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.

170. Chapter 168: The New Tournament

Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Chapter 168: The New Tournament

Back at Papaya Island…

The people crowded in the tournament stands were beginning to grow restless, jeering and spitting insults at Vale and the rest of the tournament monks gathered in the ring. Some of them were even beginning to throw garbage. As they did, the leftovers of the Z-Fighters that had chosen to remain were all grouped together and discussing the latest turn of events.

Chi-Chi bit her lip. "So, it's not just in my head right? They've..."

Yamcha finished her thought. "They've all vanished, yes. Like, they're energy readings are just totally gone. Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Raditz, Piccolo, and even that Videl girl. Vanished instantly."

Suno frowned. "Th-They aren't dead, are they?"

Puar whimpered. "Oh no! P-Please don't say they're dead, Yamcha!"

Android 16 crossed his arms over his Hawaiian shirt. "No, they aren't dead. No matter how quickly someone dies, there is a natural decay to their vital readings. No one simply vanishes in death. Goku and the others have merely disappeared. Perhaps into something that is designed to mask their energy..."

Ox-King groaned. "Yeah, that sounds like real trouble all right..."

Master Roshi stroked his beard. "And yet, I can still feel Chiaotzu's energy loud and clear, so why didn't he disappear with 'em?"

Nam stroked his beard as well. "I can feel the muted radiance of the souls belonging to Mr. Krillin and Mr. Tien. Perhaps they were struck down in some way and Chiaotzu is merely defending them?"

Immediately, Android 18 was on her feet, placing Marron into 16's arms. She almost took off all at once, when Gine suddenly grabbed her by the wrist. The two women locked eyes and Gine sighed. "Remember back during the Cell Games, hon? Sometimes, it's better to wait in the wings rather than rush into a situation..."

18 frowned, wanting to argue or snap at the older woman, but she knew that Gine was right. She dropped back into her seat and buried her face in her hands. " This is frustrating. I should have gone in the first place..."

Marron reached out and gently patted her mama on the head. Muffin and Socks ran up to their Auntie Laz and both hugged her tightly. Trixie smiled. "It'll be okay, Laz. Your husband's a toughie. I'm sure he'll be just fine when it all shakes out. Right, Lap?"

Android 17 appeared to be lost in thought. He looked over to his wife and shot her a gentle smile. "Everything'll be fine, love. One way or the other."

Blue Launch bit her thumbnail. "I feel like we should be more concerned that the kids are missing. I mean, Goten and Chika ran off to get snacks, and we have Koriocha here..."

Koriocha smiled up at Blue Launch and Blue Launch smiled back. Her frown, however, quickly reasserted itself. "... but where are Trunks and Bulla? And where's Ranch?"

Oolong mumbled to himself. " Those three little hellions could be anywhere..."

Bulma slapped him across his pink, piggy head. Then she turned to Yamcha. "Can you feel the kids, Yamcha?"

The bearded former bandit nodded. "For the most part, yeah. I can just barely feel Trunks and Ranch are close by. Goten and Chika aren't trying to hide themselves, so they're shining loud and clear at the snack stand. Koriocha is next to me..."

Yamcha hugged his little girl close. She nuzzled her face into his side. "I love you, Papa."

Yamcha nodded with a big, goofy grin. "Love you too, baby."

He sighed, and then frowned at Bulma. "I hate to say it, Bulma. But... Bulla's energy has been missing since everyone went following that Shin guy. So, if I was to place a bet..."

Bulma sighed so hard it sounded as if she was about to breathe fire. She growled under her breath. " I'm going to kill Krillin for helping her invent that stupid hiding technique..."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh well. At least she's with Vegeta. So the only way she'll ever be in danger of getting hurt is if something kills him first."

On the sidelines, Erasa and Sharpner were left as a silent audience to the, frankly, unbelievable things that were being said. Erasa sighed and sipped her drink. " I can't believe that the explanation for Videl being able to walk again is a magic bean..."

She looked down the row of seats. "Ms. Lazuli! You're not just messing with me, right?"

18's face was buried in her hands. "No, Erasa, I'm not..."

Erasa blew a raspberry with her lips. " ... The real world is so friggin' weird."

A bead of sweat ran down the side of Sharpner's face. He was having a significantly harder time grasping everything than Erasa seemed to be. So, without any specific question in his head to ask, Sharpner simply spoke the only thing he could muster. "So, what do we do now...?"

And then, Sharpner flinched as he watched a genuine wave of uneasy confusion spread on everyone's face. No one had to speak. Sharpner could tell all at once that nobody had any idea how to answer that question.

Before the utter lack of insight could really settle over the group, however, two tournament monks quickly came charging up the stairs toward the straggler Z-Fighters. The chubbier of the two doubled over, struggling to catch his breath. The skinnier of the two adjusted his glasses and spoke. "Mr. Lapis! Ms. Number 18! Mr. Yamcha! May we humbly request your presence in the ring below?"

The three warriors flinched, 18 pulling her face from her hands. Yamcha cocked his head. "W-Wassup?"

In the fighters' waiting area…

The two halves of Mighty Mask were both sitting in the shady part of the ruined fighter's waiting area. Trunks was significantly less peppy than he had been before. Below him, in the lower part of the Mighty Mask costume, Ranch was once again responsive. She was silently sipping a bottle of water, her eyes cast to the ground.

Trunks sighed, trying to buck himself up. He quickly shifted topics. "So, uh... where do you think everyone went? Do ya think we're missing out on something cool?"

Ranch spoke in a dull whisper. " ... Who cares? My dad left with them. What's the point of even staying in this stupid costume if he isn't here to see when I win...?"

Trunks tried to be positive. "So what? When he gets back from doing whatever he's doing, he can still be shocked that you won! Heck, maybe the shock of realizing he missed it will make him get his act together!"

Ranch didn't sound convinced, the aftershocks of the half-power Devilmite Beam still engorging the bitterness within her. " You think so?"

Trunks started to speak again, but was quickly cut off by Vale suddenly shouting. "Ms. Gyuhime!"

Both kids looked up and saw that the stupid wrestler lady that 18 had beaten before was marching up to the announcer. She huffed and crossed her arms. "This had better be good."

Vale nodded. "Y-Yes ma'am! We're grateful that you didn't leave yet. With the majority of our finalists having flown off, we've decided to hold a bit of a second chance tournament for everyone who has stayed behind! Now, I know you're not the happiest about what happened, and we do have Mr. Nam waiting in the wings if you'd rather just forgo another fight, but we wanted to sincerely extend the invitation to have you take another shot at winning the whole thing!"

Gyuhime scowled, rubbing her face where 18 had hit her. Vale stammered. "W-What do you say...?"

The wrestler cocked her head, sneering at Vale. But then, she smirked. "Fine. I'll take another crack at it. Why not? I can add another appearance fee onto my payday~"

Vale nodded with a bow. "Thank you..."

Gyuhime stuck her nose into the air and strutted off, in the direction of the ring. Trunks and Ranch were both very confused. And, as such, they were both caught off-guard as Vale smiled and ran up to them. "Mr. Mighty Mask! I don't know if you overheard my conversation with Ms. Gyuhime, but I actually have an offer for you too!"

In the champion's balcony…

Hiki Kimori moaned with anxiety as her phone rang to voicemail for the twentieth time in a row. She flinched as the voice on the other end spoke again. "This is Videl. Orange Star High School Student and Retired Protector of Justice. Please leave a message and have a nice day."

Rather than leave a message for the twentieth time, Hiki simply hung up. She was still mentally recoiling from the miracle that was Videl regaining her ability to walk. She was happy for her beloved charge more than anything, but was also sincerely concerned about her suddenly racing off to chase after Gohan and his group. Hiki's phone rang and she answered without looking. "VIDEL?!"

The voice on the other end of the phone spoke very quickly. "Ms. Komori! Lauren Graham! Do you have a comment on the statement made by a participant in the Tenkaichi Budokai that Mr. Satan did not kill-"

Hiki snapped. " NO COMMENTS AT THIS TIME! PISS OFF, YOU VULTURE!"

She hung up the phone and groaned, running her fingers through her wavy purple hair. "What a time for Piiza to be on holiday. I'm a personal assistant, not a publicist..."

As she stood there, lamenting her current position as a go-between for Mr. Satan and the media, Hiki's frown deepened. She didn't remember much of the Cell Games. Truth be told, she barely watched it. Cell terrified her. Even the silly toys and the costume in that stupid film they were releasing scared her senseless. She pictured him tricking her into getting everyone in her hometown killed and then him looming over her in that news studio and she felt her bladder getting weak.

She squeezed her eyes shut, giving off a small whimper, and tried to think back to some of the stills she had seen. She thought of those people who had shown up at the same time Mr. Satan had shown up at the Cell Games, their faces fuzzy in her memory but seemingly fitting the profiles of the people who had flown off earlier. In her heart, after 7 years of companionship, Hiki had so many things she wanted to ask Mr. Satan the answers for. She turned to him and almost dropped the biggest question of all...

But then, Hiki saw the man slumped in his chair. Worry and fatigue were weighing down every single inch of Mark Hercule's body and Hiki swallowed that potentially shattering question away for the time being. She sighed and pocketed her phone. "Mr. Satan, it's time to head down to the ring. The tournament officials are ready to make the announcement..."

Mr. Satan stood, turning and casting a weary glance down at Hiki. He smiled warmly. "Thanks. I appreciate ya stickin' close while I'm like this..."

Again, the question almost popped out and Hiki Komori was positive all the way to the center of her soul that she wouldn't like the answer than she was going to be given. So, once again, she pivoted. "I would imagine that concern over Videl is getting to you. Would you like me to cancel the whole affair, sir? I can get this all removed from the schedule with a phone call..."

Mark groaned, slumping over and sighing. "I feel like... I'm about to fall apart over here..."

Hiki nodded. But then, Mr. Satan stood tall. "... But, the Hero of Earth can't afford to fall apart with the public all looking at him! Let's get moving!"

As Mr. Satan marched down the tunnel leading from his champion's throne, Hiki smiled after him. This was the radiant person that she had grown to know. The man that she had grown to love and cherish as a friend and as a source of advice and guidance.

But then that same lump of doubt formed in Hiki's throat and, as she adjusted her glasses and followed her boss, she felt genuinely sick to her stomach.

In the ring…

Mr. Satan marched into the center of the ring, Hiki on his right-hand side and Vale on his left. At this point, the crowd was near riotous and Kibito's shock announcement made even the presence of their champion not quite the sedative it used to be. Vale stammered into the mic, trying to project his voice over the jeers and the boos. "L-Ladies and ge-gentlemen! P-Please calm down! We-"

Mr. Satan quickly seized the mic from the announcer's hand, bringing it to his mouth and shouting in a forceful voice. " CUT THAT RACKET OUT!"

In spite of their furor and confusion, the crowd fell silent almost at once, drawn under the spell that came with the authority of being the man who had saved the planet. Mr. Satan scanned the crowd quickly, making sure that every eye was locked right onto him. And then he spoke again. "Now, I've been sittin' in my chair listenin' to you all belly-achin' ever since all the others left! And so, I ask everyone here, what do y'all have to be upset about?! Have you forgotten that Mr. Satan is still here?!"

All at once, the crowd began to cheer. Their worries and anxieties had been forgotten. After all, the champ was right! He was still there, belt and all! Mr. Satan growled. "A simple decision has been made! Sadly, we gotta disqualify everyone who left! But I'll make sure to reach out to Son Goku later and let him know we ain't holdin' any hard feelings toward him!"

The crowd cheered again, some people within it even breaking out into a small chant of Goku's name. Mr. Satan smirked. "And, just like we ain't gonna let a former champ down, we ain't gonna let you people down either! Nah, nah! We're just gonna start a new tournament, right here and right now! We've reached out to multiple fighters from the tournament proper and from the prelims and Vale here tells me that we've still got a pretty stacked line-up for y'all! So let's hear some excitement for the fighters who are gonna be getting a shot at glory!"

The crowd cheered, fully enveloped in the energy filling the arena. "HAIL, MR. SATAN! HAIL, MR. SATAN! HAIL, MR. SATAN! HAIL, MR. SATAN! HAIL, MR. SATAN! HAIL, MR. SATAN! HAIL, MR. SATAN! HAIL, MR. SATAN! HAIL, MR. SATAN! HAIL, MR. SATAN!"

The champ handed the microphone back to Vale who took it with a gracious smile. He cried out. "OKAY, FOLKS! ARE WE ALL READY FOR THE NEW MATCH ANNOUNCEMENTS?!"

The crowd gave a massive cheer. Vale nodded. "Okay! CONTESTANTS, PLEASE ENTER THE RING!"

At Vale's cue, eight martial artists entered the ring. Vale energetically introduced each as they marched their way in. Starting with a name that made him smile wide. "First off, we introduce the fighters in Match #1 of the tournament! Here we have a familiar face from tournaments past! Let's hear it for Yamcha!"

Yamcha stepped out, decked out in his Turtle School gi with an excited grin behind his bushy beard. He was ready to go all the way this time. Yamcha was going to win!

Following him, out came the Yakuza that had faced the Supreme Kai in the prelims. His face was drawn into a serious scowl, his expensive white suit shining in the sun. As he marched into the ring, after his first-round opponent, Vale reintroduced him to the crowd. "Next up, we introduce a new face to the tournament scene! The first opponent that Yamcha will face, let's hear it for Kazuma Kiryu!"

Following him came another familiar face. Vale cried out. "The first competitor of the second match, everyone please give a warm welcome back to Gyuhime the Cow Princess!"

As the crowd gave a cheer for the returning beauty, Vale reintroduced another competitor from the prelims. "Next, her opponent! Everyone please give their appreciation to the runner-up of the last tournament, Jewel!"

Jewel stomped out to the ring, looking absolutely pissed as he did. Something had clearly annoyed him. The source of that annoyance was actually the next one introduced. "Now, the first competitor of the third match! Everyone please give a shout for Number 18!"

18 walked out to the ring, looking distracted and not-at-all into it. Her eyes were locked onto the west as if she expected a swarm of angry wasps to come flying in at any moment. Following her, Vale cried out. "And her opponent! Please everyone cheer for Lapis!"

The crowd came to life as one of the more entertaining fighters of the day came marching out. 17 hooted and hollered, pumping his fists to the crowd as they cheered him on. Vale cheered as well. "Now, introducing the first competitor of the fourth and final semi-finals match! Let's hear it for Mighty Mask!"

Mighty Mask came out to cheers, walking more evenly than they had been all day. It was as if something had sobered Mighty Mask's errant legs up. Or perhaps just sapped their energy away. Vale called out. "And finally, say hello to Mighty Mask's opponent! The boxer known as Killa!"

Killa quickly joined his fellow competitors, standing in a line in the ring. As they stood there, the board behind them reflected the new matchups.

Yamcha vs Kazuma Kiryu

Gyuhime vs Jewel

Android 18 vs Lapis

Mighty Mask vs Killa

Yamcha smiled and waved up to his family in the crowd.

Kiryu sneered as some in the crowd screamed "Kiryu-chan~!".

Gyuhime blew kisses and playfully smacked the unsuspecting Mr. Satan's butt.

Jewel shot a hateful glance at 18.

18 crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

17 played up to the crowd.

Mighty Mask's gaze was cast downward, worriedly staring at his legs.

Killa was shadowboxing the air.

Vale smiled and called out. "Okay, people! We've got a tournament again! In a mere 15 minutes, the battles to decide who will challenge Mr. Satan shall begin!"

In the crowd…

Seeing that faker Gyuhime smack that liar Mr. Satan on the ass was the final straw. Chi-Chi stood up and scowled. "I think I've had enough tournament for one day. I'm going back to the hotel to get drunk on sake and watch a movie. Someone call me if Goku and Gohan come back."

Everyone worriedly looked after Chi-Chi as she stormed away, a furious and sad expression molded onto her face. Gine called after her daughter-in-law. "W-Would you like company, Chi-Chi?"

Chi-Chi waved her mother-in-law off. "No. Just please watch Goten and Chika when they get back from the snack bar."

The wife of Son Goku marched away, practically stomping with every step. She glared one last time out of the corner of her eye at Gyuhime the Cow Princess and Mr. Satan. And then, in a flash of speed, Chi-Chi disappeared in disgust.

In Gyuhime's personal trailer…

The door to Gyuhime's trailer flung open and she marched in, shouting into her cell phone. "What do you mean I don't get an appearance fee for that?! Who gives a damn if I was wearing those stupid-ass plastic horns?!"

She kicked the door closed, filling the trailer with mostly darkness. Ripping off her mask, Kyoko Ushina flopped down into her make-up chair and scowled, whipping her long black hair out of her face. "Ugh! Fine! I'll make sure I'm wearing them for the actual fights! Whatever!"

She hung up the call with her agent and threw her phone onto the travel bed where she took her power naps. She sighed and rubbed her hands over her face. "I hate this stupid-ass cow gimmick and I hate this stupid-ass cow branding. I never had to put up with this crap when I was working for New Japan..."

Ushina leaned back, pressing her hands over her face and groaning. " No. After this, and after I get my paycheck, I quit. Screw all these freaks and screw this tournament. I'm gonna beat the hell out of everyone, including that Number 18 bitch, then I'm gonna take my money and my new belt and work on a serious rebrand..."

Little did Kyoko Ushina notice that she was not alone in her trailer. The mysterious form of an intruder stalked up behind her, hidden by the shadows. This person loomed over Gyuhime for a solid minute, their presence unnoticed... until they produced a roll of duct tape and loudly tore a strip loose.

Meanwhile, in Stage Six of Babidi's ship…

Babidi and Dabura watched on in speechless amazement, their jaws both dropped all the way down. Bardock was rubbing his palm over the surface of his mask. " This is humiliating..."

Reflecting in high-definition glory on Babidi's crystal ball was the horror movie of Pui-Pui, third strongest warrior on the ship, having the piss beaten out of him by a 7-year-old. Dabura flinched, one eyebrow raising, as Bulla grabbed Pui-Pui by the spikes on his back and repeatedly slammed him into the floor.

Hands shaking, Babidi grabbed the kili meter attached to the crystal's base and closely examined it. "H-How is this possible?! That little brat... she has a power reading of over 900 kili! D-Dabura! How is that possible?!"

Dabura gasped. "900?! With 800 kili you could blow up this very planet beneath us! There is no way that child could blow up this planet!"

Bardock shook his head. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

Dabura snapped at his hated compatriot. "Watch your mouth, ape! I'm not in the mood for you!"

Bardock scoffed. "When are you ever in the mood to be told off?"

Babidi glared over at Bardock. "Explain! Now! What is this?!"

Bardock nodded. "As I said before, Master Babidi, this is your source of the energy to revive Majin Buu. The fighters on this planet all carry an innate desire to make the future generations better than the last. The man who was originally fighting Pui-Pui, Vegeta, is for sure an arrogant ass. But that girl is his daughter. And knowing him how I know him, it wouldn't surprise me if he's made her strong enough to blow up the Earth."

Babidi scowled. "It's insane!"

Bardock nodded. "Agreed. But it's also profitable for us. If Pui-Pui could simply get it together and start fighting back against a toddler, then we might get somewhere in all of this."

Dabura gritted his teeth, snarling at the crystal ball. Babidi sneered. "Dammit, Pui-Pui. Get it together!"

In Stage Three…

Pui-Pui skidded across the ground on his face, slamming into a wall and lying still for a moment. Shakily, he pushed himself up and glared back at the delivery girl of this embarrassing beating he was taking. Bulla stood there, her hands on her hips and her nose angled up into the air. She puffed out her cheeks. "Hurry up and fight seriously!"

Getting his feet back under him, Pui-Pui walked over to the girl. He wasn't sure exactly how to feel about what was going on. He sneered. "This is a waste of my time. This..."

He turned to Vegeta with murder in his eyes. "You'd better call her off, fool! Once I start fighting seriously, I'll kill her just as I've killed the thousands of others that had dared to stand before me! You've thrown your daughter to the wolves!"

Vegeta smirked. "Land your first blow. Then we'll talk~"

Pui-Pui snarled. "You bastard! I'll-"

A snap uppercut smashed beneath Pui-Pui's jaw and sent him flying 10 feet, eventually crashing onto his back. His back spikes raked deep gashes into the floor as he skidded, eventually lying still. Shocked again, Pui-Pui sat back up and glared at the girl.

Bulla glared right back, looking genuinely affronted. "Don't you ever disrespect my daddy! He's the Prince of All Saiyans!"

Pui-Pui rubbed his sore jaw, feeling that one of his bottom teeth was missing as the flesh of his lower lip sank in. Bulla smirked. "Oopsy. Guess you shouldn't have lowered your guard~"

The brainwashed alien snarled. " You..."

Then he rose to his feet, shooting forward in a burst of impressive speed. Pui-Pui drew his arm across his chest and launched a savage chop right at Bulla's neck. It cleaved straight through and Pui-Pui smiled. Then the girl's afterimage disappeared, and the smile faded away all at once. Pui-Pui skidded on his heels and glanced around. "What happened?! Where'd she go?!"

Like a hammer from God, Bulla rained down and crashed both feet down onto Pui-Pui's head, stomping him all the way to the ground and shattering out another tooth as his face impacted with the floor. Bulla squatted down on his back, resting her cheek in her palm. "Man, this is boring. I would have had more fun at the Junior Division..."

With a hateful scream, Pui-Pui rushed back to his feet, knocking Bulla off his back and the little girl landed gracefully and watched as her opponent rushed her once more. Pui-Pui launched a furious barrage of blows, trying his best to land even a single hit. Bulla gave a cute little giggle and then began to dance between the attempted strikes. She ducked and waved and spun with grace, waving her arm around like she was holding a ribbon in her right fist with a serene little grin on her face.

Pui-Pui's hands swiped all around Bulla, missing her as a man might fail to hit a bothersome fly. She called over to her father. "Daddy! I forgot to tell you that I have a dance recital next Saturday! You're gonna come, right?!"

Vegeta nodded with a smile. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, Bulla!"

Giving up on his barrage, Pui-Pui came to a stop. He doubled over, holding his knees and trying to catch his breath. " D-Damn it. Goddammit..."

Bulla cocked her head. "Are you really done already?"

Pui-Pui sneered. "Just you wait, brat! Once I catch my breath, I'm going to-"

Bulla giggled. "Good! You still have some more fight in you! That's great! I really hate beating up weaklings~"

Pui-Pui's eye twitched. He thrust his hand in Bulla's face, pressing all his fingers together, and shouted at the top of his lungs. " NICE SHOT!"

Bulla easily dodged out of the way, watching as a sharp flash of white Ki shot into the ground where she was standing. He thrust his hand toward her again. "I'll sear the diaper-rash off you, girl!"

He fired off three more Nice Shots, each wildly missing Bulla as she drew closer and closer. Frustrated, the Zoonian went for a punch, aiming it right at Bulla's stupid face. But the girl was quicker, dodging the fist and gut-checking her taller opponent with her shoulder. Pui-Pui's stomach was impacted so harshly that the shape of Bulla briefly bulged from his back before he went skidding into a wall.

The Zoonian retched, falling to his knees. Then, he looked up and Bulla was right there, she grabbed him by the lower lip and yanked him over her shoulder. For a moment, Pui-Pui felt like he was in freefall. His legs were wagging in the air, and he felt the blood rushing to his head. He looked up, which was down, and saw the cruel little demon smirking up at him. And then, the next thing he saw was bright red as Bulla's foot slammed dead-center into his face, sending him flying up and crashing into the ceiling.

Pui-Pui hung there, staring down in disbelief as Bulla pointed up at him and laughed. She turned toward her father again, but this time she called Gohan. "Gohan! Look! His stupid back spikes got stuck in the ceiling~!"

His head swimming, Pui-Pui turned to see that his spikes had indeed betrayed him, leaving him hanging like some kind of exotic decoration. Bulla cackled, falling onto her butt. "He looks like the pinata we had at my last birthday~!"

Pui-Pui was livid, hissing at the girl with pure venom. "I will not be mocked by you, hatchling!"

He ripped his spikes free from the ceiling and came crashing down at the sitting little brat. He would kill her before she could stand. Bulla enjoyed one last little snort, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, and then she pushed herself out of the way at the last moment with the strength of her tail. Pui-Pui's fist sank into the floor, and he snapped his glare in her direction.

The two of them locked eyes, the moment seeming to last for an eternity. Pui-Pui's gaze was full of hate, wanting nothing more than to see this miserable brat dead. Bulla simply smirked again. She raised her fist and sprang back toward Pui-Pui. He gritted his teeth, knowing that it was too late to evade. And then, Bulla plowed her fist into the center of Pui-Pui's chest, heavily cracking the bio-organic armor that grew from his skin and sending him crashing into a wall.

Pui-Pui slid down into a crouch, coughing up a bit of blood and holding his fractured chest. After a moment, he began to stand and gasped at the sight of Bulla standing right next to him. She looked disappointed, like she had just been told 'no' at a candy store. Bulla cocked her head and crossed her arms. "May I please have a real fight now?"

Pui-Pui snapped, shouting in frustration and throwing a punch. Bulla slapped the fist out of the way and smashed him into the wall with a palm thrust, breaking open a massive hole and letting soil from the outside pour in. Not missing a beat, Bulla grabbed Pui-Pui by the ankles, swinging him around and around before tossing him. The warrior crashed into the ground hard, one of his back spikes cracking off in the process and clattering to the floor. He tried to sit up, but Bulla was already on top of him, stomping him hard and forcing the remaining spike through the floor.

Frantic, Pui-Pui tried to pull himself free of the ground, only for Bulla to begin to spin him in place. He felt his remaining spike twisting around in the ground, unable to collect himself at Bulla made him spin faster and faster and faster yet. Pui-Pui moaned, begging Bulla for mercy. "S-Stop! I'm gonna throw up!"

Bulla rolled her eyes. "Oh, fine..."

She stuck her foot out and the side of Pui-Pui's head crashed into it. He groaned, going limp as the world still spun around him. Bulla turned around and skipped away. "5-minute break! Do any of you have any juice?!"

Shin stared in amazement and disbelief. " ...What in the world?"

He watched as Bulla marched up to Goku, holding out her hand and puffing out her cheeks. After a moment, Goku groaned and reached into his shirt, pulling out a juice box he was clearly planning to enjoy later on. Raditz stared at his brother, unimpressed that he was being bullied by a 7-year-old. "Trust me, Mr. Shin, I understand your confusion. The strength of these children is a lot to take in if you aren't expecting it..."

Videl glanced up at him. "Th-This guy is stronger than Spopovich, right?! Are you saying this toddler is stronger than me?!"

Raditz gave an empathetic, little nod. "Sorry. Must be a shock for you too..."

The Supreme Kai shook his head. "Babidi... enslaves the strongest warriors in the universe to do his bidding! This isn't just confusing, it's impossible! Sh-She's a child!"

Goku was crouched down, patting Bulma's daughter on the head with a genuinely caring smile on his face. "Gohan was at least this strong at his age. It's not that much of a shock, ya know?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, giving a derisive snort. "My Bulla is stronger. Don't even compare the two. She'll be good enough to kill Cell within the year!"

He glanced over at Gohan. "I hope you're ready, Gohan! I'm setting her loose on you as soon as she surpasses you~"

A nervous bead of sweat dripped down the side of Gohan's face. "R-Right..."

Piccolo shook his head. "You're going to turn that poor girl into a menace. Someone needs to talk to Bulma..."

" SHUT! UP!"

Everyone turned back to the embarrassed, dizzy, slightly nauseous form of Pui-Pui. The Zoonian snarled and gripped his fist toward the Z-Fighters. "This isn't a joke! This isn't a game! I'm a serious warrior and I won't be mocked, goddammit! I'll kill that brat, and then the real fight begins!"

Bulla smiled, dropping her empty juice box on the floor and then marching right back toward Pui-Pui. "Come on! It was a little funny to spin you around again and again! Right? Like when Uncle Krillin used to spin around on his head when he was still bald~"

Pui-Pui snapped, thrusting his hand forward. "NO!"

He fired off five more Nice Shots, which Bulla easily backflipped and cartwheeled to avoid. The blasts cracked against the ground, sending puffs of stone dust poofing into the air. Pui-Pui screamed in anger and fired off dozens more, firing faster and faster only to be met by faster and faster speeds from Bulla. Soon enough, all of Stage Three was full of blinding white light and clouds of dust. And yet, Pui-Pui kept firing! "I'll hit you eventually! And then you'll see-"

Bulla appeared right in his face, sticking out her tongue with an impish little grin. " Nyah!"

Pui-Pui flinched back with a yelp and Bulla giggled. "I can throw Ki blasts too~"

And then she did so, summoning Ki spheres in both of her palms and lobbing them at Pui-Pui like baseballs, hitting every shot right where she aimed and leaving Pui-Pui covered in smoking scorch marks. Bulla threw one last blast directly at Pui-Pui's gut. It hit him like a shot-put ball, smashing him back and making him double over with a wheeze.

Pui-Pui held up his hand again, gasping out the name of another attack. " S-Snipe... Shot..."

A stronger version of the Nice Shot went firing from Pui-Pui's hand, but Bulla had disappeared before it could reach her. Pui-Pui didn't even have time to question where the girl had gone before her heel came crashing into the top of his head. Pui-Pui hit the ground with a heavy thud, laying in place and groaning as Bulla leapt back and landed 10 feet from him. She blew a raspberry with her lips. "Still waiting for that real fight~"

Back in Stage Six…

Babidi stared in disbelief at the sight of his third best man laying still on the ground at the feet of a primary schooler. He held his finger menacingly up to the crystal ball. "I ought to blow Pui-Pui up like a bomb! He could at least in some way be useful in killing that overconfident little snot!"

For a moment, the wizard really did consider it. But then, he turned with a scowl to Dabura and Bardock. "Where the hell would Pui-Pui fight best?! Hurry!"

The two attendants looked toward one another, for once nodding in agreement. They both turned to Babidi and gave an answer in unison. " Planet Zoon, Master Babidi. "

Back in Stage Three…

As Bulla began to march toward Pui-Pui, the hoarse voice of the wizard rang out once again. " PAPARAPA! "

All at once, the atmosphere changed in Stage Three. Now, the Z-Fighters all found themselves standing on some barren rock in space, littered with various stolen treasures and pieces of valuable debris.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. " Lovely. The great Zoonian trash heap itself..."

Bulla rolled her shoulders. "This feels different..."

Shin scowled. "The tables have turned. If this is Pui-Pui's homeworld, then that girl is at a major disadvantage..."

He looked around, hoping to see the other Z-Fighters ready to rush in and help. But the only people who had even budged were Videl, who had fallen to her knees with a grunt, and Gohan who was trying to help her up. Shin was unnerved. "Wh-What is wrong with these people...?"

As Bulla looked up, glancing around at the inky black sky of Planet Zoon, Pui-Pui stood with a cocky grin spread across his face. "Hyeheheheh~ Welcome... to my home planet!"

Bulla turned to him, a single eyebrow raised. Pui-Pui continued. "I've won many great battles here! And, by now, you've noticed that my planet is very different than yours~"

Pui-Pui reached down, grabbing a stone and lifting it to shoulder height. "It's the gravity! Ten times stronger than Earth!"

He loosened his grip on the rock, and it fell back to the ground with a solid thud. Pui-Pui snarled. "Your hopes of winning are falling faster than that stone! None of you will leave here alive! Hyeheheh! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

As Pui-Pui laughed, off to the side, the sound of Vegeta's snide chuckle echoed out. Pui-Pui turned, scowling at him. "Huh?"

The prince snorted. "Maybe if this was 500 times the normal gravity of the Earth you'd have the advantage. But 10? To any warrior worth their salt? Heh... we don't even feel it."

All the other Z-Fighters stood under the increased gravity entirely sure of themselves. Seeing the others looking so unperturbed, Videl gritted her teeth and forced her now 1,130-pound body to stand up straight. Gohan gave a small smile and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Pui-Pui snarled. "Y-You're all just bluffing! I know you are!"

Vegeta closed his eyes. "Maybe we are? Hard to tell. Why don't you ask my daughter?"

Pui-Pui's attention snapped back to the girl. He snarled and rushed at her. "Enough of this!"

As Pui-Pui stomped toward her, Bulla looked unperturbed. He threw a flurry of punches, knowing that one of them... AT LEAST ONE... had to land true. Bulla dodged every blow like she wasn't even trying, and then returned a blow of her own with a heavy punch to the gut. Pui-Pui rose up into the air, a splash of blood erupting from his throat. And then Bulla sent him flying into a nearby rock formation with a single kick to the face.

Pui-Pui crashed into the rock, shattering it to pieces. He laid there for a moment, but then slowly forced himself from beneath the rubble. What he saw made him flinch in surprise and, as much as he didn't want to admit it, just a bit of fear. Bulla was lightly bouncing on her feet, her fists held up in a boxer's stance. She looked at Pui-Pui with an arrogant glare and smirked. "Still think my daddy's bluffing?"

Pui-Pui was seething. Bulla stopped bouncing and laughed at him. " Ha ha ha!"

The Zoonian leapt from his rocky bed and charged at Bulla. " YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

Bulla's smirk faded into a serious scowl. In a single burst, her hair erupted into golden flames and she shot toward Pui-Pui like a missile. The little girl sank her fist deep into Pui-Pui's cheek, knocking him right onto his back and shattering the other spike. And then she jumped up and landed on him like an anvil falling from the sky.

Pui-Pui gasped, feeling all of his ribs shatter and Bulla shouted in his face. " Hear me, peasant! I AM BULLA ESCHALLOT BRIEFS! THE PRINCESS OF ALL SAIYANS!"

She leapt up and landed onto Pui-Pui's chest with a stomp. " I AM BEAUTIFUL!"

Again. " I AM SMART!"

Again. " I AM STRONG!"

Again. " AND IF YOU DOUBT THAT FOR EVEN A SECOND, YOU CAN GO TO HELL!"

Bulla leapt even higher into the air this time, spinning and charging an attack in her palm. " NOW VANISH THE DAZZLING LIGHT OF BEAUTIFUL BULLA BRIEF'S BOMBASTIC BIG BANG ATTACK! "

Pui-Pui could manage little more than a startled yelp in the face of oncoming death. The blast hit and two things happened simultaneously: Pui-Pui was charred into a burnt skeleton in less than a second and he let loose a howling death rattle that outlived him by a full 6 seconds. " AAAAAGH!"

Bulla landed with panache, turning and smiling at her daddy and his servants as Planet Zoon faded back into Stage Three. "I can't believe the big, bad warlock would send out such a weakling~"

Back on Stage Six…

Babidi fell to his knees, watching in disbelief as the intruders into his ship leaped down the shaft leading to Stage Four. Half of his ship had been conquered, the charge being led by a mere human, an overweight businessman, and an actual child. Dabura quickly rushed over, trying his best to massage Babidi's bruised ego. "Master! Do not fret! Pui-Pui might be dead, but we have many other Zoonians that we could send! Perhaps, we could magically enhance them! Then-"

Babidi seethed in fury. " Send Yakon."

Dabura flinched. "Yakon? Master, I know that we have been taken by surprise, but I do not believe anything has yet happened to warrant such extreme measures..."

Babidi stood, glaring at the Z-Fighters in the crystal ball. "This isn't a debate! These fools, and the Supreme Kai especially, need to be reminded of what true fear is!"

Bardock marched up, standing just behind Babidi. He nodded. "An excellent decision, Master Babidi. I applaud your strategic brilliance."

Dabura scowled, watching a Bardock take another half step closer to their master. The Saiyan's gaze smugly flickered back toward Dabura and the Demon King seethed. He turned toward a couple of attending soldiers. " PRESTO! CHANGO! You heard the Master! Go fetch Yakon!"

Both delivering an awkward salute, the two Zoonians did as they were ordered and ran down the hall to do their assigned duty.

On the other end of Stage Six, Yakon's pen…

Presto and Chango both ran down the hall, the shorter of the two pressing the button that opened the door to his cage. Presto shouted in, with all the authority he could muster. "YAKON!"

There was a brief pause, long enough for Chango to detect the bloodlust in the air. And then, a glowing yellow eye opened and a three-fingered green hand shot out from the darkness within. Presto was seized around the waist, dragged into the pitch black with a scream of fear. Chango sat there, frozen in panic, listening to the screams get more and more dire before stopping completely, accompanied by the tandem sounds of flesh ripping and bones crunching.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Chango got to his feet to flee in terror, only for the monster's other hand to shoot out and grab him by the leg. Chango was dragged toward the darkness, trying to grab the door frame in a desperate attempt to save his own life. In the end, however, the strength of the monster was victorious and Chango was dragged toward his gruesome fate with a single cry of terror. " MASTER BABIDI!"

In the dark, the monster greedily ate his meal, lapping spilled blood off his fingers with starved delight. As he finished his infernal feast, a red light illuminated his pen. And, from a speaker mounted on the ceiling, Babidi's sing-song voice rang out. "YA...KON~"

The foul monster turned his relatively small head, glaring up toward the light with a sneer. Babidi cackled. "I've prepared a fresh feast for you, my pet. I know you must be so hungry. They're waiting in Stage Four! I encourage you to eat your fill~"

Yakon groaned, his stomach rumbling. " Yes... Yes, Babidi..."

And then, the monster stood up tall, the joints of his thin ankles squeaking as he stalked his way out of his cage.

On Stage Four…

Everyone else watched on as Goku and Piccolo engaged in a furious bout of rock-paper-scissors. A battle between these two warriors had not been so furious since the days of the 23rd Tournament as they both read each other's movements and tried to guess what the other would throw. This time, they were up to 487 ties in a row. Gohan sighed. " Now we're at a new record..."

He glanced over at Vegeta, laying on his back with Bulla laying on his chest. His eyes were closed. Gohan smiled. "Taking a nap, Vegeta?"

The prince shrugged, not opening his eyes. "Might as well. It's not like there's any real challenge on this ship. Unless Bardock has somehow dramatically improved in the past 7 years. But I believe he's already been claimed..."

Vegeta opened one eye and glanced over at Gohan. "Right?"

Gohan sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry to take Grandpa away from everyone else. But-"

Vegeta snorted. "We didn't come into this ship to fight anybody challenging. It would be nice to get some icing on the cake that made us miss out on the tournament, but I guess you can't have everything in the world, right?"

Gohan nodded. "I guess..."

Videl frowned. "So, you're planning to fight your grandfather? Are you... going to be okay?"

Gohan crossed his arms, his face looking troubled. "That... doesn't really matter. My Grandma Gine has been worried sick since my Grandpa Bardock left Earth in the first place. If I have the opportunity to get him back for her, even if it means beating him up first, then I gotta do it. For both of their sakes..."

Vegeta smiled in pride for the young, half-Saiyan. "And you will. Just leave the rest to us. I'm sure, when we run into Dabura, that either Kakarot or Piccolo will handle him effortlessly. And then, once we're sure Krillin and Tien are going to be okay, we'll make it down to the bottom of this leaking tub and kill Babidi properly."

Bulla cheered, and then gave a yawn. It was getting close to her afternoon nap that she so dearly enjoyed. "You tell 'em, Daddy..."

Vegeta absently stroked the back of his daughter's head. Gohan and Videl turned to one another and struck up a conversation about places they could go on dates together once everything with Babidi was settled. Shin looked from the two teenagers, to Vegeta and his dozing daughter, to Raditz who was silently reading emails on his phone, and then toward Goku and Piccolo. Goku was pumping his fists into the air and Piccolo was staring hatefully at the scissors he had thrown. At a total loss, the Supreme Kai shook his head and mumbled to himself. " H-How could I have-"

And then, the door to Stage Four began to slide open and Goku cheered. "Heck yeah! My opponent is here~"

He and the other Z-Fighters turned toward the door, Vegeta and the sleepy Bulla both sitting up. Stalking out from the blinding light was a 15-foot-tall monster. He had a wide, dark green frame with chicken-like legs, a flapping spiked tail, and a pair of long, insect-like arms. In the center of his emaciated frame was a bulbous, bug-eyed head and a gaping mouth with two rows of slobber-soaked, yellow razors jutting upward from the gums.

The Supreme Kai gasped in horror. " I-It can't be! Is that... YAKON?!"

Goku was momentarily taken aback by this massive, new foe. But then, a confident smirk spread across his face. "I'm gettin' excited~"