Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball.

Betaed by: Zim'sMostLoyalServant and a friend.

LAST TIME:

The Budokai got started with a match fighters and fans had long hoped for, a rematch between Jackie Chun and Launch. In addition to being fresh this time, both fighters had clearly been training hard and stronger than before.

Launch's increased strength clashed with strange and tricky techniques from Jackie that left the crowd wowed.

In the end though, the power of youth overcame the trickery of old age. Accepting defeat gracefully, Jackie Chun declared his intent to retire from the ring for good, certain the new generations of fighters were more than ready to take the lead.

With that question settled, the Budokai is now poised to move forward, hoping for even greater clashes. Who will emerge victorious? Find out now, on Dragon Ball: Intended Journey!

Chapter Five

Enter the Cyborg

Bionics and Bird Battles

"We should have shown up earlier, all the way back here it's hard to see anything," the old man said, standing on tip toes to look over the crowd.

"Father, you stayed up too late, you need sleep to stay healthy," the tall broad man said next to him.

"Do you think Launch even saw my banner?" a red-haired girl said, seated on the big man's shoulder.

"I hope so, now here, you'll need this one now," the big man said, taking the Launch banner and handing her one that she unfolded, revealing Son Goku's name.

"Hold on now you two, there's another match before Goku fights," the old man reminded them.

X X X

"That was a great match," Goku grinned.

"Yeah, think Launch will be okay to fight again tomorrow?" Krillin asked.

"Sure. Besides, whoever she ends up fighting will have to fight today too," Goku said.

"Still, I can't say I'm happy," Bulma muttered. Yamcha looked at her in surprise.

"Oh, you mean how Jackie Chun clearly pushed himself to the limit but came up short. I guess it is something to think on – as good as we might get, if we live long enough, the younger generations will inevitably surpass us," Yamcha mused. Bulma looked at him, eyes lidded.

"No, you dunce, I'm trying to get that very weird image of a hot man body with an old codger's head on it out of my head. Roshi was shocking and brief enough to just pass like a storm, but I'm going to need some brain bleach for that," Bulma declared.

"Er, well, I guess it's all in priorities?" Yamcha said. Then he noticed Mai was approaching Vendetta and held out her hand.

"So, we'll be up soon. Um, let's have a nice sporting match?" she asked.

Vendetta tilted his hat up with one finger, letting her eyes meet his shades. The redhead gave a vicious grin.

"I will break you," he said, before lowering the hat slightly with two fingers.

"Eep," Mai flinched back, then squawked as Chichi slapped her on the back.

"Don't let him intimidate you. I read 'cool' guys like this are actually insecure and usually lacking in actual moxy and have something called 'poor performance' they try and compensate for by showing bad attitudes. Real men are like Goku and Krillin, they wear their genuine quirkiness on their sleeves and act cool by accident because it's real. So, this guy shouldn't be a problem for you."

"Yeah Mai, just get out there and do your best," Yamcha said.

"What, feeling nervous, young lady?" Jackie Chun asked, coming back into the arena with various bandages on his face and having gotten a jogging suit's top from somewhere to replace his ruined shirt, "Want a kiss for good luck?"

"Eek, no, this is a tournament, show some decency," Mai protested, blushing furiously.

"Master, shouldn't we press them about Lord Tao?" Tien asked Shen, standing off to the side with the old master.

"...can't even bother to get the name right for the technique she stole," Shen grumbled.

"Master?" Tien pressed.

"What? Oh yes, Tao. No, we wait until we have thinned the herd of turtles, then strike for answers," Shen ordered.

"Two-minute warning for contestants Mai and Vendetta!" the announcer called.

"Heheh, I won," Launch declared, a few bandages on her face and parts of her arms wrapped up in white cloth. As she walked into the viewing area, she swung by Goku's perch, smacking a high five with him and turning to get another from Chichi then a down low for Krillin.

"Heh, first class representing, eh?" Yamcha remarked good-naturedly.

"Before I met one, I always assumed the Turtle Hermit's students would be more dignified," Tenron remarked.

"Well, perhaps the great master is too enlightened to feel the need to act enlightened," Chin remarked. The look Tenron gave him made it clear he wasn't sure if his own old master was joking or not. And the smile Chin now made indicated he acknowledged and enjoyed that confusion.

"I admit, I didn't come here for you, miss. But, as a stepping stone, you will be quite adequate," Vendetta said, walking past Mai to enter the arena, the crowd cheering for him. He and Mai were both unknowns, but the last tournament had reminded how stars could flare up anywhere in this world of fighters. So, cheer they did.

"Oh, by Kami, sweet guardian of the Earth. It's my turn really, isn't it? Right now," Mai sputtered.

"Hey, you got this," Yamcha said, putting one hand on her shoulder, facing her and giving her a thumbs up with the other. The raven-haired woman gulped but returned the thumbs up before brushing the hand off gently and stepping into the arena.

"And here we have another first timer, Mai! But while she's new, she comes with a hearty endorsement, being a recognized student of the Invincible One himself!" the announcer introduced her.

"Hmm, an outdated title now," Jackie Chun whispered under his breath before chuckling.

"That first match has got this tournament off to a great start by settling a question we've all been asking about two seasoned fighters. Now, we keep the ball rolling with two first-timers set to make their mark. Let the second match, begin!" the announcer shouted.

"Ladies first," Vendetta said, assuming a boxing stance. Mai narrowed her eyes, fell into a stance, and let out a long breath.

"I've never seen her fight, how is she, Yamcha?" Bulma asked.

"You'll see soon enough," Yamcha grinned.

Mai sprang into action, closing the distance between her and the coat-wearing man. He swung out at her with a strong right hook; she ducked under it and landed not a punch but a flurry of blows across his torso, before backpedaling nearly as quick as her charge.

"A strong opening, folks, Mai has the kind of speed we've come to expect from the Kame School on her feet, but that flurry of blows I could barely follow. And I don't think I've seen anyone run backwards like that before!"

Vendetta grinned and dusted off his jacket before walking toward Mai, raising his fist again.

"But what's this, Vendetta gets an underrated bit of amazing, he took all those high-speed blows but it doesn't seem to have done anything."

Mai lowered her head and charged again, blurring out of sight. She appeared to the enemy's right, kicking him in the shin then in front of him, landing a kick on his chin, making him stagger, then behind, knocking him forward with a kick to the butt.

It went on, with her blinking in and out of sight, sending him stumbling around.

"She's not giving him any time to react," Chin noted.

"A bit like forcing an enemy into the corner in a fighting game and just sweep-kicking them to death," Tenron mused. That got some attention on him, "What? Nothing about my beliefs says I can't go to an arcade every once in a while."

Mai flickered back into sight far from Vendetta, breathing hard now, and wiped her brow with her fist. Vendetta's hat was knocked off, revealing a metal plate of dull steel color bolted on top of his skull. Getting up, he dusted himself off and stopped, considering his coat's now ragged state and tore it off, tossing the pieces out of the arena. The crowd gasped, and Mai gaped. His left arm was entirely robotic, his right had a metal plate on the outer forearm. The center of his chest had a gleaming steel plate embedded in it, and scars crisscrossed across his torso. Taking off his shades, he crushed them in his metal fist, revealing a glowing red eye tucked into a socket.

"Let's see how your ancient martial arts fare against this technology," he sneered.

"...Hey ref, is that allowed? Aren't cybernetics like steroids or something!?" Bulma demanded.

"Uh, no, actually. The rules foresaw this coming up. In the past we've allowed people missing limbs to use prosthetics like stone or metal fists or even hooks. Cybernetics are deemed just a next step in that line of thinking, so long as they fulfill the function of a previously existing limb or such. So as long as it isn't an extra limb or a weapon integrated deliberately into the body beyond replacement of natural abilities, it's fair," the announcer said, adjusting his own shades.

"Quite right, I checked the rules before entering," Vendetta said.

"Boo! Keep your sci-fi junk out of our martial arts tournament, freak boy!" a fan booed from the crowd. Vendetta ignored them and charged at Mai, legs moving freakily quick. Mai snapped out of her gaping and vanished before his swing connected. She appeared behind him and launched a kick into his back, making him stagger. He pivoted, but again only hit air.

Yamcha smiled in the viewing area.

"Nothing motivated Mai in training like avoiding things trying to hurt her. Whether dinosaurs while delivering milk, or sharks while swimming, and especially the bees of the tree she was tied to. Rather than overcome it, we channeled that desire to escape into a fighting style. Mai's speed and agility not only lets her avoid enemy attacks, it also lets her strike fast and hard at weak points before an enemy can guard them. Her power might not match mine in raw strength and durability, but she's beaten me plenty of times over these last months after bringing her style to maturity," Yamcha bragged about his training partner as Vendetta was forced into a defensive crouch.

Then he lashed out suddenly with a jab forward, striking Mai across the face as she flickered into sight, a kick chambered.

The raven-haired fighter was sent flying onto her back. Vendetta leapt toward her, raising his knees, and he descended legs together. Mai sprang back as he landed, kicking the tiles, sending shards flying up with dust on the spot where she was.

"That guy's really strong," Goku said.

"Yeah, that might have ended the fight if it connected," Launch said.

"Don't be so sure, she may rely on agility and speed, but it's not all she has," Yamcha said as Mai wiped blood from her mouth. Then, looking troubled, she reached into her mouth and pulled out a tooth and shrieked.

"I lost a tooth!?"

"Granted, she isn't that hard to frazzle from the right angle," Yamcha admitted, as she barely dodged another punch from Vendetta, leaving the tooth behind to ping to the ground. Vendetta stomped on the tooth, grinning.

"Vanity, thy name is woman," he taunted as she came back into sight nearby, glaring at him.

"Fine, you're tough, but I think you're mean, too. So, I'm going to send you flying. Wolf Fang Kick!" Mai yelled, charging him. Her image blurred and split into four Mais, which all dashed toward Vendetta; it seemed like the image of a wolf overlaid all four.

As a blur of Mais swarmed around Vendetta, launching a flurry of kicks, blood flew from his mouth, his metal arms dented under the impact, and even as he lowered into a defensive position, the hail of blows kept falling.

"You taught her your move? Are you sure you're not dating?" Chichi asked.

"No, we're just friends," Yamcha said, giving a bright smile and thumbs up.

"That bothers you, doesn't it?" Bulma taunted.

"...A little," Yamcha muttered.

"Oh no!" Krillin yelled. Their attention went back to the fight, where Vendetta was holding Mai by the ankle on her raised and extended leg, grinning.

"My turn," he declared, blood from the mouth making his grin more menacing. He swung her up and into the ground, again and again and again, only tossing her aside after the sixth impact. She landed near the edge of the arena.

"A brutal smackdown, but he came up short of the ring out!" the announcer declared.

"Shut up! I didn't want to throw her out," Vendetta snapped as Mai groaned and got to her feet, trembling.

"How?" she wondered, wiping blood from a cut on her forehead.

"I read your pattern. That speed is annoying, but you're a mere buzzing bug that can never bring down this tiger."

She blurred out of sight; with a grin, Vendetta raised his metal arm and caught her kick on it and shoved her back. She blurred away again, and he ducked the kick whizzing over his head.

"I don't have to match your speed if I know what you are going to do before you do it."

Then he caught her wrist before the jab could connect with his face.

"And then you panic and switch tactics," he squeezed his metal grip on her and pulled her forward off her feet. His arm closed over her extended arm, the other securing the lock, then tightened and twisted. The snap seemed to echo through the arena.

Mai screamed as he released her, stumbling back. He hit her hard in the face, her nose audibly breaking under the impact. She fell flat onto her back.

"Mai!" Yamcha shouted, while Chichi gasped, Bulma glared, and Launch growled. Goku watched, stunned. Chin averted his eyes, grimacing. Shen cackled at the sight, while his students kept their calm.

Vendetta threw back his head and laughed, walking up to her, only for the announcer to get between them, holding up a hand toward him.

"One! Two! Three! Four! Five!"

Mai groaned and rolled up to her feet, wobbling.

"Owww," she stammered.

"Fight's still on!" Vendetta said, shoving the announcer aside. Mai's eyes widened, and she retreated back to the edge of the arena.

"Mai, forfeit!" Jackie Chun yelled.

Vendetta charged her and struck out with a vicious uppercut. She faded from sight with it and appeared behind him, leaping into the air and hitting him in the back with a flying kick. He staggered forward, almost over the edge, then stomped a foot into the floor, embedding it and stopping his fall. And his torso rotated on his waist, letting him face her, to the shock and disgust of the crowd.

The cyborg faced Mai, who gaped and blocked his left hook with her good arm, only for it to snap under the impact.

As she fell, he grabbed her hair with the other hand and hauled her up, pulled back his metal fist and struck her across the mouth, sending her flying. She struck the arena tiles hard, and the announcer ran over, the stunned crowd watching him check her vitals, while Vendetta rotated his body back into alignment and pulled his foot free.

"-nine, ten. Vendetta is the victor," the announcer declared.

Vendetta sneered and walked back to the competitor area. No applause rose from the audience, and the Turtle School followed by Jackie Chun ran onto the arena as the monks came out with a stretcher.

"Yurin!" Bulma yelled, and the Crane student leapt from the audience to crouch next to her.

"Use that healing hands technique," Bulma commanded, crouching by Mai. Yurin frowned, laying her hand on Mai's head.

"I'm not good enough for something like this. It takes more ki than I have and skill to put someone this broken back together."

"Please, do what you can," Yamcha pleaded on the other side of Mai.

"...Do you have the skill to take ki from others?" Jackie Chun asked, surprising the circle of Turtle School members with his presence.

"Uh, can we get the stretcher in?" one of the aid monks asked.

"Hold on, we're busy!" Chichi snapped.

"It's a bit of unconventional first aid," Krillin assured the monks.

"Wait, so you'll volunteer some ki?" Yurin asked Chun.

"I'm out of the tournament and I have some to spare. Never was able to figure out healing hands myself, but I've donated before."

"Thank you, sir!" Yamcha said. Clapping his hands over his bowed head, Jackie took a deep breath and held out a palm. Yurin rubbed her hands together, chanting under her breath, and then slowly grabbed his hand from above and below with her smaller hands. She let out a breath, and her eyes briefly glowed gold.

Taking another breath, she released Chun's hand and cradled Mai's head in her hands. As they watched, her nose righted itself on her face and her eyes fluttered open. With a gasp, she took a deep breath before cringing.

"Wheew, her head's okay; not great, but okay. So are the nose and her neck and ribs. But I stayed away from the arms and the rest."

"Dang, lil' witch is a senzu bean," Launch whistled.

"What are thoooo...?" Yurin asked, wavering and collapsing into Bulma's arms.

"Whew, okay, now take her to the hospital," Chichi said, standing up and stepping aside from the monks. The announcer followed them and looked at Mai, giving a sigh of relief.

"Relax folks, it seems it looked worse than it was," he said to the crowd.

"That guy was insane! He could have killed her, right Goku?" Krillin said, balling his fists. Goku wasn't next to him.

"Hey," Goku said sternly. Vendetta looked down at him, pulling out a new pair of shades from his pocket.

"Well, if it isn't the brat," Vendetta chuckled.

"Why did you do that? You could have thrown Mai out and won, and she was going to collapse after you broke her other arm, you could have hurt her for good with that last punch," Goku demanded.

"Winning the match was secondary to breaking her," Vendetta said, glancing around as he put the shades on. Chin and Bora glared at him, while Tenron frowned. Tien and Chiaotzu seemed to have nothing but idle curiosity, while Shen smirked.

"Why? What did Mai do to you?" Goku demanded.

"Not a single thing. But I don't need to tell you that. You and I have a score to settle," he grinned.

"Do I know you?" Goku asked, tilting his head, frowning. Vendetta flinched and his shades slipped, revealing his human and robot eyes glaring.

"Little fool! How dare you forget me when you ruined my life?! Well, no matter – I came here to get revenge not just on you and the other brat, but all your friends. That massacre just now? That's a sneak preview, the feature presentation has yet to come," Vendetta threatened, before storming into the temple.

"Son Goku, your enemy is my enemy," Bora said, stepping up.

"You really don't know who he is?" Master Chin asked.

"No. Me and my sisters have beaten up lots of bad guys. And me and Bulma, before that. Though she didn't really beat things up back then," Goku recalled.

"Well, that Bulma is so last season!" Bulma said, returning to the viewing area with the others, "I'm no one's damsel now. If that pterodactyl tried to make a happy meal of me now, I'd be eating my Commodore Crunch out of his skull the next day."

"Now come on, Goku, it's time for your match," Krillin said.

"Hey, Goku," Launch said.

"What?"

"Don't worry about Mai, I'm going to rip that cyborg so many new ones tomorrow he won't have any doctor that can put him back together again," Launch promised, pounding a fist into her palm.

X X X

Goku entered the arena as the monks finished a hasty clean and repair. Bulma was waiting, hands on her hips.

"Hey, bucko. That last fight left a bad taste in my mouth, what's say we wash it out?" she asked, assuming a stance.

"I know you can fly, but are you really strong now, Bulma?" Goku asked, not as enthused as usual.

"Why don't you come over here and find out, monkey boy?" she smirked.

"Uh, you need to wait for the match to actually start," the announcer told them, as the monks continued to hustle.

"Well, hurry up! I've been waiting for this!" Bulma snapped.

"Listen, Goku, I am not about to be left behind, or just be your all's personal ATM. But I'm not going to just whine about not mattering anymore in all this. I've been training because I was unhappy where I was. So, I want a good fight from you, I want to see how far I've come against the best fighter I know," the bluenette told him.

Shen laughed on the sidelines.

"Ah yes, what better way to grind in the humiliation of the Turtle Fool's disciples than this? Friends turned enemies, allies become rivals? If Bulma wins, that's another turtle cooked in its shell, and if that boy prevails, he endures the heartbreak of beating down one he once called friend. HAHAHAHA!" Shen cackled.

"Begin!" the announcer declared.

"I'll start, Goku, here I come!" Bulma declared, charging the smiling monkey boy.

Goku easily dodged both the punch and the kick.

"Huh? Is that as fast you can go, Bulma?" Goku asked. Then was punted into the air as her leg blurred to connect.

"Nope," she said.

"Huh," Goku said, turning over in the air and spinning his tail. Bulma cracked her knuckles as he tail-choppered back over the arena.

"Good power, but you only hit me cause you tricked me," Goku said, dropping back down.

"Sure, tell yourself that. Come at me," Bulma said, beckoning him with both hands. Goku smiled and charged.

"He's going easy on her," Krillin said, watching Bulma block each of Goku's strikes.

"Well, he's turning it up," Yamcha said.

"...Pretty serious now," Chichi observed.

"Interesting," Bora remarked, eyes firmly on Bulma.

Goku disengaged, falling back a few paces. Bulma smiled and shook her arms a bit before planting her hands on her hips.

"Good defense," Goku complimented.

"Of course. When you look as good as I do, your first training priority is to protect your face and every other beautiful part of your body."

"So, I just need to hit the ugly parts?"

"Nothing about me is ugly!" Bulma snapped, "Time for a spanking, monkey boy!"

Bulma pressed her hands together, and a wind surged out from around her as she rose into the air.

"You saw it here today folks! Contestant Bulma is using the legendary Sky Dance technique of the Crane School and taken to the air like a comic book super hero. The Crane Flock clearly came to show that the Turtle Herd isn't the only legend to live to the hype!"

"You couldn't hit me on the ground, you have even less chance when you have to leap about or use that oh-so-inefficient tailcopter. But now you're in my shooting gallery. Dodon Double Barrel!" Bulma proclaimed, charging up energy on her fingertips.

"Heh, nice!" Goku grinned, going into a stance. He rolled to the side, dodging one blast, then skidded from the next. Her next volley didn't do much better, and the third she fired at about the same time but Goku didn't even go near the second.

"Not bad, if you wanted to knock out the ring, Bulma!" Goku stuck out his tongue at her.

"Grr, it's like swatting a fly with a hammer," she fumed, as he continued to dodge.

"Huh, I thought that attack was impressive," Tenron mused, clearly unimpressed.

"It is, but she's picking her shots like a marksman," Tien chastised, "Against the untested she might do well, but unlike that Launch, she is not used to using projectile attacks in a real fight; so, against a true warrior she gives her shot away a split second before firing. Briefs may be a bit of a prodigy, but she's far from a warrior still."

"Fine, I'm not impressing with this," Bulma said, dropping her technique to land firmly on the ground. Charging Goku, she blurred out of sight as he counterattacked.

"Volley Ball Play!" Bulma yelled, kicking again only for her kick to go through him.

"Gotcha," Goku said, kicking her in the knee as he flickered into view.

"Oh, that's going to smart," Chichi said, as Goku pulled a combo on Bulma.

"He doesn't hold back against women, I see," Master Chin remarked.

"Of course not," Launch huffed.

Bulma shot into the air, bleeding from the nose and a bit worse for wear.

"Heh! Good on you, Goku, but it will take more than-"

Her arms crossed to block Goku's punch as he leapt up at her. She knocked him back, swinging her arms out.

"Hey! Respect the monologues!" she snapped, "Let's see how you chew on this."

Pressing two fingers to her brows, she began to chant rapidly under her breath, while an aura started to form around her.

"This won't end well," Chiaotzu said.

"I wonder if she can handle that now?" Tien wondered.

"Maybe she could if you'd sparred with her more," Yurin said. Tien picked the girl up by her shirt.

"This box is for contestants, rookie," he said, tossing her back into the crowd.

"CURSE YOU, BALDY!" she yelled before crashing.

"Did she forget she could fly?" Chiaotzu asked.

"AGHHHHH!" Bulma screamed, her uniform top shredding in energy to reveal... a similar top underneath, save for what some noted for it to have two large holes on her upper back.

"Egad folks, just what kind of technique are we about to witness?!" the announcer wondered.

"She looks like she needs to poop bad," Puar said on Ox King's shoulder in the audience, as veins bulged on Bulma's neck and arms.

"Gah!" Bulma cried out as spouts of flesh erupted from her back through the holes.

"Wow," Goku said, as most of the crowd screamed. With another flex, Bulma grinned and the flesh solidified into two new arms that she held over her head.

"Heh, I might not be able to land a hit on you with conventional fighting, Goku, but I'm willing to bet you never faced four arms before," Bulma said, landing. She pointed with one of her old arms, while adjusting her ponytail and wiping her brow with the new arms.

"Neat, did you regrow your tail, too?"

"Not this time... Dang it, again?!" Bulma shrieked, one on her new arms reaching into her pants and pulling out a monkey-like brown-furred tail.

"Oh man, looks like we'll need a talk with Bulma later," Yamcha gulped.

"Egads folks, contestant Bulma has sprouted additional appendages, though it seems not all of them were planned. Perhaps this dramatic technique is one she has not fully mastered?"

"Well, even the masses can spot a half-baked technique; are they getting smarter or it is just that obvious?" Tien wondered.

"Even half-baked should be more than enough to put that boy in his place. Briefs! Pound that turtle into soup!" Shen ordered. Bulma charged, blurring but not vanishing, and Goku met her head on.

One of the new limbs blocked his jab, and he evaded the other one's grab only for two quick jabs from her old arms to nail him in the face. Goku recovered and went low for a kick. Bulma practically leapt onto her back, all four arms catching her as she lifted her legs over the kick and then slammed both her feet into his chest.

"Hahaha! Who's laughing now, Goku?" Bulma cackled. She put her old arms on her hips and punched her own ears with the new ones. Goku laughed as she stumbled under the blow.

"Guess you don't have those arms all figured out, huh? You should have taken the time to train your tail, it might have been good practice."

"Grr, I told you then and I'll say it again. I don't need a stupid tail!"

"Why's the tail a big deal when you got extra arms?" Goku asked.

"Uh, well. They do make me look like a sexy goddess," Bulma said, flushing a bit. Then grimaced, realizing the extra arms were feeling her chest quite clearly in public.

"Uh, contestant Bulma, please try and keep non-violent acts family friendly?" the announcer asked.

"Stupid arms! I didn't grow you for this nonsense, let's beat Goku," she said, charging.

"Okay," Goku said, dodging the rapid-fire jabs. He blurred out of sight and kicked Bulma in the back of the head.

"Your reaction has dropped, you concentrating to keep those arms or just tired from pooping them out?" Goku asked.

"It's not pooping! Shut up!" she said, whirling on him.

"Yes, let the hatred grow and fester!" Shen cackled.

Bulma tried to grab him with all four hands. Goku landed on her head, planting his feet on her shoulders.

"You should try the Turtle way, slow and steady; mastering each step. You're trying to jump ahead," Goku pointed out. Bulma brought her extra fists down on him. Or tried to; Goku nonchalantly fell backward off her, letting her pound down on her own head. With a creaking groaning sound, Bulma fell onto her back. With a wet flushing sound, the arms retracted.

The announcer approached as Goku knelt next to her and started counting.

"Come on Bulma, don't you have some more? This is fun!" Goku urged as she blinked and tried to rise during the count, she got to one knee and smiled as the announcer yelled ten.

"And that's the match folks; Son Goku once again advances to the second round!"

"Dang, I knew beating you was a long shot. But I didn't even give you a good workout, did I?" Bulma sighed.

"Nah, that was fun. Last time you couldn't fight at all. Give it another three years to master what you've learned and it'll be great," Goku said, offering her a hand. With him being so much shorter, the hand up seemed a bit absurd, but Bulma just smiled warmly as she took it.

"At least I learned more new moves in the last three years than you," she remarked haughtily, returning on her feet.

"That's not fair, you didn't know any to begin with," Goku pointed out.

"Watch it, monkey boy. If you'd tried the Kamehameha on me, I'd have given you a very nasty surprise," she bit back playfully as they went toward the stands.

"Maybe, if you didn't blow yourself up with whatever it is," Goku giggled around a grin. Bulma playfully smacked him on the head.

"Isn't that great folks, real sportsmanship, not just between competitors but even rival schools. How about a big hand for both of them for that bizarre match!" the announcer called, and the crowd obliged.

"...This is a total disgrace. That woman utterly fails at my teachings as a dark and vengeful warrior," Shen seethed.

"Oh, so you're done with that now, master?" Tien asked.

"Bulma, you're fired!" Shen yelled, as Goku and Bulma returned to the box.

"Huh? I don't work for you," Bulma remarked.

"Expelled, banished, exiled, excommunicated, banned for life; pick a word, you're it!" Shen barked in her face. Bulma frowned.

"Fine, I know plenty already. I just need to figure out how to do it better than you cranky guys anyway. I've had enough of roughing it for a bit. I'll have Dad add a martial arts training area to the compound. Yurin will need a room too..." Bulma said.

"Are you blind to the shame of being expelled from the Crane School?!" Shen bellowed.

"...Yeah, never really liked you guys. Other than Yurin, won't miss you at all, and I guess there wouldn't have been much point going back anyway. Later," Bulma said, waving him off. Jackie Chun stopped suppressing his chuckles to laugh out loud.

"Ha! Corrupt her? That girl was corrupt to begin with! You got scammed, you cranky bird," Chun laughed and pointed at Shen.

"Master, the school will be improved by the absence of such an annoying and irreverent disciple," Tien assured his teacher.

"This means Yurin is leaving, too?" Chiaotzu asked.

"Yes, she failed in her part to corrupt that rich brat," Shen said, then took a deep breath and assumed a calm posture.

"This matter, if there is more to do with it, is for later. We must turn our attention to the near before the far. The Crane School will not suffer further disgrace this day. Fair warning, young Tenron; I already disliked you, but now I need to vent and you are a supremely excellent target," Shen warned, turning slightly to face the young martial artist.

"Hmm, I look forward to facing a legendary master fighting seriously. But mind that temper, I'd hate to win only for people to say it was only because you weren't fighting at your best," Tenron said.

Shen huffed and went to the other side of the box. Meanwhile, Chichi was showing Bulma an arrangement of brightly colored bows she used to beautify her own tail.

"The next match will be Chichi vs Chin!"

Author's Note:

Ah, glad to finally show what Bulma has learned. At first i thought of it being a more serious fight but I felt Bulma fighting a friend would tend to show off 'her cool new things'. And don't worry you won't have to wait for the next Budokai to see Bulma fight again. Also a more humorous fight seemed to balance well with Vendetta's fight against Mai.

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and had a happy new year.

Long days and pleasant nights to you all.