Well, here it is, the end of the Dragon Ball Saga, before we get to Z. Been a hell of a ride getting to this point, and I can't wait to get to the nitty gritty in Z. I hope you have been enjoying the ride so far. And as you can see, I renamed the fic to Dragon Ball ZMX Kai, as I felt that was much more fitting.

Now I just want to put this out there before anyone asks, no, Goku does not get rid of his tail. Reason being, that it was after the King Piccolo Saga that the moon was restored after Roshi blew it up. Kami had done so, with the dragon balls, and his condition for doing so was permanently getting rid of Goku's tail.

So since Kami and the dragon balls are gone, there is no way to restore the moon, and so, no reason to get rid of Goku's tail. So he keeps it.

And before we start, I would like a moment of silence for Akira Toriyama, the man who created such amazing works that shaped the childhoods of many. Not just Dragon Ball, but also Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger and more. You will be missed.


Last time on Dragon Ball ZMX, Goku faced his greatest foe yet, the Demon King Piccolo. After the death of his best friend, Krillin, Goku had achieved a golden haired transformation, which he had no idea what it was. All he knew was it was what allowed him to defeat Piccolo and his demon children.

However, what Goku did not know was that Piccolo was connected to the guardian of the earth, and the creator of the dragon balls, Kami. And because of that, Kami, and the dragon balls with him, were gone. And so, with no means to bring his friend back to life, Goku and Gine trained with Mr Popo, a dear friend of Kami.

Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu had gone off to train per Roshi's instructions when the old master felt there was nothing left for him to teach them, Bulma continued her training and improved her suit, and Chichi went back to learn more from Baba.

It has been years since Goku had departed from his friends, and their training had begun once more. The 23rd World Martial Arts tournament was about to begin, and everyone was hoping to finally reunite after all this time.

Roshi and Launch were the first to show up, standing under an umbrella due to the rain. Launch had bulked up a little bit since beginning training with Roshi, and had learned a few things along the way. She was actually excited to show everyone what she could do.

"Do you think they'll be here?" Launch asked, her hair was currently blue, hence her being so mellow.

"Hehe, I'm sure they will. No way Goku would pass up this chance, so the others wouldn't either." Roshi assured her. "I'm sure they will all be surprised to see how much you've grown."

This made Launch blush a little and smiled. But then her smile fell. "Well… I wouldn't blame them if they decided not to show, given what happened three years ago…"

Roshi had a sad look, knowing what she meant. "I suppose you're right…" Krillin's death still hit everyone hard. Of course it did. He was their friend, and it nearly crushed them when they found out the dragon balls were gone for good. And Krillin along with them.

They were taken out of these thoughts however, when a taxi pulled up. And they were happy to see Oolong and Puar get out of it, as Oolong pulled out an umbrella. Roshi waved over to them. "Oolong, Puar, over here!"

The two shapeshifters smiled as they ran over. "Hey master Roshi, looking good." he then turned to Launch, and was surprised. "Wow, I hardly recognized you, Launch. You seemed to have bulked up a bit."

Launch blushed as she placed a hand on her other arm. "Y-yeah. Master Roshi had been helping me get stronger. It was a little tough, but I think I have improved a lot."

"That's good to hear." came another voice. Roshi and Launch looked and saw Bulma was coming out of the taxi. Roshi practically had a nose bleed seeing how much she had grown, and with the dress she was in.

Launch practically lit up seeing her friend. "Bulma, I'm so happy to see you!" she said as Bulma ran over and hugged her.

"Right back at you. You plan on joining the tournament?" Bulma asked with a smile.

She nodded in response. "Yeah, I decided I wanted to put my training to the test. Both of me."

Bulma raised a brow at this. "Both of you?"

Launch nodded once more. "Yeah. Master Roshi's training helped make it so me and my other self can remember what the other does, and even sometimes… well… we can kind of hear each other in our head…" she blushed in embarrassment, thinking that sounded a little weird.

Bulma chuckled. "Well, at least that will mean less confusion. Wouldn't want you sneezing and the other Launch pulls out a gun wondering where she was in the middle of a match."

"Y-yeah…" Launch said with her blush getting worse.

Roshi smirked as he grabbed Bulma's rear. "You have definitely grown up quite a bit, Bulma." he chuckled. Bulma's smile instantly turned to a look of rage as she slammed her fist into the old man's head, knocking him onto the ground. "Ugh… you're stronger than ever too…" he groaned.

"AND YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED ONE BIT YOU DIRTY OLD MAN!" Bulma shouted, pissed off at Roshi for thinking that was a good idea.

Launch had an awkward look. "S-so how has your training gone?"

Bulma took a deep breath. "It went well. Yamcha would help out every once in a while, but then he went off on his own to train. So I've been making some robots to train with."

"Well I'm glad you found a way to keep your training up. For me, it was a little hard. Especially those milk deliveries…" Launch shuddered a little.

Bulma smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, those are pretty rough…"

Just then however, they heard a young girl was upset, and saw she was trying to get her balloon free from a tree, as she began crying.

Bulma went over to try and help. "Here, let me, sweetie." she said with a smile. However, despite how much she had grown, she wasn't quite tall enough to get it. She was getting a little frustrated.

But then, a hand reached up and grabbed it, and the man it belonged to smiled. "Hey Bulma, great to see you." he said as he gave the little girl her balloon. Said girl smiled and ran off with it.

Bulma was left confused, not recognizing the man in front of her. "H-how do you know my name?" she asked, not understanding why a blush spread across her cheeks.

The man looked around. "Where's everyone else? They haven't shown up yet?"

Just then, as they saw the tail from behind him, a look of realization spread across the group's faces. "W-wait… are you seriously… Goku?" Oolong asked in shock.

The man they couldn't believe to be Goku chuckled. "What do you mean? Of course I am. Maybe you don't recognize me with this thing on my head." he said, gesturing to the head rapping he wore. He then noticed the rain began to let up, and began unwrapping it. "Let me take it off, see if that helps you recognize me."

As he took it off, they all saw Goku's iconic hair pop out beneath, leaving no doubt at all that this was Goku. Bulma was the most shocked, as a blush spread across her face, as she never expected Goku to have grown this much in just three years.

Goku gave his usual goofy grin. "Hehe, I remember you guys being a lot taller. Did you shrink or something?"

"We didn't shrink, Goku, you grew." Roshi explained.

Goku scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess I did." he responded with a chuckle.

"Goku, there you are." came the voice of Gine. Everyone turned to the voice, as they saw she was with Gohan.

Goku gave her a smile. "Hehe, sorry, mom. I just wanted to say hi to the others before signing in. Speaking of which…" Goku went over to the check in desk to make sure he could join the tournament.

Roshi meanwhile went to greet his former student. "Gohan, I'm happy to see you again."

Gohan gave a bow. "You as well, master. You look well." he then leaned in close to whisper to Roshi. "Plan on bringing Jackie Chun back for another tournament?"

Roshi shook his head and whispered, "Not this time, old friend. Jackie is retired."

Bulma went over and gave Gine a hug. "It's great to see you again, Gine. I hope the training you and Goku went through went well."

Gine hugged back and smiled. "It was good. I'm happy to have gotten the chance to grow with him."

"Plan on joining the tournament, then?" Bulma asked curiously.

Gine shook her head. "No. I wanted to get stronger to protect this world when I'm needed to. Not so I could show it off. But I wasn't going to say no to Goku wanting to." she laughed.

Bulma laughed with her. "Yeah, I doubt anything could stop Goku from participating."

"Speaking of which, where is everyone else? I would have thought that at least Chichi would show up." Gine asked as she looked around.

"That's what I'd like to know…" Bulma sighed. She then remembered, she hadn't signed up yet either. A blush spread across her face. "O-one second…" she said as she ran off after Goku.

But as she was about to, a massive hover car flew down to park, and they saw that in it were none other than Ox King, Baba, and Chichi, who had also grown as much as Bulma had. Chichi hopped out of the car, and ran over to her friend to hug her. "Bulma, it's been way too long!"

Bulma's face lit up as she hugged her friend. "Chichi, how have you been?"

Chichi smiled as she pulled away from the hug. "I've been great! Baba has been helping me develop my magic, and I'm getting stronger thanks to it. What about you? Have you been keeping up your training?"

Bulma smirked. "Of course. And I have improved on my suit, and this time, I'll make sure not to put it on in the middle of the ring."

"Hehe, wouldn't want a repeat of last time." Gine teased, making the blue haired girl blush.

"A-anyway… how about we sign in together? Goku is already getting himself signed." Bulma spoke up, wanting to change the subject.

Chichi's eyes immediately turned to the check in station. "Goku?" she asked, hoping to see him. And the second her eyes landed on him, her entire face turned red, seeing just how much he had grown in the past three years.

Bulma chuckled seeing Chichi's face. "I know, hard to believe that's still the same Goku, isn't it?" she asked as she grabbed Chichi's hand and brought her to the desk.

Goku turned and smiled. "Chichi, it's you!" he said happily. "I'm so glad to see you."

Chichi's blush grew bigger. "Y-you are?"

"Of course I am." he assured as he pulled both girls into a hug, making them blush like crazy.

Bulma cleared her throat, trying to keep her blush down. "U-um, Goku, me and Chichi still need to sign in."

Goku blushed in embarrassment as he let them go. "O-oh! Sorry…" he apologized as he scratched the back of his head.

Chichi and Bulma just walked past him, signing in to the tournament. "So… I think this is our chance to decide who confesses to Goku." Bulma said to Chichi.

"What do you mean?" Chichi asked in confusion.

"I mean, we compete to see who gets further in the tournament. And the winner gets to tell Goku how they feel. No hard feelings between us. No letting our friendship get ruined. Just a simple contest."

Chichi was taken aback at this, but thought about it for a few seconds. "Alright. Sounds good to me." she said with a smile. "I don't intend on losing."

"Neither do I." Bulma replied with a smirk.

When they finished checking in, they saw Ox King had both Roshi and Gohan in a massive bear hug.

Everyone chuckled at this. "Well, we should wait for the others. Hopefully they get here soon." Goku said with a smile as he decided to wait.

The others decided to do the same, but after a while, it seemed like the others weren't going to make it in time, as it was getting close to time for the check in station to close.

Bulma got nervous. "Where are they? They are going to be late."

Puar flew over to her. "Don't worry, Bulma, I'm sure Yamcha will make it."

"I hope so…" she sighed.

The men working the check in station however called out to say the station was about to close, making everyone, save for Goku and Gine, smirk. "It's time." Goku said, much to everyone's confusion. Before they could ask a question, four blurs zoomed in.

Goku smiled, as he saw Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, and even Yajirobe show up. The four of them made it at the last possible second, as they signed up to participate.

Puar happily flew over to the former bandit. "Yamcha!" he said happily.

Yamcha chuckled as Puar hugged him. "Hey, Puar. Good to see you."

Tien and Chiaotzu went up to Roshi, as Tien gave a bow. "Master, you look well."

Roshi nodded. "You as well, my boy."

Goku meanwhile went up to greet Yajirobe. "Hey, I wasn't expecting to see you join, Yajirobe."

The fat Ronin, now with a bit more bulk, smirked at Goku. "Hehe, yeah, I decided to carve my own path after seeing what you could do. Well… it was a path you carved already… but I carved it even more. I trained with Korin, and even drank that ultra divine water. It tasted terrible, but now I'm even stronger."

"That's great! I can't wait to see you in action!" the monkey tailed man said with a smile.

Yajirobe smirked. "Don't be surprised if I give you a run for your money, Goku."

Goku tilted his head. "I don't have any money though…"

Everyone sighed. Yep. This was definitely Goku alright. After that, they had spent the night in a hotel, as they all got caught up with each other. Roshi had informed Tien, the same as Gohan and Ox King, that he won't be participating as Jackie, much to his three eyed disciple's surprise.

Goku had also noticed Launch had gotten stronger, which made her a bit embarrassed, but happy that her friends could notice. When the night began to draw to a close, they each went to their rooms, wanting plenty of rest for the tournament.

As the next day came, they made their way to the main area of the tournament, and everyone participating began to get dressed in their fighting attire. Goku and Yamcha had made sure to get new versions of their old turtle gi, as they still fondly remember their old training.

Bulma smirked as she finished putting on her suit. "Hehe, let's see them kick me out this time." she said with a grin on her face.

Chichi chuckle. "Just try not to roast yourself this time." she said jokingly.

A blush spread across Bulma's face. "H-hey, that was three years ago. I made sure to make a few upgrades to keep that from happening again." she huffed. She then smirked, remembering how she installed different modes for power input. No risk of overheating the suit now.

And there were the power bursts to help in a sticky situation. Of course she can only use it three times before a recharge, but still.

Goku gave the two girls a smile. "You both definitely look a lot stronger since I last saw all of you. Can't wait to see what you can do." This made the two girls blush at his words.

The others just watched this and sighed. "I swear I can hear the sappy music…" Yajirobe blanched.

Yamcha chuckled. "Trust me, it's not just you."

"Well I think it's cute." Launch said with a pout.

Tien just had a stoney look, before giving a small smirk. "As long as it doesn't get in the way of me and Goku having a rematch, it's fine." Tien was determined to win with his own skill, rather than luck, this time. And he was excited to see what Goku learned during his time away.

Just then, the announcer called out that it was time for the preliminaries to begin. This caused everyone to gather, as they were to await a lottery to be drawn for who would be fighting who.

Tien gave a psychic message to Chioatzu to tamper with the ballets, making it so none of them would end up fighting each other till after the preliminaries. Since there were eight of them, and eight spots in the quarter finals in total, that should mean they could all make it to the finals.

Goku checked his card and smiled. "Looks like I'm number two. Lucky, guess that means i get to fight first in block one." he chuckled with his usual goofy grin.

Everyone else began saying where they would be fighting, and Yamcha had a big smile. "This is great! We won't end up fighting each other after all." he exclaimed, none of them knowing what Tien and Chiaotzu did.

"Fine by me, I'd rather have it in the main ring anyway." Bulma said with a smirk. "Gives me a chance to see what I can do with more room to move."

"I hear you, Bulma. I couldn't agree more." Chichi nodded.

As they were celebrating, the announcer called out that it was time to start, which meant Goku was up first. So he began heading towards the ring.

Everyone has their eyes squared on him. "Well, time to see how much he has improved." Yamcha spoke as he didn't want to miss this.

"Right," Tien nodded, "I can only imagine the kind of training he must have gone through since fighting Piccolo."

"Hehe, I've known Goku longer than anyone. He is going to wipe the floor with everyone here." Bulma said smugly.

Then, Goku's first opponent came forward. It was none other than King Chappa. The old champion Goku defeated in the last tournament. "It's been a while, eh Goku?" said the former champion with a smirk.

Goku had a surprised look. "Wow, didn't expect to go up against you again, Chappa."

Chappa's grin grew bigger. "Before your lucky win against me three years ago, I was the champion of this tournament. I plan on taking that title back." His grin then turned into a fierce glare. "I have been training to have my revenge against you!"

Chappa got into a fighting position, but Goku, much to his confusion, annoyance, and frustration, just stood there with a stone faced look.

"What's going on?" Bulma asked in confusion. "He's just… standing there?" She wasn't as well disciplined as most fighters in this regard. So she wasn't as aware of what was happening.

"He is focused." Tien answered. "I don't sense anything from him."

Yamcha nodded. "Yeah. And if Chappa doesn't realize it, then he won't stand a chance against Goku."

Just as Yamcha said, instead of realizing Goku was completely focused, he just grew frustrated and let out a rageful shout as he charged forward. But before his attack could connect, Goku suddenly disappeared. Chappa, confused at what happened, tried to look around and find him, unaware Goku was moving too fast and staying in his blind spots.

Chappa grit his teeth in frustration. "Come out you coward!" he roared, only for Goku to deliver a chop to the back of his neck, instantly knocking the former champion out, resulting in his second loss to the same person.

Goku's friends all were amazed at this, as Goku didn't even seem to break a sweat in that fight. None were more amazed than Tien, who was now even more eager to see what Goku could do going all out.

After this, they each began to start their own matches, and began taking down more of their opponents, usually with great ease. However, this didn't last long, as when Tien was finishing up his preliminary match, everyone heard what sounded like Chiaotzu screaming.

Filled with worry, Tien ran over to where Chiaotzu was fighting, and was horrified to see his best friend laying on the floor, unconscious and hurt badly. "Chiaotzu!" he shouted as he ran over to him, with the others arriving behind him.

As Tien was checking on his friend, a voice gave a scoff. "Don't worry, I didn't kill him, even if I should have. But I didn't want to be disqualified." Tien went to glare at the man, only to be shocked at who he saw.

"N-no way… it can't be…" Tien said in horror.

When the others got there, Goku, Bulma and Chichi all had the same look of horror. "It's… Mercenary Tao!" Goku said in shock. It was definitely the hired killer, though he was different from before, considering a good amount of his body appeared to be a machine.

"That's impossible…" Chichi trembled.

Bulma shook her head in denial. "But he died… we saw it… right?"

"Nearly." Tao corrected. "You could say that after our last meeting, my life fell apart. But you'd be surprised at what you can do when you have enough zeni. It cost me a fortune, but now I'm back, and better than ever. And now… I'm here for revenge." he said as his mechanical eyes squared in on Goku and Tien. "The boy who nearly killed me, and the top student of my brother, now a filthy traitor."

Tien glared his three eyes at the mercenary. "I didn't betray Shen. I was loyal to him, but I didn't share his ideals."

Yajirobe turned to Yamcha and Launch. "Are you as lost as I am?" The two just nodded, as there was a lot of context to this that they didn't have. "Alright, good. Glad it isn't just me…"

As this little reunion ended, Tao gave them one final warning. "Be prepared, the two of you. I plan on making sure neither of you leave this tournament alive." he then began to leave the stage, leaving everyone to tend to Chiaotzu.

Soon, medical teams from the tournament staff took him, and many other wounded fighters to the medical ward. Tien was worried about his friend, but he had to stay focused. Because now, he was determined now more than ever, so that he could face Tao, and defeat him.

Meanwhile, another man had his eyes set on Tao. A man with a similar hairstyle to King Chappa. "I knew I'd find that bastard here. I'm gonna make him pay."

But as he was thinking this, an attendant came up to him. "Excuse me, your match is about to begin in block one."

The man turned in surprise, as he wasn't expecting someone to sneak up on him. "H-huh?! O-oh, right right." he nodded as he got on stage, only to see his opponent was none other than Goku.

He scoffed, thinking that the hair and tail made him too goofy looking to be a fighter, as he was too busy looking for Tao to see his fight with Chappa.

"Just do yourself a favor, monkey-man, and just give up. I trained at the Satan Castle dojo!" the afro headed man proclaimed.

Goku just gave a smile. "Nah, I think I'll be fine."

The afro headed man growled, thinking Goku was looking down on him. "Fine, don't say I didn't warn ya. I'm gonna whoop your butt back to the jungle with my," he then ran towards Goku, before lunging into the air to perform a kick. "DYNAMITE KICK!" he shouted, only for Goku to effortlessly dodge out of the way.

This resulted in the man to yelp as he fell right out of the ring flat on his face, causing many to laugh, while Goku's friends began to deadpan at the idiot. "Was… that guy for real?" Chichi asked.

"Real stupid, more like…" Bulma responded.

The man picked himself off the ground as he nursed his bruised face. "O-ow! The pain!" she whimpered.

Goku went over to him. "You okay?"

The man yelped before turning to Goku with a glare. "Y-you got lucky! I had a stomach ache, and it threw me off!"

Goku gave a small chuckle as he scratched the back of his head. "Oh, sorry, I guess. Well there's always next time. That was a pretty good kick by the way. A little clumsy, but nothing a bit of work can't fix."

The man raised a brow. "You mean that?"

"I do." Goku nodded. "My name is Goku. How about you?" he asked as he offered a hand.

"Uh… Mark… though some of the guys at my dojo call me Mr Satan, since I'm kind of the top student." replied the now named Mark, as he took Goku's hand and was helped up.

"Well it was nice meeting you, Mark. Anyway, gotta get ready for my next match." the monkey tailed fighter said as he walked off.

As he did, Mark got a good look at the symbol on the back of his gi. "I feel like I've seen that sign somewhere…" he thought out loud, before letting out a sigh. Guess avenging his master will have to wait another day, now all he could do was watch everyone else fight.

And he was pretty shocked, as when he decided to keep his eyes on Goku, and the people he was hanging out with between fights, he had to admit, he was feeling pretty inadequate as a fighter watching them.

"J-just who the hell are these people?!" He had never seen fighting like this. Then again, most of the teachings at the Satan Castle dojo involved faking stomach injuries to catch your opponent off guard or to get out of a sticky situation. Not a lot of actual big named techniques.

The attacks he called dynamite kick and megaton punch were just regular punches and kicks he gave names to to sound flashy. But these? These were real techniques. Real fighting.

It came as no surprise that Goku and all his friends, save for Chiaotzu, had made it to the finals, along with Tao, bringing it to eight combatants.

The first matches would be Tien against Tao, Yamcha against Launch, Bulma against Chichi, and Goku against Yajirobe.

As the group left the building, Tien looked to his friends. "I'm going to go check on Chiaotzu. I'll meet up with you later."

"Alright, see you later, Tien." Goku nodded as the rest went to find Roshi and the others.

When they got to the group, Roshi went over to them. "Everything alright? We saw Chiaotzu carted off to the medical ward." the old master asked in concern.

"Some guy called Mercenary Tao basically put him on that stretcher." Yajirobe explained.

Roshi, Baba, Ox-King and Gohan were shocked. "What, Tao?!" Roshi gasped. "I thought Goku destroyed him?"

"I did, but he's back now." Goku responded.

"And turned himself into some kind of cyborg." Bulma added.

"And he wants to kill Goku and Tien." Yamcha spoke up with a serious look.

Mark had been following everyone for a while, wanting to keep an eye on Goku. And to find out that bastard Tao was here for Goku out of everyone, and that the same monkey man was the one who nearly killed him, well that came as quite the shock. Though… he couldn't help but think the old guy looked familiar.

As he was thinking this, he saw another old man in a goofy bird hat show up. The man, the crane hermit Shen, chuckled. "I can't wait to see my brother turn your students to dust, Roshi."

Mark now really felt like the old man was familiar. Roshi? Where did he hear that name before…

"Where did you come from, Shen?" Roshi growled.

"I came to see my brother kill that traitor, Tien and your little student, Goku, of course." Shen chuckled.

Roshi glared at him. "They have long since graduated from the Turtle School. They wear these uniforms out of respect."

Shen gave a scoff. "You expect me to believe they choose to wear these ridiculous outfits?"

"Guess it must be hard for you to imagine someone having respect for their teacher." Bulma mocked. Sure she didn't like Roshi all that much, but he had his moments.

"Then that just shows what idiots your friends are." Shen retorted, before going to walk off. "And soon, they will be dead. My brother is stronger than ever thanks to his upgrades. Neither Tien or any of you fools stands a chance."

Everyone just glared at Shen's retreating form. Gine let out a growl. "He hasn't changed one bit. Still the same arrogant bastard he ever was."

Goku smirked at his mom. "Looks like the real monster in that family isn't Tao." no one could disagree with that statement.

Soon enough, an announcement came up, declaring that the first match of the quarter finals was about to begin. Roshi and the others wished their friends luck, as they all made their way to the arena, either as competitors or audience.

The announcer came onto the stage. "Ladies and gentleman, the quarter finals of the World Martial Arts Tournament is about to begin! We started with over seventy fighters, and now, we are down to eight! Who will win, and move on to the semi finals?!" he asked as the audience got excited and cheered. "Now, the first match will be Tien Shinhan, against Mercenary Tao!"

Tien was getting ready to fight, before his friends came up to wish him luck. "Smash that bucket of bolts into scrap!" Bulma told him excitedly.

Tien smiled and nodded. "Sure thing." Just then, Yamcha placed a hand on Tien's own, and the two held a silent look for a few seconds, before Tien gave a small nod. He began to head into the arena alongside Tao.

Tao smirked at the former pupil turned traitor. "Relax. I won't kill you just yet. I don't plan on getting disqualified until I kill Goku. I'll just bring you to near death, then come back to finish the job when the tournament is over." he assured. "For now, enjoy the cheer of the crowd."

Tien said nothing as the two got onto the stage. Mark was watching this along with everyone else. He wasn't too sure he liked the three eyed guy's chances, remembering how easily Tao killed Mark's old master just for getting drunk and making a few comments about his outfit and ponytail.

Shen meanwhile smirked, excited to see the traitor pay the price for his betrayal. Tao looked to Tien. "Seems like old times, doesn't it?"

"Yes." Tien said simply as the gong rang to begin.

"You look nervous." Tao noted. "Don't be. Pain should come easy for you." the two got into a fighting stance. The crowd became incredibly quiet, wanting to see exactly what would happen.

After a while, Yamcha grew nervous. "It's been ten minutes… Tien can't move."

Goku shook his head. "No, it's Tao who can't move," he corrected. The other's look at him in confusion.

And he was right. Tao was trying to find any opening to exploit, and yet, he couldn't, as he couldn't help but notice that Tien seemed to have a perfect defense. He couldn't find a single vulnerable spot in his body. "My brother was a little too thorough with your training, it seems…" this wasn't going to be easy as he hoped.

As Tien kept up his guard, Shen sent a telepathic message to Tien's mind. "Hello, Tien. Thought I'd interrupt this boring excuse of a fight to remind you it was my brother who taught you defensive strategy. It's too bad his lessons were wasted on a failure like you. You stand no chance." the crane hermit mentally mocked.

Tien's third eye turned to his former master, before he growled. Yes, he remembers those days well. How he was beaten within an inch of his life every day by Tao until he learned how to defend himself. But he was never Tao's match. This caused him to be distracted, giving Tao an opening as he charged forward.

Tien looked to Tao, and disappeared before the cyborg could strike him, and retaliated with a knee to the stomach. Tien was no longer that boy he was before. And he was no longer Tao's student.

Tao groaned in pain as he skidded to the floor. Many, Shen most of all, were shocked by this. Tao struggled to pick himself up. "T-that was a lucky shot…" he huffed. "I see you've improved. Guess I don't need to hold back."

He jumped into the air to deliver a kick to the head, only for Tien to effortlessly knock him away by striking his ankle. Once again, Tao hit the floor with a loud thud, as Tien's friends cheered for him.

"Tao!" Shen yelled in shock, seeing his brother thrown around like this.

Mark meanwhile thought he had to be dreaming. The monster who killed his master was being beaten as easily as his master was right in front of him. He was both happy, and ashamed that it wasn't him doing it.

Once more Tao picked himself up. And he was beyond furious. He glared at Tien, and charged forward. In an instant, Tien spoke up. "Wait, I need to say something first." Tao instantly stopped in his tracks, much to everyone's surprise.

Tao glared at his former pupil. "It's too late to beg for mercy!" he roared.

Tien however just continued. "I can forgive what you did to Chiaotzu, just please, stop this madness."

Tao laughed at him. "You fool! Don't act like you're the one in control here! You are just scared!"

But then, Tien disappeared, shocking Tao, as he didn't see where he went. "No, you're wrong." Tien told him, before reappearing behind him. "I've grown much stronger than you know."

Tao yelped as he jumped back to get some distance. "C-coward! Don't talk behind my back! You think you are stronger than me?!" he spat.

Tien just had a solemn, yet saddened look. "I take no pleasure in fighting you, sir."

Tao was shocked, but began to laugh. "How funny, Tien. But you have sealed your fate! Now die!" he roared before going on the offensive. But Tien easily avoided all of his attacks.

Roshi was amazed, as he couldn't believe how fast Tien had grown. He was managing to avoid all of Tao's attacks. And then, the three eyed warrior grabbed at Tao's arm, much to Shen's dismay, as Tao attempted to gouge out all three of Tien's eyes.

Tao struggled to get free, but Tien kept a tight grip. "Please try to understand, Tao. What I say to you is out of concern, not disrespect. You and Shen taught me how to fight, and I am grateful for that. I don't wish to see you lose in disgrace. Please, leave the ring."

This only served to anger Tao more. "I'll rip your eyes out!" he roared as he went to attack with his other hand, only for Tien to effortlessly get him in an armlock, causing Tao to squeal in pain.

"I guess it's the hard way, then…" Tien sighed, as he began to move Tao to the end of the ring, wanting to cause a ring out. Tao attempted to fight back or stop him, but it only resulted in further pain.

Mark couldn't believe his eyes. While he would have liked to see Tao suffer a little, a humiliating defeat would at least quell his need for payback until he was strong enough to do it himself.

Just as it looked like Tao was about to be sent out of the ring, he suddenly detached his hand and lept over Tien. He had had enough, and so when he landed, a blade retracted from his handless arm. Tien was shocked, and was about to get into a defensive stance, only to realize he had no room, now that he was at the edge of the ring.

Tao slashed at Tien as he was distracted, but Tien managed to move enough that the blow wasn't fatal, but he had received a massive slash across his chest, likely to result in a scar.

All of Tien's friends were shocked and concerned for him, while the announcer spoke up. "Tao is in possession of a weapon, and is therefore disqualified!" he shouted. "The winner by default is Tien Shinhan!" he declared as the crowd began to boo at Tao.

"Shut up!" Tao shouted at the announcer, making yelp. "I don't care about your damned tournament." he then began to laugh like a madman. "As long as I kill Tien Shinhan, I'm happy."

Shen began to cheer for his brother to the shock of the crowd. "That's right Tao! Bring vengeance to the Crane School! Annihilate all the turtle students, they don't deserve to live!"

Roshi glared at his once friend turned rival. "Ever the honorless cheat you ever were."

Shen turned to Roshi. "Be quiet! Who cares about honor?! All that matters is crushing your enemies to dust!" he pronounced.

Tien grit his teeth, as he sent a glare towards Tao, veins looking to pop on his head. Tao laughed. "You're finished! Just admit it and die!"

Tien ripped his shirt off. "Whatever respect I had for you has turned to nothing but pity! You have no honor!"

Tao smirked as he held up his blade. "That's where you're wrong. I do have honor. The honor of ending your miserable life."

The announcer ran between the two. "The match is over, please stop this and leave!"

Tao glared at the announcer, as he had had enough of him. "Be quiet, or you're next, fool!" this caused the announcer to squeal like a girl

Yamcha began to step towards the arena. "I had just about enough of this guy."

"Same here." Yajirobe nodded as he went to help.

Tien turned to them. "No, I can handle this."

Tao saw Tien was distracted and lunged at him, hoping to pierce him in the heart. But his blade would never land on its mark, as without any effort, Tien grabbed ahold of the blade. Tao and Shen were shocked, as the former tried to pull away.

Tien kept a tight grip of the blade. "Hopefully you didn't pay a lot for this toothpick." he said as he snapped the blade off.

Tao was horrified at the display, as he began to back away seeing Tien walk towards him, teeth bared and growling with rage. But soon, Tao's fear was replaced with laughter. "Did you really think I could be so easily beaten?"

Tien paid this no mind. "Just admit defeat."

But then, Tao's other hand disconnected from his arm, much to Tien's confusion, as he saw what looked like the barrel of a… cannon! "I've been dying to use this. Feast your eyes on the Super Dodon Ray!" Shen began to laugh at this, seeing his brother pull out his trump card. "This new one far exceeds the original in its destructive power. It incinerates anything it touches."

Mark began to tremble. He was planning on facing off against this guy? He was really in over his head. He began to wonder if he could ask someone here for training. Maybe Goku or this three eyed guy… if he survived…

But Tien showed no fear, as he stood his ground, seeing the arm cannon begin to power up, and Tao's cybernetic eyes began to train on the best spot to deal the most lethal damage, while setting the ray to match Tien's signature.

"Wherever you go, this ray will track you, so there is nowhere for you to run!" Tao informed him.

Tien's rage reached its peak. "GO AHEAD! I'M NOT AFRAID!" he declared. Many of the audience tried to run away as Tao got his distance, ready to fire.

"You can act tough all you want, Tien! But deep inside, you are just as scared as you always were!" The cannon began to glow as it was powered up to max. "Super Dodon Ray!"

The blast shot forward as it hurled towards Tien, who stood his ground. As it was about to hit Tien, he let out a defiant roar, and with it a shockwave that collided with the ray, resulting in a massive explosion that blinded everyone. When it died down, Tao and Shen were left in horror to see Tien was alright.

Tao began to back away in fear. "I… I don't believe it… this can't be…"

Tien stared down Tao, before charging forward at blinding speed and delivered a single blow to Tao's stomach, making the cyborg gasp, before falling unconscious. Shen was left in frozen shock, seeing his brother was beaten.

The announcer came forward. "W-well, after such a match, I think I can say with certainty it's safe to breathe again. What an insane start to the quarter finals! The winner is… Tien Shinhan!" he declared, as the crowd cheered.

Tien lifted up Tao, and marched towards Shen, and dropped the cyborg to his former master. "He'll be asleep for a few days. Take him home. I never want to see either of you again… master." he said, the last word being bitter and full of contempt.

Shen grit his teeth. "Y-you traitor! You won't die peacefully! I promise you that!" he shouted as he flew off with his brother.

Goku smiled. "Good job, Tien." he told his friend as he went back inside.

"Thanks…" Tien sighed as he went in.

Yajirobe smirked. "Not bad out there, three eyes. Pretty impressive." he congratulated, before Yamcha placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough." the former bandit told him. "He needs time to himself."

Chichi sighed. "Can't blame him. That couldn't have been easy for him." Roshi meanwhile felt proud. Tien had grown into a fine man, and he felt he didn't have anything to teach him.

Bulma spoke up, deciding they needed a change of subject. "Looks like it's your turn, Yamcha."

Yamcha nodded and turned to Launch. "You ready?"

Launch gave a small nod. "As I'll ever be."

The announcer saw the two of them enter the stage and turn to the audience. "Alright folks, time to start the second match of the quarter finals! Next, we have a returning contestant, Yamcha, up against the newcomer, Launch!"

Goku got excited to see the fight. "I can't wait to see what Launch can do."

Yajirobe meanwhile scratched his head. He felt like… something was different about Launch from when he last saw her three years ago. Wasn't she blonde? And she seemed like a different person.

Roshi and Gohan meanwhile watched intently. The two of them had spent the last three years training Launch, both of her, how to fight in a way that fit each style. And this was to see the fruit of their labor.

The gong soon rang for the match to begin, and Yamcha decided to strike first, going for a palm strike towards Launch. But then, Launch side stepped out of the way, much to Yamcha's surprise, before she delivered a strike to his side. Yamcha had just barely regained his balance, before looking to Launch.

"W-well… that was a pretty good counter." he groaned as he rubbed his bruised side.

Launch gave a smile. "Thanks." she kept her defensive stance up.

Yamcha took a deep breath, before straightening himself. This time he ran forward, and instead of lunging, he delivered a barrage of attacks, using his wolf fang fist. Launch began moving back and side to side, even deflecting the attacks, showing her skill at defense, before taking advantage of an opening and attacking Yamcha right back with her own barrage.

"Wow…" Chichi said in amazement. "Launch has really grown."

"Yeah, especially considering it's this Launch." Bulma nodded as the two watched the battle go on.

Yajirobe looked confused. "Wait, this Launch? What are you talking about?" no one said anything, much to his annoyance.

Yamcha began panting. She seemed to have trained to use any openings he made. Suddenly, an idea came to him. If she was looking for openings, then maybe he should give her some. He then began to let loose another wolf fang fist at Launch, she began to dodge again. When she noticed an opening, she went to strike it, however this one was intentional, and when she went for it, Yamcha was ready, as he grabbed her arm and delivered a kick to her stomach.

Many cringed as Launch coughed up some spit from this, and Goku had a serious look. "He saw through her pattern."

Gine in the audience had a similar look. "Looks like she had gotten rather predictable."

Gohan looked to her. "She isn't done, yet."

The fight continued like this, with Launch no longer being able to tell which opening was real and which one was orchestrated by Yamcha. And whenever she hesitated, it gave him an opening instead, leading to her getting overwhelmed.

Launch panted as she began to back away from Yamcha. "You put up a good fight, Launch, but it's time we finish this."

Launch had a determined look, as she didn't plan on giving up just yet. Just then, a voice shouted out in her head. "My turn!" it called out. Launch gave a nod, as she began trying to tickle her nose.

Roshi and Gohan smirked, while everyone else looked confused for a moment. But then, Launch let out a sneeze, surprising everyone save the ones who trained her, as they realized this was her plan.

The second Launch's hair turned blonde, she gave a vicious grin to Yamcha. "Let's see if you can handle this, bandit boy!" she growled as she charged forward. Now it was Yamcha's turn to be on the defensive as Launch began throwing attack after attack with great speed and strength. A few hit their mark, and it felt like he had been hit with a truck. It was also as if all the damage Yamcha gave her had completely vanished.

Yajirobe was dumbfounded. "W-what just happened?! Is she like Goku with turning the blonde off and on?!"

Bulma shook her head. "No, Launch has… well… I guess you could say an alternate personality. And she seems to switch between the two every time she sneezes."

Goku gave it some thought. "Huh, pretty clever for each one to learn a different way to fight. A good way to keep an opponent on their toes." he chuckled.

Gohan chuckled. "Glad to see our idea worked."

"I couldn't agree more." Roshi nodded.

"Hmm? And what did you do exactly?" Baba asked her brother.

"Simple. After Launch asked for some training, me and Gohan decided the best way to go about it was to train each personality in a style that would best fit them. One in a more defensive style, since she was the kinder, softer side."

"And the other, more aggressive and strong side in a more fitting style." Gohan finished. "We even taught them how to remember what the other does, and be fully aware of each other, and even mentally communicate. Wouldn't be a very helpful surprise attack, if the surprise was on her as well."

"Hmm… pretty clever, you two." Gine responded. She was actually quite impressed.

Yamcha was struggling. He realized he couldn't block any of Blonde Launch's attacks, as each of them had a lot of power in them, and he felt like his arms would snap at any moment under the strain. So he stuck to dodging, but knew he couldn't keep this up for long. He had to think of something, and fast.

Just then, an idea came to him. He had developed a technique during his time training, and it could help him out of this exact situation. He jumped away and got some distance in. Launch smirked, thinking she had him on the ropes.

"Ya ready to give up yet, Yamcha?" she asked the former bandit.

Yamcha held out his hand and wrapped the other around the wrist. "I appreciate you asking, Launch. But I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." just then began to focus, and started pouring his spirit energy into his palm. Launch was surprised and confused by this.

The older veteran martial artists were surprised by this. "Hmm… he is making a risky move." Roshi noted.

Ox-King nodded, while Gohan stroked his mustache. "Well, let's see if it pays off…"

As Yamcha began to do this, Tien came back out. Bulma looked to him. "Hey, Tien. How are you feeling?"

Tien let out a sigh. "I'm fine. How is the fight going?"

"See for yourself." Yajirobe responded.

Tien turned to the fight, and all three of his eyes went wide, seeing what Yamcha was doing. In Yamcha's palm, he created a ball of pure spirit energy.

Before anyone could say anything, he launched it at, well, Launch, who had a worried look as she just barely dodged it due to how fast it was. She thought that was the end of it, only for Yamcha to begin moving his hands, and she saw the orb turn back around and head towards her.

Mark was gobsmacked. "W-what's going on?! I-is this some kind of trick or light show? Smoke and mirrors? This can't be real!"

Launch was now the one barely keeping up, as she was trying hard not to get hit by the attack. When it went over her, Yamcha made it go straight down towards her. Launch barely avoided it as it hit the ground with a smash, breaking part of the ring.

Launch began panting, sweat running down her face, but smiled. "N-not bad, Yamcha. Nearly had me…"

Yamcha smirked. "Don't celebrate yet." he moved his hand upward, and before Launch could do anything, the spirit ball busted out of the ground and slammed right into Launch's chin, sending her flying into the air, before hitting the ground.

Everyone couldn't believe what they saw, as Launch was motionless on the ground. It looked like the attack caught her by surprise, and knocked her out cold.

The announcer came forward. "Launch has been rendered unconscious! The winner of the second quarter finals is Yamcha!" he declared, making the crowd erupt into cheers.

Roshi had a thoughtful look. "I have to say, while it was risky, it was certainly a strong attack. He could overwhelm an opponent from afar."

Puar had a big smile. "That's Yamcha for ya! He's the best!"

After a minute, Launch woke up and groaned. "Guess I lost, huh?"

Yamcha smiled as he wiped the sweat off his brow, before helping her up. "It was a pretty close fight, honestly. You have gotten really good in these last three years, Launch."

"Thanks…" she sighed as the two of them exited the stage.

Chichi turned to Bulma. "Guess it's our turn now."

"Right." Bulma nodded. The two of them remembered their deal, and were ready to see who would win, and confess to Goku.

The two made their way to the stage, ready to start the third round. Ox-King was the first to cheer seeing his little girl. "You can do it, sweetie!" He called out.

Chichi smiled and waved at her dad. When she was finished, she looked at Bulma, and the two got into a fighting stance.

They barely waited for the gong to ring before the two charged at each other. The two trading blow for blow, neither seeming to have an advantage over the other.

Everyone watched intently as the two female fighters went at it. Each blow one threw was blocked or avoided by the other, before returning the favor. It seemed like it could be anyone's fight.

But then, Bulma smirked as her boots' rockets activated and she delivered a rocket powered kick to Chichi's face. Luckily for, the announcer thought it was some kind of flaming kick technique or something like that, since a lot of fighters try to use fire as a gimmick, so she didn't have to worry about being disqualified.

Chichi reeled back as she placed a hand on her stinging cheek. "N-not bad, Bulma. That was a good hit."

"Thanks." Replied a smirking Bulma. "I'll let you try another one." She then charged at Chichi as the rockets on her suits' gloves ignited as she began to throw rocket powered punches.

Chichi was now on the defensive, as she tried to avoid the blows, as that kick stung plenty, and she didn't need more.

Goku was captivated by this. The way the girls fought just made him excited. He didn't know who he would want to go up against as his heart beat a mile a minute seeing them, while a blush spread across his face.

Ox-King meanwhile grew nervous. He didn't like seeing his little girl get hurt, but he knew he couldn't get in the middle of this. He held his breath nervously as he was forced to watch this unfold.

Chichi grit her teeth, as she wasn't done yet. She called on her magic energy as she was bathed in magic flames, boosting her strength as she knocked aside Bulma's blows and delivered one of her own to the genius fighter's stomach.

Bulma felt the air knock right out of her as she was sent flying. She didn't have time to focus on that though, as she saw Chichi charging right at her. She barely had time to activate the power boost in her suit, before she met Chichi's punch with one of her own. A blast wave shot out from the collision.

Once more, it looked as though the two were evenly matched as the two continued to collide their punches, but it wouldn't last long, as Bulma's boost began to run out of power, and she only had two left.

She grit her teeth however, and knew she would just have to recharge the suit after the match, and activated another burst, and combined it with her rocket powered attacks.

Chichi was ready for it this time as she boosted herself more with her magic, as she dodged and attacked back.

Baba grinned. "She has gotten better at controlling her magic."

Roshi looked to her sister. "I hate to say it, but she has really been benefiting from your lessons."

"Hehe, glad you finally admitted it." The fortune-teller said with a smug look, much to her brother's annoyance.

Chichi was beginning to have some trouble keeping up. She had to admit, Bulma's suit was tough, as Bulma landed a solid hit on her, by mimicking Yamcha's wolf fang fist, much to the former bandit's pride, sending Chichi back as she felt light headed.

Chichi had barely prevented herself from falling out of the arena, and noticed that Bulma was starting to have a big grin on her face, as if the fight had already been decided and she had won.

But Chichi wasn't going to give up yet, as she took a deep breath, and remembered Baba's training, and focused, allowing her to just barely manage to dodge Bulma's latest kick. But the daughter of the Ox-King wasn't done yet, as she knew this was her chance, as she grabbed hold of Bulma's leg, and delivered a sharp kick of her own to Bulma's head, the one place she didn't have any armor on, as not to push her luck and be exposed and disqualified again.

Bulma was sent back just like Chichi was before, as her second burst charge wore off. This was it, she only had one burst left. She had a nervous look, her arrogance having faded away and replaced with panic. She grit her teeth. "That's it, all or nothing, I guess…" she activated her last surge boost and set it to max, and got into the stance for the kamehameha wave.

Chichi went wide-eyed, before calling on all of her magical energy, and got into the same stance. The two of them were going to go all out with this last attack, and decide the winner.

Bulma kept her eyes squared on Chichi. "Kame…"

"Hame…" Chichi did much the same, as sweat fell down both their faces.

"HAAAAA!" they both roared out as they fired a full strength kamehameha wave at each other.

When the beams collided, a massive flash went out, blinding many in the audience. Many tried to cover their eyes, and tried not to get blown away by the shockwaves created by the clash.

Mark felt like he was going to wet himself "This has to be some kind of trick! This can't be real!" he screamed like a little girl, feeling like the world's gone crazy.

Goku, Tien, as well as Roshi, Gohan and Gine all managed to be unaffected, unlike everyone else, as they kept their eyes squared on the fight, not wanting to miss a single instant of this fight.

And they were right to do so, as the battle was reaching its conclusion. The two put everything they had into this struggle, but only one could win. Unfortunately for Bulma, her last surge boost was beginning to run out.

As she noticed her beam getting weaker, she realized this was the case. "N-no! No no no no no!" She pleaded as she tried to maintain the attack's strength, but Chichi noticed this, and pressed her attack on, causing it to envelop Bulma's own, and blasting the blue haired girl right off the arena, and onto the cold ground.

Once she was victorious, Chichi gave an exhausted sigh as she fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath, while the announcer named her the winner. A small smile grew across her face, but it disappeared when she heard what sounded like… crying? She went over to the edge of the arena, and she saw her friend Bulma in tears as she slammed her fist onto the ground.

"D-damn it… I was so close… damn it… damn it…" she whimpered as her tears ran down her face.

Chichi immediately felt like she was wracked with guilt as she remembered the bet they made. The two of them both carried strong feelings for Goku, and while she was glad she won, she could see just how much it hurt Bulma. She went down to her friend, and pulled her in a hug.

Bulma was surprised at first, before returning the embrace. Chichi let out a small sigh, before giving a smile. "Let's just… forget about that stupid wager…"

Bulma looked at her in confusion. "W-what are you talking about?"

"I'm saying… Why don't we both confess to him?" Chichi suggested with a smile. "That way, we both will have told him how he felt. That way, it will be his decision, and there won't be any hard feelings."

Bulma thought about it. It did kind of make sense. At least, even if Goku didn't pick her, she wouldn't have any regrets, as she would tell him how she felt, and she would know whether or not he felt the same. "A-alright." she agreed with a nod.

"Great. But let's wait till after he and I fight. After all, no way Goku isn't going to win his match." Chichi chuckled. Bulma started laughing along with her.

Yajirobe didn't know why, but suddenly, he felt very annoyed. As if someone was looking down on him all of a sudden. He grumbled as he just got to the arena. "Let's get this over with, Goku."

Goku nodded as he joined him. "Sure thing, Yajirobe. I'm looking forward to seeing how your training with Korin went."

The rotund ronin smirked. "Trust me, you are in for a surprise."

The two got to the center of the arena as Bulma and Chichi got back over to the waiting area to watch. Goku and Yajirobe looked at each other, ready as ever as the announcer got everyone in the crowd excited for the match.

"The returning second place fighter of the last two tournaments, Goku is here for another shot at the title! But will he make it as far as he has before, or will our newest competitor, Yajirobe, break his streak? Let's find out… now!" he called out as the gong rang.

Before the gong finished ringing, Yajirobe charged forward as he let loose a powerful right hook. Goku for his part managed to dodge it, but Yajirobe wasn't done, as he threw another punch at Goku. This time, the monkey tailed fighter caught it.

Goku gave a small chuckle. "Not bad, Yajirobe. You really have gotten stronger."

Yajirobe for his part began to get annoyed. "I've only just started!" He growled as he threw another punch, this time managing to hit Goku, and pushing him back a bit.

A grin spread across Yajirobe's face, but it didn't last long as Goku lunged forward and delivered a downward strike.

Yajirobe managed to block it, but that didn't help, as he noticed the strike was way heavier than it thought it would be, as he felt himself struggling to hold back the attack as it tried to strike the top of his head.

"W-what the…" He groaned as he tried to push back the attack. Though it was pretty difficult. It was less due to the strength of the attack and more like his arm was… heavy?

Goku jumped back as Yajirobe knocked aside his attack, before grinning as he fired a kamehameha wave at Yajirobe. The ronin's eyes went wide as he tried to avoid it.

Crap! He didn't have any way to counter a ki attack. He could probably slash it with his sword… but he didn't have it due to the rules of the tournament. And so all he could really do was dodge.

He groaned as he just barely managed to dodge it. "C-cheap shot, Goku." He grumbled.

Goku gave a small chuckle. "Sorry about that, Yajirobe. Thought you'd learn a few techniques like that with Korin."

Yajirobe grumbled. "No, I didn't learn how to do anything like that." He said in annoyance as he charged at Goku to throw his strongest punch possible.

Goku then had a serious look, and, to the shock of Yajirobe and everyone watching, Goku used his golden power to deliver his own punch, clashing with Yajirobe's own attack.

The power in that attack was too much for the ronin, as it sent him flying, before Goku charged after, and threw another blow, hitting Yajirobe square in the jaw, knocking him out cold.

Mark in the background was still trying to figure out what was going on with all the light shows and explosions. He thought he was losing his mind.

"T-this tournament feels more like a circus with how crazy everything is getting…" He said nervously.

The rest of the crowd were just as shocked as him, as their eyes practically bulged out of their skulls at what they saw.

Roshi was at a loss for words. "Goku has certainly gotten better with that strange power of his…"

Gine nodded. "The training we went through helped with that a lot."

Tien meanwhile had a serious look. He was going to have his work cut out for him fighting against Goku. But he was determined to beat him.

The announcer finally came to his senses as he stepped onto the arena. "W-well, that was quite the fight, folks. I'm not sure what just happened, but Goku has knocked Yajirobe out cold. And so he will be progressing to the semi finals!"

As the announcer did this, Goku went over to Yajirobe and helped wake him up, as he returned to normal.

"Sorry if I went a little too hard." He said as Yajirobe pulled himself up.

Yajirobe groaned as he massaged his cheek. "Jeez, that's putting it lightly, Goku. Guess I should at least be a little flattered you had to use that weird gold trick to win…" He grumbled.

Goku gave a chuckle at this. "Well you definitely were strong enough for me to need it." This helped mend Yajirobe's wounded ego a bit, as he and Goku began to make it off the stage.

The announcer cleared his throat, ready to continue the tournament. "Alright folks, that concluded the quarter finals. Now we are going to begin the semi finals. Four fighters remain, but only two of them will make it to the finals. First up we will have Yamcha against Tien, a repeat match from the last tournament!" This made the crowd cheer in excitement, as they wondered if the result will be the same as last time, or if a different conclusion will happen.

Yamcha took a deep breath to get ready, before Tien went up to him. "Let's give them a good fight." the tri ocular warrior said with a smile.

Yamcha smirked. "Sure, just try not to break my leg this time." he replied as he raised his arm.

"No promises." Tien jokingly replied as he slammed his arm against Yamcha's, before the two made it to the arena.

Puar got excited seeing Yamcha as the cat waved out to him. "You can do it, Yamcha!" he cheered

Yamcha gave his closest friend a smile, before looking at Tien. The two were in a fighting stance as the gong rang.

As the two began their match, the others were watching closely. "Who do you think will win this time?" Chichi asked.

"If anyone deserves it, it's Yamcha." Bulma assured. Yamcha definitely deserved a win after what happened in the last tournament.

Yajirobe rolled his eyes. "Doesn't really factor into if he will win or not."

Bulma gave the ronin an annoyed look. "I'm just saying."

Launch, who was still in her blonde form, just shrugged. "My zenis on Tien. The guy practically trains twenty four seven. And he has been pumping himself up just to fight Goku. No way he is losing."

"You really think so?" Chichi asked.

Launch gave a nod. "Trust me. I can see that look in all three of his eyes."

Bulma turned to Goku, who had been quiet. "What do you think, Goku?"

Goku didn't say anything at first. He was focusing on the fight, as he saw Yamcha attempt his spirit ball technique like before. "This fight is going to end soon," he spoke up.

Everyone was surprised by that, before looking back at the fight. It looked like Tien was on the defensive, trying to avoid Yamcha's technique. But then, as it looked like it was about to hit Tien when he jumped into the air, he did something unexpected. He used his volleyball technique to spike the spirit ball right back at Yamcha.

Yamcha's eyes went wide, and he tried to redirect it, but he wasn't fast enough. It looked like the attack would just land right in front of him, but it bounced right off the arena floor, and slammed right into Yamcha's chin, knocking him out the same way he did with Launch.

Puar's eyes welled up with tears seeing Yamcha lose. "No, Yamcha!" he screamed.

Oolong cringed a little. "Well, at least his leg is fine this time." he noted, trying to look at the positives, but everyone just gave him an unamused look. "What? It is."

"That kind of thing isn't funny, Oolong!" Puar snapped.

The pig flinched a bit at this. "Alright, geeze…"

Roshi shook his head before looking back at the arena. "Guess this means that Goku and Chichi are next."

Baba smirked. "It will certainly be an interesting fight. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't biased for who I'm rooting for." she cackled.

"I'm with Baba." Ox King nodded. "I would be a pretty crummy father if I didn't cheer on my little girl."

"Well, we all have someone to hope for." Gohan assured his friend, as Gine gave a nod.

As they discussed this, Yamcha and Tien had already left the stage and Goku and Chichi were getting up. Goku looked at her with a smile. "Ready?"

Chichi smiled right back. "Yeah, I am." she said with a nod, before she looked at Bulma, and got to the center of the arena. No matter how this fight ended, she and Bulma were going to put everything on the table and confess to Goku.

When the two of them got to the center of the arena, Chichi shook away these thoughts, she needed focus. When the gong rang, the two moved at blinding speed as they clashed their fists against each other.

Chichi was determined to show Goku exactly what she could do, and so was holding nothing back. But it was clear whatever training he went through while away meant it wasn't enough, if that smile on Goku's face was indication. Or, knowing Goku, he was enjoying this fight, which might have been a good sign at least.

She however felt it wasn't good enough, and so she summoned her magic power to increase her already incredible strength, and that actually managed to help. She started to get Goku on the back foot, as he slowly began to move back trying to avoid Chichi's blows. It was clear he knew just how dangerous she could be when using her magic to boost her attacks.

Suddenly, an idea came to Chichi. She wasn't sure if she wanted to use it this early, but she had to take advantage of the change while she was the one winning. So she jumped back, and before Goku could react, she summoned a giant flaming ox and sent it charging at Goku.

Ox King, among many others, were surprised at this. "When did Chichi learn how to do that?" he asked.

Baba chuckled. "When she asked me for more lessons in magic. She had already learned how to harness her inner beast. So I decided to help her learn how to manifest it and give it physical form."

Roshi gave a sigh. "I hate to admit it, but you taught Chichi well…" he admitted, making Baba smirk.

Gohan hummed at this as he saw Goku just barely manage to grab the flaming ox by the horns and stop it before getting pushed off the ring. "Seems Goku is backed into a corner."

Gine meanwhile just smirked. She knew this was far from over. And she was right. Chichi was about to run forward, using this chance while Goku was distracted with the ox. But before she could, Goku immediately went gold, increasing his own power, as much to Chichi's shock, he not only overpowered it, but lifted it by the horns, and tossed it at Chichi.

Chichi's eyes went wide, as she just barely managed to unsummon the ox before it could hit her. And now it was Goku who took advantage of the fact she was distracted, and thrusted his hand forward, causing a massive blast of air to hit Chichi, and due to her being distracted, she was unable to power through it, and got shot out of the ring, losing the match.

She groaned as she rubbed her head. "D-did I lose?" She asked as she tried to catch her bearings. She looked up, and realized that yes, she had indeed lost.

Chichi let out a dejected sigh of disappointment, before a hand reached out to her. She looked up and saw it was Goku, smiling kindly at her, which sent a blush across her face as she took his hand, and he helped her up.

Goku gave her a reassuring look. "That was a heck of a move, Chichi. You almost had me there." He said with a chuckle.

Chichi blushed a bit. She took a deep breath. Now or never. She turned to Bulma, and gestured for her to come over, which was responded to with a nod as the blue haired girl did so.

Chichi turned to Goku with a determined look. "Goku, listen. We have something we want to tell you."

"We?" Goku asked in confusion, before Bulma stood next to Chichi.

Many in the crowd were confused at what was going on, while a few of their friends had a feeling they knew what was about to happen. Though they wondered if putting the whole tournament on pause to do so was a good idea.

Bulma took a deep breath. "Alright, Goku, there's no easy way to say this. We-"

"We are both in love with you!" Chichi blurted.

Bulma, along with everyone watching, did a double take at this. "I-I guess there is an easy way to say it…" She sighed. "Well, that's the long and short of it. We both like you. And we both decided we wanted to tell you."

Chichi nodded. "And we decided you deserve to choose who you want to be with."

Gokubwas surprised, and didn't know what to say. He blushed a bit as he thought about his words. "W-well… I have had feelings for the both of you for a long time. And… I honestly don't know if I can choose…"

"Well, I guess we will just have to come to a solu-" before Bulma could finish, Chichi just cut in.

"Well why not just marry both of us?"

"W-wait, both of us? Marriage?! " Bulma asked with a blush. Things were going way to quickly.

"Well yeah." Chichi nodded. "As much as I'd rather have a monogamous marriage, we both like him, and he feels the same for both of us. And I'd rather not have either of us be hurt. So I'm willing to have him marry both of us."

Bulma was stuttering a little. That at least answered one of her questions. "B-but aren't we moving a littl-"

"That works for me." Goku said with a smile. "I'd be happy to marry both of you."

The entire crowd, along with Bulma was left speechless. A marriage proposal between three people was pretty much just made in the middle of the entire tournament. Bulma wanted to say something, anything.

But… Well, she knew Goku long enough to know he wasn't going to act any different if they started dating. And they knew each other for years. Maybe marriage wasn't the worst idea.

Yamcha meanwhile sighed. "I can't believe this… I haven't had a single girlfriend yet, and yet Goku just got engaged to two girls…"

Launch huffed. "God, I can't stand all this cutesy crap…" She gagged. Though, she was trying to hide a small smile, as she and her other self couldn't help but think it was sweet.

Ox-King meanwhile was crying tears of joy. "M-my baby girl's going to get married!" He said happily.

Gohan chuckled at this display. "Leave it to Goku to decide on the simplest solution," he mused.

Gine nodded with a smile. She felt really happy for her son. And she wondered if things hadn't soured with Fasha, perhaps this is how things would have gone with the two of them and Bardock.

As everyone was trying to process this sudden event, Goku, with Bulma and Chichi both hugging his arms, began to exit the arena. When they did, they saw Tien looking at Goku with a smirk. "I'd say congratulations. But I'm hoping this won't distract you from our match."

Goku grinned back. "Don't worry, Tien, I've been looking forward to this." Tien gave a nod in response.

The announcer cleared his throat and addressed the crowd. "Well that certainly was quite the show, folks. Guess it's true when they say love finds a way, even on the battlefield." he chuckled. "We will be giving Goku a couple minutes to rest up, and probably discuss wedding plans with his new fiances, before going to the final match of the tournament."

Oolong slumped a bit in annoyance. "Man, some guys just have all the luck when it comes to getting girls…"

"Have you tried not being a pervert?" Puar asked with a chuckle, much to Oolong's annoyance.

"You should take some notes too, you old prune." Baba said to her brother.

"Hey! You're no spring chicken yourself!" Roshi huffed.

Meanwhile inside, Bulma and Chichi were hugging Goku's arm as Chichi was discussing plans for the wedding. "-and I'm sure my father would be more than happy to have the wedding at his castle."

Bulma chuckled a little, deciding she should probably do her part for it. "Well that could work. My dad could also probably help out as well. Maybe even find a good place for the honeymoon. Maybe a private island to ourselves or something?"

"Oh that's perfect!" Chichi said with a smile on her face.

Goku just listened, not really sure what to say. He didn't exactly know much about planning weddings or honeymoons. In fact when he was little, before his mom and grandpa told him what marriage was, he probably would have thought it was some kind of food.

Yamcha chuckled as he looked at the three. "Man, I won't lie, I am kinda jealous of Goku." he said to Tien. "But, I also can't help but be happy for them. Been a long time coming."

Tien raised a brow, not having witnessed too much of the relationship between the three. "Really now? Just how long?"

Yamcha put a hand on his chin. "Well if I think about it, Goku and Balma always had a close relationship looking back on it. Neither of them really thought much of it I guess. It took getting jealous of Chichi wanting to get together with Goku for Bulma to realize how she felt."

Launch then jumped into the conversation, currently blonde and very outspoken. "Ha! Jealousy is an understatement. She was practically transparent about how she felt for the guy. He was the only one who didn't notice.

"And what about Chichi?"

Yamcha had to hold back a snicker. "Since the day they met, for sure. What about you, Tien? Got your eyes on anyone?"

Tien simply shook his head. "Been far too focused on becoming stronger to think about stuff like that. Don't want to fall behind Goku, now do I?" the three eyed warrior asked with a smirk.

"Hehe, I hear ya, man. Seeing how much stronger Goku has gotten really makes me want to not get left in the dust either." the former bandit nodded. "What about you, Launch?"

Launch huffed. "You kiddin'? I ain't got the time. I obviously need more work with the old man after how poorly I did earlier."

"You did fine. Especially with how only recently you started." Tien said assuredly.

Yamcha nodded. "Yeah. You really had me on my toes."

Launch smiled softly. "Thanks, I guess."

Just then, the announcer began to speak. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the final round of the World Martial Arts Tournament! All fighters please make your way to the arena!"

Tien had a serious look on his face. "It's time…"

Yamcha gave a reassuring smile. "Good luck, Tien."

"Thanks." Tien replied, smiling as he gave a nod.

Goku smiled as he got up, ready for his rematch with Tien.

"You got this, Goku." Bulma assured.

"Yeah, there's no way you'll lose!" Chichi cheered.

Goku grinned at them. "Thanks. Both of you." he said as he and Tien made their way to the arena. The two gave each other serious looks, but still had friendly smiles. They were ready to have a real conclusion to their fight, and give it all they had.

As they made their way to the arena, their friends with the audience grew nervous, wondering how this may end.

Oolong gulped a bit. "Man, this fight isn't going to be pretty…"

Roshi stroked his beard. "Perhaps not. But it will be interesting to see how much they have grown."

Gohan turned to Gine, noticing the smile on her face. "Everything alright, Gine?"

Gine turned to him. "I'm fine, Gohan. I just know how this will end."

"Oh really now?" Roshi asked, interested in hearing this. Gine simply nodded, not saying anything further.

As Goku and Tien took center stage, the announcer spoke up to the audience. "This must be fate, folks. I can't think of any other word to describe this. Just like today, three years ago these two fought in the finals, three years ago they gave a new meaning to stamina. Their fight is already legendary, with Tien winning by just a hair. Once more, they face off in the final round, with this being the third time Goku has made it this far in a row. Will the third time be the charm, with Goku finally taking the title for himself? Or will Tien defend his title as reigning champion? We will just have to find out here and now!" The crowd began to cheer at this, ready to see a real fight in front of them.

Mark meanwhile just kept a relatively safe distance while watching. With how crazy this tournament had gotten, he wasn't taking any chances with his own safety.

Goku and Tien just stared each other down with smirks on their faces. "I'll try not to hurt you too bad, Goku. Wouldn't want to make you unable to attend your own wedding." he remarked jokingly.

Goku chuckled. "Thanks. But I think I'll be alright."

The two then got into fighting stances, waiting for the gong to ring. As they were given the go, Goku and Tien didn't waste any time as they charged forward, Goku with a knee, and Tien with an elbow. Tien then tried to attack with several strikes, only for Goku to avoid them all without any issue.

Goku then made some distance, and jumped into the air, with Tien giving chase after him. The crowd looked up in shock at how high they were going, almost like they were flying. As the two were going higher and higher, Tien fired a beam at Goku, only for said monkey tailed fighter to knock it right back at him. Tien smacked his own blast away, before speeding towards Goku.

The two began trading blow after blow, each blocking the other every time. Neither seemed to get an advantage as they soon began falling back down towards the arena. Before they got too close, they launched away from each other and landed effortlessly on their feet, and charged back toward one another. Only for the two of them to vanish out of thin air, much to the shock of all who witnessed it, even their own friends.

The only indication they were still there was the sound of combat, with barely anyone able to see them. Their friends could only catch glimpses here and there thanks to their training. Only one person was able to keep up the entire time. Gine, as her eyes followed them effortlessly.

The two soon reappeared as they clashed, their fingers locked in a test of strength, trying to see who would give first. Tien grit his teeth at Goku. "Come on, Goku! I know you're holding back! You haven't even used that golden aura yet!" he growled, wanting to see if he could take Goku at his fullest.

Goku then smirked. "Not yet." he replied as he then pulled back, and kicked Tien into the air, much to Tien's surprise. He slammed back down and charged towards Goku, determined to force Goku into no longer holding back, only for Goku to leap over him. When Goku landed, Tien tried to get him from behind, but just before his attack could land, Goku suddenly disappeared. Tien tried to look around for him, but it was clear he was at a disadvantage. He turned around, and saw Goku smiling.

"Hehe, took you a bit to find me." he chuckled, while Tien began panting.

Roshi placed a hand on his chin. "It's clear the two have gotten a lot stronger since last they fought. However, Tien's usual tactics aren't going to be enough if he wants to beat Goku."

"He will certainly need to adapt if he wants any chance of victory. Goku isn't even winded, and yet Tien has trouble catching his breath." Gohan nodded.

Gine nodded with a smirk. "You don't know the half of it."

Ox king looked at her. "You were with him while he was training. Do you know if Goku is planning something?"

Gine chuckled. "Oh but that would ruin the surprise. Wouldn't it be much more fun to watch and see?" they all sighed, but couldn't help but agree.

Meanwhile, Mark was shaking in his boots at the sight of this fight. This seemed more like something out of some kind of movie than a real fight. "I-I thought martial arts were just about punching and kicking. Not flying in the air, making explosions and light shows, or vanishing in the blink of an eye… what kind of freaks are these people?" he gulped, fearful at how crazy things were.

And it was only going to get as Goku and Tien kept trading blows, knocking each other around and even trying to grab each other in submission holds. But nothing seemed to give either the advantage.

They soon came to a stand off, as Tien was trying to catch his breath, and yet Goku seemed perfectly fine. "I-I'm impressed…" Tien panted. "You were already incredible three years ago. And yet now look at you."

Goku grinned. "You should be saying that about yourself, Tien. You are incredible. I'm having a blast."

"Thanks, Goku." Tien replied, only to smirk. "But there is one skill I have that even you fall short on."

Goku looked at him in confusion, not sure what he meant by that. "What's that?"

"Speed!" Tien declared as he dashed across the ring, before jumping into the air. Goku looked up and jumped up after them, while everyone looked up in shock, having barely kept sight of them.

"They sure like to have a flair for dramatics…" Oolong remarked, thinking how crazy this was.

"Those boys might just not have any limits at this point." Roshi mumbled to himself. "Hard to believe it only took three years for them to progress to such a level."

Meanwhile, Goku had gotten far above the clouds and looked around for Tien, having not caught sight of him. But then he sensed Tien was behind it, and went to deliver a kick, only for Tien to disappear at the last second.

"You're as sharp as ever, Goku. I can't believe you were able to see me with how fast I am moving. But that doesn't mean you can keep up with me." Tien told him as he began moving all over the place.

Goku remained focused, and in doing so, noticed Tien trying to attack him from behind. But it didn't stop Tien from delivering a powerful elbow strike to Goku's shoulder, causing him to fall back down to the arena.

When Goku managed to just barely stick the landing, Tien didn't let up, and began to overwhelm Goku with fast and powerful strikes.

When Goku chose to back away with a flip, Tien had a grin on his face. "You have gotten better, Goku. But even if you use that golden power of yours, you won't be able to keep up with me."

Goku chuckled. "Yeah. I'm not as fast as I'd like to be." Ge remarked.

Yajirobe deadpanned as he watched this. "Seriously? With how fast the guy moves you'd think he would be satisfied…"

"Goku was never normal, so I'm not surprised." Yamcha remarked with a shake of his head.

"That's Goku for you. Always wanting to go further…" Bulma smiled, but had a small smile.

"It's part of his charm." Chichi said lovingly.

Goku then continued his talk with Tien. "So before we continue, how about giving me a chance to get out of some of these clothes?"

Tien raised a brow, but then smirked and gave a shrug. "Sure, why not. If you are gonna lose you might as well be comfortable."

Gine smirked as she saw Goku begin to try and take the t-shirt under his gi off. Everyone but her were confused at how Goku looked to be struggling to do so.

But then, when Goku managed to get it off, he threw it onto the arena floor, which to Tien's shock, gave a loud thud. "Wh- hey!" He called out as he went to Goku. "Let me see that real quick."

"Huh? Sure." Goku replied.

Tien then reached for the shirt and tried to lift it, only to be shocked at how it wasn't as easy as it should have been. "W-what is this?! This has to weigh a ton!"

"Yeah, I know." Goku chuckled. "It was part of my training during the last three years." He then took off his wristbands, and like the shirt, they made a hard thud, and the boots as well.

"These too?!" Tien said in shock.

"Yep! It's kinda similar to Roshi's training. But instead of just the turtle shell on your back, it's with different parts of the body." Goku explained.

Gohan turned to Gine with a raised brow. "Keeping secrets, are we?"

Gine chuckled a little. "Sorry. I just thought it would be more fun as a surprise." She said with a cheeky grin.

The announcer then cut in. "Um, excuse me? But we are kinda in the middle of a match here."

Yamcha, Yajirobe and the others came up to them. "Come on, Tien, you guys need to continue." Yamcha then held out his hand. "We can take care of these."

Tien nodded and handed Yamcha the shirt, making the former bandit fall over.

"W-what hell?!" He yelped.

Yajirobe's arms were shaking a bit as he was trying to hold Goku's boots. "How the hell were you even walking with these lumps of lead on your feet?!" though it definitely explained why Goku's strikes had so much weight in their fight

"Hehe, it wasn't easy." Goku replied as he rubbed his feet. "Each one is around twenty kilos. My feet were aching all tournament." He chuckled.

"TWENTY KILOS EACH?!" the others said in shock.

"Geez, and I thought the old perverts training was rough." Launch cringed.

Bulma was looking at one of the wrist bands curiously. "These are pretty interesting. Kinda want to figure out how they work. Maybe I could incorporate it into my suit." she mumbled as she and the others took the weighted gear and left the arena.

Tien however had a serious look. He honestly couldn't believe this. It was as if Goku would do anything to get stronger. Even at the risk of his own body.

Goku stretched his body, happy to finally feel loose and free. "Yeah, it was definitely difficult in the beginning. I struggled to carry even a few rocks. But it was worth it. Now that I'm out of those, I feel as light as a feather." Goku then began bouncing around, going at incredible speeds and heights.

Roshi and Gohan looked at each other with serious looks. They couldn't believe the kind of weight training Goku, and likely Gine, had gone through. It made the turtle styles training seem like practice. That boy never seems to cease to amaze.

When Goku was finished getting a feel for his new mobility, he grinned. "Alright! Ready to keep going!"

Tien's grin was betrayed by the sweat running down his brow. "Well then, let's do this." He replied as they both got into a fighting stance. It seemed pushing Goku to use his full power like with Piccolo wasn't going to be easy.

Tien made the first move, attempting to hit Goku as best he could. But as it went on, Tien started to think he would have to use his newest technique.

"It looks like three eyes isn't enough to keep up with you." Tien remarked. "So that just means I will have to use twelve."

Goku was confused by that, but then Tien seemed to be gathering energy, and to the shock of Goku and many others, there were suddenly two, and then four, Tien's.

Goku originally thought it was some form of after image, but when all four began to make a push towards Goku, and he was being hit by each one, he knew they were real.

"Now that is certainly interesting…" Roshi remarked with interest in his tone.

Baba hummed in thought. "Perhaps it's a development on his technique that allows him to grow more arms?" The fortune teller theorized.

"Perhaps… It seems like an interesting technique at the very least. Goku has his work cut out for him." Roshi replied as he watched closely for any openings, and wondered if Goku was doing the same.

Tien smirked as Goku was nursing his sore ribs after one of the hits he delivered. "Looks like I have you beat now, Goku." He remarked as they began to attempt to overwhelm him.

As everyone watched, Goku's friends were concerned for him. But Launch was thinking about something else entirely. Mainly, if she could figure out how to use that technique, would it allow her and the other Launch to be separated? It could likely come in handy if so.

The others however, were less focused on that, and more on how Tien was ganging up on Goku.

"This can't be allowed, can it?" Bulma asked.

"Well technically it is only Tien. He isn't getting help from anyone else, so it's not against the rules." Yamcha replied. Though he had to admit this did seem kind of unfair.

"But what is Goku supposed to do against four appointments?" Chichi asked with concern.

As it looked like Tien was about to attack all at once, Goku suddenly vanished, using his greater speed to get out of sight. As the four Tien's landed, they all began to look around for Goku, only for him to use the fact all four were bundled up together to kick one, and send him flying into the others. They nearly fell out of the arena, but managed to prevent that from happening.

"Not bad, Goku." One Tien said.

"You nearly had us." A second continued.

"But you won't be able to hide from all of us." Another remarked, as they began to move to all four corners of the arena.

Goku looked on in confusion as he stood at the center of the arena, and the Tien's held out their hands towards Goku, and all fired beams at him.

It looked as though Goku had been hit as the beans made contact in a massive explosion. When the shock wave dissipated, everyone saw Goku was perfectly fine, and his hair was now completely golden.

"Your new technique is pretty good, Tien. But it has a pretty big weakness." Goku remarked, as golden energy danced off his body.

The Tien's stood their ground as they surrounded Goku. "And what's that?" The one up front asked.

Goku smirked. "Hehe, your first mistake was splitting into four!" He shouted as he charged forward.

Before any of the Tien's could react, Goku began to lay into them one by one. They found themselves unable to fight back, as each one after another was sent flying out of the arena in one big pile.

Everyone was left in shock as they saw this. How Goku managed to defeat four opponents at once. Mark especially as he pretty much fainted from shock at everything that happened not too long ago.

Goku went up to Tien and helped him up. "Not bad Tien. But that technique does have a small flaw. Not only did you get split into four. But so did your strength."

Tien sighed. "Hehe, guess I overestimated it, didn't I…" He said with a small smile.

Roshi and Gohan heard this, and they were amazed at how Goku was able to figure that out. It was clear his fighting skills weren't the only things that improved during his time away.

Gine meanwhile beamed with joy at seeing her son finally win the title of champion.

The announcer finally came to his senses and began to speak. "I-its official, folks! The final match of the twenty-third world martial arts tournament has come to a climactic and decisive end! The previous champ has been dethroned by none other than Goku!" he declared.

Chichi and Bulma ran into the arena to hug Goku. "You did it, Goku!" Bulma cheered.

"You won! You won!" Chichi added. "I'm so proud of you!"

Goku smiled as he hugged the two of them right back. "Hehe! Yeah, I beat him!" He cheered as he lifted them up and spun around. "I won! I'm the champion!"

Yajirobe sighed at this. "Should have known he would win.

Yamcha chuckled. "It was still a pretty good fight though."

"Maybe…" Yajirobe grumbled, still kind of pissed he didn't make it to the finals.

"Aw get over it, pal!" Launch chuckled as she slapped him on the back, nearly causing Yajirobe to fall over, leading to him giving her an annoyed look.

The others in the audience were just as happy for Goku's victory. None more so than Gine and Gohan.

"He did it." Gine said with a proud look in her eyes. "I'm so happy."

Gohan chuckled. "He has certainly grown a lot since he first left on his journey all those years ago." He remarked. "To think, this all started when Bulma came down to our little mountain home."

"Life is certainly full of surprises." Roshi nodded. His mind going back to the young boy he met so long ago, and how he had grown so much to reach this point.

After this, the group had once again gone their separate ways, with Goku off with both of his brides, while Tien and Chioatzu went on their own journey. Gine and Gohan went back to their mountain home, while Yamcha, Yajirobe, and Launch chose to train at Kame house. Yajirobe because he felt he needed to learn some of those ki moves as well.

And so, they all went on their own way, knowing they would all meet again. But what new adventures await them? Find out in the next exciting chapter of Dragon Ball ZMX Kai!


Alright, that is this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. I wanted to do some extra stuff after the tournament. But I decided to save it for the next chapter, as I felt like this chapter is plenty long as it is.

As for some of the changes, I'm sure you may be curious about some things. Like, how come Goku managed to beat Chichi, while in the what if by Masuko, he lost? Some of you may accuse me of favoritism, but it's simply because in the what if, Goku didn't have super saiyan, and so he had that advantage.

You also may have noticed Goku used super saiyan a lot. You may have figured he shouldn't have needed it in some of the fights. Like how he didn't need it in canon against Tien, yet used it here. Two reasons. 1, Goku respects Tien too much not to finish the fight with all he has. Same with his other friends. He knows it would be disrespectful of all their hard work not to give it his all. 2, save for Yamcha who wasn't there, they had all remembered how strong that form was in the fight against Piccolo. And so they have been training hard to catch up.

Then there is Goku marrying both Chichi and Bulma. I'm sure a lot of you are wondering why. Well after a while, I came to really like the better built chemistry between Chichi and Goku in her what if. Plus, I also liked the Bulma what if as well. If you are all wondering how Goku having a kid will work out, don't worry. I have plans for that.

And I hope all of you like how I had Hercule show up in the tournament. I figured it could set things up for what is to come. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed.