages from head-to-toe, with at least a dozen needles poking into both of her arms. Still, she had already sat herself up despite Erasa's protests. Her bad arm and legs were set in several layers of castes, but she quickly offered her good hand to Raditz for a handshake. "You jumped in to save my life. Thank you."

Raditz gently took the hand, still mostly bandaged, and gave it a gentle pull. He, like everyone else in the room, was caught off guard by how much pep was in Videl's voice. She was speaking with a tone that suggested she had just run into an acquaintance while out shopping.

The doctor grimaced and swallowed a lump in his throat. Reading the room, Videl turned to Goku and chuckled. "Bad news, Mr. Goku. It's probably going to be a long while before we spar again. Sorry about that~!"

The doctor shook his head, removing his glasses and wiping away tears. Goku and Raditz could both tell immediately that something wasn't being said. Sharpner smiled, trying his best to be positive. "Th-That's the spirit! You'll be back in no time! Then, you can-"

Videl shook her head. "Nope."

Sharpner immediately noticed the tightness in her voice. Erasa and Gohan's breaths both hitched. Videl spoke eventually, staring blankly down at her hospital blanket. "I was just told a few moments before you all walked in. My spinal cord is completely severed in half at my lower back. Can't... uh... feel my legs."

She looked at Goku again, a sad smile on her face. Her voice didn't waver in the slightest. "I misled you a second ago. To make myself feel better. It's more like...we're never going to spar again. I'm paralyzed from the waist down."

There was a vacuum in the room. No noise seemed to exist. Videl chuckled and scratched the back of her head, almost embarrassed. "Gohan, Erasa, and Sharpner were always telling me that I would eventually bite off more than I could chew..."

The pause after that comment seemed endless. But soon enough, Videl nodded to the adults. "Mr. Goku, Mr. Raditz, Doctor, Dad. Could I please request some time alone with my friends?"

The four of them all silently nodded their heads, leaving the room without a complaint.

Out in the hallway…

The moment the latch clicked on the door and all four men were outside, a sharp, sorrowful scream rang out that almost seemed to rattle the glass in the door pane. Following that, came the sound of bitter sobbing interspersed with muffled, lesser screams as someone in the room hugged Videl close.

Ashamed at his involvement with this horrid business, the doctor quickly stalked off in search of some quiet place to reflect. He turned once to offer Mr. Satan an apology, but the words fell dead in his mouth and he simply went on his way.

Goku, Raditz, and Mr. Satan all just stood there, listening in silence as the now crippled Videl cried her soul out.