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.

171. Chapter 169: Nothing Is What It Seems

Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Edited By: StevenBodner and SparkerLightning

A/N: Okay gang, we've run into a bit of a fresh problem here. My laptop, a piece of crap ChromeBook, is slowly dying. So, I just want to let everyone know now, if I suddenly stop posting for a bit, I am not dead nor have I walked away from the story again. It means that my computer die-died and it's taking me a while to save up for a new one. I am planning to have a new one built for Christmas, I just wanted to apologize if I happen to dip for a few months.

Chapter 169: Nothing Is What It Seems

Babidi's Ship, Stage Four…

With a hideous roar, Yakon loomed over Goku with a ravenous sneer spread across his gaping maw. Yakon snarled. "Hungry. So…hungry. You smell…like meat. Goooood meat…"

Goku cocked his head, really looking Yakon over. He pressed his fists into his hips and frowned as he took it all in. "Aw man. I take it back. This doesn't look fun at all…"

Yakon charged. "Enough talk! I'm hungry!"

The monster took a massive swipe with his long, bony arms and tried to snatch Goku up all at once, his razor-sharp teeth at the ready. However, all he managed to catch was air as his talons swiped through an after image. Yakon flinched and Goku reappared before him, pressing his hand to the underside of Yakon's mouth and forcing it closed. Goku spoke in an easy-going voice. "Hey, big fella, I just wanted to ask before we did this if you'd think about just lettin' us pass. What d'ya say?"

Yakon's eyes went wide. Goku continued. "I dealt with fellas like you before. All the animals on Mt. Paozu are either my friends, or they know to away. I'm willin' to offer ya the same benefit. We don't you just run along, huh?"

The monster snarled, raising his arms into the air and slamming them down hard. Goku casually side-stepped, watching as both of Yakon's hands smashed into the ground. Goku cocked his head and sighed. "I get that you're hungry. But there are easier ways to get some yummy food. I have a wife that loves to cook good food, I could have her make ya some stuff~"

Another hideous roar filled the air with the smell of rotten meat and death as Goku retreated backward from Yakon's fury. The hulking brute moved with remarkable speed and agility for suffering such a clunky shape. Goku dodged to the side and circled around behind the monster, looking to deliver a solid kick. But then, to his surprise, Yakon's legs hinged backward and he sneered at Goku, thrusting one set of sharpened talons at the Saiyan with a roar.

With a yelp, Goku backflipped away from the claw thrust. Yakon followed in hot pursuit, thrusting his savage attacks again and again and again. With his back now literally against the wall, Goku had to react fast. He flipped against the wall, pressing the soles of his boots to it, and then sprang high into the air. Yakon righted himself and glared up at Goku, considering another vicious attack. Goku was quicker on the beat this time, however, springing again off of the roof and shooting down at Yakon, landing one kick to the creatures face and a second, harder kick to the creature's chest. Yakon went flying across the room, plowing into the wall with a solid thud.

Goku frowned and called over. "Hey, buddy, are you okay?"

Yakon snarled. "Not your buddy! Name is Yakon!"

Goku held up his hands. "Sorry! Are you okay, Yakon?"

Slowly, Yakon got his feet under himself again, bending over and pressing one hand down on the floor. A rumbling snarl came from his throat, his upper lip vibrating as he locked his eyes onto Goku. Goku swallowed a lump in his throat. He recognized that look. He nodded. "Okay. I get it. We're not there yet, but I ain't givin' up on you yet…"

Yakon moved forward with shocking speed, his lanky arm extended out once more. Goku reacted quickly, gripping onto Yakon's wrist and forcefully twisiting him around, throwing the beast over his shoulder. Yakon landed with a roll, the spikes on his back retracting in and quickly shooting back out. The beast got to his feet and he swung his arm again, going for another slash with his claws. Goku jumped into the air, dodging the attack and landing on Yakon's shoulder. Yakon jerked his head over to the Saiyan at the same moment Goku's boot collided with the underside of his jaw. He went launching into the air and Goku gave chase, punching Yakon in the gut and then hammerfisting him back to the ground below. Yakon landed with a thud and a groan and Goku landed right next to him, squatting down with an intense look in his eye. "Are you ready to talk yet?"

The Supreme Kai stared in shock. "Incredible! Is Goku aware of who that is?"

Raditz's nose wrinkled. He glanced over at Shin and sighed. "Should he be…?"

Shin guffawed. "You fool! That's Yakon! He's a legendary beast of hideous renown! One of the fiercest creatures in the Universe, as a matter of fact!"

Vegeta was snide. "Wow."

To Shin's consternation, all the rest of the Z-Fighters looked unimpressed, even the little girl. Videl, who might have been horrified on her own, was instead looking at her phone. "What should we do for dinner when this is all over, Gohan? Fish tacos? Shwarma? OOH! Maybe ribs?! I could go for some ribs!"

Vegeta glanced over. "Ribs, eh?"

Videl snorted. "Did I say you were invited, asshole?"

Bulla's lower lip wibbled. "Aw, but you have to invite my daddy! I want ribs!"

Videl flinched. Gohan chuckled. "It's okay, Bulla. Maybe we'll gather everyone at the tournament and go out for a big family dinner, like last night~"

Shin was frustrating to the point of shouting. "THAT MONSTER HAS EATEN ENTIRE PLANETS UNDER BABIDI'S COMMAND! QUIT TALKING ABOUT RIBS!"

Piccolo sighed. "Then produce something more interesting than ribs! I don't even eat that often and I'm more invested in the ribs than whatever Yakon creature is meant to be!"

Shin snapped. "Are all of you forgetting our purpose here?!"

Raditz shook his head. "No. We're here to kill Dabura and then kill Babidi. We've just had four pathetic roadblocks step in the way now. Sorry, Mr. Shin. This just isn't that impressive…"

Vegeta spoke bluntly. "Krillin or Tien could have beaten this thing if they weren't spat on. Hell, if Yamcha bothered to show up this would have been solved by now. The only reason we're all still sitting here is because Kakarot is a soft heart."

Shin couldn't force the words. "I…I…how…I…uh…"

As Shin grappled once more with the ridiculous situation he had found himself in, Yakon recovered and went back into action. He thrust his claws at Goku again, nearly catching the Saiyan off guard and forcing him to jump back. Yakon followed suit, leaping around the room with his springy, chicken-like legs. He swiped and swiped and swiped and Goku near effortlessly dodged. Seeing an opening at the back, Yakon charged at Goku with the intent of seizing him by the ankles. The Saiyan just as easily surprised the monster, however, by turning and sliding between the shredding claws. Goku easily slid down to Yakon's elbows, grabbing both in a tight hold and forcing the arms up.

Goku kneed Yakon in the jaw and Yakon took it in stride, quickly recovering and snapping twice with his razor-sharp maw. He avoided both bites and then swung his leg forward, kicking Yakon in the cheek. Yakon's head snapped to the side, but he recovered again, snapping at Goku once more and just trying the get a small taste of succulent flesh. Taking a moment to think, this time Goku bunched himself up and thrust both feet forward, smashing them into Yakon's chest and sending him flying back. The Saiyan followed that kick with a heavy elbow to the gut, sending Yakon flying a second time. The monster gurgled in pain and Goku laid into his with a hellacious mixture of punches and kicks, battering Yakon through the air and finishing with a heavy elbow right into the center of the monster's head. Yakon zoomed to the ground, landing in standing position and refusing to buckle.

Now the monster of the darkness was hungry and pissed.

Goku landed shortly after. "Okay. Let's try this again because I really don't want to hurt you. Can we-"

Yakon fired a ki blast from his mouth. Goku gasped, drawing his fist to the side and battering the energy beam straight into the air where it drilled into the ceiling. Goku sighed. "Jeez. That wasn't very sporting…"

The monster took this moment to close in again. Except this time, instead of claws, Goku gasped at the side of two ebony blades extending from the flesh of Yakon's wrist. The monster swung both of his arms again and Goku jumped back with a yelp. To Yakon's delight, he felt both blades slice through, standing up straight and waving him in the air. The light shined off the weapons and Yakon hissed, watching as Goku looked down at his chest to see…two shallow nicks in his outer gi. He flinched. "H-Huh…?"

Yakon cackled. "I might have missed this time, but I won't miss again. Soon, I will feast upon your heart!"

Goku quickly recovered, a bead of sweat running down his face. "Crap. This was my favorite gi…"

On the sidelines, Gohan cocked his head. "Dad, you own twenty of the same outfit. You have King Kai make them and send them to you…"

Goku sighed. "Yeah, but…I liked this one…"

Yakon leaped forward with another hideious roar, thrust both of his wrist blades down at Goku. Goku's attention snapped up immediately from his gi and he caught one of the blades, the other spearing into the floor. Goku felt how smooth it was on all sides as it slid into his grip. He nodded. "Only sharp at the tip, eh?"

Yakon pulled the other blade loose and stabbed it toward Goku's stomach, looking to run him through. The Saiyan caught the second blade with his other hand. And then, with all his strength, he pulled Yakon forward. The monster stumbled and lost his footing, looking genuinely shocked. Then, Goku pushed him back equally as hard. Yakon started to fall back and Goku followed up his push with a knee to the lower jaw and a kick to the chest. Yakon hissed, quickly thrust both wrist blades into the ground and then rearing his legs up, kicking both out at Goku with surprising force.

Goku crossed his arms over his face and took the brunt of the kicks, skidding back until his back thumped against the wall. "Whoa! That was a new tactic! I guess you're pretty smart, huh?"

Yakon ignored Goku, charging and attacking with a flurry of claws and blades. Goku grunted, dodging between claw strikes and blade attacks, retreating back as Yakon progressed. Watching this display, Shin turned toward the others. "Help him! Why aren't you all rushing in to help him?!"

Raditz shrugged. "Why should we make things any harder for that monster? He already can't win."

Shin gasped and then turned, watching as Goku hit the floor to dodge a blade strike, kicking his foot at Yakon's and tripping him with little effort. The top-heavy monster tumbled over and Goku sprang up, wrapping his arms around Yakon's head and pulling him into a tight headlock. Goku smirked, putting in a bit more effort to hold the monster in place. "Y-Ya know, your attacks seem random, but it's pretty easy to see that you're putting some thought into this. If you were a bit more coordinated with your weight, I'd probably have to put some real effort into this…"

Yakon hissed. And then, to Goku's shock, the monster twisted his head a full 180-degrees around and bit Goku's face. From within Yakon's mouth, Goku's howl of pain echoed all the way into Yakon's cavernous stomach. "YOOOWWWWWWWWW!"

Once again, Shin turned to the others. "SEE?!"

Every Z-Fighter, minus Videl, had some modicum of embarrassment radiating on their faces. Vegeta groaned, rubbing his hand over his face. "Damn it, Kakarot…"

With another pained grunt, Goku cried out. "God, it smells awful in here! What do you eat?!"

Yakon flinched. Goku squeezed the headlock even harder and Yakon gagged hard, his jaws popping loose off of Goku's face. The Saiyan from Earth wasted no time, shoving Yakon into Stage Four's hatch door with all his strength and then reaching up to his face. The damage wasn't as horrible as Videl and the Supreme Kai might have imagined, Yakon had only managed to piercing the skin in a few spots, but Goku still hiss in pain. He quickly pulled off his ruined outer gi and wiped the slobber from his face. "Yeesh. I wasn't expectin' that…"

Yakon quickly got back to his feet. Then he dropped to all fours, stalking around Goku with a low, rumbling growl in his throat. Goku adopted a fighting stance, trying to figure out where to go from here. Bulla quickly called out. "Will you take this seriously, Kakarot?! You're making Saiyans look bad with all your playing around!"

Goku rolled his eyes. "Lay off, why don't ya, Bulma Junior?"

Bulla snapped. "WHAT'D YOU SAY?!"

Goku yelped. "N-Nothing, ma'am!"

Taking this brief distraction as an opening, Yakon leapt forward and extended his wrist blades once more. Goku sidestepped, watching as Yakon's blades and then his claws sunk into the ground. Without so much as a pause, Yakon swung his free hand out at the Saiyan. Goku shattered the blade with a punch and smirked. But, Yakon was ready. He quickly ejected the broken blade and grew a new one in its place, taking another swing that Goku quickly ducked. Goku chuckled. "Wow! You can regrow those things?! Neat!"

Yakon ripped his trapped hand from the floor, crossing both of his wrist blades and going for a cross-slash that he was sure would pop Goku's head off. Goku kicked Yakon in the chest hard, sending the beast flying back. Yakon landed on his feet hard, snarling and scraping the blades together. Goku sighed. "Come on, man! Can't we just call this a draw? I really don't wanna hurt you…"

Babidi's Ship, Stage Six…

Once again, Babidi and Dabura found themselves watching in shock. Babidi snarled. "How in the hell is this possible?! Yakon is from one of the most dangerous predator species in the Universe! How is this foolish ape just…playing with him?!"

Bardock sighed. "Not a shock. This is, unfortunately, just a bad match-up."

Dabura narrowed his eyes. "And how is that?"

Bardock turned to Babidi and Dabura. "My younger son, there, is more or less a hick. His hobby is to run barefoot in the woods and find animals to wrestle. Given that Yakon is just one or two levels above a mindless beast, I'm sure Kakarot is feeling uniquely at home trying to fight him."

Babidi snapped. "Quit being coy! What are you suggesting we do?!"

Bardock nodded. "Yes, Master Babidi. I'm suggesting that we've sent a beast against an animal tamer. So, our best option would be giving the beast a home field advantage."

Babidi growled. "Very well. PAPARAPA!"

Back in Stage Four…

As before, Babidi's magic suddenly engulfed Stage Four and the Z-Fighters all looked around as they found themselves being flung rapidly through space once again. As soon as the swirling, bright magic faded away, the warriors all suddenly found themselves standing in pitch darkness. Immediately, Bulla shrieked. "D-Daddy?!"

Vegeta spoke up. "I'm right here, Bulla. Take my hand."

Videl sounded almost as panicked as Bulla. "What the hell is going on?! Where are we?!"

Gohan sounded confused. "It's…pitch black."

Piccolo roughly sighed. "And we're in no cave or chasm, I can assure everyone of that. The ambient sound is carrying as if we are outside."

Raditz groaned. "Maybe Babidi used his magic to make us go blind?"

Finally, the Supreme Kai spoke. "No. It's nothing like that. Babidi has simply used his magic to transport us to Yakon's homeworld. We are on Planet Darkstar, the only planet in the Black Sun nebula. I encourage nobody to stare up into the sky, unless you wish to be blinded by what is essentially anti-light."

Videl gasped. "Anti-light?! What the heck does that mean?!"

Vegeta snorted. "Oh, I see. Frieza used to talk about this place. We're currently standing under the black sun, correct?"

Yakon roared, answering the question. "Yes you are! This is my homeworld. My hunting ground. Now…you will all die, and I will feast until I am full~"

From somewhere in the distance, Goku chuckled. "Fightin' in the dark, huh? Okay~ This just got a bit more interestin'~"

Back at Papaya Island, in the tournament ring…

The eight new fighters were all gathered in the center of the ring, each of them waiting for the tournament monks to finish their last minute preparations. Yamcha looked proud. Kazuma Kirya was intense. Gyuhime was significantly more taciturn than usual, a sharp look in her eyes. Jewel was blowing kisses to girls in the crowd. 17 was glaring competitively at his sister. 18's face remained icy cool. Mighty Mask was scanning over the crowd. And Killa was still shadow boxing.

Finally, Vale called into his mic. "Competitors! Would everyone barring Yamcha and Kazuma Kiryu please exit the ring?! We will now begin the first match!"

The other six warriors leapt out of the ring and Vale cheered. "Okay, ladies and gentleman! Who's ready to get this tournament back on track?!"

A loud cheer filled the stadium. Yamcha and his intense opponent turned to face one another.

In the crowd…

Koriocha cheered, pumping both fists and wincing in pain as she jostled her injured arm a bit too hard. "Heck yeah! I get to see my papa fight! This is the best!"

Bulma smiled. "I think you're in for a treat, Koriocha~"

The little girl nodded. "This is his big chance, right?! He's never made it past this round before! This is his big chance to make it to the semi-finals! Maybe even win!"

Bulma reached over and gave Koriocha a gentle pet on the head. "Sweety, I've watched your dad push people to the limit in this ring before. I think he has a good chance at going all the way~"

Master Roshi nodded. "I believe in Yamcha too. But, don't any of you go and count that other fella out. He might look like some no-good thug, but I'm feeling something deeper hidden away in there. A certain experience. I think Yamcha's gonna win, but this ain't gonna be a cake walk…"

In the ring…

As the two warriors stared one another down, Vale motioned to his right. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to reintroduce you to, in his fourth appearance, the martial artist known as Yamcha! Formerly a scourge bandit of the Diablo Desert, Yamcha has been a friend of the Budokai since our 21st Tournament! Now a rising headman in Jingle Village, to the north, Yamcha is still a powerful competitor! One of the finest sons of the Turtle School, Yamcha brings his Wolf-Style martial arts to win the gold!"

As cheers and chants rang out, Vale motioned to his left. "And here, on the other end, we have Kazuma Kiryu! Nothing is known for sure about this severe mystery man! Some rumors abound of shady relations to the Tojo Clan belonging to the East City Yakuza! Others persist about his management of a certain orphanage in the South City outskirts! All we know for sure, ladies and gentleman, are the intense and varied styles that this man is capable of! Much like his opponent, he is sure to give us a great match!"

As the cheers rang out again, Vale turned to each of the warriors. "Fighters! Are you ready?!"

Yamcha nodded, as did Kiryu. Vale swung his hand down. "THEN BEGIN!"

Yamcha quickly adopted his signature fighting stance. He stared down Kiryu. Vale wasn't going to make any such announcements in the ring, but Yamcha had seen TV specials about this guy. Vicious fighter. He went to war with his several rival families and dismantled them with his fists. Hard as nails.

The former bandit swallowed a lump in his throat, wanting to be cautious about his first move. He chuckled. "Well, you and I seem to both have shady pasts. I guess I'm honored to face a fellow hoodlum~"

Kiryu's eyes narrowed for just a moment. But then, he closed them and nodded, politely bowing. "Sessha, Kiryu to mōsu."

Yamcha flinched. Kiryu continued. "Ano murasakiiro no ko hito ga watashi no nō o shadan shita nochi, watashi ga tatakau chansu wa tōni nakunatta to kakushin shite imashita. Urufu banditto, anata to nakayoku nareru kikai o tanoshimi ni shite imasu."

The yakuza adopted a solid stance of his own. Yamcha recognized it as a Dragon-style stance and quickly shored up his defenses. Kiryu roared at the top of his lungs. "ORYA!"

All at once, Kiryu charged into Yamcha's personal space, his arm drawn. Yamcha flinched in shock. "Fast! Holy-"

He raised his arm in response and he and the yakuza clashed elbows. The two warriors locked eyes and Kiryu snarled, shooting up his knee and slamming it into Yamcha's gut. Yamcha clenched all of his abs together and caught the attack with very little sustained damage, thrusting his gut out and repelling the knee back. But, Kiryu was merciless, shooting his knee up again and cracking Yamcha in the jaw. He followed this up with a falling elbow smash to the top of the former bandit's skull. Yamcha fell hard to his knees, but didn't stay down. He spun, thrusting his foot outward and tripping Kiryu up. The yakuza responded with a sharp, striking kick. A white leather shoe cracked against Yamcha's shoulder like the tip of a steel whip.

Yamcha endured the pain, wrapping an arm around Kiryu's foot and yanking the yakuza forward. Then, with his free hand, Yamcha tossed a punch that was meant to rock Kiryu's jaw. The yakuza's glare intensified, and he pulled back at the very last second, just barely dodging the punch and bringing up his other foot to kick Yamcha in the face. The wolf bandit went flying back. Yamcha went flying, but quickly got his feet under himself, landing steady and rubbing a darkening bruise traveling along his jaw line. "Man, you've got some real fire behind your blows. That actually hurt…"

Kiryu smirked. "O home no kotoba o itadaki arigatōgozaimasu."

And then, as Yamcha continued to massage his jaw, Kiryu rushed in to attack once more. He began his next assault with a flying kick, jumping from the ground and then seeming to kick off of the air itself before crashing down toward Yamcha. The bandit stepped to the side, dodging a sequence of tornado kicks and leaping back. Kiryu followed with a furious change, thrusting his palm forward and smashing it into Yamcha's chest. The bandit grunted in pain, shoving Kiryu back. The yakuza retreated a step before bringing his fist down on top of Yamcha's head. The bandit buckled down, but Kiryu brought him right back up with an uppercut to the jaw. Keeping up the pressure, Kiryu grabbed Yamcha by the shirt and pulled him into a harsh headbutt to the nose before finally spinning him around and dropping him into his shoulders with a heavy suplex.

In the stands…

Koriocha cried out in shock. "PAPA!"

Suno quickly calmed her daughter with a reassuring smile and pat on the head. "Don't worry for even a second, sweetheart. I've seen your father fight up close…"

Yamcha stiffened his neck. Suno nodded. "He's not even close to losing this…"

Back in the ring…

All at once, Yamcha flexed the muscles in his neck, using the force of the sudden expansion to force a flip and land on his feet. The bandit cracked his neck and chuckled. "You're a dragon, right? I think the TV called you the Dragon of Dojima? Well, a dragon ain't nothin' more than a big snake and wolves hunt those for sport~"

Yamcha lowered his stance, activating the most reduced form of Kaioken he could muster. "You're an honorable guy. And pretty strong too! So, I don't wanna hurt you too badly…"

Folding his fingers into the shape of claws, Yamcha rushed at Kiryu with a double claw strike. Kiryu blocked the first onslaught with great difficulty, only for Yamcha to spin and slash at him even harder a second time. The fine fabric of Kiryu's suit jacket shredded and, on the third go-around, Yamcha seized him by the wrists. The bandit pulled the yakuza in close, thrusting his palm into Kiryu's gut and then spinning and landing a fourth claw strike right on the yakuza's face. He briefly landed on the ground, then Yamcha leapt up and straddled Kiryu's chest, slamming him hard to the ground with his knees.

Kiryu refused to be deterred, immediately laying into Yamcha with several punches to the face from the right and left. He bucked Yamcha off of himself and then flipped over, wrapping his legs around the bandit's throat and slamming him onto the ground. Yamcha grunted in pain before, with force, grabbing Kiryu by the legs and slamming him right back.

Both warriors quickly got to the feet and turned toward one another, rushing in and getting involved in a red hot exchange of blows, Yamcha tried his best to block the oncoming onslaught but found that, for every two punches his caught, three made it through. He was gaining nothing but lost attack opportunities through his defense. Kiryu, meanwhile, had never tried blocking to begin with, taking Yamcha's sledgehammer-weight punches without so much as a flinch.

Yamcha went high with a kick while, at the same moment, Kiryu swept low. The yakuza took the heavy strike to the head in stride, falling over just as Yamcha tripped. The two of them stared at one another and both smiled. Kiryu landed first, smacking his palm to the ground and regaining his feet, rushing at Yamcha with a flying knee. Yamcha responded by slamming his elbow into the oncoming attack. To his surprise, he and Kiryu found themselves in a stalemate. And, at that point, Yamcha immediately knew what the score was. As Kiryu recoiled back, the bandit smirked. "Now, what you yakuza up to that requires you to know how to manipulate ki~?"

Kiryu stood tall. "Sore wa Dojima-han no watakushigotodearu."

And then, the yakuza ripped off his tattered jacket and shirt, revealing an intricate dragon tattoo on his back. He reached into his pocket, grabbing a lighter and a cigarette case and lighting a smoke. Kiryu took on the stance of an aggressive brawler and glared down Yamcha. "Watashi wa anata-tachi o taitodeari noborubeki yamada to omotte imasu."

Yamcha didn't understand a word of what his opponent had just said, but he understood the intent very well indeed. He adopted a fighting stance of his own. "Feeling's mutual~"

Yamcha rushed at Kiryu again with a howling roar, claws splayed out. Kiryu rushed in, fists at the ready. He punched away both of Yamcha's initial strikes and then stomped hard on a ring tile, shattering it. Kiryu kicked up the broken pieces of tile, launching dust into Yamcha's eyes, and then laying into him hard with a series of savage blows. The yakuza finished his combination by lifting his other foot and booting Yamcha right in the stomach, sending him skidding back. He returned the favor in force with a massive uppercutting claw strike, snapping Kiryu's head back.

Kiryu recovered, glaring at Yamcha with a small snarl. He pulled his fist back, focusing all of his energy into one massive punch. The Dragon of Dojima launched his ultimate attack at Yamcha…and his eyes went wide as Yamcha pulled his head out of the way of that last second. "Shimatta!"

Yamcha chuckled and drew his hands to the side. "Good match, man! Now eat this! WOLF FANG THRUST!"

Just as Kiryu had done, Yamcha forced a large portion of his power into his hand, shooting is forward and smashing it directly into Kiryu's gut. The yakuza skidded backwards to the edge of the ring and, to Yamcha's surprise, stood tall once again. The two warriors glared at one another, both silence for the longest time. And then, without a word, Kiryu nodded and closed his eyes. A geyser of blood erupted from the yakuza's mouth and he fell backwards out of the ring, graceful in defeat.

Immediately, Vale cheered into the mic. "THE WINNER OF THE FIRST MATCH: YAMCHA!"

The crowd cheered and, at first, Yamcha was sober in his acceptance of his win. But then, he really though about it and a certain truth dawned on him. "W-Wait…I…I passed…"

He turned to the crowd, looking up toward his family and friends, and pumped both fists into the air. "I PASSED THE QUARTER-FINALS!"

In the crowd…

Suno and Koriocha cheered louder than anyone in the stadium, watching Yamcha parade around the ring in triumph. Suno gingerly picked up her daughter and spun her around in joy. As Koriocha squealed, Puar did the same. The cat was swinging Oolong through the air, singing Yamcha's praises in a screechy voice much to the pig's annoyance. Oolong cried out. "PUT ME DOWN!"

Bulma smiled wide, nodding at her former man. "Damn right, Yamcha. You show 'em~"

Blonde Launch chuckled. "Didn't think lover-boy had it in 'im. Or, at the very least, that luck had it out for 'im…"

Sharpner puffed out his chest, proud to see his hero triumph. "This is why no one should ever doubt the great Yamcha~"

Master Roshi smiled. "I'm damn proud of the boy."

Gine smiled as well. "Me too~"

The Turtle Hermit frowned. "But now, we move on to the next match. And I'm tellin' ya right now…something is up with that Gyuhime…"

Gine frowned, turning toward the venerated master. "You think so?"

Roshi nodded, quite serious. "Yes. Something has changed…"

Everyone fell silent, turning toward Roshi and expecting some sagely wisdom. Roshi sighed, and then a lecherous cackle escaped his throat. "LOOKIT THE SIZE O' THAT BUST! I COULD BURY MY FACE IN THOSE GAMS AND GET LOST FOR A HUNDRED YEARS! HEH HEH HEH HEH!"

All at once, four hands slapped into the back of Master Roshi's head, sending him to the ground hard enough to make the stone shatter. Bulma, Blonde Launch, Suno, and Trixie all looked utterly embarassed at such a lurid announcement. Trixie fell back into her seat, rubbing her pregnant stomach and staring out at her husband. "So, this match is filler and then Lap and Laz are fightin'. That oughta be a real scrap~"

Android 16 smiled warmly. "Quite so. I find myself lookinf forward to a fight for a change…"

In the ring…

Vale stood in the ring with a massive smile on his face. "Okay, ladies and gentlemen! Let's get the second match of the new tournament underway!"

He motioned to his left. "Having already been introduced once today, let us give another warm welcome to Gyuhime the Cattle Princess!"

The crowd cheered but, contrary to her normal behavior, Gyuhime stood stoic. She almost looked pissed off at the amount of cheering she was getting. Vale motioned to his right. "And on this side of the ring, everyone, we have Jewel! For those of you who are unaware, Jewel was actually second runner-up of the last tournament, coming in third to Mr. Satan and Spopovich! He's a charming ladies man with a mastery in several Kung Fu styles and widely considered to be the main rival to Mr. Satan's student Caroni! Here's hoping we witness a stunning showcase from Jewel today!"

Jewel smiled at Gyuhime. "Well hey there, babe. You're pretty cute in that costume. Unlike some bull-faced women around here…"

He scowled over at Android 18, who was making a show of stretching her shoulders off to the side. She turned and slowly stretched both arms behind her back, making sure to not-so-subtly flip Jewel off with both hands. At the same time, Vale cried out. "LET THE SECOND MATCH BEGIN!"

Jewel snorted, still glaring at 18. "Ugly bi-"

It felt all at once like a small car had crashed into Jewel's stomach. He turned his head and saw Gyuhime standing there, her elbow bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle and a solidly folded fist looming at the end. Very quickly, the masked wrestler got further and further away until Jewel found himself staring up at the sky. He gurgled. "Wha happun…?"

He was unconscious before he hit the ground, landing with a thud. Gyuhime stared at Jewel with contempt, spitting on the grass next to his head and then walking out of the ring. Vale, momentarily stunned, immediately shouted into the mic. "WHAT A SHOCK UPSET, FOLKS! GYUHIME, WHO WAS PREVIOUSLY KNOCKED AWAY IN ONE BLOW HERSELF, HAS SENT JEWEL FLYING WITH A SINGLE PUNCH! SHE IS THE VICTOR OF THE SECOND MATCH!"

As Gyuhime exited the ring, she didn't even bother to look in 18's direction. 18, meanwhile, couldn't look away from her former opponent. "What the hell…?"

In the crowd…

Erasa crossed her arms, puffing out her cheeks. "Good! For how rude that guy was being to Miss Lazuli, I'm glad he got his clock cleaned!"

She turned and stared down the line at Android 16. "Hey, big guy!"

16 glanced over at her. Erasa smiled and shot a double thumbs up. "You and me are the Miss Lazuli cheer squad, right?! Mister Lapis is cool and all, but we both know who we want to win! You, me, and Marron all, right?"

After a moment's consideration, 16 nodded. "Very well. But only because 17 already has three cheerleaders on his side."

As if on cue, Trixie, Muffin, and Socks all took to their feet and called out. "LAPIS! LAPIS! LAPIS! OY! OY! OY!"

Marron glanced up at 16, looking both excited and a little scared. "Uncle Gebo, will it be okay if Mommy and Uncle Lapis fight?"

16 ruffled her hair. "It will be just fine, dear. It will just be a friendly spar."

Meanwhile, while everyone else focused on the upcoming match between 17 and 18, the Ox-King and Gine both shared a knowing look with each other. Master Roshi, perverted as he was, was certainly right about one thing. That was not Gyuhime the Cattle Princess behind that mask. Not anymore. And both of the elder fighters shared a simultaneous shiver as they thought about who might have replaced the wrestling idol.

In the ring…

Wasting no time to reintroduce the two warriors standing in the ring, Vale chopped his hand down. "LET THE THIRD MATCH BEGIN!"

Android 17 and Android 18 stood across from one another in the ring, both looking pretty smug. 18 rolled her eyes. "Are you sure you don't wanna just drop out here, little brother? I'd hate to have to embarrass you in front of your adopted kids~"

17 scoffed. "Oh, please. I'm just trying to think of ways to hold back. Can't have Marron hating me this close to her birthday…"

The male Android turned toward the crowd. "16! Are you recording this?!"

Android 16 shot a thumbs up and 17 nodded. He turned back toward 18 and chuckled. "I would never want to see you get hurt, sis…but I am really looking forward to kick your butt~"

18 sneered. "Snot-nosed brat. You'd better hope my busy schedule has made me rusty."

17 cackled, cracking his knuckles. 18 sniffed. "And just where did the doting big brother act go?"

The raven-haired Android rolled his eyes. "Right out the window after all that shit with Cell. Any bitch that can take a stab to the heart can endure a few punches here and there~"

With the trash talk out of the way, 17 and 18 took on nearly identical stances, mirroring each other as they had since the first day they had been forced into the role of cold-blooded cybernetic assassins. 18 licked her lips with the tip of her tongue, and then she was off with a mighty roundhouse kick. At the same time, 17 did a spinning kick of his own. The two legs collided with a mighty, crackling shockwave and the two siblings smirked at each other.

And then, 18 shifted her stance and knocked away 17's leg with her own. The male Android stumbled back and was immediately speared in the gut by his sister's boot. 17 was hit hard, but didn't falter. He grabbed 18's leg and pulled her in for a might clothesline, slamming her to the ground hard. 18 briefly cringed, but quickly recovered. She grabbed her brother by the ankle and yanked him off of his feet, jumping into the air and pulling Lapis like a sack of deadweight, flipping him through the air and slamming him into the ground like a hammer.

Lapis grunted, feeling the ground crack beneath him. He quickly got his hands behind his back and pushed himself up. Swinging his free leg like a whip, 17 kicked 18 in the ribs to break her hold on him. She fell to the ground and he pursued like a spinning top, just barely missing her and instead cracking the ring in half. The crowd "ooed" and "awed" at the sight of this feat of strength as 18 rushed in. "They think that's impressive, do they?!"

The two Androids rushed at one another and crashed, exchanging a heavy barrage of punches. 18 sneered as several heavy blows came flying in, blocking the majority of them before taking a mighty blow to the gut. Lazuli doubled over with a grunt, hanging on her brother's fist. 17 smirked. "See? Too much paperwork, not enough training. The courtroom has ruined ya, sis~"

Slowly, 18 sat back up with a sadistic grin on her face. "What's that, 17? I'm sorry. I think I fell asleep after that pansy-ass punch you just dealt me."

She shoved him back. "Come on, little brother! Where's the crazy new tactics?! Where's the sparkle?! Come on, I have to rate a bit higher than Tien, right?!"

She cleared the space between them in an instant, her fist drawn. 17 flinched back in shock. 18 shouted at the top of her lungs. "TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY, LAPIS!"

18 thrusted her palm at 17's jaw, cracking him hard and sending him flying back. She gave chase and immediately caught up, topping off her strike with a spinning elbow to the gut and a kick to the ribs that made Lapis fall to a knee. Lazuli stood over her brother, bouncing her her feet and shadow-boxing the air. "Come on! Come and get me! So pretty I make my reflection jealous! So mean I make medicine sick! Step on up and get knocked off your feet, Lappy-boy~"

17 stood up straight. "Okay th-"

18 surged forward and knocked 17 over the head with a double-hammerfist. He almost buckled again but stopped himself. "Heh. That's the scrappy big sister I know~"

17 looked up and a blue bolt of lightning crackled in his eye. "Let's do this shit! TURN UP THE MUSIC!"

18 snapped, her eyes glowing with flames. "BRING THE HEAT!"

In two quick flashes, Turbovolt and Terrablaze roared to life. Electricity crackled off of 17 in all directions. Waves of intense flames scorched the ground at 18's feet. The two twins both hooted with excitement and screamed in each other's faces. "THIS IS A FUNERAL FOR OUR SANITY!"

The audience behind the Androids gasped in awe. In the distance, Marron called out in her shrill, little voice. "KICK HIS BUTT, MOMMY!"

Two older kids called in in unison, earning a scolding from their mother for what they said. "KICK HER ASS, DAD!"

With a blazing and crackling burst of speed, Lapis and Lazuli clashed once again, both leaving scorch marks in their wake. 17 pulled his fist back for a punch and 18 responded by forming an energy barrier on her forearm and making it burst into flames. "FLAME GUARD!"

17 smashed his fist into the flaming tube and hissed as he pulled his knuckles away, finding them scorched. 18 snidely smiled and battered her brother across the face with the flaming defense, launching him into the air. She flew after him in a rush, leeaving a flaming streak in the air as she battered him from all sides. 17 scowled and crossed his arms, unleashing a massive wall of electicity that expanded out like a spehre. "ELECTRO BARRIER!"

The rapidly expanding balloon of voltage crashed into air, sending jitters up-and-down her entire body. She cried out in pain and Lapis charged in for a second attack. However, once her drew close enough, 18's eyes snapped open. Every inch of her body caught fire all at once and she tackled into her brother's chest, calling out as she did. "FLARE BLITZ!"

Lapis, himself, burst into flames and 18 once again smashed him as hard as she could, sending him crashing back down to the ring with a hefty crash. Taking a moment to recover below, Lapis groaned. "I gotta be careful. My electricity can stun her, but 18's flames are a lot more damaging up front. She's not nearly as squishy as Tien is…"

17 quickly rolled out of the way, just barely avoiding a flaming, falling punch from his beloved sister. He cringed, watching the stone melt into liquid as he fist collided into it. The bubbling stone oozed out of the surface of the ring and 18 pulled her hand free, shaking the molten rock off. 17 swallowed a lump in his throat. "Not pulling any punches, then?"

18 shrugged. "Dende isn't that far away."

She quickly charged him again and Lapis actually yelped in panic. He couldn't see Lazuli's pupils, but he knew she wasn't palying around. Quickly, the raven-haired Android thrust his hands forward and shot out a spider web of electricty. The pliable web wrapped around 18 the second she made contact with it and enveloped her in a cocoon of static force. 17 wasted no time, pressing his wrists together in front like he was about to fire a Kamehameha. Electricity crackled in his fingers and he rushed forward, clapping his hands together like a pair of jaws and sending a bolt of lightning in the shape of vicious fangs right at 18. "THUNDER FANG!"

18 immediately broke and arm loose from her paralyzing trap, summoning a ball of flame in her hand in swinging it out. "HELL MINESWEEPER!"

The arching wall of flame swallowed up 17's attack and burned it away. He cried out. "D-Did you copy a move from CELL?!"

18 didn't answer, instead cracking the same hand toward her brother and sending a tendril of flame wrapping around him. 17 was yanked forward by the Flame Whip, 18 reared her head back. Once he was close enough, she smashed her head right into the bridge of his nose and sent him crashing to the ground. With 17 incapacitated, his nose gushing with blood, 18 wrestled herself free of her restraint and shot into the air. She held her right hand in front, gripping the wrist with her left, and a small blue flame appeared in her palm. 18 smiled a truly evil smile down at 17 and he gasped in panic. "Oh shit, Shit, SHIT!"

18 pulled her hand back and then shouted at the top of her lungs. "BLUE FLARE!"

A massive column of blue flames shot from 18's palm and rained down at her brother. 17 got to his feet and gritted his teeth. Electricity crackled on his fist and he swung it foreward, sending a column of lightning firing up. "BOLT STRIKE!"

The interminglinge of flames and electricty was serving to damage both siblings. 18 felt all but the bra of her ridiculous top shredding away. 17 felt his shirt catch on fire, but didn't care. At the same time, charged by each other's attacks, the two sibling shouted and changed the nature of their moves. Using the vortex created by the heat to his advantage, 17 created even more potent lightning to fire at his sister. Meanwhile, 18 was more than happy to siphon the heat from the lightning to create even stronger flames. "FUSION BOLT!" "FUSION FLARE!"

They were both hurting. 18 could feel her heart trip-hammering in her chest. She looked down and, for a moment, she thought she actually saw the skin on her breastbone bulging with lunatic rhythm. 17 was faring no better in the ground. The two Androids screamed, neither willing to give an inch in the personal battle for supremacy. They each pumped more and more power into their attacks until and singularity formed in the middle, a swirling vortex of electricity and heat. The singularity grew bigger and bigger and bigger until, to the shock of both Androids, it burst like a balloon and send them both crashing back in a cloud of super-heated smoke.

Coughing at ringside, Vale cried out. "Just what on Earth is happening?! I can't see a-"

17 and 18 clashed in the center of the ring, their fists collided with each other's scorched cheek. The shockwave of their blows was enough to send all of the smoke filling the arena blasting out in the shape of a ring. Both Androids skidded back and glared at one another. They had each spent a good deal of their superpowered form. The flames in 18's hair were less wild, the electricity crackling around 17 less potent.

18 spat.

17 wiped his bloody nose.

And then the two of them charged at one another once again. Meeting in the middle once more, 18 wreathed her foot in flames and tried to hit her brother in the face with a blazing kick. It missed wildly and 17 tried to move in for another attack. 18 cried out. "Dance of the Sun Halo!"

But, before she could toss out whatever attack she was planning, 17 held out his hand and summoned a trident made of lightning, stabbing his sister in the side and making her shriek as electricity spread through her body. 18 went sliding back, gripping her injured side, and 17 spun his trident in hand. On the sidelines, Vale called out. "Hey! That's a foul! No weaponry!"

Lapis scoffed. "Dude, it's my energy! I made this with my electricity!"

To prove his point, 17 made the trident disappear and reappear. Vale flinched. "I…I mean I guess we allowed people such as Giran to utilize Merry-Go-Round Gum, because he naturally produces it. But…"

He turned to the other competitor. "Miss Android 18, how do you feel about this?"

18 snarled. "Fine by me."

17 turned to face her, and then three burning arrows pierced into him, two in his shoulder and one through his knee. 17 cried out, bursting into flames, and 18 stood angrily, gripping her flaming bow. Vale stammered. "F-Fine! But only for this match! And you still aren't allowed to kill each other! Even if you are siblings!"

18 filled her hand with flames and pressed them to her bleeding side, only flinching slightly as the skin was seared shut. She growled. "No promises."

17 hopped to his feet, looking annoyed. "Same!"

He tossed the trident with all his might toward his sister, but 18 remained cool. She aimed her bow at the oncoming projectile and fired three more arrows, blasting it to pieces. She took aim with a fourth and fired it dead center at 17's chest. The male Android scoffed and summoned a new trident, smashing the arrow to pieces less than three inches from its target. 17 charged with a roar, his trident held aloft. 18 glared at him and fired a dozen arrows at once, raining them down on her brother like he was a besieging army.

17 dodged around the arrows with super speed, thrusting the spears of his weapon at his sister's stomach. She feinted back and formed a rectangle with her fingers, filling it with flames and then throwing a massive burning wall at her sibling. 17 stuck the prongs of his trident through the wall and tried to pierce a hole, but to no avail, finding himself skidding back at the wall pushed him toward the edge of the ring. Rapidly approaching the edge, he snarled. "Oh screw this!"

And then, he leapt onto the shaft of his weapon, using it to spring up and over the wall. Another volley of arrows met 17 in the air, but he didn't give a damn. He summoned his trident again and shot down like a bolt of lightning, aiming right at 18's throat. The trident hit and 18 was forced to the ground, the prongs jabbing into the ring.

On the ground, 18 growled in frustration. Her throat hadn't been impaled, her neck having slid between two of the prongs, but she was pinned down and she didn't like it. 17 smirked. "Now I just gotta get your arms and legs and Vale can 10-Count you!"

18 responded to that by taking a deep, deep breath, and spitting a column of flame right into her brother's face. 17 was engulfed, a screaming inferno, and 18 broke the trident in half with a punch. She got to her feet in an instant, superheating the finger tips on her right hand, and thrusting all five digits into 17's gut. 18 roared. "FIVE-PRONG SEAR!"

17 stumbled back and, all at once, his Turbovolt petered out. At the same time, so did 18's Terrablaze. Currently spent, the two Androids just looked at one another for a moment. The silence was intense and calculating. 17 smelled blood in the water and, in a desperate bit of strategy, made the first move that he already knew his sister was planning. He lunged forward and punched her right in the face.

18 stumbled back, her cheek dented in. She glared at 17, and then she launched forward and returned the favor with a face punch of her own. 17 looked stunned, and then he reached forward and grabbed a handful of the hair on the back of 18's head. 18 mirroed that by grabbed a handful of 17's hair. And then, the two Androids started battering each other in the face.

The crowd roared in approval at the brutality while Vale commented on it with all his spirit, but neither 17 nor 18 were giving much stock to that. This was a stalling tactic and they both knew it was. They were both just waiting for that feeling, that tick of their Infinite Energy Engine having cooled down just enough to reactive Turbovolt or Terrablaze. Whichever one was able to do that would win. They'd be able to blitz the other and win. All it would take was that one tick. That one little tick that let them know victory was in sight. And 17 was confident that this was his match to win!

Turbovolt had failed first. It started recharging first. He knew that he would hear the tick first and then, well, sorry Lazuli!

The two continued to batter each other, not letting go, ignoring bloody noses and watering eyes and aching lips as they exchanged punches. It was getting closer.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

*TICK*

17 cackled in triumph. "THUNDER PUNCH!"

He stared in shock as his normal fist hit 18's cheek. He Turbovolt had failed. 18 smirked and, for just a moment, flames shot from her eyes. She launched her own punch and smashed 17 in the face with an almighty roar. "FIRE PUNCH!"

17 burst into flames once more and 18 watched as he went flying over the edge of the ring, crashing into the wreckage of the fighter's waiting area. 18 snorted hard, clearing her throat and then spitting a massive ball of phlegm and blood into the grass outside the ring. She snapped. "CALL IT, VALE!"

On demand, Vale leapt into the ring and cried out. "HAPPILY, MA'AM! THE VICTOR OF THIS THIRD MATCH IS NUMBER 18!"

18 smiled, and then she walked out from the ring toward her already recovering brother. 17 was cursing to himself. "Dammit! Dammit all! How did I lose?! Why did you recover before me?!"

He looked up at 18, petulant. 18 looked unimpressed, raising an eyebrow and planting her fist onto her hip. "I have not uses Terrablaze today, 17. You were hotdogging against Tien, remember?"

17 was silent for a moment, the grievous nature of his miscalcuation setting in. Once it was fully upon his the nature of his mistake, 17 raised his fist and smashed it into the stone pathway beneath him. "SHIT!"

In the crowd…

All of the Z-Supporters in the crowd made sure to cheer Lapis and Lazuli both, watching as the older sister helped the younger brother to his feet. As they talked among themselves about everything that was happening today, the all agreed on one thing: not the tournament they came to see, but still a damn fine tournament in its own right.

Erasa was swooning as she thought of 18's match. "Me-oh-my. I might have to add a third love to my list. If Miss Lazuli wasn't already married…"

Marron looked down the aisle, beaming. "Yeah! I love my Mommy too, Erasa!"

Immediately, Erasa's face turned red as a beet. Sharpner glanced over at her and mumbled. "Dude, turn the homewrecking down. Her kid is right there…"

Bulma sighed, leaning back in her seat. "Well, that's pretty much a shoe-in, then. It's gonna be Yamcha and 18 in the finals. Hell, after that fight, maybe Yamcha has a chance if 18 can't recover in time…"

Trixie turned to Bulma. "You really think it's that cut-and-dry?"

Bulma snorted. "Trix, look at the line-up. Who else could concievably make the finals?"

That question was enough to make Gine and Ox-King both stiffen up as they stared directly at the brooding Gyuhime. Ushio groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. "Oh dear…what's she doing…?"

Master Roshi, meanwhile, was staring at Mighty Mask as he lumbered into the ring. The old hermit took one more look around and saw that none of his fellow adults had quite tuned into what was happening yet. He cackled. "Heh. This is gonna be interestin'."

Meanwhile, at the snack bar…

Goten stood in line next to his twin with an utterly bored look on his face. Gosh, he wished he could have entered the Adult Division. He groaned, watching as another group of people got out of line with their treats and everyone else moved up. "Dang it! I'm so bored. I wanna fight…"

Chika gave her brother a consoling pat on the shoulder. "It'll be okay, Goten. I'm sure Trunks and Ranch was spar with you after they're done being sneaky~"

Goten crossed his arms and pouted. "I wish he woulda asked me first. I'd've made better legs than Ranch would've…"

Chika frowned, hugging her twin to dispell his bad mood. Goten sighed and stared up at the sky. "I wish something fun would happen. I wonder where Dad and the others went…?"

In the ring…

With gusto, Vale called in shock. "OH MY WORD, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! ANOTHER ONE-HIT KNOCK-OUT! OUR WINNER OF MATCH #4 IS MIGHTY MASK!"

Laying on the ground, out cold and with his eyes bulging, Killa moaned in pain as his opponent exited the ring. Ranch growled under her breath. "This is stupid and I don't want to do it anymore. We should just go find Goten and he can be your legs…"

Trunks whispered back. "C-Come on, Ranch. You can't leave now! What about showing your Dad how good you are?!"

Ranch snapped, almost too loudly. "He isn't here!"

Trunks stammered. "Y-Yeah! But, like, 18 and Yamcha are! Imagine beating both of them! They'll go and tell your Dad how tough we were and then he'll know!"

The two-kids-in-a-superhero-tunic leaned against a wall, far from the other three. Ranch scoffed. "And just how in the hell are we supposed to do that?!"

Trunks chuckled. "I mean…it's Yamcha in the final round. You think we'll have trouble with Yamcha?"

Ranch snapped back. "I'm not worried about Yamcha! He's tough, but I'm more concerned that a stone-cold bitch like 18 is our next opponent! Did you see how she was beating on 17?! That was her brother, Trunks!"

Nervously, Trunks glanced out of the corner of his eye. Yamcha looked just fine, leaning against the wall and scratching his beard. 18, meanwhile, looked a little bit bedraggled. Normally, the Android wasn't one to be winded, but she was breathing pretty heavily. That fight against 17 overtaxed that thingy on her heart that Trunks had heard about.

The little deviant smirked beneath his stolen hood. "You ain't gotta worry about 18. I've snooped on her and my Dad training before, I know her weakspots~"

Ranch sounded skeptical. "And that would be?"

Trunks giggled. "18 has a weakpoint on her chest. From where that Cell guy stabbed her before. It doesn't bother her normally, but when she uses her flame attacks too much, the thingy in her chest gets overheated and gets sensitive. We just have to give her a strong enough punch to the chest and she's down~"

Ranch was silent for a moment. Her first thought was to the kindness 18 had shown her before. The tenderness of that hug a few months ago. But then, the darker part of Ranch's mind thought about her father. About how much she craved just a bit of positive attention. Ranch sighed. "Are we sure it won't hurt her?"

Trunks chuckled. "It's 18. She's tougher than most of the other adults. She'll be fine."

Ranch sighed, not sounding entirely convinced. "O-Okay…"

The two kids stood there, both hammering out the finer points of their plan. They thought they had a foolproof strategy. And they were both so absorbed in their plot that neither noticed just how intently Gyuhime was listening in to their conversation just a few feet away.

In the ring…

Vale was in the zone, the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand and hanging on to his every word. "So what do you say, ladies and gentlemen?! Do we take a 15-minute break?! Or do we go straight into Round 2?!"

Keyed up beyond belief, the crowd cheered at the top of their lungs for the latter option! They all wanted another fight! Vale chuckled and motioned to the four fighters standing on the sidelines. "Contestants?!"

Four nods. Yamcha looked excited. Gyuhime was brooding. Mighty Mask looked nervous. 18 was still a tad winded, waiting for her Infinite Energy Engine to tick, but knowing it would be a few more minutes before she faced Yamcha. Vale smiled. "Okay then! Yamcha and Gyuhime, please enter the ring!"

Both warriors entered the ring, Yamcha playing up to the crowd and blowing kisses to Koriocha and Suno. Gyuhime, meanwhile, had her attention focused on the damaged tile beneath her feet. She was studying something intently. The two warriors took their fighting stances at the opposite ends of the ring and Vale cried out. "LET THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SEMI-FINALS BEGIN!"

Yamcha's thoughts were going one million miles a minute. 'A semi-finalist! Me! A SEMI-FINALIST! I might go all the way, right?! I'll just have to be ready for 18, but she's still a bit tired out from using that fire form of hers! So, I have a chance, right?! A chance! A chance to be the champ I know I'm ready to be! A chance to be on the same level as Tien and Goku! A chance to-'

The former bandit's thoughts were cut off by Gyuhime suddenly stomping her left foot as hard as she could, faster than Yamcha could follow with his frantically thinking mind, hairline cracks spread all the way from Gyuhime's heel over to his side of the ring. They spread and spread and formed a shape and then, right as Yamcha began to consider the ramifications of that stomp, the section of the ring he was standing on cracked and crumbled, and Yamcha quickly fell onto his back, alongside the shattered stone, in the grass outside the ring.

Yamcha laid there on the ground. "...huh?"

In the ring, Vale's jaw dropped almost all the way to the ground. "Y-Yamcha…lost?"

In the crowd…

A collective groan of pity rolled through the Z-Spectators. Suno and Koriocha both looked like they had just watched their house burn to the ground. Sharpner, entirely genuinely, fell to his knees and cried out in anguish. "YAMCHA, NO!"

Everyone was in shock, except for Gine and Ox-King. Observation had only served to fully confirm their shared opinion. Gine shook her head, more than just a little disappointed. "This isn't right. What is she doing?"

Ox-King was massaging her thumbs over his eyelids, his glasses pushed up to his forehead. Gine scanned around. "I mean, what even is the point…of…"

The Saiyan mother's eyes locked right onto the perturbed Mr. Satan, sitting in his throne with that Komori lady standing next to him. Gine groaned and rolled her eyes, joining the Ox-King in pressing her hand to her face. "Ugh…"

As 17 and Yamcha flew up to rejoin the others in the crowd, both accepting hugs from their children, Gine mumbled a muffled and frustrated groan into her hand. "What the hell are you doing, Chi-Chi?"

In the ring…

Still a bit thrown off by the embarassing loss he just witness, Vale turned to each of the competitors in the ring. "Would you two like for us to have the ring fixed first? It is missing a rather large portion now…"

18 shook her head, her breathing just a bit more under control. "No."

Mighty Mask shook his head as well, watching with trepidation as his winning plan was being slowly rested away. "Nope."

Vale nodded. "Okay then! Fighters, are you ready?!"

18 took on her fighting stance. Nervously, so did both halves of Mighty Mask. Vale cried out. "Very well! Then, without further adieu, let the 2nd Match of the Semi-Final begin!"