Legend of the Monkey God Ch 4 (Patreon)

Still can’t really believe Toriyama is gone. The good die too young man.

It’s been a long time since I had the inspiration to work on this fic. Gonna try to get more done, but the Dragon Ball muse is a fucking coked up squirrel. Got other projects that took my attention for it.

Hope you all enjoy the fights. I’ve had some thoughts in my head for how to differentiate Bulma especially, and I really like what I’ve come up with for her and Launch.

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“Oooooh!” The announcer roared into his mic, “Here we are folks! Another matchup between disciples of the fabled Muten Roshi! Can this semifinal match possibly top the previous legendary round?!”

Bulma and Goku smiled as they waved for the crowds. The roaring was louder than ever, with all of them having shown their stuff so far. They dropped their hands, and took their own stances, staring at one another. Bulma kept her breathing even, wondering just what she could do to possibly win this match. Her gaze sharpened, something which made Goku smile wider. They both knew it. There was no way she could win. He had too much of a head start on training, and his sheer power was far beyond hers.

So why did she just feel like she did not want to lose? ‘Saiyan is a hell of a drug.’ She mused as the announcer got ready to start them off.

“Well, it seems there won’t be any words between our two young competitors!” He roared into the mic, “They’re both raring to go! Let’s not keep them, and you, waiting!”

GONG

And yet, as the match started, they didn’t get the explosive beginning they expected. Goku and Bulma continued to stare, simply circling one another. Finally, Bulma smiled slightly.

BAMF

“Oooh! What’s this?! What has Bulma turned into this time?!” The smoke started to clear, and the announcer almost fell over, “Wahhh? She’s cute!”

Bulma had shrunk down, appearing to be Goku’s visible age. He grinned, “Hey, what gives?”

Bulma laughed, “I just thought it would be annoying to be punching down at you.” She refocused, “Let’s go!” She exploded forward, not-quite surprising Goku with her speed. She threw a right cross, which Goku slapped to the side. Bulma allowed the momentum to fling her slightly, and her left leg spun in a compass kick.

Goku blocked it and threw a low kick at her head. She raised a hand and caught his ankle, leaving her in a one-armed handstand. She pulled, trying to unbalance him, while also kicking straight at his face. Goku grinned as his tail whipped forward, catching her leg. Her own tail wrapped around his other ankle, and the two of them tumbled to the floor and rolled away from one another. They both kicked to their feet and this time Goku came at her, moving faster than before.

He threw himself into a roll and whipped his heel out, which she barely dodged by a hair’s breadth. He tucked and finished his roll, before springing into the air. She exploded upwards, and the two began to trade punches, kicks, blocks, and dodges above the ring.

Cutting power, they both landed, and Bulma exploded into another cloud of smoke. She charged out as a bull, and Goku matched her. The two massive bulls, one red and one turquoise, ran full tilt at one another. Right before colliding and headbutting each other, Bulma was engulfed with smoke again.

Goku yelped as the absolutely massive boa constrictor caught him in her coils. He tripped and slammed into the ring, with the two of them sliding almost to a ring out. Bulma started to squeeze, “Cheater!” He growled out as he tried to get free.

“My head isn’t nearly as hard as yours, Goku! Like hell I’m going to try to beat you like that!” She laughed as she squeezed tighter, before yelping as he turned into a humming bird and her coils constricted on nothing at all. The twin puffs of smoke heralded the end of their transformations, and they both stood facing each other once more, with Bulma breathing noticeably heavier than he was.

“UNBELIEVABLE!” The announcer cried out, his eyes nearly popping through his sunglasses, “First an exchange so fast I couldn’t even see what was going on, and then the zoo came to town!”

“You guys need some high-speed cameras!” Bulma called out, not taking her eyes off Goku despite her grin.

“Do you have any idea how expensive those things are?!” The announcer yelled back, “Besides, this is the first time we’ve needed them to see what was happening! You two were nothing but blurs!”

“I’ll donate a few then!” Bulma waved him off as she charged forward, having forgone her child form and trying to use her longer reach now. She lashed out with a roundhouse that was blocked, and immediately followed up with another, and another. The third one, Goku ducked under before trying to sweep her feet. She leapt up, tucking into a ball and rolling in the air. Goku jumped after her, but her tail whipped out and caught him in the chin, knocking him away.

He recovered quickly as she landed, an even bigger grin on his face, and the two struck each other with twin palm strikes.

“Oof!” The twin grunts sounded as they both slid back, nearly to the edges of the ring. Bulma was noticeably panting now, with Goku simply taking deeper breaths.

“AND AGAIN, OUR TWO YOUNG FIGHTERS ASTOUND!” The announcer was apparently crying behind his sunglasses, “Oooooh, how I wish I could actually see what was happening!” from the crowd’s perspective, the two blurs had merely collided in the middle of the ring, and then been forced back.

Goku chuckled, “Can you imagine yourself doing this even a year ago, Bulma? You’ve come so far!”

“All thanks to you.” She winked.

“I didn’t do anything! You always had it in you. You just had to bring it out.” Goku’s smile turned softer as he stared at his friend.

“And I never would have, if not for you.” She had caught her breath, as the announcer waxed poetically about their friendship. Taking one deep breath, she grinned, “I’d say that’s it for the warm up, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s about time we get serious!” Goku agreed.

“What’s this?!” The announcer gaped as the crowd roared, “This was you guys just warming up?!”

Bulma smirked as she snapped her fingers. Her clothes began to glow a blinding white. When it vanished, she was wearing the Kame School outfit Roshi had prepared for her.

“What’s this?! Bulma has changed clothes! WITH MAGIC!” The announcer sounded confused, “What was the purpose of that?!”

Bulma giggled, “Look at Goku and you’ll get your answer.”

Everyone turned to the boy, who had just removed his gloves.

“What? He’s taking off his clothes too?” Now they all looked even more confused. And then Goku tossed his gloves off the ring, and two small clouds of dirt popped into the air. “WHAT THE?!” Goku then shrugged his boots off and kicked them off the side of the ring, and then slipped off his vest, leaving it hanging off of him via his tail as he took the tight muscle shirt off. Throwing it over his shoulder, he flinched as several people screamed. He had slightly misjudged his throw, and the shirt had landed on the dividing barrier and nearly shattered it.

Frankly, he didn’t need to do any of that since he could use Magic Materialization as well. He was just showing off for the crowd. As he slipped his vest back on, the announcer gulped, “Y-you have to be kidding! Have you guys been wearing weighted clothes this entire time?!”

“Yup!” Bulma shot him a peace sign, “What were we up to again, Goku?”

“Two hundred kilos? I think?” Goku scratched his chin.

“No, you were. I was only at half of yours.” Bulma corrected him.

“TW-TWO HUNDRED KILOS?!” The announcer screamed, “BOY, YOU PROBABLY DON’T EVEN WEIGH FIFTY!”

Goku grinned and shot him a peace sign, “42!” He flexed, and they all gaped at the bulging muscle on his arm.

The announcer felt faint, “G-Good lord. No wonder you made it all the way here! Oooooh!” He held a shaking fist in front of him, “TRULY FOLKS, WE ARE RECEIVING A BLESSING TODAY! THIS IS THE GREATEST TOURNAMENT I’VE EVER CASTED, AND THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE IT’LL BE THE GREATEST I’LL EVER WITNESS! LET’S HEAR IT FOR OUR COMPETITORS!” The island nearly started to shake from the roaring of the crowd.

With the other finalists, Kefla had stars in her eyes, “That’s so freaking cooooool!” She cried out, “We should make this double elimination!” She yelled at the announcer, “I WANT TO FIGHT EVERYONE!”

Roshi laughed, “Sorry little lady, I don’t think they’ll be changing the format mid-fight.” He said dryly.

“Jeez Kefla, you’re just as much of a battle nut as Goku.” Krillin chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, “You’re not intimidated at all?”

“Who the hell would be intimidated?!” She asked him, aghast, “I’m having the time of my life here! I wanna fight so baaaad!” She wiggled, making Launch smirk.

“Don’t-” Her words died as she realized the girl’s belt was wiggling too, “K-Kefla… what’s that?” She pointed.

“Hmm?” Kefla followed her finger, “Oh, this?” And then the three onlooker’s jaws dropped, “Just my tail!” The jet-black tail wiggled behind her.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” They all yelled, making her flinch.

“What’s the big deal?” She asked cluelessly, “They have them too.” She pointed at Goku and Bulma, “I saw them using them during the fight!”

“Kefla, you’re a Saiyan?!” Launch was completely and utterly flabbergasted.

“I’m a what?!” Kefla looked confused as all hell.

“SHE’S A WHAT?!” Goku and Bulma caught the conversation with how loud they were being. Both of their heads snapped to the other finalists.

“Oh brother…” Roshi was rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“No, seriously!” Kefla glared, “What the heck is a Saiyan and why are you calling me one?”

“Nope. Not dealing with this.” Launch turned around.

“Yup, we’re leaving that to Goku and Bulma.” Krillin agreed.

“Guys!” Kefla pouted, “Come on already!”

“Uhhh, timeout?!” In the ring, Goku made a ‘T’ with his hands, with Bulma nodding rapidly, doing the same.

“Uhhhh?!” The announcer looked confused, “S-Sorry kids, but there’s no calling timeouts, even if you both agree to it.”

Goku and Bulma both growled, and looked at each other, “…Tonight’s a full moon, isn’t it?” he asked quietly.

“Yup.” She replied, also not wanting anyone to overhear. “I make sure to keep track of it.”

“…shit.” Goku concluded, “We need to wrap up quick then before it comes out. Sounds like she doesn’t even know.”

“Enough time wasting.” Bulma took off, and surprised Goku as she stopped short and swung her fist forward, punching nothing but air.

“EEE!” Goku yelped and threw himself to the side as a massive fist bigger than Bulma made completely of fire appeared in the air and mimicked her punch. The burning fist passed through where Goku had been standing moments before and seared the air as it passed, before vanishing harmlessly. “WHAT WAS THAT?!” He had stars in his eyes as he stared at Bulma. The crowd was going wild, and Kefla had entirely forgotten what was happening in the back as she resumed drooling over their fight.

She grinned evilly, “You like that? Baba taught me how to conjure elements, and I came up with it in secret.” She raised her leg, “Try this!” She stomped, and a storm cloud of lightning shaped like a leg smashed down on Goku.

He vanished from sight to avoid being hit, and the electricity seared Lichtenberg figures onto the tiles. He appeared right in front of her. Bulma let out an ‘eep’ of surprise as she threw herself back. She swiped her arm forward, and the conflagration erupted between them again. Goku instantly felt the intense heat, and aborted his attack. Bulma started waving her arms, controlling the fire rather than letting it vanish. She stepped forward and punched, and the flames surged forward.

She gasped along with the rest of the crowd as Goku was actually engulfed. “GOKU!” She cried out in horror. It had been a direct hit with the full searing force of her attack! Why didn’t he dodge?! She rapidly cut the flames, and then her jaw dropped as Goku stood there, grinning. Even his clothes were fine! They weren’t even smoldering! “What the hell?!”

Goku giggled, “Remember when we went to Frypan Mountain, and I couldn’t get into the castle?”

“No way!” Bulma’s eyes bulged, “You didn’t!”

“I did!” Goku laughed, “Next time there’s a massive burning fire protecting something we need, I can just walk right in!” The Fire Avoidance Charm was such a nifty tool, and he hadn’t even expected to get any real use out of it!

“Ugh! You jerk!” Bulma pouted, “Now I can’t even use my awesome new technique!”

Goku laughed, “Hope you have more fun tricks!”

“S-Seeing, but not believing folks!” The announcer yelled, “What was once a World Martial Arts Tournament has turned into the World Magical Arts Tournament!”

Bulma stuck her tongue out at him, “Hey, if Ki is free game, there’s no reason magic shouldn’t be!” She said playfully.

“I suppose so!” The announcer recovered, grinning widely, “And there’s nothing in the rules against it!”

Goku smirked at her, “Well then, my turn!” His red Ki formed a ball in his hand, before it rapidly elongated into a replica of his Power Pole.

Bulma winced. This was going to be killer on her reserves. She pointed her hand straight, and a Ki blade formed, wavering, and looking like flames. She dashed forward and swung down. He raised his staff and stopped her slash cold with a shower of sparks. Redirecting her, he parried and spun, aiming to jab the butt of his staff into her side. She unraveled her tail and quickly used it to catch the blow, wincing in pain as even that much hurt. His own tail whipped out and grabbed her ankle.

She yelped as she was thrown off of her feet and landed painfully on her back. Goku twirled his Ki staff and raised it over his head for a downward swing. Bulma pulled her free foot back and kicked out at his face. Goku was forced to abort, and his eyes popped open as he jumped back, and another storm leg appeared and pierced right through him. His nervous system flashed as he was electrocuted, before he dropped to the ring floor, smoking.

Bulma quickly rolled back to her feet and prepared for his counterattack. But no matter what happened now, she could smile and say she had gotten the first good blow in for their fight!

“Hey, what gives?!” One of the crowd roared, “I thought the Budōkai had no weapons allowed!”

“That is correct, good sir!” The announcer agreed, “However, they have brought no weapons into the ring! Those were created with their Ki! An astounding technique! I’ve never seen the like before! It makes me wonder if we’ll be gifted with the sight of a Kamehameha Wave today!” He shook his fist in anticipation, “Let me tell you, folks! The Kamehameha is a legendary technique, and with so many disciples of the Kame Sennin here today, I seriously pray we’ll see it come out! This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

Goku shook his head and let out a puff of smoke as he got to his feet. He grinned, “Jeez, Bulma, that’s such a cool technique! You caught me with my pants down there!”

Bulma was panting and sweating as though she had run a marathon, “…tiring too…” She admitted. She needed to end this fast if she wanted any hope of winning!

The two dashed forward, and Bulma surprised Goku by leaping at his face with her legs open. “Oh my…” The Announcer flushed a little as Goku got a face full of Bulma’s crotch, before the girl twisted her body and flipped the both of them to the ground in a pin. She reared back to hit him with her fist, but Goku immediately forced her up and off of him, though he had a weird look on his face.

The two rolled up before Bulma tried to punch him, but he caught her arm and whirled around in a picture-perfect Judo throw. He quickly got on top of her and raised his fist. She managed to get one arm up to block, but his punch was so strong that she could barely protect herself. The blow still cleaned her clock and made her see stars.

She snarled as she managed to hook her tail around his neck and pull him forward for just a moment before his own tail swatted hers away. It was enough of a distraction for her to get her arms around his neck and pull him forward. She arched her hips up to try and dislodge him, but he had her even with her surprise. She wasn’t able to get him off or even to flip them using her superior size, but she was able to free one of her legs using her tail to hook one of his legs as an assist.

In any other scenario, the two writhing on the ground would have looked very dirty, seeing as they were pressed close together and their new position had them rubbing their crotches together. The fact that it was a fight and that they were throwing punches was the only thing keeping the announcer from asking for a privacy screen for them. Of course, the blonde in sunglasses had no way of knowing that for Saiyans, this was indeed practically foreplay.

Growling, Goku punched her in the side, making her hack out in pain, but she refused to let go. Her tail whipped out and returned the favor, making Goku growl. The flinch was all she needed, and she was able to grab his arm. She tried desperately to twist it and put him into a Kimura, but Goku’s fist landed in her ribs again, in the exact same spot as last time. Gasping for air, her hold weakened, and Goku quickly took advantage. Swinging himself up and around, he kept hold of one of her wrists and got himself into position for an armbar.

Bulma desperately tried to keep him from locking it in, but it was too late. She screamed as her arm was tweaked, “Say mercy, Bulma!” Goku yelled out.

Bulma was able to hold on with gritted teeth for three seconds longer, before she managed to yell out, “MERCY!” It was her only option, other than allowing Goku to break her arm. She tried to transform to squeeze out of it, but she was just in too much pain to manage the concentration needed.

“BULMA HAS CALLED MERCY!” The announcer roared. Immediately, the pressure on her elbow disappeared as Goku set her free. “SON GOKU IS YOUR FIRST FINALIST!”

The two panted, one much harder than the other as Bulma cradled her aching arm and side. “Owww…” She moaned.

Goku helped her to her feet, “You okay?”

“I’ll live…” She deadpanned, “Congrats, Goku.” She said warmly as they embraced. And pinked a little bit as she felt his…ahem…excitement. ‘Well, that’s a first.’ She wondered if that meant he was nearing his big growth spurt.

“You were so awesome, Bulma!” Goku hugged her tight, “I think you could have beaten master!”

Bulma chuckled, “Probably not, but I’m glad to hear it coming from you.” She pecked him on the forehead.

“What an absolutely fantastic battle! ” The announcer roared, “Let’s hear it for both fighters! Both of them certainly deserve a roaring round of applause!” The crowd again shook the arena as Bulma (with her good arm) and Goku waved, “And now, a short intermission! We need a break after all that excitement!”

Immediately, Kefla wailed, “NOOOO! I WANNA FIGHT NOWWWWW!”

Oh. Right. There was that as well. Goku and Bulma sprang apart and ran to the waiting area, “YOU REALLY HAVE A TAIL?!” They yelped at Kefla as they skidded to a stop in front of her.

“What’s the big deal? It’s just a tail.” Kefla huffed as she unwrapped it again and then sat on it, holding up her entire body weight via just the appendage. “You guys have them too!”

“Oh, for crying out-” Bulma ran her hand down her face, pulling at the skin in exasperation. “So, you don’t know that you’re a Saiyan?”

“No, seriously, what even is that?!” Kefla glared at them, “I’m just a regular old girl!”

“Human girls don’t have tails, damn it!” Bulma yelled at her.

“And our king is a dog with a mustache! What do you want from me?!” Kefla yelled back.

Bulma blinked, “…Point.” She said flatly, “Wrong, but point.”

“Okay, Kefla, when was the last time you looked at a full moon?” Goku asked her.

Kefla full body flinched, dropping off her tail and onto her feet, “I hate the full moon.” She said flatly, “The tsunami that wiped out my village came on the night of a full moon.” She looked away, “I have no idea how I survived when everything else was washed away… I can’t even remember the tsunami coming in or the warning from everyone.”

“Oh, honey…” Bulma patted her on the shoulder, knowing exactly what that meant. “You know that’s tonight, right?”

“It is?!” Kefla yelped, “Okay old man, let’s wrap this up quick! I want to get the hell to sleep before that stupid thing comes out!” She then stopped short, and Bulma could visibly see the gears turn, “…What the hell does the full moon have to do with anything?” She asked quietly.

Bulma and Goku looked at one another, “…Maybe you should wait until after the tournament? Otherwise, you’ll be distracted.”

She scoffed, “As if I’m not distracted now.” She glared at them.

Bulma pursed her lips, “…Goku…”

“Kefla, we’re not human.” Goku said quietly, “We’re Saiyans. From planet Vegeta.”

“What?” Kefla guffawed, “Oh, come off it! I think I would know if I was an alien!”

“Saiyans are born stronger than humans, have sharper senses than humans, and have an affinity for Ki that humans generally don’t.” Bulma said, “You telling me you never noticed your nose is better than a silvertip grizzly’s?”

“Or that you quickly grew stronger than everyone around you while you were still just a child?” Goku asked her.

“Or that you had a tail when no one else did?” Bulma shot in.

“Or that you could learn any technique you saw with half a look while others needed days just to get a passable attempt at it?” Goku crossed his arms, staring at her with a deadpan look on his face.

“Or that your hair is always perfect, and you never need to do anything to it while everyone else needs regular haircuts or care?” Bulma brushed her fingers through her own locks.

She stared at them, looking back and forth from one to the other, “Y-You’re serious?”

“As serious as I’ve ever been.” Bulma said quietly, “I’ve studied Goku’s spaceship extensively. It’s centuries ahead of anything we have.” She smirked, “Or, well, had. Dad and I are working on it.”

“But I don’t have one!” Kefla protested, “Wouldn’t I have known? Or found it?”

Bulma shrugged, “Couldn’t tell you.” She said, “But if you have a tail like that, you’re definitely a Saiyan. Just like us.”

GONG

“SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING, FOLKS! IT’S TIME FOR THE NEXT MATCH! WILL JACKIE CHUN AND KEFLA MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE RING?!”

Thankfully, as soon as that gong rang, all thoughts of the existential crisis that Kefla was going through were chased out of her head, “WAHOO! COME ON, OLD FART!” She yelled as she ran onto the ring.

Roshi grumbled, “I’ll show her old.” He calmly walked in after her.

Goku and Bulma breathed a sigh of relief, “Well, at least she won’t have that weighing on her.”

“Saved by the bell.” Launch agreed quietly, “That poor girl.”

The rest of the Kame School were well aware of what happened on the nights of the full moon. Once a month, they had all gathered on Bulma’s plane and watched as first Goku, and then Bulma transformed. The giant turquoise ape would have been hilarious if they hadn’t needed to watch their intelligent and beautiful comrade absolutely lose her mind and try to destroy everything around her in a blood haze.

Goku had transformed by himself the first two times, and finally had managed to control himself during the transformation. The first time he had been able to stand beneath the light of the moon and laugh rather than fight his own body and instincts had driven the great ape to his knees in joy and sorrow.

And then the process began all again, with Goku allowing Bulma to transform for the first time. The first three times she transformed, there wasn’t a hint of sanity in her mind. She had been as mindless as a wild beast, firing Mouth Cannons at Goku and trying to beat him like a savage. But Goku was far too strong for that, and had worn her down and made her submit. That third time, she had even managed to somewhat remember the night before. The fourth time, she managed to stay cognizant but was still completely out of control, and felt like a backseat driver in her own body. It was so terrifying to her that Goku almost couldn’t get her to transform again the following month.

Even as of the previous full moon, she hadn’t made much progress, if any in controlling herself. The two eyed Kefla speculatively… “If I have to teach her too… we might be in trouble. I’m not sure yet how strong she is, so I don’t know if I’d be able to keep even just her under control.” Goku mumbled.

She grimaced, “If only I could help.” Stupid Ōzaru.

“Well, here’s your chance to find out.” Krillin spoke up, “Looks like it’s about to start.”

Kefla was bouncing in excitement, hopping up and down as she got ready for the fight. “You ready for this, old timer?” She stood on one leg and pulled the other back to stretch it, before switching to the other.

“Oh? You seem to be taking this one a bit more seriously than your previous bout.” Roshi commented on it. ‘Her spirit seems so similar to Goku. At this point, I’m sure they share a few brain cells. It would be a shame to see her stagnate as well.’

“Yeah, well…” She grinned and let go of her other leg, before driving it forward and stomping the ring. Displaying her unnatural strength, the stone beneath her feet cracked, “Something tells me I can’t take you lightly, old timer!”

“Well, you have good instincts, for sure.” Roshi smiled, his puffy Fu Manchu quirking from the motion. ‘Such brute strength. She has wild, untapped potential. I’m not certain I can afford to hold anything back. It’s a good thing I had to push myself so hard with that young monkey being so strong.’ For the first time, he took an actual stance himself. “Shall we begin?”

“LET’S!” Kefla roared back, a wild grin on her face.

“Well now, it looks like our contestants are raring to go!” The announcer called out, “LET’S NOT KEEP THEM WAITING!”

GONG

With a roar, Roshi took off like a shot, aiming to finish the match in a single blow.

Kefla was made of sterner stuff than that, and only seemed to get more excited over his speed. Rather than trying to evade, she rushed forward to meet him head on. With a roar like a tiger, she raised her right hand and drove it towards him with her fingers clawed.

In a swift, practiced move, Roshi pivoted, twirling to the right as Kefla’s hand crashed into the empty ring. Her fingers pierced the stone and shockwaves seemed to ripple out, gouging the ring beneath. Roshi finished his whirl and with a roar of his own, lashed out with a roundhouse kick that thumped into the back of Kefla’s thigh, sending her flying forwards. “Tiger form, hmm?” He asked as she tumbled twice on the ring and then found her footing. “An interesting opener, but far too telegraphed for an experienced opponent.”

“Wowie, that actually hurt.” Kefla got up, calm as you please, and patted the back of her thigh, “I can’t even remember the last time I actually felt a blow someone landed on me.”

“JERK!” Launch roared from the waiting room, which got both her and Roshi to snicker.

Kefla got back into her stance, “Well, how about this!” She dashed forward, faster than she had before. Roshi held his hands up calmly, and prepared for the onslaught. Kefla started with a right cross, which Roshi redirected, grabbing onto her wrist, and tugging her where he wanted her, throwing her off balance.

“You’re too quick to engage.” Roshi told her, forming an axe-hand and slashing at the back of her neck. Kefla surprised him by using the momentum that he had created in her and bending herself forward. Her left leg came screaming backwards, showcasing her excellent flexibility as she aimed to knock his teeth out with the back of her heel. Roshi jerked back to avoid it and Kefla rolled, getting back to her feet. “Well now, that was quite good, young lady.” He brushed his beard, “I think you even cut off some of my hair.”

“Hehehe!” Kefla got herself ready, “We’ve barely started, and this is already the most fun I’ve ever had in a fight! You’re good!” She smiled, ‘Guess the whole ‘invincible old master’ shtick was legit! I’m so freaking lucky!’ She couldn’t wait to beat him and move on to Goku! “Try this on for size!” Moving even faster than before, and now at her maximum speed, she shot forward like a bullet, and Roshi wasn’t ready.

“GRK!” His teeth clacked together as her foot crashed into the bottom of his jaw, flinging him into the air. ‘What overwhelming power!’ He thought as he flew even higher than Nam had with his technique. He rubbed his jaw and moved it from side to side, ‘If Goku hadn’t pushed my own training so far I think she might actually beat me!’

Kefla hadn’t been satisfied with just that, and had shot into the air after him. “LET’S GO!” She had her fist reared back for another punishing blow.

Now, Roshi couldn’t fly. That was a Crane School technique, and Roshi refused to learn it out of his own pride. He didn’t even allow Goku to teach it to him (despite knowing the boy had not ever even heard of the Crane School before) due to the similarity. But that didn’t mean he was helpless in the air. Tilting his body, he pumped his legs so harshly that the air compacted beneath his feet, forming a solid wall. He shot down at Kefla even faster than she had moved herself, and planted a straight kick directly into her belly. For the first time all day, Kefla showed signs of pain, rocketing down to the ground as a heap of saliva escaped her mouth. She hacked again as she hit the ring and cratered it.

“Shame that you dropped your guard, young one. It’s a good lesson in false security.” He sighed, “Guess I didn’t need to worry so much.” He turned to the announcer, “Shouldn’t you be counting? She won’t be getting up from that. I’d be surprised if she even wakes up in the next few days.”

“Ah! Right!” The announcer hurried, “One! Two!” The crowd started to count with him, “…SIX! SEVEN!”

And then Kefla twitched, her eyes snapping open, “Oh, holy shit!” She groaned out as she clamped a hand to her stomach. Roshi’s eyes popped out of his skull, and the announcer even forgot to count. Kefla got a little lucky because of it as she rolled to her feet and clutched her gut, “Jeez old timer, you’re strong!” She patted her tummy, “That’s gonna bruise…”

‘What the hell is she?! I’d bet my bottom dollar that would have put even Goku on his back for a ten count!’ Roshi started to sweat as he took his stance, hyper-focused now. He absolutely could not afford to lose here.

She got into almost a horse stance as she started utilizing her Ki. “Try this on for size!” She yelled out as she held her hands in the air, and six little balls of light-red, flickering Ki appeared. Roshi gulped, before she jumped into the air to avoid hitting the crowd (just in case) and threw them at him. Roshi dodged around the ring, and each time one of the Ki balls struck the ring or the grass, they blew pieces of it up. None of the explosions were particularly powerful in the grand scheme of things, but enough of those would certainly do some damage.

Kefla yelled, “Not good enough, huh!” She realized she needed to control them, and formed another set of six as she landed, and threw them. The crowd screamed, and surprising Kefla, Roshi formed two larger and more solid, light-blue Ki balls in his palms and batted her own, more fragile attacks away the first four were batted at the ground and detonated, peppering him with small bits of shrapnel from the explosives and tearing his clothes a bit. “JACKPOT!” She yelled, raising one hand and jerking it back, as if in a ‘come-hither’ motion.

Roshi yelped as he sensed the Ki balls reverse course, and did a split to drop out of the way as they raced past his head. He quickly took his feet as Kefla spun, as if ‘capturing’ the two spheres on their way back to her. “TAKE THIS!” She threw the two of them back at him far faster than she had originally.

“Dagnabbit!” Roshi stuck his two Ki balls forward and smashed them into the two light red attacks from Kefla, purposefully detonating them. The explosion that engulfed him ruffled the hair of everyone there.

“Oh wow, amazing! Kefla and Jackie Chun have Ki attacks of their own, and it appears that Chun has exploded!”

“I got him!” Kefla cheered. “Man, that was to-” She dropped her guard and stood straight as she spoke. The smoke cloud blew apart, revealing Roshi perfectly fine, if crispy with some missing parts of his uniform. He was also rushing at her as fast as he could. “Oh, shiiii-” Roshi’s fist pounded into her face, making her teeth clack shut as she flew like a baseball out of the ring and past the stands.

“IT APPEARS JACKIE CHUN HAS DONE IT!” The announcer roared as Kefla flew overhead, screaming. “SHE’S DEFINITELY GOING TO LAND OUT OF BOUNDS!”

Roshi shot the crowd a peace sign, “Looks like this is my win.”

Kefla rubbed her jaw, “Ow, damn it!” She cursed, looking around, “Shoot, I can’t lose like this! That’s so boring!” And then her face lit up.

“That was such a fantastic bout! It almost seems a shame to allow this one to end via ring out, but it appears your winner is Jackie Chun!” The announcer cried, “Now, please clear the ring so we may repa-” He cut off as his jaw dropped.

Roshi had already been walking away and stopped short at the sudden silence, and then the cheering from the crowd. His eyes popped out of his skull again, “What the hell?!” Kefla had her arms crossed and was grinning madly, her tail whipping around and around like a damn helicopter blade as she flew back to the ring. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” He gaped at the sight.

Kefla was giggling, “You spin me right ‘round, baby, right ‘round!” She sang, before she and most of the audience burst out laughing. She landed back in the ring, “Heh, heard that stupid song a few nights ago. Couldn’t get it out of my head.” She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

“Incredible!” The announcer roared, “It appears we have a third tailed competitor! And she used it like a helicopter to fly herself back to the ring! She never touched down out of bounds, WHICH MEANS THIS GLORIOUS MATCH IS STILL ON!”

She shot Roshi a peace sign of her own with a big grin, “Shall we continue, old timer?”

“Saved by your stupid tail! Oooh, what a lucky little monkey!” He growled back. “I was hoping to save some gas in the tank for young Son Goku, but it appears you’re determined to push me to my limits, aren’t you?!”

“Oi! Don’t be looking past me, old man! I’m winning this whole thing!” Kefla yelled back, pointing at him imperiously.

“No, you won’t.” Roshi seemed to glitch, and just stood there. Menacingly.

Kefla twitched, “Oh no you don’t!” She whirled back and threw a kick out at Roshi, who had just appeared behind her. “WHAT?!” She screamed in shock as her kick went straight through him, revealing a wavering form that looked just like Roshi sticking his tongue out at her.

And then Roshi kicked her in the back, and it was his turn to be shocked as his foot went through her as well. “What?! Did you instantly copy that from me?!”

“GOTCHA!” She came in from the sky, aiming a double hammerfist for his head. And then she went through him as well, slamming her fists into the ring instead. “Ah, crapbaskets.” She grumbled as she ate his shoe straight in the mouth. She shot back into the dividing wall, shattering it with her body and getting buried in the rubble.

“To think I needed a triple afterimage just to land a hit.” Roshi brushed himself off, “Oi, start the count.” He pointed at the announcer, “Just get it over with. If she gets up from that I’ll eat my shorts.”

“Uh, right! One! Two! Thre-”

The rubble shifted, and Kefla threw all of it off. “Owowowow!” She rubbed her aching jaw, “Ptoo! Eww, I have rocks in my mouth!” She spat some grit out.

“Oh, I hope no one heard me about the shorts…” Roshi squeaked out. He shook his head, “Fine then! I was hoping not to have to break this out, but let’s see if you can handle it!” Roshi took a different stance and then… burped?

“Eww, what the heck?” Kefla complained, watching as he started to stumble and even hiccup, “What are you doing? You better not be trying to gas me like that fucking disgusting guy did to Bulma in the prelims.” She crossed her arms.

“Oh my, it appears that Jackie Chun has spontaneously become drunk! Did he nip some sake while hidden by that explosion?” The announcer called out.

Over in the fighter’s area, Goku’s tail twitched, “Oh, don’t tell me.” He started to snicker.

“What happened?” Bulma asked.

“Something real silly.” Goku responded, snickering just a bit louder, “Grandpa showed me this a long time ago.”

Kefla scoffed, “Don’t think I won’t hit a drunk!” She shot forward, aiming to clean his clock, only for Roshi to fall back as if he was passing out, and then Kefla’s injured stomach was taking another kick and she was flying overhead, “Waaaah! What the hell?!” She landed, rubbing her stomach with a grimace again. “Grrr, you won’t make a fool out of me!” She rushed forward, much more cautiously this time, before unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks.

“Hic!” Master Roshi moved so fluidly that he appeared almost boneless. He effortlessly dodged Kefla’s savage combos, and blocked what he couldn’t with no pain showing at all. Juke, duck, juke the other way, block… he fell on his back to avoid a roundhouse and then rolled limply to the right as Kefla attempted to stomp on his head.

She was starting to get angry as she stomped forward, “STOP MESSING AROUND, DAMN IT!” She stomped between his legs, only for him to roll back and onto his feet, before a jab, a left cross, and a spinning-back-kick all landed on her chest and stomach and sent her flying back. “GRRRRR!” She growled as she rolled to her feet, “What the hell is this, huh?!”

“It’s Suiken!” Goku called out, perched on the dividing wall. He was grinning in fond memories, “Grandpa used to show me this all the time! It always made me laugh!”

“Drunken Fist?!” Kefla looked back at him, “That’s a thing?!” She shook her head, “No, wait, forget it being a thing! Don’t you need to be drunk to use Suiken?”

“Hic!” Roshi leered at her, “A true master can simply turn it on, young lady!” He stumbled, “Pity you’ve never been drunk. You won’t be copying this one, little monkey.”

Kefla grinned, “Bet.” And then her cheeks reddened, and she let out a hiccup of her own. Her knees weakened and wobbled, before she stumbled.

“What?!” Roshi almost snapped out of his own Suiken at the sight.

Kefla let out a drunken giggle, “Drank some moooonnshine once. Hic!” She stumbled forward, “Can’t recommend. It tasted like – hic – shit!”

Roshi stumbled forward as well, sure that his experience would win out, only for twin blows to land on each of them. The sharp impacts to the sides of their faces knocked both of them out of their ‘drunken’ states and sent the two flying in opposite directions. The two landed roughly on the destroyed ring, bouncing a few times. Kefla hit the diving wall again, just beneath Goku, while Roshi had to mimic her earlier fight and dig his fingers into the ring to avoid a ring out.

Roshi scrambled back onto the ring, growling, “You little…” He rubbed his eye, sure it was going to be black by this time tomorrow, ‘Stupid, cheating Saiyans! How can a girl who has only ever been drunk once perfectly copy my Suiken?! It’s confounding… the ability for kinesthetic learning that these brats have!’ He rushed forward, moving so fast his body blurred, aiming to knock Kefla out.

“Now you’re talking my language, old timer!” Kefla yelled, and forgoing defense, the two phenoms started to wail on one another. Kefla struck first, landing a devastating right cross that made him taste stars for a moment, before eating an uppercut herself to the gut that made her hack. The two stumbled back, before attacking once more. She threw a roundhouse at him, and he stepped forward as he raised an arm, trapping her leg. Realizing it was the same thigh he had hit earlier, he drove his knee into the back of her thigh as hard as he could, making the girl scream in pain.

Remembering the fight Goku and Bulma had, Kefla utilized her tail for the first time in the actual fight. The extra appendage snaked around Roshi’s leg and prevented him from setting his feet. Roshi quickly raised his other fist and landed a hammer blow into her thigh as well before she flung herself off her other foot and kicked him in the face as hard as she could.

Blood flew through the air as Roshi backed away, and the both of them fell onto their backs. They got up as quickly as they could, but Kefla’s thigh was killing her now from the two recent, hard blows. ‘He’s trying to cripple my mobility!’ She stumbled as she tried to set her leg firmly on the ring, wincing.

Roshi was a tiny bit slower to get up, but he merely rubbed at his face. His legs and fists still worked perfectly fine. He saw her weakened leg and pressed his advantage, diving forward. Kefla fought through the pain and stepped into it, throwing a hard right cross at him. He evaded it by a hair, and her fist even cut a little bit of his cheek. He returned the favor, aiming his fist directly for her nose.

“!” She dodged back, and kept going. She bent backwards in an incredible display of flexibility, planting her hands on the ring and getting into a backward handstand. And then her thighs clamped around Roshi’s arm and neck. Roshi’s arm was crushed up against his cheek. Now, most times, Roshi would have been allowing his perverted nature to go wild over the fact that a very pretty girl had her legs around him.

This was not most times. ‘Dagnabbit…’ He groaned as she completed her back-handspring, pulling him forward and off his feet and slamming his face so deep into the ring he was buried slightly in it.

Kefla landed and lost her balance, taking a few steps back before landing on her butt. She shook her head, still a little woozy from a previous blow.

“WHAT AN INCREDIBLE EXCHANGE! JACKIE CHUN HAS BEEN PLANTED LIKE A CARROT!” The announcer roared out.

Kefla let out a giggle before grabbing onto her bruised ribs, “Oooh, don’t make me laugh.” She moaned.

“FOUR! FIVE!” The announcer had started the count, before Roshi’s legs twitched and started waving helplessly in the air.

“Oh jeez, what a tough old man…” Kefla groaned as she got to her feet.

Roshi planted his legs and yanked himself out, stumbling back and mimicking her as he landed on his behind. “Yeeeow!” He set his broken nose, before hacking out a wad of blood and spitting it away. ‘I really am going to be too tired to face Goku. I have to end this now!’ He stood up, glaring at her in respect, “I must congratulate you on pushing me this far, young lady. Not many could claim that honor.”

Kefla smirked back, “Heh, why’re you talking like this is over?”

“Because I’ll be finishing this now.” Roshi declared. ‘She’s already seen the Thunder Shock Surprise, and if Goku could get out of it, she certainly will as well. I have no choice.’ He took his stance, and allowed himself to bulk up just slightly.

“We’ll see about that!” Kefla set her feet again, “Gigantic Blast!” She named her technique this time, and the six red Ki spheres started to float above her hands.

“Ka…Me…Ha…” Roshi started to chant, and his Ki started to build.

Kefla gulped as she sensed the power growing within him, and immediately knew her current technique wouldn’t cut it.

The announcer let out a strangled gasp, “WHAT’S THIS?! THE LEGENDARY KAMEHAMEHA WAVE?! BUT HE’S NOT A STUDENT OF THE KAME SENNIN!”

“Me…!” Roshi formed the bright blue core of his special technique between his hands at his side.

Kefla started to rapidly spin the six Ki balls until they started to resemble wheels, and then started to pump more Ki into them. The edges of the spinning Ki masses were the only sign that the Ki was actually spinning, as the Ki itself seemed as uniform as Roshi’s technique.

“HAAAAAA!” Roshi roared, thrusting his hands forward and nearly blinding everyone watching.

“GIGANTIC BURST!” Kefla created her new technique on the spot, utilizing her instinctive knowhow of Ki (and unknown to her, some forgotten/repressed memories) as well as what she was learning from watching Roshi create the Kamehameha. She fired the attacks forward, and the two drilling beams of red Ki impacted the much larger, single, bright-blue beam from Roshi.

The two attacks clashed in the middle of the ring, forming a large bulge where they were connected. The two attacks struggled against one another, kicking up a near-gale-force wind that blew at the spectators. Beneath the bulge, the ring cracked and shattered.

Kefla grit her teeth, trying to force as much power out as she could, but Roshi’s much more powerful attack was slowly encroaching on her. Roshi took a step forward, “HAAAAAA!” He yelled again, and the strength of his Kamehameha also increased.

The two attacks could take it no more, and a massive detonation blew them both apart. Kefla smashed into the dividing wall and fell flat, getting buried again by the falling rubble. Roshi crashed to the floor and was nearly knocked unconscious.

There was silence for a moment as everyone except the remaining fighters trembled in exhilaration, “WHAT AN INCREDIBLE SHOW, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” The sobbing announcer roared out, “WHAT A GIFT! THE LEGENDARY KAMEHAMEHA WAVE, AND A NEW TECHNIQUE THAT NEARLY MATCHED IT! I CAN’T SEE HOW THE FINALS COULD POSSIBLY TOP THIS, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR TWO COMPETITORS DOWN!” He raised his hand, “I pray that one of you can get to your feet, as it would be a crying shame for Son Goku to win by default!”

“WHAT?!” Goku yelled, his starry-eyed look replaced by horror, “MA- uhhh, JACKIE CHUN! KEFLA! I DON’T CARE WHICH ONE OF YOU GETS UP, BUT SOMEONE GET UP!”

“Seems young Son Goku doesn’t like that idea, but there must be a winner and I’ve delayed long enough! One! Two! Three! Four!” The announcer counted, and the crowd chanted with him. “SEVEN! EIGHT!” And then the crowd went wild as Roshi started getting to his feet and the pile of rubble started to shift.

Just as the announcer finished the nine count, Roshi stood firmly, his outfit totally ruined with parts of it torn off entirely. And then Kefla managed to crawl out of the rubble, her clothes also in tatters and barely covering her modesty. On shaky knees, and down one arm (which was lip from a pinched nerve and hurting like hell,) she managed to take her feet.

The two of them panted as the crowd went absolutely wild. “AND THE FIGHT IS STILL ON, BUT HOW MUCH MORE DO THEY HAVE IN THE TANK?!”

“Not much.” Kefla rasped, letting out a pained giggle.

Roshi took several deep breaths, “I haven’t been pushed this far in centuries.” He mumbled to himself. He stretched, showing that despite the fight, he was still in much better condition than Kefla herself was. His body popped several times as he let out some pleased groans, “Sorry little lady, but it looks like this is the end of the line.”

She held up her one good fist, “I ain’t losing without a fight!” Her fist shook.

“Well, I can hardly refuse such an invitation.” Roshi took another deep breath and launched forward.

Kefla took a stumbling step forward and threw every last bit of her strength into this one, final blow.

And Roshi could have sidestepped it. Could have allowed her to waste the last of her strength. But this time, he wasn’t even remotely interested in it. Not after the fight she had given him. He wanted to win, not just allow her to lose. Their arms crossed as their fists blasted each other in the face. Roshi was forced back several steps and almost fell over again, while Kefla was out cold before her face smashed into the ring. As he stood there and marveled at the sheer potential of his young opponent while the announcer finally finished a ten count, he looked over at his remaining opponent. With a sigh, he mused that his young protégé might end up having the last laugh after all.

-]|[-

“Did I win?!” Kefla blurted out as she snorted awake, sitting up in a hurry and scaring the bejesus out of the nurse who was caring for her.

“Nah.” Launch grinned, getting her attention. “Old man knocked you the fuck out.”

Kefla stared at her, her face rapidly growing more disbelieving, “I…I lost?”

“Mhm.” She put her fists on her hips, “You certainly gave him the craziest fight I’ve ever seen, and he’s been sleeping it off since it ended while they make repairs, but yeah, you just straight up lost.” Kefla continued to just stare. Some concern crossed Launch’s face, “You good, girl?”

“I…” Kefla looked a little lost, “I never lose…” She said softly.

“Well, you just did.” Launch said, before feeling something akin to knocking on her brain, “Hmm?” She paused for a moment, before chuckling, “Hey Kefla, my sister wants to talk to you.”

“You have a sister?” Kefla latched on to that. “Where is she?”

“Sure do.” Launch said, before taking a feather from her pocket, “Have fun.” She tickled the underside of her nose as Kefla looked on in confusion, before she sneezed, “Achoo!”

“WHAT THE HELL?!” Kefla jumped up as Launch completely changed. The forgotten nurse dropped her clipboard.

“Hehehe,” Blue Launch giggled, “Heya Kefla. I’m also Launch. We’re basically twins that can switch who is in control of our body with a sneeze. I was the one who was controlling the trajectories of our warping technique during our fight.”

“And you guys were freaking out about my tail?!” Kefla deadpanned at her. She paused, “Also, badass.”

Launch giggled again, “My sister isn’t great at the whole comforting thing, and you looked pretty down so I thought I’d step in.”

“Ah…” Kefla started to mope a bit, “I’ll be fine…” She said, noticeably half-heartedly, “I just… I’m not sure where to go from here. I’ve never lost a fight… not even against adults.” She forced a smile, “I guess he’s the ‘invincible old master’ for a reason.”

Launch smiled and started to head pat the younger girl, “Listen, I’m not much of a fighter myself. Eight months ago, my sister and I didn’t even share memories while the other was asleep. I was weak and afraid of most things, and she was a criminal who kept getting us into trouble. Goku and Krillin saved us, and Master offered to take us in as well. I only took on our master’s training because you really don’t turn that kind of thing down, and because it put us in the best shape of our lives. So, I really don’t know what you’re feeling right now.” She made sure Kefla was looking at her, “But what I do know is that the thing that master told us when he first started training us stuck in my head ever since. Both mine and my sister’s. ‘On the path of Budō, one doesn’t strive for victory over an opponent. One strives to avoid defeat over one’s self.’ Yeah, you lost. That just means you have to get stronger, doesn’t it?”

“Avoid defeat over one’s self…” Kefla whispered back. That was the philosophy of the invincible Kame Sennin?

“That’s right.” Launch nodded happily, before stopping, “…You know?” She tapped her chin, “…I think I just figured out why Master entered the tournament in a disguise.”

“Huh?”

She pointed at Kefla, “Exactly because of you.”

Kefla frowned, “What does that mean?”

“Well, think about it. You lost one fight and got all down on yourself.” Launch replied, “This must have been the lesson master was trying to teach us all, and he couldn’t do that as himself. If we lost to Master Roshi, then, well, we just lost to the one who trained us. Of course master would beat us, right?” She chuckled, sure of it now that she was speaking it out loud, “But if we lost to a complete unknown? It would teach us the lesson he wanted us to learn.”

“That being?” Kefla figured she knew it now, but wanted to hear it.

“That there’s always someone better.” Launch replied simply.

Kefla lay there for a moment or two, before she started to laugh. Full on, holding her belly, gut-busting laughter. And then she hopped up and out of the bed and crushed Launch with a hug, “Thanks Launchy. I think I needed that.” She let go and punched her palm, “I’m not even his student and he’s teaching me shit.” She tilted her head to the side, “Where’s everyone else though? Like Bulma or Krillin.”

“Oh, the staff was having trouble repairing the ring. They actually needed to make more repairs than they ever had before, so they ran out of materials. Bulma and Krillin are helping them.” Launch replied, “Let’s go see how they’re doing.”

“Oh yeah, Bulma is rich!” Kefla patted her palm with her fist in realization, “So she bought a bunch more stone and they’re helping shape it?”

Launch grinned, “Something like that.”

They walked out and Kefla’s jaw dropped, “What the hell?!”

Bulma had raised her hand up and a very large, perfectly cut, and shaped stone tile appeared in midair. It then fell down a couple feet, and landed in Krillin’s hands. The short boy grunted as his knees bent, but he held the several-hundred-pound rock with just a bit of effort. “That should be the last one, Krillin!”

“Yup! Thanks Bulma!” Krillin steadily walked the heavy stone tile over to the last bit of the arena that needed a replacement, and gently lowered it into place. He then got out of the way and let it flop with a loud crash, landing perfectly where it should be.

“And with that, the ring is repaired!” The announcer cried out, “Let’s hear it for Bulma and Krillin! You two saved our bacon with that astonishing show of magic and strength!”

Bulma flashed them a peace sign, “I made the tiles more durable too! Hopefully these ones won’t break so easily.”

“Wait, you can do that?” The announcer gaped.

“Of course!” Bulma said playfully, “How else would you make clothes that weigh several hundred pounds?”

“Well, that’s me told!” The announcer laughed, “This is the greatest night of my life, and hopefully Jackie Chun isn’t too tired to make it even better!”

“I feel like there’s a joke in here somewhere.” Bulma mumbled.

“Don’t pick low-hanging fruit.” Krillin nudged her with his elbow, smirking slightly.

GONG

“WILL SON GOKU AND JACKIE CHUN PLEASE MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE RING!” The announcer called out.

They walked towards Launch and Kefla, “Oh hey, you’re up! …And you’re blue again! Did your sis want a nap?” Krillin smiled at both of them.

“No, I just wanted to talk to Kefla.” Launch replied, “Also, I’m pretty sure I figured out master’s game.”

“Oh, you have, have you?” Roshi’s outfit was back to normal, with Bulma having replaced it for him. “I’ll want to hear about it after this.”

“Sure thing, master.” Launch bowed slightly to him. “Where’s Goku?”

“Let me see…” Bulma closed her eyes and sought his Ki out. And then a vein started to twitch lightly on her head. “That little…” She stomped off.

“What was that about?” Kefla raised an eyebrow. She stopped Roshi as he made to walk onto the ring. He raised his eyebrow at her, and she surprised him by bowing, “Thank you for the awesome fucking fight, old timer.” She straightened up, “And thanks for the lesson. I’ll remember it.”

Roshi smiled and bowed back to her, “Oh? Glad to hear it, lass.” Was it the lesson he wanted them to learn, though?

She then grinned fiercely, “Still gonna root for Goku to kick your ass. No offense.”

Roshi threw his head back and laughed, “You do that.”

And then Bulma walked back carrying a pouting Goku by the scruff of the neck, “I swear.” She grumbled, “You’re going to give me grey hairs, Goku. What the heck were you thinking, falling asleep right before your final match?”

“You guys took too long!” Goku continued to pout.

“Oh, to be young and carefree.” Roshi laughed lightly. “Come on, boy. We have something to finish, don’t we?”

Goku landed on his feet, “You got it, Master!” He stepped out into the light, before he froze with one foot in the air. He frowned, before backing inside, “…Moon’s out.”

“Ugh, we took too long.” Bulma complained, before raising a hand. It started to spark, and then a pair of sunglasses appeared, “Here.”

“Can’t. It would just get broken during the fight.” Goku said, “Just make sure you and Kefla don’t look.” He walked off.

“Can you not talk about me like I’m not here?” Kefla grumbled, glaring lightly at Bulma.

“Sorry Kefla, but seeing is believing in this situation.” She held the sunglasses out to her, “Can you just trust us this once and put this on?” Kefla pursed her lips, before accepting the sunglasses and slipping them on. “Woof, the optics on that.” Bulma said playfully, “Those look hot on you!”

Kefla blushed a little, “Heh! I make anything look good!” She said, faux-snootily.

Bulma giggled as she materialized her own set of sunglasses. Or moonglasses, in this case. “Just make sure those don’t slip off. And absolutely do not look at the moon without them on.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kefla grumbled, “You guys owe me one hell of an explanation though.”

“You’ll get one.” Bulma promised, “Though depending on how long this lasts-”

“And how long the victory feast takes.” Krillin elbowed her with a grin.

Predictably, the two female Saiyans blushed as their stomachs roared, seemingly on cue, “And that.” Bulma agreed, “It might have to wait until the next full moon.”

And with that, the time for talking was over, as the two combatants stood in the ring, staring at one another. “Our final combatants are ready to rumble!” The announcer roared, and the crowd cheered with him. “Please, take your stances!”

“No holds barred, lad.” Roshi said, taking a different stance than he had in the fight with Kefla.

“You got it!” Goku grinned back eagerly.

“This is it, folks! The moment we’ve all been waiting for! Who will pocket the 500,000 Zeni purse and laugh with triumph?! Who will shuffle away dejectedly, in tears?! There’s only one way to find out!” He raised his arm, before swiping it forward, “BEGIN!”

And yet, neither fighter moved immediately. Instead, they stared at one another, playing out a fight in their heads. Image Training was a powerful tool, though not one the crowd was very excited about.

“What’s this?” The announcer looked confused, “Did you both not hear me?” He asked cluelessly. “The match has begun!” 

As the crowd started to grumble, Bulma flew out and landed near him, “Hey folks!” She said cheerfully as she grabbed the mic, “Sorry if this is a little boring for you, but they’re actually not doing nothing. The most skilled of martial artists like them who also have skill in telepathy can actually have an entire battle in their minds, with physical benefits for training. Note the sweat starting to develop on Jackie Chun’s brow. It’s hard to believe, but they’re playing out an entire mental battle at the moment.”

As if on cue, Roshi slumped a bit, “Yeow! That was a cheap shot, you little brat!” He panted.

Goku laughed, “Hey, just because you don’t have a tail doesn’t make mine cheap!”

“Oh, come off it!” One of the crowd roared, “You expect us to believe that nonsense?!”

“Really?” Bulma asked dryly, “Telepathy is where you all draw the line after everything you’ve already seen?” There was a smattering of chuckles.

The announcer snatched his mic back, “As fascinating as it was, I don’t think that was what we were all hoping for when it came to the grand finals.”

“Heh.” Goku let out a small chortle, “You hear that, old timer? Seems like they’re not too happy with our fight so far.” He let out a wild grin as he took a familiar stance.

“I suppose they wouldn’t be.” Roshi took his own stance, bulking up quite a bit.

“Ka…me…ha…me…” The two chanted as the glowing balls of Ki started to form between their palms.

“OH, MY WORD!” The announcer cried out as Bulma vanished and sped back into the waiting area, “I DON’T BELIEVE IT! AFTER THAT NOTHING BURGER OF A START, IT APPEARS OUR CONTESTANTS ARE ABOUT TO SHOW OFF THE LEGENDARY MOVE!”

“HAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!” The two roared and fired the attacks at one another. Two beams, one blindingly bright, light blue, and the other a dark, churning blood red, collided in the middle of the ring. A purple bulge started to form where the two beams were connected, and winds started to blow so harshly that several people were even in danger of getting blown back. The beams struggled against one another for a second, then two, then three, with pushback from both sides as more power was pushed in.

And then finally, there was an explosion. Another gale force wind blew out, actually containing enough pressure to shatter the ring below it as well as crack bits of the surrounding walls. Finally, the smoke cleared, and the stunned audience got to watch as the two panting contestants were revealed, standing at the edges of the ring which resembled more of a bowl now than a ring. Stone was shattered and vaporized alike, creating a concave surface in the formerly pristine area.

“OI! I JUST FIXED THAT!” Bulma yelled out angrily.

A nervous little giggle escaped the announcer, before he started to scream, “WELL FOLKS?! ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?! ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING! THE PINNACLE OF MARTIAL ARTS HAS UTTERLY DEMOLISHED OUR LITTLE ARENA!”

Master Roshi caught his breath, ‘I’m going to lose…’ The thought hurt to admit. He thought he had more than a fair chance of beating his protégé, but he was still too damn tired from his fight with Kefla.

“Oh! It appears Jackie Chun is already tired!” The announcer caught on, realizing Goku was only breathing a bit deeper.

Goku smiled at the man, “Next time I want a proper match, old timer!”

“What’s that supposed to mean, you little youngin?” Roshi called back, “I’m not beaten yet!” He rushed forward, but Goku was just faster. The younger boy got inside Roshi’s guard, and his foot practically formed contrails before slamming into his opponent’s chin. “GRK!” Roshi almost bit his tongue as he sailed out of the arena. “Little brat, striking his master with such force!” Roshi grumbled.

“Oh my! It appears Jackie Chun is flying out of the arena! And he certainly doesn’t have his own tail to fly back! It appears that Son Goku is our ultimate winner!”

“Nah.” Goku laughed, “He’s already on his way back.” He told the announcer, who didn’t quite compute that.

And then Roshi flew back in, riding the pushback from a very small Kamehameha. He flipped a few times before landing immediately in his fighting stance.

“Welp, that’s me told! You’d think I would have figured out that it isn’t over ‘til the fish jumps after all of these amazing matches!”  The announcer castigated himself a tiny bit.

‘Grrr… I’ll need every bit of concentration here if I hope to walk away with victory!’ Roshi took several deep breaths as he placed his hands behind his back, before calming his heartrate to a very low BPM. He even closed his eyes, and focused his entire being on the fight. 

“Accepting defeat?” Goku sounded confused, but rushed forward anyway. He tried to punch Roshi in the face and knock him out of the ring, only for his eyes to widen as Roshi dodged so smoothly that Goku almost flew out of the ring. Goku slid to a stop, hopping on one toe right at the very edge of the ring. “Huh?” It was almost as if the old man had become both afterimage and not. “How did you do that?”

Roshi turned around, before Goku heard his master’s voice inside his head. “Move well, play well, eat well, rest well.” Roshi said, “That is the Kame School way.”

Goku smiled as he replied, “I know. Where are you going with that, old timer?”

“Time for one last lesson: How to move well!” He dashed forward, much faster than Goku had expected. He let out a kick which Goku blocked, and even that sent him sliding slightly, his feet smoking.

“Wooohhhh! What’s this?! Jackie Chun seems to have found his second wind and is knocking Son Goku around!”

Goku shook his arm slightly, before rushing forward and trying to spear Roshi with a kick. The old man again flowed around it, still with his eyes closed, and landed a punishing blow to Goku’s gut which crushed the younger boy into the ring.

“GAH!” Goku rolled away as Roshi tried to stomp on him, ‘How is he doing that?’ He narrowed his eyes, before leaping into the air. He pointed his fingers like guns, and started to shoot little Ki bullets at Roshi. They definitely weren’t fight enders, but he wanted to see what the old man was doing from afar.

Roshi used the barest of movements to dodge; an incline of the head here, a slightly raised arm there…

He dodged around all of the blows so fluidly Goku could barely believe he wasn’t a fluid himself! Goku landed, astonished at the sight, but couldn’t marvel for long. Roshi meanwhile was starting to strain. His heartbeat was starting to rise. What he was doing was incredibly taxing and by no means mastered. His ability to react instinctively to his opponent’s blows was hard-earned over centuries of mastering nearly every martial art put in front of him. But he had rarely faced a foe like this, and never so exhausted as he was now. Goku’s little test had put more strain on him than the boy had known it would.

He rushed forward, knowing he needed to end this immediately if he was to have any hope of victory. Goku was ready this time, and met him in midair with a jumping, spinning back kick. Roshi ducked under it, but Goku was ready this time. A Ki blast shot out of the back of his foot and redirected his momentum instantly, and his roundhouse kick smashed into Roshi’s cheek at full speed. The old man spun in the air and landed. Goku wasn’t taking any chances and jumped the second he landed, tucked into a ball, rolled, and came down like a lightning bolt with both feet in Roshi’s abdomen. Roshi gasped in pain as his hands, head, and feet rose, before falling down.

Goku hopped off of him as master Roshi laid spread eagle in the crater they had formed. “It appears Jackie Chun is down! One! Two! Three!” The announcer began his count, but Roshi was getting to his feet already. His knees wobbled precariously, but he managed it right before the announcer reached ‘eight.’

Roshi let out a pained laugh, “All we’ve got, right lad?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Goku agreed, taking his stance one final time.

“What will you do if you win?” Roshi asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Goku grinned, “Keep training. Keep fighting. Keep on finding good friends. There’s a whole universe out there.” He clenched his fist, raising it in challenge. The crowd ate it up, thinking he was talking about the rest of the world. Little did they know…

“Heh.” Roshi closed his eyes, ‘Guess I was worried for nothing… this little rascal.’ He grunted, bulking up to his absolute max strength. Which, to be fair, wasn’t too much more with how exhausted he was. He also couldn’t keep his heart calm like this, so he was probably better off doing the other thing.

The two exploded forwards, arms cocked back for some devastating punches. “HAA!” Roshi roared, his fist hitting Goku square in the face… and then going right through it. “WHAT!”

Goku had hidden inside his own afterimage, and dodged to the left. It was what he thought Roshi had been doing a few minutes ago. With a roar of his own, his fist smashed into Roshi’s jaw, sending his master flying off the ring and onto the grass.

There was silence for a moment, before the crowd roared. “OWAHHHH! VICTORY! VICTORY FOR SON GOKU! ONE OF OUR YOUNGEST COMPETITORS HAS CLAIMED VICTORY IN AN ASTOUNDING UPSET!”

Goku cheered, jumping into the air, and pumping his fists. As his friends cheered and ran out to hug him, Roshi managed to get to his feet. He grunted as he climbed up the ring, before stopping in front of Goku. He smiled, before offering a bow, “Good fight lad.”

“You too!” Goku smiled and shook ‘Jackie Chun’s’ hand. “Next time we’ll have to fight when we’re both fresh. I know that wasn’t your best.” He grinned, and threw an arm around Kefla’s waist. He would have gone for the shoulder, but she was a fair bit taller than him since he hadn’t hit his growth spurt yet and she had. “And I definitely want to fight you too, Kefla!”

“Can’t wait!” She grinned back, hugging him from the side.

“Here is the 500,000 Zeni prize, Goku!” The announcer handed him an envelope.

“Hehehe! Thanks!” Goku cheered, “Can you hold onto it for us, Bulma?”

“Sure.” She grabbed the envelope and tucked it away.

“So, what will you do with all that money, Goku?” The announcer asked, before he held out the microphone to the boy.

“Hehehe…” Goku merely let out an (ominous) giggle.

…

“MY WORD! HOW MUCH CAN THEY EAT?!” The head chef only didn’t hold his head in his hands because he was a professional. “Are we even going to have the supplies to cover all this?” he asked his wife and sous chef.

Indeed, the table that held Goku and his friends was piled with dirty dishes. All of them were eating hungrily, but three of them were Saiyans. The three monkey-tailed ones had piles of dishes three times higher than everyone else, and yet still managed to eat with grace. Well, except for Kefla. She was eating much more like one would have expected for one of the three ravenous beasts.

Roshi shook his head, “Is 500,000 even going to cover all of this?” He was still smarting over his loss (and his aching head from having to yank that damn wig off). Still, the food was delicious, and he was starving.

“If it isn’t, we have the national bank of Bulma.” Bulma laughed a little bit in between bites as she watched Goku and Kefla continue their eating contest.

“Heh. Best bank to have.” Blonde Launch was the one eating, seeing as she was the one that did the lion’s share of the fighting. “So, master, was my sis on the mark with her guess for why you had that crappy disguise?”

“What was her guess?” Roshi asked.

“That you wanted to teach us that there’s always someone better.” Launch said, “In so many words.”

“Heh, she was always a smart cookie, wasn’t she?” Roshi sighed, “That’s right.” He looked away, “I’ve lived for centuries kids, and I don’t take disciples anymore. Over these hundreds of years, I’ve seen countless students fall to arrogance and youthful stupidity. Even Ox King, whom two of you have met, disrespected the Kame School because he believed he was strong.” He turned to them as they all put their chopsticks away so they could listen, “I suggested you enter into this tournament so you could measure how far you’d come, but when I was training you four, you surpassed my expectations time and again. I realized there was a good chance of one of you winning the whole thing. I couldn’t have that. Couldn’t have one of you thinking you’d reached the pinnacle of your strength when you have so far left to grow. You needed to realize that there was always someone better. So, I entered to defeat you, and I couldn’t do that as Master Roshi.” He glared at them from behind his sunglasses, “Of course, then a pair of little monkeys had to go and throw a wrench into my plans.”

“Ehehe, my bad.” Kefla rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

Goku shook his head. “Thanks, master.” He said, “But that wasn’t something you had to worry about. Not with me and Bulma at least.” His smile dimmed, remembering his parent’s messages, and their warning.

Everyone shifted as they realized his mood had downturned for some reason. “Goku?” Bulma asked gently.

Goku shook his head, before smiling, “I’m well aware that there’s always someone better.” He said quietly, but refused to elaborate further and resumed eating. Only Baba saw anything from a quick peek into his mind, and her expression turned shocked. She also kept mum, knowing Goku would say something eventually.

“Huh, guess I was worried for nothing.” Roshi pushed the conversation on, “So, what will you all do now?”

“Huh?” Krillin looked at him, “Aren’t we just going to continue training with you, master?”

“No, no, no.” Roshi made an x with his arms, “It’s time for you all to blaze your own trails. I’ve already taught you just about everything I can. From now on, you must train yourselves.”

“Guess I’ll go searching for my grandpa’s Dragon Ball.” Goku mused out loud, looking at Bulma for confirmation.

“No can do, Goku.” She shook her head.

“What? How come?” He asked, looking surprised.

“It’s only been eight months. They need a full year to recharge, remember?” Bulma asked, smiling slightly.

“Oh hell, I did forget!” Goku rubbed his chin, “Hmm…” And then the light bulb went off over his head, and he turned to Kefla, “Wanna stick with us? We can show you our training.”

“Seriously?” Kefla grinned, having felt a little excluded seeing as she just joined their group. “Hell yeah! It must be awesome if you guys are so tough!” She threw an arm around his shoulder, laughing. She totally missed the shared evil grins the four disciples shot themselves.

“Guess we’re going back to the island then.” Bulma chirped, “Though not right away.” She said, before her eye twitched a little as she noticed Goku and Kefla’s tails playing behind them. “We’re definitely heading home first. I haven’t seen my parents in eight months!”

“Sounds good to me!” Goku gave her a thumbs up, “What about you, Krillin? Launch?”

“Heh, you’re not getting rid of me that easy.” Launch crossed her arms with a smirk, “I’m definitely coming with.”

Krillin chuckled, “I wouldn’t mind seeing the city.” He smiled, “Though I’m not sure I’ll join you on this dragon whatsit hunt thing.”

“Well then!” Goku gulped down the rest of his soup, “Let’s finish eating so we can head home! Can I get some more of this?”

“Uhhh, actually, sir.” The head chef was nearly crying as he approached, “We…don’t have any more off that.” He swallowed, “Actually, we don’t have anything else. You ate us out of house and home!”

“Oh!” Goku pouted along with his new friend, “Well, everything in moderation!” The two Saiyans laughed, and laughed harder when everyone but Bulma fell over in exasperation.

-]|[-

And done!

Fuck this took forever to get back into. Originally, this was supposed to be two chapters, but once the fights were actually written, I realized I really didn’t have enough material to give the finals their own chapter since the finals were kind of lackluster by necessity.

Hope you enjoyed! I had a goddamn blast with Kefla vs Roshi, but I was stuck for a good long while on it, with my brain just tossing out ideas and then discarding them with me just sitting there staring at the doc blankly. Goku vs Bulma was both easier and harder. I’ve now shown what my intentions are four the main characters. Goku and Kefla are pretty much the same, with Kefla being higher on the raw power front, but Goku making up the difference with sheer technique and tenacity, same as in canon. They fight in mostly the same way, just with Goku being way more skilled and having magic as a backup. Kefla definitely won’t. Bulma on the other hand is the magic user, and with Dragon Ball magic able to be basically whatever the fuck you want, I have a TON of room to play. FFS Moro was such a good Villain for the group specifically because of his magic. Launch as well has her magic, and I’ve shown what I intend on her to focus on. If time magic can exist…why not space?

Hope you all like the Budōkai! …and now to figure out what the hell I’m going to do for the four months leading up to the red ribbon arc. Hurray for ignoring my plans… >_>   

Also, writing this chapter has been a fucking nightmare. Not for any story reasons (though I DID have a bit of writer’s block with Kefla’s fight and Goku’s fight), but because this PIECE OF SHIT RAZER KEYBOARD I bought FOUR MONTHS AGO developed a fucking double-typing issue. EXACTLY like my old Imperator mouse used to do. Click once, register 3-4 clicks after only a few months of use. Fucking nearly a decade since my last razer product and they STILL haven’t fixed these fucking quality control issues! All fucking chapter I’m fighting my keyboard doing sshit liiike thiss.

Don’t buy fucking razer. Their shit is GARBAGE.