The following occurred within an unspecified timeline. Little-to-no anomalous activity throughout its existence renders it "beneath Conton's concern."

After countless stumbles within the raging blizzard that tore his nigh-frozen skin bit by bit, he finally neared the foot of the mountain. With every slight pause, the thought of the beautiful, emerald-eyed and pale golden-haired woman, and the insane, zeal-fueled mystic practices that followed his debauchery with the enchantress, compelled him to move faster, against his failing body's wishes. Slowing down for a moment meant being found, and the best he could hope for after that was death. With the last of his strength, he banged on the door that soon stood before him.

The man fell onto his knees, the frigid, biting winds quickly sealed by a wooden door. Candlelight replaced the moon's snow-enhanced glow, detailing his torn, weathered cloths which still showed signs of something once-splendorous.

The humbly-dressed woman's shock slowly molted into ire.

"First you vanish for 3 years, and now this, out of nowhere!?"

The man struggled to catch his breath, struggling to adjust to air that didn't cut his throat within a body on the brink of hypothermia.

"There's someone else, isn't there? Did SHE throw you out and send you racing home, you disgusting lech?"

"I…it's not… wait…"

Small eyes slowly blinked into consciousness beneath a furred blanket.

"... Daddy?"

The man's eyes snapped wide open, refortifying his purpose.

"No, back to bed dear, this doesn-"

He lunged toward his daughter.

"GET YOUR THINGS, NOW. WE HAVE TO MOVE."

Despite his stupor, he snapped around to his wife with just as much vigor, ignoring the pain he'd thrown himself in.

"YOU TOO. I'LL EXPLAIN WHEN WE'RE SAFE."

"Mov-safe-I- what are you tal-"

He ignored her plea to stand still, focusing on getting every belonging into some sort of bag.

"WE CAN'T STAY HERE! SHE- THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS PLACE! PLEASE, TRUST ME!"

"You're scaring me! Just tell me who's after you!"

"SOK-KUM! NOW MOVE, DAMMIT!"

The mother went pale at the name, before following the father's plea with just as much vigor.

As tired and confused as the child was, she could still muster a tinge of fear, her father's deathly touch and the fading of candle heat chilling her to the bone. The following years, he'd drip-feed the information to her; their occult rituals, their disregard for life and regimes tantamount to slave labor, their ambitions to one day "create a god..."

Not long afterward, that cold she once felt was replaced by flames.

Her next home in the big city would experience a gas leak comparable to a small nuclear warhead. She'd made haste to return from an out-of-state trip, panicked as she traversed a catastrophe that took with it almost the entire city county.

At the epicenter, to her horror, her parents' home.

All she remembered before blacking out was the glimpse of a robed, pale-haired figure in the sky. Emerald eyes visible, even from such a height.

And now, that grown woman was staring at that same shade of green and, albeit a touch more golden, pale.

"Er… you ok, Soo-Sang?"

The hi-tech-suited woman's icy stare didn't let up, even after her trip down Memory Lane was cut short.

"Mhm. I'm fine, Eito."

Soo-Sang continued her long-winded analysis of the gold-tailed boy below, who was still insisting on helping his opponent, before apologizing for bothering them and walking off with an almost-satisfied, frankly-stupid small grin.

"It's just funny. How small of a multiverse this really is."

Eito giggled a bit. "Right? It makes me wish I'd flunked a year. It'd be worth it if I'd gotten to fight someone like that!"

The neat short-haired woman coyly grinned. "Like YOU'D make it through preliminaries."

"Hey! I'll have you know that my power' level's grown by…"

Her friend went on a tangent about stuff, as Soo-Sang reflected.

"(So 'they' got their hands on a Saiyan in some timeline, huh… talk about a double-edged sword.)"

She smiled.

"(Still… he's a dimwit, but it takes something deeper than a heart of gold to make a technique like that from scratch. Even his name's pretty sub-common, for a Geum-So….)"

"ZINCOOO~!"

The boy hadn't a second to react before 214 centimeters of love barreled down the hall and crashed into him full-force.

"YOU DID IT! YOU FOUND A WAY!I!" she screamed, almost suffocating him before pulling him away, holding him as if he were a child. "I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU COULD DO… THAT! YOU'RE INCREDIBLE!"

Still a bit winded from both his technique and his soul receiving a beatdown, Zinco chuckled uneasily. "I was scared to use it because I can't focus on anything but the technique, or I'll hurt someone." His eyes sank to the ground. "And I still messed up near the end."

A concerned look across her face, Kaza looked like she was readying a word, but stopped herself before it came out.

And her expression actually straightened.

"...I believe in you."

"Huh?"

She suddenly hoisted him into the air, briefly spinning him 'round as the blonde's face went cherry red.

"You'll improve so much, this'll look like a distant memory!" Kaza grinned, setting him down. "Just keep trying!"

Even though he'd been internally repeating that, hearing it from someone else made the encouragement feel like a certainty.

"Osu!"

The crystal-clear loudspeaker beckoned forth the next fighters.

"You're up next, Kaza!" stated Zinco. He fumbled for a jarring moment, wondering what he should say to follow up the obvious statement.

"Please don't hurt anyone too badly!"

Kaza noticed. Even still, she beamed brighter.

"Just watch. I'll show you something even better!"

"Oh… great! Yeah!" he smiled, Kaza nodding before walking out.

Watching her advance, Zinco began to waver.

"(Kaza's about to fight. If I'd just asked her not to, she would've stopped... So why didn't I stop her?)"

A small, conflicted grimace started to take shape...

"(Wait, something better than… does that mean she'll…)"

Before dropping in defeat.

"(She's here, now. It's not up to me. So I'll root for her.)"

He smiled uneasily. "That's what friends do, right?"

[ OP: Granrodeo ‒ Remember Your Passion ]

Kaza vs Aisu no Bukyu! A Hapless Dream Left to Writhe in Agony!

"GAA-"

Hi. My name's Kaza.

I'm currently being maimed.

My brain's starting to go fuzzy. Though I'm not sure if I have one of those, or not.

I'm about to go on a tangent. Sorry.

So I guess I'll start at the point when I got myself into this mess.

"DIE, YOU ACCURSED WITCH!"

"I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING TO YOU! PLEASE-"

No.

"C-can I… uh…"

No.

"(That small kid's smile-)"

Close, but no.

"ZINCOOOO~!"

There it is!

I knocked Zinco half across the room before Zinco caught himself. Maybe I came on too strong, now that I think about it, but, er, Zinco didn't seem to mind? Was Zinco just being nice? Oh no, did I upset Zinco without knowing!?

MH-MH. Back on topic.

Once I lost it over Zinco's ultra-amazeballs martial arts moves, Zinco's mood dropped.

"I was scared to use it because I can't focus on anything but the technique, or I'll hurt someone. And I still messed up near the end."

"No! Don't be so hard on yourself!"

I wanted to blurt it out as loud as I could. But my lips sealed shut right before my voice could leave my throat. There was a look in Zinco's eyes, different from demotivation. I'm not… ok I may be terrible with other people, but I've been around Zinco long enough to understand certain things. That one wasn't "I can't do this," it was "I have to overcome this… but how?"

Zinco's great, I know.

O-oh, you weren't thinking that. Sorry. Anyway,

"I believe in you."

[ BGM: Kenji Fujisawa ‒ LOVERS 2 ]

I said that with so much confidence. Kya~!

"Huh?"

I was on a roll after that, so I kinda went overboard and picked Zinco up. I mean, Zinco's like a big ol' plushie, I couldn't help myself anymore. And the way Zinco's face went red... Gmmmh!

"You'll improve so much, this'll all seem like a distant memory! Just keep trying!"

The way Zinco's face curled up, my heart that may-or-may-not exist was gonna explode.

"Osu!"

Our time together was tragically cut short by the loudspeaker, clear enough that it was like the voice behind it was right there in the corner. Weird.

"STUDENT KAZA, STUDENT BUKYU, BE ADVISED, YOUR 'ROUTE' IS NOW BEING GENERATED. ADVANCE DOWN THE HALL CLOSEST TO YOU."

I still have no idea how this works. But it works, so, what's the harm?

"You're up next, Kaza… please don't hurt anyone too badly!"

Zinco wanted me to stop right there, anyone could tell. I guess, then and there, once Zinco realized I was going out there to fight… it hit Zinco that this was the only way to win, and find the reason I'd be sad if I left.

Zinco's sort of… er… how do I…

Zinco's head is always busy. So thoughts get jumbled up sometimes. Frequently. That's the word.

YES! EXACTLY THAT!

But Zinco had forgotten something important: I wanted a peaceful world just as much! I mean, not as much as Zinco, of course, but… a lot! I wanted it a lot!

"Just watch. I'll show you something even better!"

And there, I was gonna show him just how much "a lot" meant.

"Oh… great! Yeah!"

That did the trick! Sure, Zinco was still a bit worried, but that's because Zinco's Zinco!

I waved goodbye and moved on to the big stage.

"(It's because of his goal that he was able to create such a technique… something beyond reason.)"

The doubts I had, they were like glaciers on my shoulders, melting away thanks to the heat of Zinco's match. I hadn't felt as great since I made my first friend!

"(And the reason that I'd be sad if I'd turned my back on this… I think I have it now.)"

It felt so obvious, I could've slapped that doubtful me from back then. It was what I've been doing all along.

Helping Zinco.

And now, Zinco would have TWO people pushing toward that dream!

That was my thought process, at the time. Good times.

My hall apparently led to the left of the stage. That's actually pretty irrelevant, sorry.

Well… no, I can't really say that.

[ BGM: Kenji Fujisawa ‒ Unspeakable Fear ]

Because now, after this moment… if I can even get out of it... I'll be scared that "he" will be waiting at the end of every left hall.

A bunch of… burning… icicles? Down my spine. Yes, that's the best I can describe it. I could barely walk forward, and that's when I spotted those stupid icy-blue dots.

I'm thinking of ice a lot right now. Sorry, I'm just freezing at the moment.

He was around my thigh in height. No horns, at least nothing like Mr. Ceushius's. The one he had were more like a crest, splitting up and down his head, in 4 pairs: the last few, eerily like pincers. His tail was serrated, as long as I was tall, and just like Mr. Ceushius, he had a giant jewel just below his chest that seemed to radiate something; and reflecting off it, I could see just how timid I looked.

His smile shook me to the bones I don't have. Alongside it, waves of… something cold. Whatever it was, it exacerbated the icicle feeling. He didn't feel bigger, no…

THE SIZE DIFFERENCE MAY VERY-WELL BE ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THIS ROSTER! IT'S LIKE A PARENT AND CHILD, IF EVEN THAT COULD DO THIS JUSTICE! DOES STUDENT BUKYU EVEN STAND A CHANCE BEFORE SUCH A GAP!?

That was sort of rude, but,

It was the same as looking at a venomous bug. So much smaller than you, and yet, so unnerving and dangerous and... no, I don't feel so bad calling it disgusting now as I did back then.

NOW, TAKE POSITIONS!

But I had a purpose for being here, something so much bigger than me. So I could fight for it, just like Zinco.

[ BGM: Bruce Faulconer ‒ 16 Rips Off Cell's Tail (0:41) ]

The announcer guy screamed "BEGIN!" and in a snap, he was in my face with an attack. A portion of the arena blasted off from the launch alone, and dust got everywhere. It was one of the fastest things I'd ever seen, and I barely had time to dodge. Or so I thought.

As it got closer, time seemed to slow down, and I thought it was because my life was starting to flash before my eyes. But… no, it was because I COULD dodge it! After zooming over my shoulder, he bounced back at me as if nothing happened, with a storm of punches and kicks. I set myself on the backfoot… no, I ran backwards as he gave chase, almost grazing me with each thrown attack.

"Come on! It's no fun if you run the whole time! Let's fight already!"

Brat.

But he was right. I wasn't gonna get anywhere if I ran the whole time. Zinco wouldn't run.

That alone caused my hand to throw itself out and stop his own. His expression dropped for a moment in surprise, but an instant later, brightened harder than it had before. The hits quickened after that, and as they did, I surprisingly kept pace.

Even more, it became familiar.

I used to spar often with Mei, before… before she cut ties with me. Even though she fought me with everything she had, I was able to keep track, and stop the attacks before they could hit me. Those were quick, sure, but he was much, much, much faster than Mei.

I guess, then, that this was the inner power she'd always talked about.

He was stronger, and so was I. Maybe I was even stronger!

I think it's called parrying? I did that, more and more, and I stopped struggling as much to keep up with him. He even threw in a tail-whip in the midst of things, and as much of a blur as it was, I parried that, too! I even tossed him back as a counter!

THEY'RE NECK AND NECK, AS IT STANDS! STUDENT BUKYU APPLIES PRESSURE, AND STUDENT KAZA TAKES IN STRIDES!

Does Zinco feel like this in fights? How could Zinco not have fun?

Still, Zinco did things with that goal in mind. So I had to do the same. He started firing off car-sized bolts of ki at me, and I weaved through them like nothing. Our shadows got darker and darker as it persisted, and I still think I would've gone blind if I'd looked back; the wind alone was scattering debris everywhere like dirty glitter.

I must've looked so cool! Like those movies where the hero has his back turned from the explosion after defeating the bad guy!

… that was immature, I'm sorry. It's just fun to remember back when I had the advantage.

So my goal became getting him out of the ring without hurting him! It's a bit easier for me with the way my body is, compared to Zinco's harder muscle-y one, so my first idea was to catch him off-guard, stretch my arms forward really quick, and push him out of the ring. I picked up lots of bits of the crumbling arena with my mind (I think about pulling things up, and they go up! Easy!) and threw them in his direction. The plan was for him to dodge, I swear, but he just stood there, still shooting at me; I mean, the debris didn't phase him at all, thank...full...y? At the time, yes. Still I panicked a bit and thrusted out my arms ahead of time, which almost worked until his tail shot up and slammed down like a croissant, almost slicing my hands off clean! From then on, I kept them at arm's reach; I didn't know back then how well I could pull myself back together, and I didn't want to find out.

"YOU'RE NOT FIGHTING RIGHT!"

Yeah, right.

"Glad someone's finally saying it!"

I still don't know who said that.

But after looking at a floating chunk much, much bigger than him, I had an epiphany.

Why not pick him up, instead?

I HAD gotten a lot better at it, after all. I picked up a whole GLACIER, once! Not to… gloat, or…

[ BGM: Hiroyuki Sawano ‒ tanh1 (2:11-3:05) ]

A-anyway, once I set my mind to it, I made sure to break his balance first. Because me getting physical wasn't working, I set to softening the ground he was on the moment he fired another blast.

Oh, I can also turn something into something else. I don't get it, either. It works sometimes, and then it DOESN'T work, and, uh...

Pink sparks pooled between the two long hair-doohickeys off my forehead before zapping the patch of ground he was standing on; somehow, things worked out like I'd planned it! But I didn't leave myself any time to celebrate (I learned that from 2 people!) and I REALLY set my mind to picking him up! He was heavy ‒ more than the glaciers I've lifted ‒ yet I lifted him! Even harder, I focused on taking him off the stage, fast enough that he couldn't react!

AFTER A BOUT OF STRATEGY, STUDENT KAZA'S ENSNARED HER OPPONENT! IS IT ALREADY OVER!?

Through the dust cloud, he almost fell onto the grass.

He almost hit the ground.

Almost.

And then he got angry.

"SCAREDY-CAAA~T!"

There was an explosion. And then...

I'd like to think I'm above words hurting me now, or at least above things like that. I'm not, but if I were, what accompanied those words will cause reflexes for a while.

[ BGM: Kenpuu Denki ‒ Murder ]

Imagine a storm. The loudest, darkest, windiest, coldest, most awful rainstorm you can think of. Every clap, every bolt, every droplet.

Now imagine it being focused completely on you. Not a city, not a home, not even the spot where you're standing.

YOU.

I felt that, once he started powering up.

The ground shaking, coupled with the shock, threw me over. He broke free of my mind's grip, but even if he hadn't, I would've lost all focus.

Waves of red and purple ripped through the dust, and the ensuing hue was like the inside of a pretty furnace.

Yet I was frozen. Not just by the power as it finished swirling around him.

W-WHAT'S THIS!? STUDENT BUKYU HAS UNRAVELED A STATE ABOVE HIS TRUE FORM! THIS POWER, IT'S… IT'S ACTUALLY CLOSING IN ON FRIEZA AT HIS PEAK!

His appearance had hardly changed; a bit taller, his crest got longer and pointier, his shell had darkened a tad, but it was something worse.

His smile was angry with me.

Seeing him coming closer, my mouth suddenly began to move.

"I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!"

"I CAN STILL FIGHT!"

If only I could be less honest.

"I… I'm… sorr…"

If only I wasn't such a coward.

At least then, I would've looked cool with a hole in my stomach.

I guess it'd seem embarrassing to another majin to have the same reaction I had to getting punched like that. "We" regenerate, and a lot of "us" get used to that feeling, from everything I've seen around Conton.

It's slower when you don't know what you can do. And being punched in… through, the gut… hurts.

I couldn't fully recover from the shock before he turned me into a reddish-pink punching bag. Again, I was ‒ and still am ‒ in too much shock to heal, or think, or do anything. He was too fast, too strong for me to keep up with or counter or do anything with. He just kept pummeling me, and I couldn't do anything to defend myself. I'm positive he could've thrown me out of the ring at any time, and yet he didn't.

In fact, he almost did, until I hit a wall that wasn't there and he soccer-kick'd me into the air before pinballing me across the arena. I couldn't even see him move anymore, I was just waiting to be hit again; every pause started feeling like an eternity, counting the moments before another hit cut into my body and tizzied my thoughts. It ended after a tail sliced into my back like a buzzsaw.

The next I heard was him flying off, and I had a second to catch my bearings and… I didn't know. I'd forgotten what I was even doing there. As much as I believe in your dream, Zinco, I wish I'd stayed down. It would've ended if I'd just stayed down.

He then barged into me, head-first, at full speed.

He was flying right through me. He should've heard my screaming and stopped, but he didn't. He was having too much fun not to.

I'm not sure how, but after screaming enough and remembering a push-and-pivot move I saw Zinco do once, I sent him off course. Then I hit the ground and started bawling. The tears in my stomach stitched themselves together, but I didn't notice. I just wanted to sit there until the pain went away. I never wanted to let go of where it hurt.

Then something came to mind.

How pathetic I must have looked to Zinco. Not even trying, now that the odds were against me.

I didn't want to care. I wanted to keep holding myself and cry.

But I wanted Zinco's world, too.

So I had to.

"Uhhh? Are you done yet? Wait, I won, didn't I?"

Damn you.

There wasn't any time to keep sobbing on the ground; the ongoing count was at 6.

"Is this… is this really what you want?"

I had no idea how Zinco could do what Zinco did. If I tried with all I could, I couldn't replicate it.

And Zinco's not… BAD at talking to people. Zinco just can't get words right sometimes, and "sometimes" just happens to be when there's something to diffuse. Sadly.

But maybe I could learn from Zinco, and do what Zinco couldn't.

I needed my own way at killing violence.

"Yes?"

I sucked it up.

"Doesn't this feel off to you? Hurting someone that won't even fight back? No… even more, just hurting someone like this, at all?"

He didn't say anything, so I kept talking.

"I don't know why you feel the need to fight, but I… I know enough to say that you don't have to. There are so many things that come from letting that go… like friends. And growth, and harmony, and warmth, and…"

I'd remembered how much I loved that idea. How, through Zinco, it could actually become reality. I… I really wanted to share it with someone else. Despite everything I'd just gone through, I wanted to share that fuzzy feeling with anyone with ears.

"If everyone just stopped, and worked together instead of fighting, but… but helping each other, and teaching each other, and… and just hearing each other out, instead of trying their hardest to prove anything, or being scared of each other… wouldn't that be better than anything you could get through hurting someone? Wouldn't such a universe like that be so much more worth it?"

I felt like I was really getting through to him. I'd forfeit then and there if he did, I swear.

"Please just give it a chance. I don't want to win any stupid any tournament, I swear… I just want to stop this fighting."

"Is your attack over?"

I could feel my stomach drop.

"Cool, here's mine!"

He shot me. I didn't feel the tiny flare until it burst through me, the size of a city.

"GAAA-"

And that's about where I am right now.

Failing at everything I do, against a psycho that's far too strong for this tournament.

Help.

"-AAAA!" Kaza screeched, recoiling from the attack's volume. Bukyu looked on in apathy.

"Say, you're really bad at fighting. All your moves don't work. You really shouldn't be here."

Staggering back, her cape torn asunder, Kaza buckled and supported herself with a palm.

"Why… WHY!?"

"Because we're fighting, stupid thing," Bukyu responded, shooting another hole through her. "And I wanna win this fight. And you're in my way!"

It wasn't enough to ignore, but Kaza's body was beginning to adjust to pain, enough to power through briefly.

"WHY IS THAT ALL YOU CARE ABOU-" she began, before another icy shot pierced her.

"See? You're only doing the talking thing. You're boring to fight, so you can go now."

As Kaza continued her frantic plea to deaf ears, Trunks noted a disturbing trend.

Despite everything, Kaza's health hadn't even fallen past 90%.

It looks like Student Bukyu has attained an overwhelming advantage, and he's showing no signs of slowing down! Despite the majin ability to regenerate, I think I speak for all of us when I say that, besides surrender, Student Kaza is running out of options!

The acting announcereferee, though still diligently at work, had a transparent drop in enthusiasm. In truth, it was less of a play-by-play commentary and more of a message.

Though the height disparity was drastically reversed, there'd been a match like this on the Tenkaichi Budokai's record. Frustratingly enough, it also failed to stop due to the other fighter's insistence on perseverance, as no rules were ever broken.

Only that time, at least the other was fighting back.

"(If you're not gonna fight, then PLEASE just throw the match!)" he grimaced.

And all the while, the center of Kaza's faith entered his own pit of inner agony.

The cry "Please Give Up!" ricocheted like mad within Zinco's skull, yet he wouldn't grant it the means of escape. Each time he tried, his lips would press down harder.

He couldn't bear to scream at his friend to give up when she was trying so hard, he couldn't crush her like that, but…

"KAZA…"

Down below, as waves crashed against the isle, Kaza continuously stood, only to be struck by a beam, or a sphere, or any other form of ki. It came to a point where her legs weren't able to lift off the ground; fear kept them in a crouched, Pavlovian limbo. She desperately tried to keep in her sobs, and she was failing.

And then, her eyes crawled over to Zinco.

"i… i'm sorry…" she finally mustered.

[ BGM: Shunsuke Kikuchi ‒ Setup to Super Saiyan ]

It was because of him that she was going through such a thing.

It was there that Zinco lost it. Finally, he shot up to scream it, at the top of his lungs.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?"

He recoiled in shock. Kaza did likewise.

Heads turned to the left, where Kaza had initially entered.

The figure grasped their throat after the initial holler, yet continued.

"YOU… YOU ARE LEAGUES ABOVE THIS IMP, AND YET THERE YOU STAND, PLEADING AND SOBBING AT THEIR MERCY!?"

She shot her finger toward the yellow-haired fool in the stands.

"AT HIS MERCY!?"

Her voice was rapidly fading, as she raged on.

"STOP HOLDING YOURSELF TO HIM, OR HIS SAKE, OR HIS DREAM, OR WHATEVER THE HELL, IT IS NOT WORTH THE BREATH! LET YOURSELF FREE, FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE! IF YOU WILL EVER AGAIN LISTEN TO A WORD I SAY… PLEASE…"

Mei swallowed the pain of yelling, alongside the blood stemming from her throat, one last time.

"FIGHT FOR YOU!"

Watching her sink to the floor in a coughing fit, Kaza realized she'd stood up on her own.

"Mei…"

"KAZA!"

She swirled her head toward Zinco's voice. No doubt, he'd object, and she'd be forced to-

"FIGHT!"

…

"FIGHT WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!" Guilt-ridden tears fell from his distraught face. "IF… IF YOU GET HURT BECAUSE OF ME, THEN… THEN IT'S ALL POINTLESS! PLEASE, PLEASE JUST FIGHT!"

"... You…"

Bukyu decided he was really getting bored of things. There was still a fight to win, after all.

"I've… let you both down… I'm so pathetic."

Kaza's eyes watered once more, as the sociopathic musai charged at her full-force.

Her quivering lip pulled into a remorseful smile, and she whispered.

"I'm sorry…"

She turned.

Bukyu's Health Percentage was full.

A terrible, contorted noise rang out.

[ BGM: Daisuke Ishiwatari ‒ Awe of She (X ver.) (0:42) ]

And then it wasn't.

For the first time in 13 years, Kaza had struck someone.

And she hadn't held back in the slightest.

Her opponent skid across the arena, slowly and agonizingly stopping himself with his splintering hand. Catching his bearings, still confused as to what had transpired or what had struck him and when, he beheld a streak of something purple.

It was coming from him.

"(Oh…)"

He had no idea he had purple blood.

He didn't like it. He didn't like its sight.

He hated the feeling it took to draw it out.

The one who elicited it was coming closer.

They cast a shadow. It made another feeling.

It was even worse than the one that drew out his blood.

Kaza slowly approached Bukyu. She'd hit him with a palm she saw Zinco do once, only wrong. His palm caused no pain to the person he was fighting.

Hers…

Bukyu shot up to his feet, smiling.

"HIHIH, GREAT! I'VE NEVER BEEN IN A Fight like…"

He stumbled to the ground. He tried to stand again, and failed. Everything was shaking.

His insides felt like jelly. They really felt like jelly.

"(... It hurts. It hurts so bah...)"

The feeling ensnared him in place.

He'd never been so injured in a fight. For so long, fights were games that he won.

And now, he wasn't winning.

The tall thing's shadow grew larger and larger.

Watching his fun-loving, happy-go-lucky composure deteriorate before her didn't grant her any feeling of joy.

It just made her angrier.

"(It hurts, doesn't it?)"

She briefly turned.

No one was there.

"(Look at the little wretch writhe, now that he's lost the upper hand. It's like a dying wasp, crawling across the earth after its stinger's been plucked. In all its arrogance, it forgot its place, and now it suffers for it.)"

The voice was older than her, more mature. And soothing.

"(He's begging for his life, you know. You can see it in his eyes. He... no, no, IT can FEEL your desire to snuff it out. Poor thing, no?)"

In fact, it sounded almost like her own.

"(Who…)"

"(No. Of course that's not what you're thinking. How dare that worm wound this body? It knows its position now, surely, but that isn't enough to please me. I say kill it. It wouldn't take much, certainly not after that... marital? art? whatever that was.)"

Kaza's eyes shot open.

"(... stop talking.)"

Her vision reddened.

"(It's the first time you've dealt pain to someone since your inception, dear. Revel in its feeling.)"

Her scowl fiercened.

"(Shut up.)"

"(Stop being stubborn. It's always hard the first time, but let it grow on you. In time, it becomes as easy as eating, I assure you.)"

"(Leave me alone…!)"

"(You don't need magic, or the like. You're much better off physically, I made sure of it. Go on, place your hands around its throat.)"

"(Please…!)"

"(Here, I'll make it easy for you.)"

"(Kill it.)"

Kill it. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill it.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ kiLL iT.

klll it. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill it.ㅤㅤKIllㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill it kill it… ㅤㅤㅤㅤKill it.

ㅤㅤKi~ll it

Kill it.ㅤㅤㅤㅤKILL IT

kill it.ㅤㅤㅤKILL IT.ㅤㅤKILL IT.ㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤkill it ㅤㅤㅤKiLL IT ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤkill it

killㅤㅤㅤKill it.ㅤㅤㅤkill it.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤa touch is all you'd needㅤㅤㅤㅤkill

KILL IT!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill itㅤㅤKILL IT!ㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSTOP ITㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill it

Kill it.ㅤㅤㅤㅤKILL IT

kill it.ㅤㅤㅤKILL IT.ㅤㅤKILL IT.ㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤKill it.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤkill it.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤkill it

wouldntitbeniceㅤㅤㅤㅤkill

KILL IT!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill itㅤㅤKILL IT!ㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤitcanthurtyouifitsgone

Kill it

Kill him.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤkill itㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill it.

ㅤㅤKi~ll it

KILL IT!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill itㅤㅤKILL IT!ㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤKILL ITㅤkill itㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤwhowould missitㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill it

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill him.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤkill itㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill it

Kill him.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤkill itㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill it

KiLl ItㅤㅤkIlL iT

Kill it.ㅤㅤㅤㅤKILL IT

GET OUT

free yourself.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKILL IT.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤPLEASE

ㅤㅤㅤㅤkill

KILL IT!ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill itㅤㅤKILL IT!ㅤ

NO

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤwipe him out.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill it

Kill him.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤkill itㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤKill it

KiLl ItㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤkIlL iTㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤkill it Kill it kill it kIll It kIll It

Kill him.

"N~OOO!"

The agonized pitch left nearly everyone momentarily deafened.

"SHUT UP! SHUT, SHUT UP, SHUT. UP!"

The whites of her eyes had inexplicably darkened, almost to the obsidians commonplace around most majin. But as her panicked, enraged screaming was replaced by labored breath, they gradually returned to normal.

Slowly, she descended her head. The feeling within it had blissfully lowered itself to a head-splitting migraine.

He ‒ Bukyu was his name ‒ had devolved into a bloody, sniveling mess.

"(... I…)"

Beholding the ghastly sight, despite the anguish she'd been placed through, Kaza's eyes fell.

"(... what have I d...)"

Her distraught expression contorted into a grimace.

Her hands suddenly snatched the terrified boy by the horns.

"IS THIS STILL FUN!?" she screamed, teary eyes in a frenzy.

A cascade of frantic stammers followed.

"ANSWER!"

Frantic shakes of the head followed.

"SO IT STOPS BEING FUN WHEN YOU'RE THE ONE BEING HURT, DOESN'T IT!?"

"I-I-"

"IT'S WRONG! ALL OF THIS IS WRONG! ADMIT IT! HURTING PEOPLE, KILLING PEOPLE IS WRONG! TELL ME IT'S WRONG!"

"IT'S WRONG!" Bukyu wailed, breaking down.

She didn't even know why she forced such a reaction from him. Only after the childish wailing did the reality of it all sink in.

"(I'm still so...)"

After a lingering moment, Kaza dropped Bukyu.

"Please just forfeit, already."

Not long after, his hand raised.

Stu… dent… Kaza advaNCES TO THE QUARTER FINALS!

For the first time, she genuinely, from the bottom of her heart,

Hated someone.

And it felt horrible.

"(It's the boy, isn't it? Is that why you held yourself back? That's somewhat droll, I suppose.)"

And now, she had this to worry about.

"(Why am I still hearing it?)"

"(Oh don't insult me now, my dear, I've always been here. It's just that you had the gall to push me back on my every attempt to return. It'll take time, yes, but I'll relinquish control of the vessel soon enough. You, on the other hand-)"

"(Please just leave me alone, already.)"

"(... Fine, Have your fun, while you still can.)"

In the stands, hobbled over underneath his arms, Zinco stifled sobs between grit teeth. Rage, disgust, and sorrow became one.

[ ED: Pay Money to My Pain ‒ Weight of My Pride ]

I'll show you something even better!

"(I'm still…)"

Oh… great! Yeah!

"(So weak…)"

POST-FIGHT COVERAGE! A WORD FROM OUR COMMENTATORS!

Ace looked down.

Goku looked down.

"Er... yeah, wasn't a fight I'd call 'fun.' Or a fight. At all."

Ace nodded. He pumped a fist into the air and, with a determined face, cheered as loud as he could - which was silently - before tapping his head. After, he placed a hand over his heart and, with the same hand, made a thumbs up... then released it as it turned 45 degrees.

"It definitely showcased tactics during the opening bout, as well as heart, what with the motivation from friends, but..."

Ace made finger horns on his head. First raising a bicep while pointing upward, he then forcefully and rapidly punched into his hand, before raising a finger to his temple and making an "x." Right after, he made two droopy, antennae-esque signs with his arms, wiped away mime tears, and then clasped his hands before ripping them apart as if a bomb has gone off between them. He then raised his left finger to his temple and made a continuous circle. He made an "I'll Kill You" face while taking a thumb over his throat, before smacking his mouth, like something gross had gotten in.

"Bukyu was insanely powerful, one of the strongest of our student roster assuredly, but he also displayed a disturbing level of violence and apparent lack of self control. On the flipside, Kaza lacked composure as a warrior, and once her power exploded, she started losing her mind. You could TASTE the sheer bloodlust!"

Ace showed hesitation, but ultimately raised a 4/10.

"And Ace's score, folks."

Puddin looked off, so Trunks skipped her.

"G-Goku, your take?"

Goku nodded, arms crossed. "I'll try to be as objective as I can. From the looks of it, Kaza's goal was to get Bukyu outta the ring, and she made good use of her abilities as a majin to reach that. Not to mention, there was some serious thought and planning as well, and she was no slouch skill-wise, either; each block, parry, and dodge showed some polish. As for Bukyu, like Kaza falling back on defense fundamentals, so did he for attack, and while there's nothing wrong with that, his unrefined style showed that the core of his offense was brute force, not technique. His manipulation of Ki was a different story, though, as it was top-notch all throughout the match. That level of control and variation is something that takes most folks decades to come close to, and that he's still young means he's not even close to his full potential! But that's nothing compared to Kaza's burst of power near the end, especially with that single palm strike! Nothing so far has come CLOSE!"

The seasoned Saiyan was beginning to lose his stern look and returning to his jovial expression.

A single glance brought him back to his serious state.

"There's the thing. While both fighters are likely the youngest here, they've gotta learn to control themselves. They're both the types to go crazy once things stop going their way, and that's a detriment as both a patroller AND a warrior. Also, trying to talk things out while you're in the middle of a losing fight shows weakness. At best, you'll convince the opponent you're not worth their time, and at worst, they'll just want you dead. My last issue is how Bukyu toyed with his opponent; speaking from experience, things will only go bad for you if you get cocky and play around with your enemy, no matter how much of an advantage you think you have. Despite their power, I'm sorry, but there's no room for the weak or the sadistic on the Time Patrol. Giving this one a 3."

Trunks blew air. "Harsh words, but wise nonetheless. Uh... Puddin, you've been awful quiet. Was this match too much for you?"

"... hm... hnm-nmh-nh-nh... hn~nnh, he~hehehe... heHEHEHEHEH..."

"Uh... Pud... din?"

She suddenly jumped for joy as she femininely giggled.

"HEU~HUHUAHAHA, AA~HAHAHAHA!"

Trunks stared.

Ace stared.

Goku stared.

"Fantastic! That fight had everything I've been looking for up until now! As soon as Bukyu transformed, the fight went from disgustingly bland to absolute 10/10 territory! For once, REAL combat!"

"... care to ex-"

Puddin cutely pumped her fists.

"Suffering, of course!"

Ace skootched off to the side.

"Making that wimpy brat grovel to the ground and wail was one of the highlights, without a doubt! But it doesn't come close to the way he blasted through her preppy little speech about a silly little fairyland where gumdrops and ice cream fall from the sky! Where credit is due, she sure took it like a champ, save for all the sniveling she did!"

"... we can cut this out, ri-"

"But the Crème de la Crème was the way Kaza made THAT arrogant shit-for-brains beg for his life! Did you see the way he scrambled across the floor after ONE attack? He treated his own blood like a groundbreaking discovery, and then he started CRYING once she screamed at him a bit! What a joke!"

Puddin gave two cutesy peace-peace signs, as she inexplicably beamed.

"If that surge of bloodlust near the end was anything to go by, I expect great things from Kaza in the future! As for Bukyu, disposal bin's to your right upon exit! Make yourself comfortable! 20/10!"

Trunks stared.

"Uh that's not-"

"Ace, your score's now 10/10!"

Trunks stared.

"This ends the 1st half of the closing preliminaries. We'll see you all next round."

6/4/2023 Patch Notes: Soo-Sang segment altered to align with current story plans.

YO! OP Here!

I'm not dead yet, hah. But uh, there's a reason I mysteriously vanished around the time school was back in session.

Sophomore year's kinda brutal right now. Even now, I've got a gajillion things to do. Even more, I thought this chapter would be the easiest of the 1st half fights but, damn. Maybe it was, but, sure took the longest. A lot of concerns on my end regarding quality; I just knew this character beat was gonna come off as '08 cringe no matter what I did, but dammit, I still want to try and make this something new. So I'll keep on trying.

Speaking of, Kaza's 1st-person PoV will probably be a one-off thing, it was like the only way for me to enjoy writing solo dialogue for her. And it was. I had fun, and it also gave me a bit to explore her character.

During this chapter's conception, I also took some time to think up lore for Frieza's race, or Musai as they're called in this fic; stuff like how they reproduce and whatever. I focused more on a combo of mystic shit you'd see about mythological creatures, it'll be in next chapter, you can see if you like it there when I post it next decade.

Oh yeah, that voice that's in Kaza's head. More lore that I was conjuring during the chapter. I was thinking of melding the old "Bibidi made Buu" thing with the more-recent "Time-immemorial eldritch creature" thing in a mythological golem-esque thingamajig. It'll probably appear in the quarterfinals, just know it's still in development.

Oh. I also remembered ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤthat these nifty character doohickeysㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤexist. I probably won't use them frequently, but they should spice up the visual shizz in this fic.

I'm kinda scatterbrained right now, and there's deadlines and whatever that I don't really care about. Stay strong, guys. Next Fight: Hermione Tohsaka vs Sadie Urameshi.

That's about it. See ya.