Behold The World's Strongest

It was another day's worth of rest that was the reward for Goku making past the quarter-finals, one that the monkey-tailed martial artist took with just as much restlessness as the one before.

He and Bulma had once again gone out for dinner before the blue-haired girl actually suggested they explore Papaya Island a little before heading back to their rooms.

"I just refuse to believe that the only thing interesting around here to do is watch the tournament go on; no offense though, Goku."

"Just so long as you don't take offense to the fact I find the thought of watching you try on clothes to be the most boring thing this planet has to offer." Was the young alien's rebuttal.

However this quip only reminded Bulma of something she'd managed to forget over the course of her time away at University.

Namely, the fact that her friend did not consider Earth to be his home. In fact, the teenage genius had hoped the slightly younger boy beside her had at least begun to change his opinion while training under Roshi.

Apparently however this was not to be, and this worried Bulma solely because of that haunting message she'd heard come from Goku's pod the day they'd met.

"Wake Up Kakarot, Destroy All Life-Forms..."

Thinking about that cold, uncaring mechanical voice telling her only friend to essentially kill her still sent shivers running down the blue-haired beauties' spine.

Especially when it's the white noise filling that same awful nightmare Bulma had had during their dragon ball hunt almost a year ago; some nights she could still see the frightening grin that the older alien had worn as he drank from a human's skull.

But Bulma shook her head and cleared away that image from her mind as she mentally scolded herself.

'That's not Goku you dummy, it's...it's...' But there inlay the problem; could she truly say that Goku and Kakarot were two separate individuals?

She'd heard the boy sign himself up for the tournament using his birth name, but also responded when she called him Goku. Although, thinking about it, Bulma recalled easily enough that she had been gifted what the boy considered a privilege in being able to call him 'Goku'.

And it was this reminder that settled the very unfortunate truth in Bulma's stomach; that her friend considered himself to in fact be that alien from space rather than the odd little human his guardian had attempted to make him.

All these thoughts and sour feelings were pushed down though when the boy beside her offered a raised brow in concern while telling her that he'd only been trying to continue her joke about being bored. "I didn't think you'd take it personally."

Bulma gave a weak apologetic grin and halfheartedly waved off the slightly younger boy's concerns. "It's nothing that you did Goku; I just suddenly had a lot on my mind is all. But if you're really not interested in window shopping with me, then maybe we can grab a bite to eat or something? Does that sound good to you?"

"I'm always up for another meal Bulma, but from what I've come to understand about humans, not to mention you in particular, is that you don't need to eat nearly as often and certainly not as much as I do throughout the day. Besides, we just had lunch, so I know you aren't really hungry.

If you'd like to do this 'window shopping' then lead the way, as I have nothing better to do and know no one else on this island that I can...I think the expression is 'waste the day with'?"

Bulma gave the spiky-haired martial artist a look, a humorous grin teasing the edge of her lips and an eyebrow raised. "And just where did you hear that from? Because it definitely wasn't from me."

"Roshi has one of those televisions that you showed me back during our first dragon ball hunt, and I found myself catching bits of the shows on it whenever Krillin used it in the afternoons after training."

Then Goku's own brow crinkled in annoyance as he went on to say, "Although, some of the things he got up in the middle of the night to watch have shown me that the cueball is just as perverted as the old fool, he just hides it."

"You mean Krillin?" The beautiful teenage genius sputtered. "But he seemed so sweet back at Capsule Corp., are you sure?"

The pair talked all the way back to the hotel, their minds turning from thoughts of going out and doing something, to simply enjoying each others company as one another's only friend on the island.

Once they returned Bulma coaxed Goku into going with her to the pool, and asked him to wait for her while she went back up to her room and changed.

"And don't even think about going into the water without me." The bluenette playfully scolded before scurrying away, leaving her dark-haired friend to stand at the edge of the pool.

Goku didn't have anything to offer as a retort, and once Bulma disappeared from view he then had nothing to really occupy his attention, so he simply let his onyx orbs roam lazily around the expanse of the outdoor swimming area.

The young alien had just turned his eyes from the neatly trimmed hedges around the fence, to the clear blue water when a female voice he hadn't expected drew his attention.

"I've gotta say, I didn't quiet peg you for the swimming type Kakarot."

It was Lazuli.

The blonde girl was standing, hip cocked and eyebrow raised, in a modest one-piece bikini. Several inches of her velvety skin were on display despite her swim-wear's area of conservation, and her hair was once again pulled into a short pony-tail to expose her slender neck, however Lazuli's jaw-dropping looks took a hit by way of the sling being used to keep her newly reset shoulder in place.

And while most boys his age would be more interested in the small amount of cleavage that the blonde's bikini teased, Goku found himself eyeing the very thing most would say was the ugliest thing about the girl. "I guess the fact that you're here, and wearing that sling, means that the medical bay let you out? How is your shoulder Lazuli?"

"It hurts if I'm not careful, but it'll heal. I have to say though, for such a scrawny looking guy, that Nam sure packs a punch in those skinny arms of his. I mean, I've taken my fair share of lumps back home, but I don't think anyone's ever fractured anything on me before."

Goku watched as his newest acquaintance gingerly touched the shoulder being kept in place by a sling, his eyes focused as he tried to imagine just what it would feel like to have his bones broken, before finally speaking again. "That's because you've never truly faced a desperate man during his hour of need."

Lazuli looked back at the dark-haired fighter in front of her with a look of bewilderment, the blonde's head cocking a bit to the side as she questioned what he meant. "I don't think the guy was really all that worried I might beat him, though I appreciate the vote of confidence—"

"That's not what I meant," Goku cut her off.

"I'm not sure what it is, but your opponent entered this tournament for a much more personally important reason than just becoming this world's strongest. I could see it in his eyes, in the way he moved, that man truly believes that winning this tournament is the only way to achieve his goal; whatever it may be.

His attacks were quick, but sloppy. What he obviously lacked in practiced skill, the guy made up for with his speed and obviously stronger build; even if he does seem no more powerful than a twig in the sand."

"You could tell all that from the few moments you saw him in the ring?" Lazuli asked, impressed.

"No," Goku shook his head. "He was one of the fighters I've been studying since the beginning, in case I had to fight him later on. His need almost manifests itself in waves, it's so bad, and it will be his undoing tomorrow."

Now the pretty blonde's look shifted from impressed to teasing curiosity. "Oh, you sound so sure of yourself Kakarot. What makes you so confident you'll win?"

"It's simple; because my desire to win, to be this world's strongest, far outweighs whatever sad story the man known as Nam may possess. I want to win for the sake of winning, Lazuli, nothing more and nothing less."

Hearing this, Lazuli's face shifted into a look of curiosity and concern. "You mean, you're only goal is to be the strongest fighter? You don't fight for anything else, any one else?"

"A person's reasons for doing anything don't need to be rooted in any sort of storybook theatrics." Goku answered back, folding his arms over his chest.

"My desire to win is the same as most of the other competitors in this tournament, you and your brother being one of the few exceptions, and even then you've learned that winning the prize money wasn't your only option because I've agreed to come back with you to break whatever hold this 'Muscle Tower' has on your village. So I see nothing wrong with wanting to be the strongest as my sole motivation for competing."

"But what about after the tournament Kakarot?" Lazuli pressed, her eyebrows shooting up towards her bangs. "I mean sure, you've agreed to help my village, but once that's done what do you intend to do, what drives you everyday to get up and keep living?"

Goku laughed a little before responding. "That's a bit deep for a friendly chat, how did we get here from talking about my upcoming match?"

"Because, this whole time we've been talking not once have I seen any true spark of life in your eyes Kakarot. It's like you live for the sake of existing, and nothing else. And I just...well I thought that seemed so unlike the person I've met at this tournament."

Onyx stared into sapphire as Goku held Lazuli's gaze for a silent moment before movement behind the blonde drew his attention. Looking over her bare shoulder, the monkey-tailed martial artist saw that Bulma had returned from changing.

Sighing, the spiky-haired teen turned his eyes back to the other girl standing in front of him and offered one last reply before walking away. "A word of advice? Before you go off assuming you know anything about me, pay better attention."

With that the young semi-finalist walked past Lazuli and met Bulma half way from the entrance to the pool area. Standing back and watching the boy move away from her, the blonde stared after Kakarot another second before her brow furrowed just slightly and she silently vowed to take up his challenge.

'I will figure you out, Kakarot, and I will find out what it is you live for.'

It was as she was walking out that Lazuli caught Bulma whispering to the monkey-tailed fighter about her. "Wasn't she the girl from the tournament? What'd she want with you Goku?"

"Nothing really, I just agreed to help her with a problem later is all, and she wanted to make sure I wasn't going to back out on her."

Hearing that, despite her earlier interrogation, Kakarot was still willing to return to Jingle village with her and save them caused Lazuli's shoulders to slump in relieved tension. This knowledge allowed the pretty blonde to exit the pool area, and return to her room, with a slight smile of hope.

Hope for her home's future, and the chance to learn more about the mysterious monkey-tailed boy.

The day of rest went by faster than either Goku or Bulma realized, and before they knew it it was time for the next set of matches.

The pair headed back to the arena, where they were again separated and both watched as Krillin tried but ultimately failed to best Jackie Chun. And while many would voice that the bald youth put up a good fight, the spiky-haired contender knew better; Krillin's opponent had only been getting warmed up.

However, watching the two martial artists face off revealed one very important piece of information to Goku, one that got his blood pumping and boiling hot.

Jackie Chun was Roshi.

Unsure of how the man had managed to get hair on his head so quickly, Goku was still certain of his deduction based off not only the way Jackie fought but interestingly enough the way he smelled.

Spending so much time around Roshi, the young alien had come to recognize that the elderly martial artist had a very unique scent about him; a pungent odor of shell wax and moth balls.

This particular combination was one that Goku had never encountered anywhere other than in the presence of his instructor, and this was after he'd traveled vast miles with Bulma in search of the dragon balls.

Add to this the very precise and fluid way the man moved as he faced off against Krillin, in a style of fighting that the observant alien could tell found roots in the Turtle-Hermit style, was all Goku needed to fully believe that Jackie Chun was really Roshi in disguise.

Now, what Goku couldn't figure was the motivations behind why his martial arts instructor would undergo such a ruse, but he only paid that train of thought a fleeting attempt before the thought of facing Roshi in the finals filled his head.

The opportunity to best the person who'd handed him his first true taste of defeat excited the youthful alien boy, and it wasn't long before his every muscle twitched in excitement and he himself filled with a hunger the likes of which Goku had only ever truly experienced during his first spar with Krillin.

Only this time, instead of a gradual build up, Goku's lust for battle crashed into him like a wave. It filled him to near bursting, and had the boy practically shaking in excitement. His head grew hazy, but there was a strange sense of alertness and precision with how Goku saw the world now.

It was with these enhanced senses that the monkey-tailed martial artist heard his name get called and he walked towards the ring.

What came next was a short but brutal beat down.

The announcer called the beginning of the match and before Nam even had a chance to tell Goku to quit, the younger fighter had shot forward like a speeding bullet and buried his fist into the man's stomach. The force of the blow knocked the skinny turban wearer off of his feet, and almost had him crumpling to the ground if not for Goku's continued assault.

Using his incredible speed Goku rushed around to his opponent's back and dead-legged Nam, forcing the older man down onto one knee where the spiky-haired youth then proceeded to jerk his head back and bring down an elbow to crush the man's nose.

Blood splattered into the air, a bit of it splashing back onto Goku's face, but the young alien fighter hardly registered this and instead let the coppery smell of the red life liquid further fuel his lust.

Reacting quickly, Goku shoved his taller opponent forward while Nam was crying out in agony so that he was on his hands and knees. From there the boy gave a vicious grin and, twisting, brought a powerful kick up that landed firmly against the thin man's protruding ribcage.

The sickening sound of bones breaking under pressure filled the open air as everyone around the ring watched silently, unbelieving, as Goku carried on pummeling his older opponent.

Back in the ring Goku had just finished launching Nam into the air, and was now pushing off the ground in order to follow the man into the sky.

Then, after gaining enough altitude so that he floated just above the hovering adult fighter, Goku wheeled himself into a spin and dropped the heel of his foot down onto the very center of Nam's back.

However with his mind in a frenzy, the spiky-haired alien youth didn't notice that he'd forgotten to hold back, and so the resulting smash attack actually broke Nam's spine!

The man himself felt the explosive pain in a sudden burst, his face twisting into a mask of pure pain and torment before his body shut down on him and he lost consciousness.

He didn't even feel when he smashed back down onto the arena floor.

When Goku returned to the ground he was still consumed by his need for battle, and so he didn't hear the announcer when he called the match. With his heart pumping a mile a minute, and the blood rushing in his ears, all the monkey-tailed boy could make out was the call of his name, and even that began to grow distorted as he was further swallowed up by an insatiable thirst for more!

More fighting, more carnage, more bloodshed, more destruction!

Because he was Kakarot; destroyer of all life on the planet called Earth!

Or at least, he was until another voice filled his head. "Goku, stop! You're gonna kill him!"

The cry came from somewhere out in the vast sea of white noise that was Kakarot's heated blood. It was a feminine voice, one that spoke loudly but was full of concern and worry, yet tinted by fear. It was a voice Kakarot was sure he recognized, and this caused him to pause a moment in his quest for destruction.

'Goku? Who was Goku?'

Kakarot whipped his head around, pulling his glossy, dark eyes away from the lump of battered flesh heaped before him and looked for the source of that voice. For some reason, the bewildered alien knew he'd heard it before, but...that couldn't be right.

Because the only voice Kakarot had ever heard was the one in the back of his head, the one that echoed loudly even in his dreams.

The one that told him to wake up, and destroy.

And yet, there was something about this new voice that conjured strange images in Kakarot's mind.

There was a figure, sleek and slender, with eyes that shone bright even in the fog of the alien boy's mind. This...life-form, whoever they were, then appeared alongside someone who looked like him through a series of flashes that Kakarot nearly couldn't believe were real.

The thing that caused him to doubt that the memories were fake was the very real fact that the same life-form in those sequences was currently jumping over some sort of barrier and running towards him!

Instinct reared its head and Kakarot's body shifted into a tense battle stance, but then when the stranger stopped cold and looked at him with a mask of pain the monkey-tailed youth felt himself relax almost immediately, even though he tried to keep up his guard.

"G-Goku, it's me, it's Bulma." The life-form known as Bulma reached a single hand out, the other clutched tightly to their chest.

"Hey kid, look, the other guys down and you won. The match is over. Y-You can stop now Goku; please, you're...you're really starting to scare me."

Kakarot wasn't sure what it was, whether the look in the stranger's eyes or the tremble in her voice, but something needled at him when the one who called themselves 'Bulma' spoke.

His body jerked when they took a step forward, and there was twang in his heart as 'Bulma' mentioned being afraid of him.

But that didn't make sense to Kakarot, because weren't they supposed to fear him? He was there to destroy every life-form on the planet, including this 'Bulma'...so then why did that thought make his stomach drop?

Before the confused young alien could really get a grip on his befuddled mental state however, Bulma quickly closed the remaining gap between them and sank to her knees before enveloping her only friend in a gentle, but desperate hug.

Feeling the way Goku stiffened upon first contact, and catching a glimpse of how his tail bristled and thrashed, hurt Bulma's heart but did nothing to stop her from continuing to try and bring the spiky-haired martial artist back from the brink.

The teenage genius easily recalled the last two times something like this happened, but both times were so short that they were just glimpses of Goku's past.

Now though, while she wasn't sure what had caused it, Bulma was sure she was truly seeing 'Kakarot' for the first time. And what she saw truly frightened her.

Just what sort of place had Goku originally come from, where had he remained this other person then Bulma was sure the human race would have surely been eradicated without 'Kakarot' even batting an eye.

Which was why she had to do whatever it took to bring back her friend; to bring back Goku.

"This isn't you, Goku. You may fight, and I know you're even okay with k-killing, but I know you only do it when you think you have to. You don't kill for fun, Goku, you're a martial artist and a fighter; you're my friend...not a monster! So please, come back from the darkness, and please come back to me."

As he listened to the one whose arms he was wrapped in Kakarot couldn't help but pay attention to the warmth that surrounded him as he was cradled in 'Bulma's' arms, nor could he ignore the swelling in his own heart as they called him their 'friend'.

There was something about that word, friend, that brought a small smile to Kakarot's face that he could not fight.

'But wait, she called me 'Goku', not Kakarot.' The young alien's brow furrowed, and then he noticed that he'd referred to Bulma as a 'she', instead of a 'life-form'.

This brought with it a memory, one where he could hear Bulma explaining that she was in fact a girl, the female species of the human race. Along with this came a slew of other memories, each one prominently featuring Bulma even if in the back of Kakarot's mind he was sure she wasn't the main focus.

And yet, this meant little as the vicious alien youth found himself drowning in the emotions each clip seemed to fill him with; emotions he wasn't even sure he was supposed to know.

Happiness, joy, a sense of freedom that Kakarot had never experienced, and most importantly friendship.

Further and further down Kakarot sank down into the ocean of memories and the feelings they invoked in him, until finally he seemed to pass a rising figure in his mind.

One who looked so much like himself, but whose face while stern wasn't cold, and Kakarot watched as this mirror image began to rise higher towards the light while he was enveloped in the blackness once again.

"B-Bulma."

Bulma was about ready to start crying, she could feel the tears sting her eyes, when a croaky voice whispered in her ear. It was just her name, but the blue-haired beauty could easily hear that edge of warmth that only Goku ever used; even though she was sure he didn't realize he even used it.

This caused her to jerk her head from the shorter boy's muscular shoulder and search his onyx eyes for that sure sign that her friend had returned to her. When she found it, when she saw that spark of mischievous pride that she'd come to see in his stare, the tears in her eyes changed to ones of happiness and Bulma finally allowed them to fall.

"Oh, Goku."

The pairs reunion was interrupted only for a moment, with the announcer telling them that while he was glad to know there wouldn't be any death during his tournament, they did need to leave the stage so that the arena could be scrubbed of Nam's blood and time given for Goku to prepare for the finals.

"I thought that I'd be given another full day, like with the preliminary and quarter-final rounds." Goku questioned wearily, his body feeling fatigued after coming down from his battle-lusted high.

He didn't get a chance to hear the announcer's response yet though, because right on his heels Bulma spat at the blonde in disbelief.

"My friend just went through a major psychological battle and you want him to be up and ready to fight a measly thirty minutes!? I warned you before about what I'd do to your tournament if my friend got killed, and I'll do just as bad if you don't give him-"

"The time is fine." Goku cut her off, causing his friend to give him a look of disbelief. "The only thing that I ask is you provide me with food before the match."

The blonde announcer lifted his eyebrows in exclamation before he answered, "Oh, that's not a problem kid, there's a cafeteria set up for the participants here that gives them all they can handle.

And while the food is pretty standard, no special order type deals unless you have an allergy, I've never heard anyone complain about the way it tastes. How does that sound?"

"Perfect." Was Goku's single-word response as he moved back from Bulma's loose embrace and motioned for the older young man to show him the way.

"B-But Goku," Bulma cried out as she stood and followed briskly after the monkey-tailed boy. "How can you say that?! You need rest, not just a meal. Please, let me work something out with these people so you can recover, I know how important winning is to you and I'm worried that if you don't take a breather you'll hurt your chances."

Goku just looked over his shoulder at her and told the bluenette, "Trust me when I say that it's not rest I need right now Bulma. Eating is the best thing for me, followed by facing off and beating this 'Jackie Chun' for the title. I can rest enough after the tournament."

As he spoke those last words Bulma noticed the way her friend's eyes hardened, and knew he was being serious.

It worried her to know that Goku was really going to go back out there so soon, especially since she'd seen just how good his final opponent was, but Bulma resigned herself to letting the monkey-tailed martial artist believing he knew what was best for himself. After all, with him not being human, Goku could very well be right that all he'd need was a meal and a few minutes to sit back before he was ready for the final rounds.

And so, it was thirty minutes and hundreds of bowls and plates later that found Goku standing face-to-face with Jackie Chun. Or rather, Roshi, from what his nose was telling him. And as he finally got a truly good look at the older fighter it became even more apparent to the young alien that he was indeed about to have a rematch with the Turtle Hermit.

Jackie's face was worn and old like Roshi's, and his beady eyes while stern still held the gloss of perversion that Goku would recognize anywhere, even when the elderly fighter wore his famous sunglasses.

Oh yeah, there was no way Goku was going to risk this chance.

"I saw your little episode earlier," the disguised Roshi called out after the match had been called to begin. "I'm sure it took a toll on you; there's no shame in backing down if you're not ready. There'll be other tournaments, ya know."

A smug grin found its way to Goku's face as he shifted into his fighting stance, his muscles tensing and readying for action. "That may be, but how many chances will I honestly get after this to beat you in front of a crowd?"

Goku watched, amused, as Roshi's face morphed into a brief mask of shock before settling back into the calm and concentrated look he was sure to be the man's normal expression. "You really are smarter than the average monkey, eh Kakarot?"

"That's right," the spiky-haired younger fighter replied. "And today I show you that I'm stronger than one too!"

Even a seasoned fighter would have lost sight of Goku as he finally sprung, unleashing fifty percent of his full power upon Roshi right out of the gate. With his sharp eyes the monkey-tailed teen saw the way his instructor was surprised by his speed, and couldn't help grinning as he closed the few feet between them in what felt like an instant to wheel a kick around at the older man.

When it struck home against the side of Roshi's head Goku felt his body fill with pride, but this small victory did not cloud his vision as he knew it would take much more than that to defeat the legendary martial artist.

His theory was proven right when Roshi quickly recovered from being struck and went to grab hold of Goku's leg. The younger fighter managed to snatch his outstretched appendage back just in time though, and threw a punch in its place in an effort to check Roshi in the sternum.

Unfortunately Roshi saw it coming, having recovered from being shocked at Goku's impressive speed, and swatted it away before retaliating with a hook of his own.

This was followed by a sweep-kick when Goku blocked it, with the combination being finished off by a rising uppercut after the spiky-haired youth managed to step away from that. Spinning into an aerial roundhouse Roshi couldn't help smirking under his thick mustache at how much more powerful his student had become over the course of the last few months.

And as Goku jerked his head back to keep from being slammed by the elderly fighter's foot he too couldn't help the grin that seemed to have found a permanent home on his face since the start of the match a moment ago.

It seemed like just yesterday that he could barely keep up with Roshi, and yet here was going toe-to-toe with the martial arts master in the middle of an arena, in front of a crowd!

This thought started the fire in Goku's gut again and got his blood simmering. Flipping back onto his palms, the younger fighter struck with his feet in an effort to find ground against Roshi's chest, and allowed the momentum to carry him forward when the attempt failed.

Roshi saw the opening and tried to capitalize on it, but was shocked to find his jab caught by his younger opponent's furry, brown tail! Goku's extra appendage wrapped tightly around Roshi's wrist like a steel trap, and the unexpected maneuver shook the elderly martial artist enough that he couldn't manage a defense in time when the owner of said tail snapped out with a swift backwards kick to his chest.

However, instead of letting the momentum of the attack carry him away, Roshi saw that his younger opponent had kept him trapped and instead jerked him forward to bury his fist in the older man's stomach.

Goku wasn't too surprised when his punch was caught by Roshi, in fact he almost expected it, so he quickly rewound his tail around his waist and pried his clenched hand free from the elderly martial artist's grasp before ducking a knife strike to his head.

Taking a page from the older fighter's book, Goku sprang back up with an uppercut before working himself into a roundhouse-kick. The fact that the back of his knuckles brushed Roshi's hooked nose gave the young alien another burst of pride; one that worked its way into his last attack and helped increase its speed enough so that Roshi was unable to fully dodge out of the way.

White eyebrows shot up to the hairline of Roshi's wig as he too felt the brush that spoke of just how close he'd come to being caught by Goku's uppercut, but then the man's brow crinkled in pain as the younger boy's powerful kick caught him in the chin.

Roshi tried to keep himself steady, but Goku's impressive physical strength proved too much for him even with such a glancing blow and he was forced to follow the path of attack and turn his head. It was years of experience and martial arts matches that allowed the ripened fighter to recover quick enough that he was able to catch Goku's next move as he tried to scissor his temples with the blades of his hands.

And while he had to duck under a swift kick to the face, Roshi didn't let it shake his composure and retaliated by swinging his younger opponent around a few times before letting him sail through the air.

Goku managed to right himself just in time though and only took a glancing blow from the spin-kick that Roshi delivered upon moving in behind him.

Twisting further through the air and around the older fighter's outstretched leg, the monkey-tailed alien youth answered with a fist of his own, only to have his knuckle sandwich denied as Roshi swatted it away from his own face. Goku had just enough time throw his arms into a cross-block before he was sent flying through the air again via his older opponent's own wickedly fast sucker-punch.

Again Roshi tried to take the lead in their fight by catching Goku off his guard but the mustached man just wasn't quick enough, and his attempt was thwarted by the spiky-haired teen blocking the kick he'd thrown with his strong forearm.

Catching Roshi's leg with the same arm he'd blocked it with, Goku raised his other hand into the air and clenched it hard into a fist before bringing it down in an attempt to break the older man's leg.

After all, if Roshi couldn't continue the fight, that made him the winner.

And there was nothing more important to the young alien at this moment than winning; having his might recognized. Unfortunately, his plan was foiled when Roshi pushed off with his other foot and worked himself into a mid-air kick that forced Goku to both let go of the captured limb as well as duck to avoid being slammed.

However the younger fighter got a nasty surprise when his foe showed himself to be much more limber than one would assume.

Roshi took the momentum of his own attack and used it to work himself into another kick, this time swinging his other leg around and bringing it down hard like an ax onto the crown of Goku's head. The resulting 'thwack' that could be heard caused many spectators to shiver or flinch back in discontent as they imagined the sort of pain the younger fighter must have felt from such a move.

And unfortunately for Goku, Roshi wasn't satisfied with just landing one attack. Using the teen with the tail's stunned state to his advantage, Roshi came down hard on Goku with a very impressive series of punches that scattered out across his muscled torso and firm stomach.

Driving his fist into the younger fighter's abdominal muscles, Roshi poured a bit more power into the punch and used it to lift Goku off of his feet and into the air.

Coughing up spittle and gasping for breath Goku's vision blurred as he went sailing into the sky. This caused him to miss the chance to react when his foe chased after him with a solid knee to the stomach, further aggravating the blossoming bruises already forming over those muscles.

Blinding white spots exploded all across the young alien's line of sight then, and left him open for when Roshi locked his fingers in the boy's messy black hair and drove his knee into Goku's face. Blood spurted from the younger martial artists nose as he cried out in anger, and the gi-clad teen used those feelings to push through the red in his vision so that he could catch the hammer-fist that Roshi was about to attempt.

The cross-block Goku used kept him from feeling the full brunt of Roshi's attack, but the power behind the master martial artist's latesst hit did force the monkey-tailed alien back down towards the arena, and once he landed the younger fighter had little time to regain the feeling in his arms before being forced to back-flip out of the way of an incoming aerial kick.

The two fighters stood then, facing each other with stern faces as the announcer called out to the crowd.

"And after an intense first round the competitors seem to be taking a breather; although with how fast both fighters were moving I have no doubt both are starting to feel a little winded. I know this announcer would be. However I think what's really on everybody's mind is whether it'll be youth or experience that wins the day here; will it be young Kakarot or the seasoned Jackie Chun!?"

Ignoring the hoots and hollers of the crowd both Goku and Roshi stared each other down, their eyes trained solely on one another as they both recovered from that first bought of fighting. Goku wiped the blood from his face before calling to his older opponent. "You know, I was expecting this to be a lot more challenging old man, but so far you've...disappointed me."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself Kakarot," was the warned reply. "You've seen what I'm capable of at full power, besides I've barely gotten started and your already out of breath."

Goku's face shifted into a cocky smirk here, one eyebrow raised in confidence. "I'm not tired old man, I'm eager. I know you're not fighting me seriously, so I've been trying to push you into using that famous technique of yours; I wanna see the Kamehameha Wave!"

Not for the first time since their match began Roshi's own withered face became a mask of shock and surprise, although it soon turned to one of careful consideration. "I don't think you truly understand what you're asking for there, kid, my full power is nothing to scoff at and the Kamehameha isn't a parlor trick. That technique could very well kill you."

"Well if it does then that just means my destiny was to fall here today, and if it doesn't? Well then it just means I've finally surpassed you, so come on, show me your strength old man!"

With that Goku launched himself at the elderly martial arts master, a fierce burning in his eyes and a wild smile stretching clear across his face. However this time, when his fist smacked against Roshi's forearm the teen with the tail immediately noticed the distinct feel of hard muscle underneath his fist.

Goku had just a second to see that his once frail-looking foe was now a miniature mountain of bare-chested muscle before Roshi used his new levels of speed to send him flying with a swift sucker-punch.

Then before he could right himself the young teen found himself bombarded with a flurry of punches and kicks that came too fast for Goku to block!

This amazed the spiky-haired fighter as he'd expected Roshi to be significantly slower due to his increase in muscle mass, only to find that there hadn't been any give in either power or speed. One after the other the monkey-tailed martial artist ate knuckle sandwiches aimed at his face as well as his torso before furious uppercut had him bouncing back against the arena floor like a thrown rag doll.

Down on his face Goku lay, battered and motionless while the announcer began the K.O. Count. In the stands Bulma held her breath, eyes filled to the brim with worry as she called out for her friend to stand up, all while the disguised Roshi stood confident in his unleashed full power.

"I'm afraid all your yelling wont do any good girl," the mustached fighter spoke with a sigh. "Your friend bit off more than he could chew when asking to see my maximum, and now defeat is all that's left for him. It's a pity really; he has such potential. Perhaps next time he'll be more cautious of his limits."

"Five!" The announcer called into the microphone in his hand.

"GET UP GOKU!" Bulma cried out, her hands cupped to give her voice an echo as she tried to will her friend to stand.

The blue-haired girl's heart thudded painfully in her chest as she looked on at the spiky-haired boy crumpled against the arena floor. Bulma knew how important winning the tournament was to her friend, so to see him in a position where he may actually lose tore her apart as she imagined how such a thing would effect Goku.

This ache that the teenage genius carried for her friend laced her voice as she continued to call out to him, hoping with every fiber of her being that he would hear her.

"Eight!" The announcer cried out as he continued the count. "If young Kakarot doesn't get up soon he'll lose the match! Could it be that prodigious youth falls short of experienced skill?"

"Of course; I warned the kid that he should take second place but it seems pride really does come before the fall. Such a pity, but perhaps this will hel teach the young man to be a bit more humble in the future."

The disguised Roshi shrugged...only to gape when the image of Goku on the floor seemed to fade! There was no time due to his state of surprise for the elderly martial arts master to put up a defense then when the real Goku appeared behind him and lashed out with a leg-sweep and followed through with a vicious snap-kick.

However, having retained the use of his full power Roshi was able to twist around in the air and catch his younger opponent as Goku tried to come after him with an elbow strike.

Goku's sharp, excited eyes met with his opponent's narrowed and focused own while the younger fighter's face was stretched into a battle-lusted grin.

Sparks of power arced out from the point where Goku's knuckles met Roshi's palm and the sight of this only further excited the young alien. "You talk a big game old man, but you're sadly mistaken if you think I've shown you my full power! That last round was just a warm up; this is where the real fight begins!"

In a move so fast that if you blinked you'd miss it Goku vanished from sight and reappeared directly above his disguised martial arts instructor.

Cocking his fist back, the young alien let his attack come hammering down. However with Roshi also using a hundred percent of his own power the elderly fighter was able to follow his students movements now that he was on-guard, and threw a burly forearm up to block it. The sound of flesh smacking against flesh filled the air right before both fighters seemed to disappear again.

What none of the spectators could see was the way Goku ducked under a powerful kick from Roshi or his attempt to counter with a butterfly-kick, only for the older figther to weave around the manuever and try for a shovel-hook to the monkey-tailed teen's liver in an effort to disable him.

The crowed did get to see how Goku stopped that last attack with the use of his tail however, and were even treated to the sight of him swinging himself up with it to bring a fierce flying-kick to a disguised Roshi's face.

They all went crazy when the mustached martial artist caught the offending foot and tore his hand free, and they only fell into an even bigger frenzy when the pair blinked out of sight again to resume their high-speed battle.

Using a cross-block Goku managed to stave off his opponent's very forward jab, wincing from the pain of impact, but this didn't deter the younger fighter and he instead growled in his throat before flipping back onto the palms of his hands and unleashing a spring-kick that managed to find purchase in Roshi's sternum.

The young alien could see the way his opponent's face contorted from the pain and this only further fueled Goku's drive to try and bring about that reaction again.

Unfortunately for the wild-haired youth's wishes though Roshi wasn't keen on being used as a punching bag and avoided the following elbow strike that came at him by swatting it away. A haymaker was his response, and the much older fighter let out a breath of relief when it hit home at Goku's cheek.

Somewhere beyond the blood rushing in his ears the Turtle-Hermit could hear the crowd as they hollered in utter astonishment, but the beefy martial artist payed them not even a second thought as he coiled his body, and sprang after his younger foe.

Blood filled Goku's mouth as he flew threw the air and white spots exploded all across his vision. The power behind that last attack rocked the miniature monkey-boy's center, and he fought his own nasuia in an effort to ready himself for Roshi's follow-up attack.

Like the older man he too could just make out the cries of the crowed, but unlike the creator of the Kamehameha there was one voice that reached beyond the white noise to get to him; it was Bulma.

Her words of encouragement filled Goku's ears and anchored him to his purpose even as his lust for battle attempted to drive him back into a frenzy, and it gave him enough piece of mind to angle his body towards the arena floor.

Roshi was all set to use a spinning wheel-kick to knock the airborne youth from the ring, but at the last minute he twisted his body into a flip so that he could avoid the rebounded, rising upper-cut that Goku performed.

Just barely keeping himself clear of the attack Roshi then landed on his feet and tried for a second haymaker, this time to the back of Goku's head.

"You'll need to try harder than that old man!" The monkey-tailed martial artist taunted as he tilted his head and let the large fist brush past his cheek, before sending a swift back-kick behind him to catch his foe in the stomach now that he was off balance.

Hearing the satisfying sound of Roshi sputtering in pain Goku quickly spun around and slammed a back-fist into the older man's cheek before leaing up to land a horizontal jump-kick to the disguised fighter's chest to send him flying back.

However instead of following after him, Goku stood his ground and waited for Roshi to catch himself, using the time to steady his breathing and build up his energy for what would be the final act.

Drawing in a deep breath, the wild-haired fighter called back to the feeling of his transformation and the power it granted him in an effort to immitate it.

He attempted to recall the way his musclesfelt as they swelled with primal energy, and the heavy tingle that had spread throughout his tail as he stared up into the moon. When he felt he was ready, Goku opened his eyes again and found Roshi staring back at him with a determined, but tired face.

This was it, they both knew it.

"I'll commend you Kakarot for pushing me this far," Roshi called out to the boy standing across the arena from him. "It's been a very long time since someone has pushed me to use my full strength, and even longer since I've had to try while going all out. But unfotunately, as fun as this has been, it's time I end it. This next attack will finish you."

Keeping his own eyes locked on the disguised martial arts master, Goku matched him motion-for-motion as they both slid into the infamous stance of the Kamehameha Wave.

The smirk that had settled on his youthful face never once having left the monkey-boy's lips, he answered back full of confidence. "You may have invented the technique old man, but you and I both know you don't have enough power left in those old bones to beat me now. You're tired, and your lack of practice is catching up to you; it's not me who's finished...it's you!"

Both martial artists cupped their hands, and in an eerie sense of synchronized voice began to chant.

"Ka..." Roshi's muscled bulged and veins quivered as years of latent power began to rush through his system.

"Me..." Goku's eyes narrowed to near slits as he called upon the flames of his inner beast, and let its mighty roar thunder in his ears.

"Ha..." Both fighters knew that there would only be one of them left standing after this clash, and were trying to pull off every limiter they had in an effort to best their opponent.

Pride vs patience; Goku's prodigious power vs Roshi's years of hard-fought experience.

"Me..." Energy hummed, and buzzing of each martial artist's energy attack washed over even the announcer's shocked awe as he exlained to the speechless crowd just what it was they were about to witness.

But even between this, and the heat of the Kamehameha in his hands, Goku could still here Bulma cheer him on...could still hear the cry of his father as the man was incinerated.

And these things gave him strength.

"HAAAA!"

Brilliant, blinding light filled the arena as electric blue and shaded violet raced through the air only to ultimately crash against each other in a thunderous boom of power.

The two beams clashed violently, with each one trying their hardest to overtake the other and swallow it whole, all the while Goku and Roshi stood on opposite ends and strained to pour every ounce of power they had into their final attack.

Both fighters grit their teeth in effort as they felt their muscles strain under the pressure of holding back the others Kamehameha Wave, the arena floor beneath them shook and rumbled from the pulsating waves that came off the twin beams of nearly neon color, all while the large crowed around them had since erupted into a fanatical excitement as they cheered for who they wanted to see come out the winner.

It felt like an eternity before Goku began to feel his feet start to slide backwards against the arena floor.

His muscles felt as if they were on fire as he tried to dig his heels into the tile below. Sweat poured down his forehead and stained his gi top, which had actually began to give way under the intense ripples of energy that came rolling off his Kamehameha Wave. Pain pounded away at the inside of the young fighter's mouth at how hard he clenched his teeth, but through it all he refused to give in.

And instead of feeling worried about losing he got angry; angry at his own shortcomings, at how he should be stronger than this!

But as he watched his Kamehameha begin to lose itself inside the larger beam of bright blue that was Roshi's, Goku knew he needed to think of something, anything or he really would be defeated.

When Roshi finally saw his younger opponent's energy attack give out under the weight of his own power he couldn't help but feel relief at the sight; the elderly martial artist was quickly reaching his limit, and if the struggle had continued he wasn't sure he could hold out.

So after his blast finally swallowed the monkey-tailed teen's own Roshi quickly closed off the remainder of his energy and allowed his Kamehameha to fade, with his max-power form swiftly following. Out of breath and drenched in sweat from the effort of victory the Turtle-Hermit listened for his name to be called as the victor.

'I can only hope that this defeat simply pushes young Kakarot to get stronger, rather than shatter that pride of his. I really would hate to see such a promising young fighter give it all up over a single loss.'

It was while Roshi was trying to settle his still-racing heart that he listened to the announcer speak.

"Well ladies and gentlemen, from the looks of it we seem to have a winner by knockout—wait, young Kakarot seems to have managed to escape Jackie Chun's Kamehameha Wave! I-I don't see him anywhere-!"

"WHAT!?" The elderly fighter's jaw dropped at this bit of news and he whipped his head all around in an effort to find the boy he thought he'd defeated. "T-This can't be, how did that little runt manage to escape from that!?"

Left, right, behind and even up in the sky the disguised Roshi looked search of his younger foe. The elderly fighter's beady eyes strained to see any glimpse of Goku while his ears felt ready to pop with how hard the Turtle-Hermit attempted to catch any sound of the monkey-tailed boy's approach.

However with the thumping of his own heart drumming wildly in his auditory canals the old man found he was hard-pressed to hear even his own deep, tired breathing.

It hadn't been a lie when the creator of the Kamehameha told his opponent that it had been years since anyone had pushed him so far, but thoughts such as this brought on flashbacks of those dark, deadly times.

Flashbacks of a giant, green demon leering down at him with a malicious smirk began to run through Roshi's mind as he coninued to try and catch any sign of Goku.

He could hear that monster's laugh play back in his memory like a wicked, broken record. And the power the fiend had weilded had been unlike anything the man had ever felt! Phantom pains lanced through the martial arts master's bones and he felt a cold sweat start to trickle down his worn and withered body as Roshi began to lose himself in the horrid recollection of his past.

Unfortunately, sinking into these dank, dark waters left Roshi un-guarded and open to his younger opponent's incoming double hammer-fist as the wild-haired alien came down from the clouds with a wide, hungry smile.

Goku had shifted his beam at the last possible second of their struggle and used it to launch himself into the air, where he used his tail to keep him airborne and even lift higher so that he was out of his fellow fighter's sight.

Months of training had paid off as Goku's practice of this manuever left him with only a fully ruined gi top and minor scortch marks across his torso from the heat of Roshi's overwhelmingly powerful energy wave. But the teenage alien didn't think about those things right now, no, the only thought running through Goku's brain was that of victory!

And as he finally finished his dive, with the sides of his fists bashing down with the remainder of his strength atop Roshi's unprotected crown, Goku knew he had indeed come out the winner.

He was the world's strongest!

xXx