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.

159. Chapter 157: The Junior Division

Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Chapter 157: The Junior Division

In the tournament ring, Bracket #1…

Vale cried out with an overpowering joy in his voice. "LET THE JUNIOR DIVISION BEGIN!"

And then, for better or for worse, the Junior fighters started going at one another. It was honestly less martial arts and more attempted martial arts for the majority of them as twenty plus tiny bodies rushed toward one another. On one end of the ring, Trunks crossed his arms and stared at what was happening right in front of him. He looked almost clinically unimpressed. "... I can't believe I'm stuck dealing with this just because I'm a kid."

One kid, armed with a pair of oversized boxing gloves, tackled into another and began to flail in the wailing child's face. The two of them rolled around for a moment, trying to gain advantage in the situation, before both went rolling out of the ring and onto the grass below. A bead of sweat ran down the side of Trunks' face.

Vale called out. "AND THAT'S TWO COMPETITORS DOWN!"

On the other end of the ring, two slightly older kids were putting in some form of legitimate offense. They were tossing blows back and forth, more like a practiced dance than any sort of match. Step to the left, throw a punch, the other ducks, and then the same pattern was mirrored. Trunks shook his head with a sigh.

Then, two cries of pain echoed out and Trunks looked up to see Idasa standing where the two were fighting. One of them was on the ground, clutching a large scrape on the side of his head. The other was flailing his legs and screaming for Idasa to let him go. Idasa chuckled. "Gladly!"

And then, with all his strength, Idasa threw his captured prey directly at Trunks. Trunks groaned, side-stepping the screaming projectile and then catching him by the ankle. The kid dangled from Trunks' grip and, after a couple of sobs, nodded. "Thank you for catching me..."

Trunks rolled his eyes and lightly dropped the kid out of the ring.

The son of Vegeta shot an icy glare at Idasa. "You coulda seriously hurt him, asshole."

Idasa snorted and rolled his eyes. "Who cares? He's a whiny little wuss anyway!"

Trunks stepped forward. "He could've broken his arm or his leg... or something worse."

Idasa shrugged with a vile grin. "Kill or be killed~"

Trunks stared at Idasa for a moment, trying to mentally categorize which thing he liked about this stupid thug the least. Trunks was no stranger to going at an opponent full force, any spar against Bulla, Goten, or Ranch required no less. But this guy made him angry. He smirked. "Have it your way. Kill or be killed then. Come at me, moron."

Trunks motioned Idasa forward with his hand. Idasa's slimy grin turned into a frown. "I'll make you wish you were dead, shrimp!"

Idasa rushed at Trunks with a massive haymaker. Trunks sighed. The older kid's fist was within a centimeter of Trunks' face and then, to Idasa's shock, Trunks vanished from sight. Idasa stumbled over, his fist cutting roughly through the air. "What the heck?! Wh-Where...?"

Five kids came flying past Idasa, landing almost in slow motion on the grass below. None of them looked any older than 7 years old. Idasa turned to see Trunks standing there, fists planted on his hips with a smirk on his face. "That takes care of everyone younger than me. Time to cut loose!"

Trunks took off like a lightning bolt, shooting toward Idasa with speed unprecedented. The older kid sneered and reared back for a punch. "I'll bust your head wide open!"

At the last moment, Idasa threw his punch and Trunks feinted out of the way. For the second time, Idasa's fist failed to connect and the sheer force he put behind the blow threw him forward onto his face.

Trunks stopped a hair's breadth from the edge of the ring and turned to scan the rest of the competition. Some of these kids were a lot bigger than he'd expected. A couple of early growth spurts towered at over 6-feet tall. After sizing them up, Trunks pointed to the easiest target. Then he javelined forward and slammed both fists into the hulking kid's gut, throwing him back over the edge of the ring and making him slam harshly into the grass. Trunks smirked and turned to another 6-footer. The older kid sneered and pulled his leg back for a kick. "Why you-"

Trunks was much faster, seizing the looming boy's wrist and, with a brutal swing, throwing him clear out of the ring. Vale cried out as the boy landed with a thud. "Ladies and gentlemen! Keep your eyes on the ring, because young Trunks Briefs appears to be going on a tear!"

Responding like an opportunistic pack of hyenas, the rest of the kids all descended on Trunks. He smiled and took on all comers, dodging assaults and responding with a few well-placed kicks. More and more attacks came in and Trunks dodged each with an annoyed sigh. He weaved back and forth, between punches and kicks, and then Trunks decided to become serious. He kicked the nearest boy in the shin, tripping him, and then sent him flying from the ring with a second kick. Another attack came in from the rear and Trunks turned, kicking him in the hip and sending him crashing out of the ring. A third fighter tried to rain down a clubbing blow onto Trunks' head, but Trunks didn't spare a look as he delivered a shattering back fist to the jaw. As the third boy hit the dirt, Trunks chuckled. "Come on, guys! You can do better than that~"

Idasa trembled as he pushed himself up, holding his hand over his bleeding nose. "Crap, man! How did-"

Suddenly, Vale the announcer was crying out. "My word, folks! Young Trunks' fists are flying in a spectacular show of strength and technique! Do we, perhaps, have the next Mr. Satan on our hands?!"

Idasa stood up and gasped in shock. The rest of the arena was empty, all the competitors laying in a groaning stupor on the ground outside of the ring. Trunks was dusting himself off when his eyes locked with Idasa's. The younger boy smiled. "Oh, hey! I figured you crawled out of the ring a while ago. You still want to go?"

For a moment, Idasa wasn't sure what to say. He was genuinely taken off guard by this stupid brat's apparent prowess. Quickly, the snide teenager shook his head and adopted another stupid, mocking grin. "Yeah! I'm ready to go! Thanks for kicking all the other losers out! Now I can focus on smashing your face in!"

Trunks rolled his eyes. Idasa grinded his teeth. "You think I'm just gonna let you disrespect me like that?!"

For the third time that day, Idasa lunged at Trunks with a hellish haymaker at the ready. Trunks sighed, and then raised his hand to catch Idasa's fist. Idasa flinched. "What? AGH!"

All at once, Idasa fell to his knees, howling in pain from the force of Trunks' crushing grip. Trunks shook his head. "Here's the thing, dum-dum, I don't show respect for people who don't deserve it."

Trunks heaved Idasa off his knees and then slammed his fist, at one-tenth strength, into the punk's gut. Idasa's entire torso seemed to ripple, and then he went flying straight out of the ring and onto the ground below. Trunks loomed on the edge ring, looking down on the unconscious Idasa. "Next time you walk up to someone and run your mouth, make sure you know how to throw a punch!"

Vale cheered into the mic. "Idasa is out, folks! The winner of Junior Division Bracket #1 is Trunks Briefs!"

In the fighters' waiting area…

Goten gave a cheerful laugh as Trunks sat down on the bench next to him. "I was watchin' through the window! Good job, Trunks!"

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Good job on what? There wasn't a challenge in that ring. Not a damn one."

"SHUT YER MOUTH, YA LITTLE CHEATER!"

Trunks groaned with a massive, affected sigh. "... Here comes another one."

Ikose stomped up and got right in Trunks' face, huffing and snarling as he spoke. "JUST YOU WAIT, RUNT! I'M GONNA BEAT THE SNOT OUTTA YOUR LITTLE PAL HERE AND THEN I'M GONNA KICK THE CRAP OUTTA YOU IN THE FINAL ROUND!"

Trunks was silent for a moment. Ikose was breathing like a furious chimp. Then, Trunks turned to Goten. "Hey, where are Koriocha and Ranch anyway?"

Goten motioned toward the rear exit of the waiting area. "Ranch wanted to go stretch and Koriocha went to help her."

Ikose snarled. "H-Hey!"

Trunks and Goten continued to talk as if he wasn't there and Ikose stomped his foot. "J-Just you wait, you little brats! I'll beat you both senseless!"

Once Ikose had vanished from sight, Trunks shook his head. "This is so stupid. The only fun here is just gonna be me, you, Ranch, and Koriocha in the final round."

Goten cocked his head. "Ya think so?"

Trunks nodded. "I know so."

"I WOULDN'T BE SO SURE ABOUT THAT, BOYS!"

Trunks slammed the back of his head against the wall. "... it never friggin' ends."

This time, rather than Ikose, Balsam pranced up to Trunks and Goten with a snide little smirk on her face. "I know that frumpy girl you little brats hang out with switched lots with Idasa. But that's fiiine~"

Balsam did a small pirouette and came to a stop. "I'm going to kick her ugly little hat off her smelly little head! And then, in the finals, I'm going to take that championship for myself!"

Balsam bent over and blew a raspberry right in Trunks' face. "Prepare yourself, little man~"

The annoying girl turned and skipped away, humming a little tune as she went to the next victim of her constantly running mouth. Goten turned to Trunks. "She didn't stop talking the entire time you were out there fighting. One of the other competitors told her to quiet down and she broke his nose. I think Ranch left to stretch so she didn't end up beating the stuffin' outta her."

Trunks nodded. "Sounds about right. Ranch has one heck of a temper sometimes..."

In the tournament ring, Bracket #2…

Vale the announcer called out. "BEGIN!"

As everyone in the second bracket began to showcase their dubious levels of skill, Ranch found herself totally distracted from the task at hand. These lesser competitors didn't mean nearly as much to her as the attention of who she was looking for. Ranch mumbled under her breath. "I hope Mom is blue right now. She's so much easier to see when she's blue..."

One of the other fighters tried to attack Ranch from behind and was side kicked out of the ring with very little fanfare. Vale cheered. "And it looks like Ranch gets the first elimination!"

Finally, Ranch's eyes fell upon her mother, and, for a brief flicker, a smile spread across her lips. Everyone was applauding, cheering, pumping their fists for her. Her mother, her Grandma Gine, her Aunt Chi-Chi, all the non-fighter kids, Android 16... and then her eyes landed on her father. Raditz was pumping his fists with the others, but it was very clear that his heart just wasn't in it.

All at once, the smile melted from Ranch's face and was immediately replaced with a furious sneer. Another fighter, thinking Ranch wasn't paying attention, came flying in for a surprise kick. Ranch cracked her knuckles and seized the boy's ankle, throwing him into a brawling crowd of other kids and smashing them to the ground like bowling pins.

Vale shouted into the mic. "My word! A brutal display of power from Ranch!"

Ranch turned from the crowd, cracking her neck. "Keep pumping your fist. I'll force your attention..."

As Ranch prepared her attack, Balsam was clearing out the field of the competition in her own unique way. While her pedigree made it clear that Balsam had talent, her cocksure arrogance was more than enough to distract from all of that. Her smaller opponents were helpless against her as she stomped on toes, faked her foes out to make them flinch, and tripped anyone whose feet she could sweep.

One of the other kids burst into tears and Balsam put her out of her misery with a knee to the nose. A boy tried to throw a punch, but Balsam grabbed him by the hair and dragged him to the ground. Once she had both kids sobbing, Balsam grabbed them each by the back of their shirt and tossed them out onto the grass with a snide little laugh. "Womp womp~!"

Several other kids cried out behind her and Balsam turned in time to see Ranch marching toward her. A nasty grin crossed the bully's face. "Well, well! If it isn't the dirty, little emo! Ready to get your butt kicked, little emo?"

Ranch sniffed. "Dumb bitch."

Balsam flinched. "Wh-Wha-huh?!"

Ranch shrugged. "I called you a dumb bitch. Dumb bitch. All that talent and you feel the need to punch down."

Balsam sneered, a bit taken aback. "Wh-Why shouldn't I punch down?! You runts are all shorter than me! You haven't won any tournaments! I've won every tournament I've ever been in! G-Get on my-"

Ranch rolled her eyes. "God, you're dull."

Balsam's face went beet red. "WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY?! I'M NOT DULL! I'M THE BEST FIGHTER IN THIS WHOLE DIVISION!"

The larger girl charged at Ranch, both fists raised up over her head like a furious chimp. She slammed both fists down on top of Ranch's head and smashed her into the ring. Then, she grabbed the smaller girl by the hair and kneed her in the stomach, then once more a second time. Balsam yanked Ranch into the air, letting her go and kicking her in the side of the face on the way down. Ranch went tumbling and Balsam charged, unleashing a furious round of punches to her opponent's face and chest before ending the savage beating with a heavy palm thrust to the jaw.

Ranch seemed to wobble in place for a moment, but then fell to her knees. Balsam cackled and shook her head. "Just sit there for a minute, why don'tcha?! I'll go take care of the rest while you have a little break! But, don't worry..."

Balsam drew in close, whispering in Ranch's ear. "... I'll be back to hit you a lot harder than that~"

Balsam flicked Ranch on the nose and then rushed after the other kids, doing her usual bullying routine and making every last one of the other kids burst into tears. The entire time, Ranch stayed on her knees as little more than an unmoving statue. Vale cried out. "It's a massacre, folks! Ranch appears to be out cold as Balsam cleans up the competition! I think it's clear who the winner of this round will be!"

Balsam snickered to herself, holding a screaming competitor by the shirt and punching him in the stomach over and over and over. Once she tired of that, Balsam threw the sobbing boy out of the ring and turned back to Ranch. "Now then, little emo, it's just me and you~"

As Balsam closed in on her seemingly helpless opponent, she cracked her knuckles, popped her knees, and cracked her neck. "How badly should I beat you, huh? Make that fugly little face all black and blue for your mommy and daddy, eh? Eh?!"

A devious, gremlin smile curled on Balsam's face. "HOW ABOUT IT START BY KICKING THAT FRUMPY LITTLE HEAD OFF OF YOUR SHOULDERS?!"

As Balsam's long, steel whip of a leg shot toward Ranch's head, suddenly the other girl's arm came shooting up. Balsam's shin crashed into Ranch's forearm and a loud crack echoed out through the entire arena. Balsam's face went blue, and Ranch raised her head up, looking very annoyed. Then, Balsam fell to the ground screaming at the top of her lungs. "AHHHHHH! MY LEG! MY LEEEEEEEEEEEEG!"

Ranch stood, glaring down at her humbled opponent with utter disdain. Tears began to pour down Balsam's cheeks as she gripped her steadily darkening shin. Ranch cocked her head. "What's the matter, dumb bitch? Break something?"

Balsam glared up at Ranch, hiccuping and trying her best to stifle sobs. "Y-You...you cheated!"

Ranch shook her head. "I just blocked. How is that a cheat?"

Ranch popped Balsam right in the center of the face. "Now I've punched you."

Balsam screamed, clutching her bleeding nose and screaming something into her cupped hands that came across as little more than muffled nonsense. Ranch sighed. "Now, I'm gonna kick you and win the match."

Balsam's eyes went wide. She pulled her hands from her nose and held them up in supplication. "WAIT!"

Ranch spear kicked Balsam in the stomach as hard as she could, making the older girl's eyes roll back. All the air in Balsam's gut, along with a bit of bile, came shooting out of her mouth and nose and she went flying out of the ring.

Vale cried into the mic. "AND BALSAM IS OUT! THE WINNER OF BRACKET #2 IS SON RANCH!"

Ranch shook her head as the medic staff rushed to check on Balsam. "Hope you enjoyed your first loss, moron."

Then she glanced back up into the crowd. At some point, her mother had apparently sneezed as Blonde Launch was now making a scene that poor ol' 16 was trying to calm down. Once again, this made her smile. Then she looked from her mother to her father and gasped. Raditz was looking right at her. He was looking right at her and clapping his hands. Ranch's smile grew a little bit bigger and, caught up in the moment, she waved to him.

Raditz stopped clapping. For just a moment, he and his daughter held each other's gaze. Then... Raditz looked away. Ranch's smile faded, her waving hand curling up until it fell to her side. With a heavy sigh, she turned from the crowd and walked back to the fighter's waiting area. "Just you wait... you won't be able to turn away soon enough..."

Up in the crowd…

Having tired herself out, Blonde Launch plopped back into her seat and clapped. "That's my girl! Hell yeah!"

She turned to her husband. "Did you see that, Raditz?! Our little girl kicks ass!"

Raditz sighed, watching as Ranch disappeared back into the fighter's waiting area. A small smile spread across his face. "... Yeah."

For a moment, Raditz pictured Future Ranch lying dead on the ground. His smile noticeably faltered for just a moment, but he forced it to stay. "... Yeah she does."

In the tournament ring, Bracket #3…

Before long, the members of Bracket #3 made their way to the ring. Chief among them were Goten and Ikose. Goten smiled wide and waved to the crowd, meanwhile Ikose focused a hateful glare right at Goten. Once all the fighters were in the ring, Vale called into the mic. "Now then! Let Bracket #3 of the Junior Division begin!"

Goten turned to take in the competition, wanting to find a good opponent to help him warm up before he faced down Trunks and Ranch in the final round. However, all that met Goten's eager gaze was disappointment. The little half-Saiyan's shoulders sagged as he watched his "competition" toddle back and forth, throwing amateur punches and basic kicks at one another. He grumbled to himself. "Aw man... these guys are even weaker than the ones that Trunks was fightin'..."

Goten shook his head. "Oh well. I'll just have to make the most of it. I'll just make a challenge out of it."

The boy smiled wide. "I'll just not hit any of 'em~!"

As a punch came flying at his face, Goten suddenly ducked and grabbed the offending arm, heaving the boy over his shoulder and tossing him out of the ring in one quick motion. Another kid came flying in, swinging her leg in an actually pretty solid kick, but Goten quickly dodged back, letting her throw herself out of the ring. A third attacker came forward with both hands raised above his head. As he brought down a moderately strong hammer-fist, Goten leapt into the air and landed on his shoulders, bridging backwards and flinging the boy over and out onto the grass below.

Goten chuckled. "This is fun~"

And then, a pair of longer arms quickly wrapped around his neck and trapped him in a tight headlock. Ikose snarled as he squeezed even harder. "END OF THE LINE, RUNT!"

Goten blinked twice. "Huh?"

Ikose adopted a devilish grin. "You're the friend of that little sissy who cheated my big bro, Idasa, out of a win, right? Well, I'm gonna get him back by smashing your dumb face in!"

Goten looked up at Ikose, confused. "What are you doin'?"

Ikose flinched, briefly taken aback, and then growled. "I SAID I'M BEATING YOU UP!"

Goten shook his head. "No. I mean, like, what is this hold? You know you aren't locking this in correctly, right?"

There was a long silence. Then Ikose tightened his grip even tighter. "Sh-Shut the hell up! What do you know?!"

Goten smiled. "Well, ya see, you're taller than me. You have to modify the headlock in order to take away any leverage from someone shorter than you. You're just kinda hugging me right now~"

And then, to prove his point, Goten lunged forward and heaved Ikose over his shoulders, accidentally slamming the boy face-first into the ring. For a minute, Ikose laid there unmoving. The rest of the kids left in the arena all stopped to stare at his humiliation. Goten quickly walked around his toppled foe and began to poke him. "Hey... are you okay?"

Suddenly Ikose shot up, furiously screaming and with a bleeding nose. He threw a punch at Goten which was quickly dodged. Then a kick which Goten leapt back away from. Ikose grinded his teeth and screamed. "HOLD STILL, YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

He charged and Goten ran, weaving through the crowd of other kids and dodging out of the way of Ikose's blinded, furious strikes. The poorly thrown punches and kicks missed Goten, but found a home crashing into the competitors. One-by-one, as he tried to eliminate the jovially giggling Goten, Ikose managed to knock out every other competitor in the ring.

Scanning the arena, Goten sighed. "Oh well, I guess everyone else is gone. Looks like we should finish this..."

Ikose snarled. "I'LL FINISH YOU!"

He leapt at Goten, both arms raised, and Goten suddenly vanished from sight. Ikose flinched and landed on his feet, stumbling and struggling to stop, only barely managing to catch himself, by the tiptoes, on the edge of the ring. Seeing how close he came to ringing himself out, Ikose breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Holy crap, that was close..."

Behind him, Goten reappeared with a light grin, holding his arms out to the sides. "I said I wouldn't touch anyone, so..."

Goten clapped his hands as hard as he could and the resulting shockwave sent Ikose propelling out of the ring and right into the crowd. Goten flinched, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. "Wh-Whoops, guess I don't know my own strength..."

From the sidelines, Vale called out. "THE WINNER OF BRACKET #3: SON GOTEN!"

Up on the spectators' balcony…

Tien smiled, nodding in approval. "That's a good boy you've raised, Goku."

Goku rubbed his finger under his nose. "Hehehe~ Father of the year~!"

The three-eyed warrior turned to Vegeta. "You too. Trunks is a mighty fine warrior."

Vegeta didn't comment, he simply shot a smirk. Piccolo spoke up. "Ranch is a spectacular budding warrior as well. Though, she could stand to learn some restraint."

Chiaotzu nodded. "Yeah. I hope that poor girl is able to get proper treatment for her leg."

Videl rolled her eyes. "That brat was going around picking on everyone. If the announcer didn't have to watch so many kids, he'd have called her for cheating pretty early on. A broken leg will teach her some humility."

Android 17 raised an eyebrow. "Damn. Brutal sense of karma you've got there."

Videl glared back at him. "I hate cheaters and tricksters. They mock what I do."

Android 18 smirked. "Yeah hear that, 17? Better hope you don't end up fighting Miss Videl here. She's gonna kick your ass, trickster."

17 snorted. "Me a trickster? You're a lawyer! Shut up."

Gohan held up his hands. "C-C'mon, guys! Let's save the fighting for the tournament..."

Krillin turned to Yamcha. "So, we've seen all three of the Saiyan-lets. I guess Koriocha is gonna win Bracket #4, huh?"

Yamcha folded his arms behind his head. "I'd like to think we're gonna watch my baby win the whole shebang!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Get real."

Goku looked over at Yamcha. "Ya know, I've never really seen your daughter fight before. I'm lookin' forward to watchin' her show her stuff~"

In the tournament ring, Bracket #4…

At the signal of the tournament monk in the waiting area, the contestants of Bracket #4 marched out to the ring for their turn in front of the crowd. Koriocha smiled, practically bouncing as she marched toward the ring. She was quite excited. She had always enjoyed sparring against Ranch, Trunks, Bulla, Goten, and even Chika on the rare occasions Chika felt like throwing a punch. Her bouts with Gohan were some of her best memories. And, of course, she adored her sparring with her father. Now, she was going to get to put all that practice to the test in a real martial arts situation. Koriocha skipped up the steps leading into the ring, jumping and doing a spin in the air before landing on her feet and taking in the crowd.

And then, Koriocha's smile faded. The crowd cheered for the fourth crowd of kids and Koriocha broke out into a cold sweat, her knees beginning to tremble. "Wha... Wha... ah..."

Vale cried into the microphone. "Let's hear it again for these brave young fighters!"

The crowd somehow roared even louder and Koriocha flinched, her face blushing bright red, but with a sickly green undertoning it. The cold sweat made its way to Koriocha's palms and she mumbled to herself. "Oh nooooooooo..."

In the crowd…

Suno stood up and craned her neck to get a better look at her daughter. Just like she thought, Koriocha was trembling in place. "Wh-What's going on...?"

Chi-Chi frowned. "Oh, that poor thing..."

Up on the spectators' balcony…

Android 17 frowned. "She looks scared, Yamcha. Really scared."

Yamcha pressed her hand over his mouth. "Oh crap. I never considered that something like this might happen. This is... bad."

Goku cocked his head. "What's goin' on? Is Koriocha okay?"

Yamcha cringed. Krillin sighed. "Goku, remember how Yamcha used to be scared of girls?"

Goku nodded, chuckling. "Yeah! He was so silly back then."

Krillin nodded. "Well, it looks like Koriocha might have a similar fear. Poor thing..."

In the fighters' waiting area…

Goten frowned. "She's shaking."

Trunks crossed his arms. "Dammit. She's from a small village. It's not like she's ever been in front of a crowd like this before."

Ranch sighed. "Stage fright sucks."

Back in the ring…

Vale shouted into the microphone. "Bracket #4! Begin!"

Around Koriocha, everyone began to fight back and forth. She, however, remained stuck in place. Koriocha's breath came out as a weak wheeze, her hands wringing over one another as she felt herself being swallowed up by the screaming masses surrounding her. Her teeth began to chatter as tears began to build up. "S-Scared..."

Next to Koriocha, a boy with a backwards baseball cap knocked another boy out of the ring with a massive kick. With that opponent dispatched, he looked around for his next target and locked right on to the trembling northerner. He chuckled. "Hehehe. Easy pickins!"

Hat boy rushed at Koriocha, leaping into the air and crashing down for a massive kick. His foot barely budged Koriocha's shoulder before she reached up and grabbed his ankle, flinging him out of the ring harder than she ever would have meant to.

Briefly distracted from the crowd, Koriocha looked around to see all the other remaining fighters staring at her. She took on a fighting stance. "I... I have to fight! I want to-"

Vale cried into the mic. "Mokey is out! Let's hear it for Koriocha for getting her head into the game!"

The crowd roared again, and a cloud of steam erupted from Koriocha's head. As her lower lip began to tremble, the poor girl pressed her hands over her eyes. "... I can't do it..."

Up in the spectators' balcony…

Chiaotzu looked genuinely sad. "Man, she's frozen. That sucks."

Tien nodded. "Hey, Yamcha, you wanna reach out to her? Chiaotzu could set up a telepathic link. You could maybe try to coach her out of what's bothering her. Maybe..."

Yamcha shook his head. "Nah. I'll have a talk with her after this, but anything I try right now is just going to distract her or make this worse. She's panicking."

Vegeta turned. "So you're just going to leave your daughter to suffer and lose?"

Yamcha frowned. "I never said that. As far as I'm concerned, Koricha still has a chance to win this entire thing. I believe in my kid."

Videl cocked her head. "How though? She's covering her eyes. Is she gonna fight blind?"

Yamcha chuckled. "Nope. A real wolf is never blind!"

Videl flinched. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Yamcha cupped his hands around his mouth. "KORIOCHA! BE THE WOLF!"

Back in the ring…

Koriocha's ears twitched, she could make out her father's voice over the roar of the crowd. "P-Papa...?"

Yamcha called out again. "FORGET YOUR EYES! YOU DON'T NEED 'EM HERE!"

All at once, Koriocha relaxed. The sound of her father's voice helped her to tune out the mindless scream of the crowd. Her eyes being closed had eliminated the overwhelming sight of all of those people. Now... she listened. She heard the various screams of applause, crying, and fear. At the same time, Koriocha sniffed. She smelled the buttery popcorn. The bubbly soda. The hot sweat. A bit of vomit.

She focused, listening and sniffing again, mentally eliminating all those pointless sounds and smells. Her ears found the panting breaths of her opponents. The stomping feet on the stone ring. The roaring battle cries. Her nose picked up the smell of sweat. So much sweat.

With all this information. Now she could tell apart individual sweat, just like when she and her father were out hunting in the blizzards. If she ever got lost, she could find him without her sight. Whiteouts were a danger in the north, but never an issue for her.

Another, deeper smell. Two clouds of sweat were getting closer. She tuned in her hearing, and she could focus on the rumble of their footsteps. Two sweats. Two steps. One in the air.

The crowd watched in anticipation and then, to their shock, Koriocha thrust out her palm and caught another little fighter midair, sending him flying out of the arena in one strike. The other that dared charge her threw a punch with Koriocha ducked, falling on all fours and then shoulder tackling him in the side. He went flying, crashing into two other kids, and all three landed outside of the ring. Koriocha dug her fingernails into the stone of the ring. "Wolf Fang Hunt."

Outside the ring, Vale cheered into the mic. "My word, ladies and gentleman! It would appear as if Koriocha has shaken off her stage fright! She just took out four competitors... with her eyes closed!"

Koricha didn't bother to make out whatever the announcer was saying. She instead focused on the remaining seven people in the ring. Taking them out like this, without her eyes, would be no issue. But, she was sure to lose to Trunks, Goten, and Ranch if she didn't get some practice in.

Koriocha scented the air again, noted the distinct steps her opponents made, working hard with her auditory and olfactory capabilities to individually shape each person in her head. What were once simply lumps of odor and rambling sounds quickly defined into, more or less, a mental image of her opponents. She whispered to herself. "And I can sense Ki. So, when I'm fighting the others, I can supplement that as well..."

The other fighters were unnerved by this weird, dog girl that they were sharing a ring with. They watched as she hunched there, mumbling to herself, and felt genuinely unnerved. One of them whispered. "F-Friggin' weirdo..."

And then, without thinking, he charged! He wanted her out of the ring and as far from him as possible. Koriocha's ear flicked. Her nose twitched. And then she leapt out of the way, her right foot hammering the ground and springing her back towards her attacker. He turned just in time to eat a punch to the mouth, sending him flying out of the ring. She nodded. "Okay..."

And then, reacting on instinct combined with her sharp nose and ears, Koriocha bounded across the ring, taking each of the six other opponents out with a punch each to the stomach. She skidded to a halt, taking in a deep breath and sighing it out. Slowly, she cracked open her eyes and was relieved that she had managed to land facing the waiting area. Out of her calming trance, Koriocha could feel their eyes on her back. But, bravely enough, she managed to stumble into the back as the announcer cried into the mic behind her. "THE WINNER OF BRACKET #4: KORIOCHA!"

Koriocha cringed at him calling her name, and shuddered as the crowd roared in approval. "Oh gosh. What am I gonna do in the next round...?"

In the spectators' balcony…

Yamcha sighed. "Whew! She sorted that one out. Glad all that hunting in Jingle Village's woods paid off."

18 shot him a glare. "Is that all you have to say?! You let your child join this tournament knowing she had stage fright!"

Yamcha flinched. "L-Look! I didn't know. I mean... it makes sense, all things considered. I just never thought of it before now..."

Goku smiled. "It'll be fine. You grew outta bein' scared of girls. I'm sure Koriocha will grow out of this one day~"

Krillin crossed his arms. "I'm more concerned about this upcoming round. She won't be fighting normal humans. She'll be fighting three battle-happy Saiyans."

Videl cocked her head. "Saiyans?"

Immediately, Gohan pulled Krillin into a proper headlock and laughed out loud. "SAYIN'! KORIOCHA WON'T BE FIGHTING NORMAL HUMANS! HE'S JUST SAYIN' THAT THOSE THREE ARE BATTLE HAPPY! RIGHT, KRILLIN?!"

Krillin gurgled. "Y-You're choking the life outta me..."

Vegeta chuckled. "Heh. Just saiyan."

Piccolo and 18 both adopted a sour look, glaring at the prince. 18 shook her head. "You really think that lame pun is funny?"

Vegeta blushed, looking embarrassed. "It's... just a joke that I was often told when I was younger. Piss off."

Goku slapped Vegeta on the back. "It's okay. I thought it was funny."

Vegeta frowned. But then, he smirked. "So, Kakarot, it looks like our sons are going to be fighting in this upcoming match. This might be an interesting, lesser tournament after all!"

Goku chuckled. "Yep! Those two, Ranch, and even Koriocha are gonna tear the house down! I'm excited!"

Once again, Vegeta's smile faded. He turned from Goku and glared back down at the ring. "... Ranch."

He glared across the arena at Raditz, who was holding three hotdogs and eating a fourth. Vegeta's nose wrinkled and he growled under his breath. "Damn it..."

In the crowd…

Bulla was standing on her seat, pumping her fist into the air. "Go, Big Sis Ranch! Kick Trunks' ass! Or Little Sis Kori! Hell, I'd take Goten's dumb, smelly butt! JUST KICK TRUNKS' ASS!"

Bulma glared over at her daughter, stirring her straw around in her slushie to break up the larger chunks of ice. "Young lady, I am unimpressed with you today..."

Bulla glared at her mother. Bulma frowned. "You're acting like your father."

Bulla sighed and nodded. Then, she turned back toward the ring and screamed even louder. "BEAT TRUNKS' STUPID, CHEATER FACE IN!"

Bulma rolled her eyes. On the far end of the stands, Erasa and Sharpner were both still in awe of the four fights they had witnessed. Erasa crossed her arms. "Wow! Gohan's little bro is strong! All those kids are strong!"

Sharpner nodded. "Yeah. Why does Gohan know so many kids that seem like they could kick my ass...?"

Next to them, Chika and Marron were both dancing on their seats, holding hands and cheering for all their friends. Master Roshi chuckled. "I must give credit to Vegeta, Raditz, Goku, and Yamcha. They sure have trained up some fine young martial artists!"

Raditz nearly choked on his hot dog, coughing roughly and tapped his fist against his chest. Master Roshi turned to him. "You okay, m'boy?"

Raditz coughed again and then glanced down at the floor in shame. "... I... I deserve no credit for Ranch being as strong as is. I've never trained with her."

Roshi cocked his head. "Pardon?"

Raditz nodded. "It's... true. For the most part, everything everyone is seeing is entirely self-taught."

And then, a small, weak, fatherly smile bloomed on Raditz's face. "I'm a bad father. M-My little girl is strong with no help from me. I…honestly don't know who taught her. I assumed she learned it all from watching other people…"

Roshi nodded. "I see..."

Silently, Blonde Launch reached down and grabbed her husband's hand, gripping it as tightly as she could. Bulla chuckled, shouting triumphantly. "Damn right Ranch is strong! She's the toughest person in our entire group! She can kick our butts and I've never even seen her go golden before!"

At the indirect mention of Super Saiyan, Blonde Launch flinched in pain. She looked down and saw her fingers going purple as Raditz suddenly started squeezing back really hard.

In the fighter's waiting area…

The final four all sat in the center of the waiting area, waiting for their call up. As they waited, the four kids talked to one another. Trunks smiled wide, overconfident as ever. "I can't wait! I bet each of you three of my best toys that I'll kick all your butts!"

Ranch rolled her eyes. "You're lucky you're handsome, cuz you're dumb as a pile of rocks if you think you're just gonna dominate us here."

Goten chuckled. "Free toys! Heck yeah! And I know which ones I want too!"

Koriocha was green in the face. "Y-Yeah. Toys..."

Goten frowned. "Are you feeling any better, Kori?"

Koriocha shook her head. "N-No. I d-d-don't wanna go out there again."

She hugged her knees. "I'm scared."

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Baby."

At that, Koriocha began to cry into her knees. Trunks flinched in shock and Ranch immediately punched him in the back of the head. Reaching her arm around Koriocha's shoulder, Ranch pulled the girl into a tight hug. "Hey. Come on, now. It'll be okay."

Koriocha sniffled. "But the crowd is scary, Ranch. I'm scared. If I accidentally open my eyes and the crowd makes me hesitate, then I won't be able to defend if you attack me. I don't wanna go out there and lose because I'm a fraidy cat..."

Ranch nodded. "Yeah. That's pretty tough."

Ranch squeezed Koriocha's shoulder with sisterly love. She genuinely wanted her younger peer to be able to compete to her fullest. She sighed. "Just have to find a way to keep your eyes covered, even if you accidentally open them..."

Ranch sat in silent thought for a moment, then looked up and saw the hem of the wool toque hat she always wore. She smiled. And then, without a word, Ranch pulled the hat off her head and slid it down onto Koriocha's. The younger girl flinched and looked up. "Y-You're giving me your hat?"

Ranch shook her head. "I'm lending it to you, squirt. You can pull it down over your eyes to block out the crowd. I want it back once we're done, okay?"

Koriocha's cheeks glowed bright pink, and then she pulled the hat down over her eyes with a smile. "Yeah. That sounds like it'll work..."

Ranch smiled. Trunks and Goten smiled as well. And then, a tournament monk walked up to them. "Okay, kids! We're ready for the final round! I hope you're all excited!"

Once the monk was gone, the four kids stood up. Ranch gave her shoulders a final stretch. "Don't think me being nice means I'm gonna go easy, though! I wanna win this thing more than any of you!"

Trunks stuck his tongue out. "We'll see about that!"

Koriocha stammered. "I-I won't lose! I'll win this thing! Just watch!"

Goten chuckled. "This is gonna be fun!"

As Trunks, Ranch, and Koriocha began to walk to the ring, Goten called out. "Wait a second!"

The others turned toward him. Goten smiled. He stepped forward and grabbed Koriocha and Ranch's hands. "Trunks! Grab Ranch's other hand!"

Trunks flinched. "Why?!"

Goten smiled. "We're all best friends, right? So, we should head into the finals as best friends!"

For a moment, Trunks thought to deny such a sickeningly sweet gesture. But, as he watched Ranch simply grip Goten's hand, no sign of hesitation on her face, he sighed. "Fine."

In the tournament ring…

As Trunks, Ranch, Goten, and Koriocha came out holding each other's hands, the crowd immediately erupted into furious cheering at such a show of comradery. Responding to their cheers, the four kids marched to the center of the ring and held each other's arms up. Goten was beaming. Trunks had a small smile. Ranch blushed. Koriocha reached up and pulled her borrowed hat down even further. Taking one final bow for the crowd, each of the four kids walked to their own corner of the ring and began stretching.

Vale smiled and spoke into the mic. "This looks to be a hot finale, ladies and gentleman! Now, before we begin, we have one final word from the current World Martial Arts Champion himself, Mr. Satan!"

A rocking guitar riff began to play and, with a hearty laugh, Mr. Satan came rushing through the fighter's waiting area, leaping into the ring and landing in the center, shooting off double v-victory signs. "HEY THERE, EVERYBODY! LET'S HEAR IT FOR YOUR CHAMP!"

The crowd erupted into even louder cheering for Mr. Satan's flashy entrance. He pumped his fists in the air, playing up to the crowd and getting them to cheer more and more. In the crowd and on the fighter's balcony, everyone but Videl, Erasa, and Sharpner watched through half-lidded eyes.

Videl herself seemed quite unimpressed at her father's hotdogging. After nearly another minute, she shouted at the top of her lungs. "GET TO THE POINT, DAD!"

Acquiescing to his daughter's shouted command, Mr. Satan sighed and held the mic up to his mouth. "Okay everybody! Now, for real, let's hear it for our four little warriors here!"

As Trunks, Ranch, Goten, and Koriocha stretched, the crowd cheered for them as loud as they could. Mr. Satan gave a small nod of approval and then smirked. "Now then, this isn't to say that the glory of a world title isn't reward enough for these four! But I, your champ, was thinkin' that maybe they deserve a bit more this year! So, here's the deal! For the first time ever, the winner of the Junior Division gets somethin' just a little bit extra this year! Whichever one of these four wins this match not only gets to be called the Junior Division champion, but they also now get a special exhibition match for their victory!"

Mr. Satan threw up another victory sign. "AND THAT EXHIBITION WILL BE AGAINST ME! THE WORLD CHAMP! MR. SATAN!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd burst into more furious cheering. In their four corners, the kids continued to prep for their upcoming battle as if they hadn't heard him say a word. No one seemed to notice the lack of excitement from the little competitors as they all continued to cheer Mr. Satan's praises.

Satisfied, the champ took one final bow and then exited the ring, taking a seat set up for him on the grass near where Vale normally stood to give the play-by-play. Mr. Satan grumbled as he sat in the wooden chair that had been produced for him. "This chair sucks. Gotta make sure they have somethin' better for me tomorrow..."

Vale smiled. "What an exciting way to kick off the finale of the Junior Division! Now, without further adieu, let's get this thing started folks! LET THE FINAL ROUND OF THE 2ND ANNUAL JUNIOR DIVISION BEGIN!"

All four kids took on their fighting stances and glared across the tiled expanse at one another. All at once, the temperature in the arena seemed to drop five degrees. The raucous cheering of the crowd came to a stop and even Vale the announcer fell silent. There was a new tension in the air, one that hadn't been felt at the tournament in over a decade. Trunks flicked his eyes from Goten to Ranch. Ranch tightened her stance against Goten in her blindspot. Goten scanned over all three of his opponents. Koriocha scented the air.

In the crowd, Marron reached into the tub of popcorn in Android 16's lap and grabbed a huge handful. A single kernel fell from her grip and spiraled down to the floor. And then, the second the unpopped piece of corn tapped against the stone of the stands, the match began in a lightning quick jolt!

From opposite corners of the ring, Trunks and Goten charged and slammed into each other's forearms. The two boys gritted their teeth, growled under their breath, pushing at each other with all their strength before starting in on each other with a furious series of punches and kicks. Being slightly taller, Trunks was able to apply just a bit more pressure and took advantage in the early exchange, forcing Goten back and displacing both boys from Ranch's view.

Across the ring, Ranch saw Koriocha had fallen to all fours, still scenting the air and gaining her bearings. Ranch smiled. "All good, Kori?"

There was a small quaver in Koricha's voice, but she nodded curtly. "Yes. And thank you, again Ranch!"

Ranch took a fighting stance. "Enough of the gratitude! Here I come!"

Ranch bent her knees and then sprang forward with all the force she could muster without actually breaking the ring. She bounded across the tiled expanse, both fists raised above her head, and fell down onto Koriocha like the hammer of god! Both fists came down onto the smaller girl, but Koriocha was quick to block, catching both of Ranch's fists with a loose elbowed grab that allowed her to disperse the force of Ranch's blow in a smooth, soft motion. And then, violent force came along and Koriocha shoved Ranch back.

The daughter of Yamcha wasted no time, rushing forward and tossing a kick that Ranch blocked with a forearm. The taller girl was quick to respond with a furious right cross that Koriocha quickly palm blocked, stumbling back from the sheer force of Ranch's savagery and immediately shaking the pins and needles from her hand. "Jeez. You hit hard."

Ranch smirked. "You expect me to hold back? No way, Koriocha! I know how tough you are!"

Ranch leaped forward, foot raised high above her head for a shattering ax kick. Koriocha sharply sniffed the air, able to discern the smell of heat. Her conclusion: Ranch's ankle was moving at least 150 mph. Quickly, Koriocha backflipped out of the way, skidding across the stone tiles on all fours as Ranch's heel came down and shattered the ground beneath her.

The crowd gasped in shock and Mr. Satan, totally stunned, fell out of his chair with a yelp. Koriocha, however, remained cool in appearance. The moment Ranch made impact, she sprang forward with both hands drawn to her sides. "Okay! Let's get a bit more serious! DOUBLE WOLF FANG FIST!"

Replicating her father perfectly, Koriocha launched off two of his signature strikes. Ranch glared with a keen eye. She caught Kori's left wrist in a tight grip, but fumbled the right! One of Koriocha's attacks was halted, but the other crashed right into Ranch's flank, making her wince in pain as she felt two ribs bruised.

But a little pain meant nothing to the girl. She quickly countered back with a hefty kick to Koriocha's stomach, launching the smaller girl into the air. Ranch immediately jumped in for a follow-up punch, but Koriocha blocked. Both the younger girl's feet hit the ground and then she leaned in for a major assault. Koriocha shoved Ranch's fist off to the side, leaving her wide open, and then charged in for a barrage of furious blows.

Yamcha watched on above with a look of fatherly pride as the move that he had invented was shown to be well and truly mastered by his offspring. Koriocha tucked into Ranch and unleashed a hellish storm of Wolf Fang Fists into the larger girl, pounding into Ranch's exposed torso and sending her flying back with one, final push.

Ranch coughed, but landed on her feet without so much as a stumble. She smirked. "Nice shots, Kori. But don't think this is over!"

Ranch immediately rushed back in for a counterattack. Her fist drawn high above, the daughter of Raditz went for an almighty overhand blow. Koriocha flinched and rushed in to cut it off. Her palm like steel, she thrust a blow right into Ranch's jaw. And then, without letting up, she spun on the ground and launched a spinning hook kick right into the same spot. Koriocha growled under her breath as she considered her next attack. 'Ranch is physically the strongest person in this fight. I have to rock her enough that she can't get any force behind her blows. If she manages to take a good enough shot at me and it connects, I don't think I'd be able to withstand it...'

A third attempt at the same target was thrown, but this time Ranch was prepared. To Koriocha's shock, Ranch jerked her head to the side as a kick launched toward it, then sprang toward the attacking leg and smashed it away. Koriocha cried out and went tumbling to the side, forced to dig her nails into the stone in order to avoid an immediate ring out. The younger girl groaned and shakily forced herself up, wincing at the broken toes she felt inside her shoes. She chuckled. "You're really scary, Big Sis~"

Ranch loomed, wiping a trickle old blood from the busted lip where she'd been struck twice. Otherwise, the larger girl seemed no worse for wear. Koriocha cringed. 'Not just strength. Ranch is as tough and as stout as an oak tree. She's barely felt any of my strikes so far...'

Ranch took in a deep breath. Koriocha's fingers began to tremble. 'I have to focus on a ring-out. I'm never going to be able to beat her straight up. And Trunks and Goten are too focused on each other at the moment to come at her. I have to ring her out or get them in-'

Koriocha's nose and ears twitched. In a single second, Ranch had bounded across the ring. She couldn't see it, and the anxiety of the challenge before her was frazzling her Ki sense, but Koriocha could smell Ranch's breath and the thundering steps in the ground. She was right there, less than 3 inches from her face.

On instinct, Koriocha raised an arm to shield her head and that proved to be the right choice as a thunderous elbow crashed down into it. What Koriocha failed to defend, however, was the equally forceful knee brought up into her ribs. Koriocha gagged and launched upward. Left to her own devices, she would have shot through the air like a missile. But, Kori's nose twitched again and she smelled the same thing she had just a moment ago: bacon.

At breakfast that morning, Ranch had eaten almost an entire tray of bacon from the hotel continental breakfast. It was on her breath and all over her fingers. And Koriocha could smell those same fingers rushing toward her in a rapid slicing straight line. All at once, the girl tucked into her aching stomach and rolled out of the way as a hellacious chop from Ranch shot just over her and embedded itself into the edge of the ring. Koriocha shuddered as she landed. That was a ring out and a loss in another timeline.

Ranch jerked her hand out of the stone and shook the jitters out of it. She smiled. "You're fast, Kori. This is fun~"

Koriocha smiled back. "Lots of fun~"

But, in her head, she was screaming. 'This isn't good! I can't rely on being able to ring her out all by myself. She's scary as hell! I need Trunks and Goten to help me with the heavy lifting!'

As Ranch charged forward again, Koriocha smelled around for the boys. She could sense their ki, but they were shooting around the ring like a couple of pinballs. Every time she locked on, they were gone. However, Trunks liked eggs even though they didn't agree with his stomach and Goten covered everything in syrup. She could follow that around the ring as if they were having a leisurely stroll.

Turning tail, Koriocha bounded toward the boys. And yet, she could feel Ranch hot on her heels. She was faster than Ranch, but the bigger girl had a head start. She wouldn't make it to the other two in time before she caught up. Koriocha had to be smart. She heard the announcer outside the ring screaming something to the crowd, but she tuned him out. Her hearing had to be focused on the ever-approaching footsteps if she was going to save herself. Koricha screeched to a halt and listened for the foot-fall at her rear left. Once she heard Ranch's boot clap against the stone of the ring, Koriocha shot her own foot out and caught Ranch in the shin. The bigger girl stumbled and Koriocha sprinted off again.

Ranch sneered, catching herself with a quick stomp of her right foot. She watched Koriocha sprint toward the boys' little scrap like a scared puppy. She called after her opponent. "Tripping is a cheap tactic, Kori! Now I'm gonna kick your butt twice as hard!"

Up in the crowd…

Roshi smiled as he watched Ranch once again take up the chase. "Yamcha has trained that girl well, all things considered. Koriocha is easily the weakest person in this match, but her skills with leverage and situational control are top notch. Ranch is no dummy, but Koriocha is outsmarting her like a pro!"

Blonde Launch crossed her arms. "Ranch has my temper. She needs to stop and readjust before she falls into some kind of trap."

Suno swallowed a lump in her throat. "Ranch has hit Kori pretty hard a couple of times now. I hope she isn't too badly hurt..."

Back in the ring…

Ranch pulled her fist back and shot it forward with all her strength, burying it deep into the stone of the ring like a knife would jab into a stick of butter. Koriocha managed to just leap away from that blow before pivoting to follow the ongoing brawl between Trunks and Goten. Koriocha was huffing for breath as she continued her chase. "Gotta time this just right..."

Annoyed with the chase, Ranch bounded into the air and rained down with a punch at the ready. "It's over, Koriocha!"

With all the force in her legs, Kori bounded forth one more time, shouldering her way between Trunks and Goten and making them both flinch back. Trunks shouted at her. "Watch where you're going, damn it!"

And then, without looking, he threw the punch he had at the ready for Goten's waiting gut. At the same time, something else crashed down right between him and his target, kicking up a cloud of dust. Trunks was taken aback. His fist hit something, and he felt a warm trickle run down his knuckles. Had he punched Goten in the face instead?

The dust quickly settled and Trunks yelped like a scared dog. His fist had hit someone's face, but not Goten. Crouched there, her fist halfway out of the hole she had punched, was Ranch. Shakily, Trunks moved his fist and found the face of his adolescent crush scrunched up, both nostrils leaking blood like a faucet.

In the crowd, Blonde Launch cringed. "Oh shit."

On the spectator's balcony, Vegeta flinched. "Oh shit."

In the ring, Trunks trembled and held up both of his hands in defense. "... Oh shit. Ranch, are you-"

Immediately, Ranch's gaze sharpened and she scowled. "Trunks."

Trunks audibly swallowed a lump in his throat and, seeing his cue to leave, Goten quietly tip-toed away. And then Ranch was on the attack again. She shoulder-tackled Trunks, knocking the boy back, followed by a triple rotating elbow straight into the boy's stomach. Trunks gagged and, realizing that he was at a major disadvantage, smashing a Ki blast into the ground to kick up another smokescreen.

Off to the sidelines, Koriocha sighed in relief. "Finally, a break."

Then her nose twitched and she turned to block a kick with her forearm. Koriocha sprang back and Goten took on a fighting stance. "Let's see what you've got, Kori~"

Back in the smokescreen, Trunks was stepping lightly, wanting to keep his position as hidden as possible while he recovered. From deep within the obfuscating dust, Ranch seethed out a single word. "Trunks."

At that, Trunks couldn't help himself. "Come on, Ranch! I didn't mean to sucker punch you in the nose! You fell for Koriocha's trap! That's your fault!"

In response, Ranch fired a Kiai into the air, blowing the cloud of dust away in an instant. Trunks cried out in shock and Ranch was already in his face, fist drawn at the ready. In a scrambling act of self-defense, Trunks caught the punch as it was thrown, quickly torquing Ranch's arm and dragging her to the ground in a tight armbar.

Ranch snarled and quickly tried to yank her arm free. "Let me go!"

Trunks shook his head. "Not til you calm down! I get that we gotta fight for the tournament, but I don't want you to beat the heck outta me cuz you're mad!"

Ranch grinded her teeth. "Trunks!"

Trunks felt himself lifting off the ground. Ranch had managed to get her feet under her and was standing, Trunks hanging off her arm like an oversized watch. Ranch raised her arm in the air and snarled. "GET OFF ME!"

Then she slammed Trunks' back into the ring as hard as she could. Trunks shuddered, his arms and legs turning into jelly. Ranch drew her leg back for a kick, looking to punt Trunks right out of the ring. But then, her vision tunneled by anger, she didn't notice as Goten came crashing right into her. The two cousins landed in a heap and Koriocha landed on all fours. "Whew. Goten is a lot easier to push around than Ranch. Just as tough, just not as hearty..."

Goten was the first back to his feet, hand springing into the air and landing between Trunks and Koriocha. Trunks stood back up with a cough, rubbing his sore back. "Ow..."

Ranch stood up, visibly furious. The four fighters glared at each other, and then Ranch spoke. "Okay, that's it! No more pairing off! I'm gonna kick the crap out of all three of you!"

Trunks stammered. "C-C'mon, Ranch! I said I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"

Goten smiled. "I'm ready to fight, Big Cousin! Let's see what you've got!"

Koriocha tightened her stance. "This might work out more in my favor..."

All four kids squared up and then, as before, Ranch bounded with all the force she could safely muster right at Trunks. Fist drawn, she hammered her adolescent crush right across the face, sending him spiraling. Ranch threw several more punches as a follow-up, which Trunks quickly blocked. She raised her fist high into the air and slammed it down onto Trunks' waiting forearm block.

The son of Vegeta groaned, his knees buckling under the heavy pressure. In spite of the danger, Trunks blushed. 'Ranch is amazing.'

Before Ranch could follow-up again, Goten zipped behind her, wrapping his arms around Ranch's torso and heaving her into the air. Arching his back, Goten suplexed the larger girl headfirst into the ring, and then quickly turned, heaved her up, and delivered a piledriver for good measure. Goten smiled. "I hope Mr. 16 saw that~"

In the crowd, Android 16 smiled.

The victory was short-lived, however. Ranch quickly reached up, grabbing Goten by the undershirt, and yanked him forward. Getting back onto her feet, Ranch wound up and tossed Goten like a screaming baseball directly into Trunks' chest. As the boys crashed to the ground, Ranch thundered in like a speeding train, grabbing the two by the necks and slamming into the ground a second time. She raised her fists into the air to deliver a third, heavy blow, but then Koriocha rejoined the fight. The daughter of Yamcha had run to the other end of the ring and sprinted forward as fast as she could, kneeing Ranch right in the jaw and sending her tumbling back.

Trunks and Goten were both standing up, but Kori couldn't afford to let them recover. Turning with her hands drawn, Koriocha called out. "DOUBLE WOLF FANG FIST!"

This time, both strikes hit true. Goten took a strike to the face that sent him crashing back to the ground. Trunks' strike struck true to his core, sending him flying right toward the edge of the ring. Koriocha sniffed the air and smirked. "Ring out!"

But then, in an eruption of golden light, Trunks turned Super Saiyan and caught himself right before hitting the grass. Like a rocket from his mother's company, Trunks shot up into the air and hovered about twenty meters above the ring.

Up on the spectator's balcony…

Gohan flinched back so hard that his back crashed against the wall. "D-DAMMIT, TRUNKS! NO!"

Immediately, the disguised Saiyan turned his attention over to Videl, who was staring in jaw-dropped awe. All at once, Videl was back at Gyosan Mane Island, staring at that same golden hair from behind. Her savior from death. Her angel that was sent by her mother. Her Gold Fighter. Slowly, Videl turned her gaze to Gohan and the boy had to stifle a yelp.

Off to the side, Vegeta's nose wrinkled in dissatisfaction. "Damn it, Trunks."

In the crowd…

Sharpner was gobsmacked. "Is that... Videl's Gold Fighter?"

Erasa sighed. "Sharpner, I doubt Videl was saved by what was most likely an infant back then..."

The blonde stared across the arena, up at the fighter's balcony. Even from a distance, she could see just how rigid Videl had become. Her head was turned directly at Gohan, but slowly her gaze returned to the fight. Erasa sighed. "But I can only imagine what must be going through her head right now..."

Back in the ring…

On the sidelines, Vale the announcer cried into the mic. "This is incredible, ladies and gentlemen! In order to save himself from a ring out loss, it would appear that Trunks has unlocked some form of inner strength! And, what's more, he is using the Sky Dancing technique invented by the formerly esteemed Crane School! Truly, we're dealing with a martial arts prodigy today folks!"

Still sitting on the ground, his jaw dropped, Mr. Satan stared in horror at the glowing, golden child floating overhead. "It's... just like... at the Cell Games..."

Suddenly, all the tension in the arena was dispelled like air from a popped balloon as Ranch began to tantrum in the ring below. "Trunks! You cheating bastard! We all agreed that we wouldn't resort to Super Saiyan or anything like that! WHAT THE HELL?!"

For a moment, Trunks was taken aback by Ranch's flaring temper. But, far enough away from her fists of fury, he quickly recollected himself and adopted his normal, cocky facade. "M-Maybe you guys agreed to that, but I didn't! I worked hard for this power! Why shouldn't I use it, huh?!"

He glowered down at Ranch, on a roll and not bothering to consider his words. "What's the matter, Ranch?! Suddenly feeling outclassed?!"

As that snide little comment, Ranch recoiled back. Trunks' cocksure attitude immediately went away as he watched her face suddenly melt into a mask of pure hurt. For just a moment, hearing Trunks mock her like that, Ranch looked like she was about to cry. And, immediately, Trunks knew that he had screwed up. He held up his hands. "W-Wait! I didn't mean that! I'm sorry!"

Just as it seemed like Ranch was about to break, like tears were about to start, her face suddenly became stone again. And then it went from stone to anger. "You wanna mock me, Trunks? Fine. Go ahead."

Trunks shook his head. "Ranch, I-"

And then, Ranch's power exploded! Her aura rushed out of her like a raging fire, climbing higher and higher until it raged taller than the crowd stands. Trunks, Koriocha, and Goten all crossed their arms in front of themselves, defending against the sheer force of the power they were facing. Ranch screamed. "MOCK ME ALL YOU WANT! IT DOESN'T MATTER! SCREW YOUR SUPER SAIYAN!"

Ranch shot into the air, throwing a punch that Trunks had no choice but to meet with a punch of his own. The two little fists collided, and the force of the strikes was enough to shred the straw from the tops of the nearby pavilion roofs. Trunks and Ranch were both straining against one another, but Ranch was the first to wince from the pain. Trunks took advantage and decided he needed to act. He had to ring her out before this went too far. The boy drew his leg back for a kick, but Ranch quickly reacted, using her free hand to fire a ki blast directly at Trunks' chest.

Trunks went flying back, a plume of smoke erupting from his damaged gi and Ranch rushed in to deliver a furious pummeling.

Watching from the ground, Goten smiled. "That looks fun! And, if Trunks is gonna use his Super Saiyan, then..."

All at once, Goten's Super Saiyan aura exploded outward and the boy's golden locks stood atop his head like heavenly flames. Goten wasted no time, shooting up into the air to join in on the action. Left on the ground, Koriocha frowned. "They've all forgotten about me..."

She sighed. "Well, I guess I better take a minute to prepare. If they're going to be Super Saiyans, I have to try and match them somehow..."

Up in the air, Ranch went to punch Trunks for a record fiftieth time in a row when, suddenly, a third party shot into the mix and delivered a kick to the underside of her jaw. Ranch went flying and Goten righted himself in the air with a smile. Next to him, Trunks wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. Ranch had banged him up pretty badly, but looking upon her as she descended back down, he could see that he had managed to damage her quite a bit more, despite getting in less hits.

Ranch growled. "You golden boys are really pissing me off. You use that stupid form like it's a toy..."

Goten smiled. "Don't be mad at me! Trunks is right! This form is a result of hard work, why shouldn't I use it?!"

Ranch frowned. "Hard work?! You got that form sparring with your mom while she and my Mom hung clothes out to dry!"

Goten flinched, then looked into the sky and stuck the tip of his thumb into his mouth. "Huh? Yeah, you're right."

He chuckled, childish and carefree. "I guess I didn't work that hard for this after all! Heheheh~"

Ranch cringed, a vein bulging on the side of her head. "I'm gonna break your nose, cousin!"

Goten smiled. "Bring it on, Ranch! You're the strongest guy I know! Fighting you will be fun!"

Ranch was more than happy to oblige, charging in at her top speed and grabbing Goten by the arm. Heaving him around, she quickly slammed him into the surprised Trunks and sent them both flying through the air. Trunks shoved Goten out of the way and rushed back in, throwing a punch at Ranch. To Trunks' surprise, Ranch caught the flying fist, yanking it aside and using the momentum to slam her forehead right into his.

Trunks groaned as his head rocked back, a fresh scrape shooting a small spurt of blood out. He looked over at Ranch, shocked to see two trickles of blood running down the bridge of her nose and even more shocked to see that she didn't care. In that same instant, Ranch shot her foot forward and spear kicked Trunks in the stomach. Trunks gagged and Ranch punched him in the cheek, following that up with three more vicious punches before looking to finish with a heavy kick.

Trunks threw up his guard in defense, but the kick never came. Instead, Goten rushed back into the scene and shoulder tackled Trunks in his undefended side. Ranch's kick shot forward and struck Goten in the side of the head, but the boy took it in stride, rotating in the air and quickly back into place. Then, he charged forward and shot a kick back at Ranch. The girl blocked it with noticeable difficulty and Goten took advantage with a straight punch to her face. Ranch flinched back and Goten hammerfisted her back down to the ring below.

With his bigger cousin momentarily taken care of, Goten turned his attention back to his best friend. He launched toward Trunks, chop at the ready, and was met by a chop of equal strength. The boys went at it afresh, tossing blows back and forth and each trying to take advantage. By virtue of Ranch's temper focusing on Trunks, Goten was a lot fresher. But Trunks was also the stronger of the two of them by a fair margin. Even in the circumstances, the youngest son of Goku found himself facing a foe that he had to be wary of.

Trunks kicked Goten in the side, but Goten caught his leg and began to swing him. "Take this, Trunks!"

Goten threw Trunks across the sky with a mighty heave and then sent three chaser blasts after him. All three attacks crashed into Trunks, one after the other, and Goten smiled. But then, to the younger boy's shock, Trunks came shooting out of the cloud of smoke, both fists thrust forward, and double punched him in the face. Immediately, Goten grabbed onto Trunks and Trunks latched on right back. The two boys wrestled in midair, jerking and pulling at one another and futilely trying to slip each other's guards with some surprise kicks.

All at once, the two boys simultaneously decided they were getting nowhere and, needing to find a way to break the stalemate, began to rapidly pull each other to the ring below.

The boys crashed into the ring like a falling anchor, the force pulling them out of each other's grasp and sending them flying in opposite directions. Goten was on his feet first, with Trunks less than a second behind. The two of them glared at one another across the ring, trying to decide their next move, when Ranch suddenly reasserted herself and punched Trunks right in the mouth.

Trunks fell to the ground with a thud and Ranch got moving, bounding across the ring like a furious lion and swinging a heavy kick at Goten. Goten dropped to the ground, ducking the kick in the nick of time, and then shot back up with a heavy blow of his own right into Ranch's cheek. Ranch withstood, with some difficulty, and quickly piled her entire, larger frame on top of Goten, forcing him to the ground.

Over by himself, Trunks stood back up and watched as Ranch started pummeling Goten. "Jeez. She turns into a berserker when she's upset..."

Taking a deep breath, Trunks rushed to continue this three-way fight. But then, to his shock, the forgotten fourth contestant made herself known once more. Wreathed in an aura as red as blood, Koriocha shot back into the fray and kicked Trunks in the side. At first, Trunks didn't take the blow seriously, but then he truly felt the force behind it. He started to go flying, but quickly kicked at the ring floor and redirected the force upward rather than outward.

Managing to halt his momentum, Trunks fell back to the ring and glared at Koriocha. "What the heck was that?!"

Koricha smiled. "Surprised? Not everyone needs Super Saiyan to be strong, ya know! I learned this technique by watching my Papa train! I think he called it...uh..."

Koriocha paused to scratch her head, deep in thought. After a moment, she snapped her fingers. "KAIO COMPRESSION! HE CALLED IT KAIO COMPRESSION!"

Trunks flinched. "Kaio what?!"

In response, Koriocha bounded forward, aided by Kaio Compression, and slammed her fist right into Trunks' gut. The boy slid back, holding his injured tummy and Koriocha chuckled. "Now that's-"

Both of her knees were suddenly on fire and Koriocha shuddered. "O-Ow. What the heck...?"

Meanwhile, back over with Goten and Ranch, the younger boy had managed to wriggle his arms loose. As another one of Ranch's brutal punches rained down, he caught her by the wrist and then returned fire with a punch of his own. Ranch recoiled back and Goten followed up with a second punch that sent her crashing off him.

Goten scurried away, getting back onto his feet and then turning, pulling his hands to his sides. The boy was flustered from his beating. He needed to ring Ranch out. "Take this, Ranch! KAMEKAMEHA!"

To the shock of all spectating parties, Goten fired a beam of blue energy right at the recovering Ranch. Ranch got her bearings back and her eyes went wide to see such a strong attack right in her face. Quickly, she thrusted her legs and recoiled back from the attack. With a little more space between her and the beam, Ranch pulled her hands to her sides and charged a very familiar attack.

Up in the crowd, Raditz gasped. "That's my-"

Ranch roared. "DOUBLE SUNDAY!"

The bright yellow beams shot from Ranch's hands and combined into one mighty beam, clashing with Goten's mispronounced Kamehameha and exploding in the center of the ring. The explosion resulted in a massive dust cloud, and, for a moment, Ranch paused to catch her breath. "C-Crap... I'm tiring out..."

Then suddenly, from within the dust, Goten came shooting forward. He swung out a chop that Ranch quickly blocked with her forearm. She went to return fire, but flinched at the last moment. "What the-"

Goten smirked and swung out with a heavy kick, slamming his leg right into Ranch's side. This time, Ranch more openly felt the effect of her little cousin's blows as, to her shock, she felt a sizable portion of her remaining energy go shooting out of her and well into the distance, out of the arena. Ranch skidded to the side, clutching her ribs and suddenly feeling much more fatigued. "What the hell was that?!"

Up on the spectator's balcony…

Vegeta turned to Goku, an annoyed look on his face. "Really, Kakarot? Spirit Control?! You taught your toddler Spirit Control?!"

Goku shrugged. "I mean, kinda. Not really, but kinda. I was trying to teach him Instant Transmission, because he said he wanted to learn how to do it or Instant Warp. I was teaching him the basics, but we ran outta time before the tournament."

Piccolo cocked his head. "So, you didn't teach Goten how to use it offensively?"

Goku shook his head. "Nah. I guess he figured that one out for himself."

Piccolo crossed his arms. "To be able to work out how to use such a passive technique like that in an offensive way all on his own...your boy is extraordinary, Goku."

Goku smiled. "Yeah! He's a bright little guy!"

He turned to Yamcha. "But so is Koriocha! You looked surprised when she busted out that Kaio Compression technique of yours, Yamcha. I take it you didn't teach her either?"

Yamcha shook his head. "Nope. And I've only really ever used it in front of her once, back when we were hunting and an avalanche started. I wish I had known she picked it up. She probably has no idea about how stressful that can be on your joints..."

Tien nodded. "Trunks is an unsung trooper in this too. He's taken more real punishment than anyone else and he's showing no signs of faltering. Toughness must be in the blood, eh Vegeta?"

Vegeta smiled and nodded. "Good on you for recognizing it.

Goku frowned. "I don't get what's up with Ranch, though. The longer this fight goes, the less energy she's gonna have."

Android 17 rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Goku, that's typically how fights work for normal people. What's your point?"

Goku stroked his chin. "My point is, well, why hasn't she gone Super Saiyan yet?"

Immediately, Vegeta's shoulders went tense. Goku didn't notice as he turned toward 17 and 18. "I mean, it's odd. Right? Trunks and Goten both turned right away. What's she holdin' back for? Some sort of conservation strategy, ya think?"

17 shrugged. 18 sighed. "No, Goku. It's not a strategy."

Goku tilted his head. "Then why? I don't get it? She's strong enough as is that, if she had that extra boost, she'd be able to toss Trunks, Goten, and Koriocha out with no trouble at all. Is she tryin' to keep things fair, or somethin'?"

18 looked uncomfortable, not wanting to air out any of Ranch's private business. "No, Goku, just-"

"She can't."

Goku turned to Vegeta. "Huh?"

Vegeta frowned, his arms crossed. "She can't turn Super Saiyan. She doesn't know how. She refuses to reach out for advice. And no one around her has taught her. She spends a lot of time at my home, I've watched her train, and I've watched her spar. She has no idea how Super Saiyan works, and I refuse to bruise her ego by offering unsolicited advice."

Goku frowned. "Jeez. Really? I... didn't know that. I'd have taught her, but-"

Vegeta sighed. "But, same as me, she has never requested advice and you saw no reason to intrude on her. Because..."

The prince glared across the arena once more, his eyes locking firmly on Raditz. "...that girl has been going it alone all this time and she's become quite strong. None of us have ever considered that she might be struggling more than she lets us see."

Back in the ring…

Four individual cries of pain rang out as Trunks, Ranch, Goten, and Koriocha all went flying backward. Trunks held a throbbing bruise on his chin. Ranch was busily shaking the cobwebs out of her fatigued head. Goten was gripping the spot on his neck where Ranch had laid into him with a chop. And Koriocha was shakily gripping her throbbing knees. After such a furious battle, all four kids were rapidly nearing their limits. Soon enough, a winner between the four of them would be decided.

And the first one of them to realize this was Trunks.

Trunks roared, building up all his power. "That's it! I'm through with all this playing around! I'm gonna beat all three of you at once with my special, secret technique!"

Goten and Koriocha both flinched as they felt Trunks' power welling up. Ranch, seemingly uncaring, fell to one knee. Trunks thrust his hands out to his sides and smirked. "Try to dodge this! Spoiler alert: you can't! Now-"

Before Trunks could say the name of his special attack, or even charge up the energy to fire it off, Ranch suddenly roared back to life. Shooting from her position on the ground, she launched toward Trunks like a missile and shoulder checked him right in the chest. With his arms out to his sides, Trunks had no time to defend. He ate the full force of the blow head-on and was sent flying back at max speed. Unable to recover, and rather anticlimactically, Trunks launched out of the ring and crashed to the ground with a groan, laying there flat on his back with wide eyes. "Wh-What...?"

On the sidelines, Vale held up his microphone and cried out. "ELIMINATED! TRUNKS BRIEFS IS OUT OF THE MATCH!"

Up in the crowd, Bulla's voice cried out in triumph. "YES! YES! SCREW YOU, TRUNKS!"

In the ring, Ranch collapsed again to one knee. She groaned, flashing Trunks a triumphant smile. "Sorry, Trunks. You left yourself wide open..."

The older girl took a deep breath and forcefully blew it out of her nose as she rose back up. She turned toward her remaining two opponents and cracked her neck. "Well then. Only two left. Which one of you is next?"

Goten sighed, his hair was becoming limp, the gold fading away. Earlier, he had been proud of his achievements in transformation, but now he was coming to a sudden realization: he was spent. Super Saiyan, combined with him using that Spirit Control stuff his father had taught him was taking it all out of him. Goten looked over at Koriocha, her legs visibly throbbing, and then over at Ranch who was sagging like a dried up houseplant. Ranch smirked. "Ready to call it quits, Little Cousin?"

Goten smiled and his energy flared. "Not a chance!"

Koriocha smiled. "Don't leave me out!"

And then, all three kids charged at one another once more. Out of all three, Ranch's attacks were still the most furious. She swung her arms with precision and grace, but with the force of a swinging sledgehammer. Goten and Koriocha were both still quite evasive, but not as much as they once were. Every blow that struck into either of the two felt strong enough to break something on a lesser competitor. Goten gritted his teeth. Koriocha winced. They both looked at one another and came to the same conclusion: either Ranch lost, or they did.

Ranch unleashed a flurry of kicks with a savage roar that both younger kids put all their effort into dodging. Koriocha landed hard on her feet and felt something snap in her left knee. She groaned in pain and held up her hand. "Gotta stop moving! Gonna break something!"

She watched, praying to every god she could think of that Ranch would give chase to Goten first. She breathed a sigh of relief when she did. "Okay, okay. Now then, let's give this one a shot!"

Reaching into the bag of tricks that she had learned from her father, Koriocha suddenly produced a shining, yellow orb of ki in the palm of her hand. She held it aloft and cried out. "SPIRIT BALL!"

Hearing Koriocha cry out the name of an attack, Ranch took a small break from pummeling Goten and glared at her. Koriocha, caught up in the moment, pulled the hat Ranch had lent her from over one of her eyes and smiled. "It's been a good fight, Ranch! But this is it!"

Pulling her arm back, Koriocha focused all of her Kaio Compression into it. She felt the energy flowing into her muscles, building up like lit gunpowder just before it launched the shell out of the cannon barrel. Koriocha roared at the top of her lungs and thrust her hand forward, shooting the Spirit Ball at Ranch while simultaneously spraining every muscle in her right arm. The attack shot at Ranch at top speed, but Ranch simply smirked. She jerked herself out of the way at the last second and winked at Koriocha. "Nice try, Kori! But-"

Koriocha screamed. "GOTEN!"

This time, Goten got the name of the attack right. "KAMEHAME-"

Ranch turned, her eyes wide. Goten was there, Ki charged in his hands. Between them, the Spirit Ball. Goten thrust his hands forward. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The beam crashed into the Spirit Ball, taking all the momentum the attack already had and redirecting it. Stunned beyond words, Ranch had no time to react as the combined attack drove into her chest, knocking her off her feet with the sound of a sharp ricochet and shooting her all the way to the other side of the ring. At the last moment, Goten pulled up on his blast and sent it and the Spirit Ball shooting skyward, while Ranch barreled full force into the wall of the stands. She crashed into it hard enough to make it crack, and then slid down onto her butt. Possibly unconscious, Ranch slumped over in defeat.

Vale cried out. "ELIMINATED! SON RANCH IS OUT OF THE MATCH! CAN WE GET A MEDIC OUT HERE TO CHECK ON HER?!"

As the medical staff rushed out of the fighters' area and began to make their way to the other side of the ring, Goten and Koriocha looked at one another. Goten sighed and the last of his Super Saiyan power dispersed. Koriocha was still on her knees, her injured arm hanging both painfully and numbly next to her. Goten smiled. "You can't walk that well and you're down an arm! I think I win, Kori~"

Koriocha nodded. "Yeah. Looks like it. I know I can't move. You guys play way too rough~"

As Goten took a step forward, Koriocha sighed. "But Papa taught me while we were training for this that I needed to be ready to fight Saiyans. And he gave me some advice..."

Goten was intrigued. "Oh?"

Koriocha nodded. "Yep."

She raised her one good arm, and made a sweeping motion with her fingers. Goten's ears flicked as he heard something whistling through the air. He turned, eyes wide, just as the still active Spirit Ball slammed into his stomach. Koriocha smiled wide. "Always have one last attack on standby~"

And then, she simply slumped over onto her side as Goten went flying over her and out of the ring. The moment Goten's back collided with the grass below, Vale cheered into the mic. "AND THERE YOU HAVE IT, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! SON GOTEN IS ELIMINATED! THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS KORIOCHA! YOUR NEW, JUNIOR DIVISION CHAMPION!"

The crowd erupted into cheers as Koriocha closed her eyes with a victorious smile. She had done it. She had won!

Up in the crowd…

Suno rose to her feet and cheered at the top of her lungs, cutting off the lecture that Bulma was giving to Bulla about being a spoilsport. "YEAH! SHE WON! MY BABY GIRL WON!"

Marron, Chika, and Android 17's kids were all dancing on their seats, cheering for their friend. "YEAH! GO GO, KORI, GO GO!"

Master Roshi crossed his arms with a smile, speaking over to the Ox King. "That's one excellent young lady, right there! She's going to be an incredible fighter one day!"

Ox-King smiled wide. "I bet Yamcha is so proud~"

Up on the spectator's balcony…

Vegeta sighed as he watched Trunks get to his feet. "A disappointment, to be sure. But Trunks tried his best."

Krillin, meanwhile, was bursting with pride. "Man, oh man! What a show! Those kids are all incredible! We wouldn't have stood a chance at their age!"

He turned and looked up. "Good job, Ya-"

Krillin flinched. Yamcha's lower lip was quivering, tears shining in his eyes. Goku frowned. "What's wrong Yamcha? You look sad."

Yamcha stammered. "N-Never past the quarter finals. I've... never made it past the quarter finals. But Koriocha's won the whole thing on her first try..."

Yamcha smiled, tears rolling down his cheek. "I'm so proud of my baby girl!"

At that, everyone smiled. Even Vegeta, in spite of himself. All of them gathered around Yamcha, patting him on the back and congratulating him on his daughter's success.