Not much to say about this one. Would have had it out yesterday, but I wanted to spend another day looking it over.

Enjoy!

Chapter: 5

The area around Mount Paozu was always in a state of tranquil calm. As if nature itself demanded as such in these simple lands.

It was in this quiet land that two figures practiced their martial arts together, the sounds of their blows being blocked or deflected along with the occasional grunt breaking through the sounds of nature. No Ki was involved, as they were trying to keep the collateral damage to a minimum, this was purely a test of skill rather than might, and after living with the Son family for roughly a year now, 21 was proving that she was a fast learner.

Goku groaned as his training partner dug her elbow into his side, having broken through his guard with a clever feint. He made sure to punish the hit by locking her arm in place with his own before retaliating with a palm strike to her midsection.

The Android gasped in response, back-flipping away to avoid taking any more damage, having to immediately raise her forearm to block a kick aimed for her head.

It had been about a month ago when 21 suggested the idea of fighting without the use of Ki to Goku, much to the Saiyan's initial confusion, and it only took a half-hour for him to grow fond of the idea. Now they fought with this restriction as often as they don't, greatly enjoying the mix-up this provided. Goku even started doing so with Goten to focus more on teaching the young hybrid proper technique, much to the child's joy.

21 jumped up to dodge a low kick only to realize her mistake a moment later when Goku managed to pivot around with the very leg he kicked with and extend his other leg in order to land a strike on her side. That one earned a wince from the woman, who refused to drop her stance once she landed, knowing it would heal in just a minute.

It was funny how fighting could bring the whole family closer. Goten had mentioned the new method of training to Gohan when they had been visiting the other week, and it quickly caught the interest of the young man, and Videl, with the two of them deciding to try it out in their free time, and from what Chichi had mentioned, they had grown quite fond of it.

"You know, I've been thinking." Goku started as he raised his knee to block a low punch. "We should hold a mock-tournament with everyone."

"A tournament?" 21 questioned as she reached out to twist the Saiyan's leg and flip him over her shoulder, following it up with a drop kick that was barely avoided by the man rolling to the side. "Why's that?"

The smile that appeared on the man's face told the Android everything she needed, and she was unsurprised when he gave his answer. "Because it would be a blast to fight against everyone like we used too years ago!" Goku then let out a yell as his friend landed a solid blow to his cheek, having used his excitement against the man to expose an opening.

21 smirked in response to the mock glare he aimed at her, continuing the conversation as they reengaged. "Have you talked with anyone else about this? We're going to need to figure out where to hold something like that."

"Not yet, and I was thinking of asking Hercule to let us use his place for it." Goku caught the Android's fist in his palm, and instead of continuing to attack, he relaxed his stance and dropped the hand, letting 21 know he wanted to be done for now. "We could always do it at Bulma's, she has plenty of open space in Capsule Corp."

"Yeah…" she trailed off as Goku's swaying tail caught her attention, and the woman couldn't help herself but ask about it. "How's the tail training going? You haven't been going to as many training sessions with Vegeta lately."

"Great, actually!" the man said with a big grin, demonstrating his control by having the appendage wrap around his waist like a traditional Saiyan. "I don't freeze up when it's grabbed anymore to!"

21 acknowledged the excitement with a grin as the two of them used Instant Transmission to appear outside of the Son household. "That's good to hear. You definitely seem to be more… energetic ever since that thing grew back."

Goku laughed at that. "Yeah, but I can't help it. My body just feels more powerful now than before. Chichi doesn't like it though, she say's it keeps tickling her at night." He said, earning a snort from his companion. "I thought it was funny too, but hopefully it won't bug her anymore now that I've got it under control."

"She'll be grateful, I'm sure." The woman replied, remembering the many times she'd walked out into the main room only to see the man sleeping on the couch. Sure, she felt bad for him, but 21 understood why Chichi did that.

The Android had no doubt she would kick someone out of the room if they were interrupting her beauty sleep.

Their conversation was then cut short as the door to the house crashed open, followed immediately by an orange blur flying out and crashing into Goku's chest.

"Hi dad!" Goten greeted with eyes shining with excitement. The young hybrid then grabbed onto his father's sleeve before trying to fly off with the man in tow. "Come on, let's go!"

Goku's feet dragged across the ground from the effort, and 21 covered her mouth to hold back the laugh as the man blinked owlishly at his son.

She knew Goku probably didn't know what Goten was talking about, the man had a habit of mixing up dates, and decided to remind him. "You promised him to go train with Gohan today."

Instantly, his eyes opened wide as the memory came back to him, and Goku offered 21 a grateful smile before wrapping an arm around his youngest son, taking off into the sky with great speeds a moment later.

The Android could hear Goten's echoing cheers long after they were out of view.

"Maybe I should get him a small notebook." 21 mused with a smile, knowing he wouldn't use it. The woman then raised a hand and placed it over her racing heart, trying to quell the excitement that didn't belong to her.

21 still cherished the permanent link she had with Goku, but there were times – like right now for example – where being able to share emotions with a full bloodied Saiyan were distracting. Still, there wasn't any real way to get rid of it, save using the Dragon Balls, and the Android wasn't willing to waste a wish on something that really didn't bother her in the long run.

Breathing in one last time to get rid of the lingering adrenaline, 21 turned on the spot to make her way through the still open door, frowning slightly when she saw Chichi, sitting at the kitchen table with an arm covering her eyes. There were papers scattered around her, probably having been scattered when Goten flew out the house, and it concerned 21 that the woman wasn't bothering to pick them up.

"Chichi?" she asked, stepping next to her friend while placing a hand on the mother's shoulder. The worry morphed into confusion when the arm was moved to reveal a content smile as the woman stared up at 21, gesturing towards a single sheet with several red marks on it. Raising a brow, but not saying anything, the Android reached out to grab the paper to look it over, both eyes were wide once she finished looking it over.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Chichi asked, taking back the graded homework, looking proud as the two of them gazed at the solid B circled at the top. "I knew Goten was smarter than he looked, but it was so difficult to get him to focus." A sigh escaped the Princess as she leaned back once more, appearing as if the weight of the world was being removed from her shoulders.

A little dramatic in 21's eyes, but considering the task, she couldn't blame the woman for being relieved.

"He's definitely got more of his father in him than Gohan." The brunette agreed, referring more to the child's personality rather than his appearance. Even if it was a little concerning how much effort Chichi had placed to make a near carbon-copy of her husband. Was that something she should have been worried about?

Questions for later, 21 finally decided as she began to clean up the mess around the area, earning a quiet 'Thank you' from the mother.

It was funny how simple gratitude such as that always warmed the Android's heart.

"Oh, by the way." 21 started, figuring it would be a good idea to let the woman know what Goku was planning, and it took less than five minutes for the pleasant atmosphere to shift into one filled with exasperation as Chichi held her face in both hands, letting out an audible groan as well.

"Of course he would come up with something like that." Chichi lamented, more than aware how silly she must have looked reacting like she was, but really, who could blame her?

"Yeah…" the brunette awkwardly agreed, hesitant to mention that the man might try to host the event by their place. 21 doubted that the woman would take kindly to that. "But you know, because it's a martial arts only tournament, you could participate as well."

Chichi seemed to freeze at that, whirling around to look at her so fast that 21 worried she gave herself whiplash. "I can?"

The gleam in the housewife's eyes unnerved the Android greatly, and she nervously replied with a simple, "Yes."

"I... I haven't been in a tournament in years, it's how I…" Chichi trailed off as she leaned back against her chair and looked up at the ceiling, lost in a memory that barely lasted a few seconds. "I'll think about it, but knowing Goku and who he's going to invite, I doubt this will be something to join in."

21 tilted her head to the side in curiosity. "Why's that?"

The woman smiled. "I would lose during the first match, no matter who I went up against. Fighting was something I've been against for quite some time now, sure I trained Goten for a bit when he was growing up, but that hardly compares to the people who spent almost their whole lives training to some compacity. Goodness, the only reason I've been in a tournament was so I could meet Goku, and after seeing what happened to him while facing Piccolo, then having Gohan soon after, the passion kind of… faded away."

21 chewed her lower lip while looking off to the side, a question burned in the back of her head, and deciding to throw caution to the wind, asked something that she had been thinking about for a while. "Do you regret marrying him? I know you've already said stuff about it, but you always talk as if… as if…" and she couldn't quite figure out how to finish the question.

Chichi, however, could. "-as if it's the greatest regret in my life?"

The shocked look on the Android's face said it all.

"Because you wouldn't be wrong if you did ask that," the woman continued, getting up to get herself something to drink, "and I'd be lying if I also didn't say it was one of the best decisions in my life."

"What do you mean." 21 asked as she took a seat in the very chair Chichi had been occupying.

"…" the Princess stared at her drink for a good minute before moving over to take the chair opposite of 21, keeping her gaze on the liquid. "I was a child when Goku first showed up in my life, and because of that, my head was filled with fantasies of a strong boy who would come and whisk me away on a grand adventure, saving me from any monsters I was too scared to fight. When we first met, he was the strongest person I ever met, around my age, and cute. It took one day for me to develop a crush on him and get him to promise me that we would get married someday."

"I spent most of my life after that obsessing over the day when we would finally be together, and after several years, Goku finally proposed to me, but only after I reminded him of the promise."

"He didn't remember?!" 21 asked, shocked that anyone could forget something like that.

"Well of course he didn't." Chichi stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Goku didn't even know what marriage was when we first met, or even when I reminded him years later, the only thing he ever thought about was training for the most part, it's who he is. Truth be told, I don't think Goku actually loves me the way a husband loves a wife."

The Android opened her mouth to say something about that, but her friend beat her to the point by holding up a hand. "I'm not saying he doesn't care, but I've just noticed over the years that he's never looked at me any differently than he would any of his other friends. That, and he's never actually said 'I love you' to me once during all our years of marriage."

"Then why are you still with him?" 21 heard herself ask the question, and immediately placed a hand over her mouth in shock, because why would I ask something like that?!

But the woman before her smiled once more to let 21 know it was alright. "Because I did end up falling in love with him after a while. And then we had Gohan, and later Goten. Those two made it impossible for me to regret what happened. So, even if he never feels the same way about me, I can take comfort knowing he will always care about us like no one else could."

"I'm…glad." 21 muttered, her head bowed as she gazed at the floor trying to figure out what to say to any of that. It wasn't exactly a one-sided relationship, Goku obviously cared very much for the woman and his two children but knowing that the person you were married too didn't love you back, or at all in Chichi's case, must have been a terrible feeling to realize.

And yet…

The Android couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. There weren't many people who could do what she has done and raise a family so well, and that admiration molded itself into an idea. "I've got it!"

Chichi jumped from the sudden shout, turning to 21 with slight alarm. "What?"

"The tournament, I'll train you so you can participate in it!"

"Oh," the Mother calmed herself down and tried to wave off the offer, "that's fine, you really don't need to-"

21 was having none of it. "Yes I do. You're a fighter even if you don't want to admit, so I'll train you to help get you back into fighting shape. Goku probably will have the tournament start in a week or two, probably because no one would be willing to drop everything to start immediately, which will give us more than enough time for you to relearn whatever you forgot!"

Chichi mulled over the idea in her head for quite some time after that declaration, unable to deny the appeal it held over her. "Alright," she finally relented, amused when her friend did a little cheer, "I suppose you want us to start right away?"

"Of course, we don't have a minute to waste!"

"I figured." She sighed, but the smile betrayed her excitement. "Let me change and we can get started."

The Android nodded vigorously, waiting till the woman disappeared around the hallway before letting out a quiet cheer.

This tournament is going to be great!

"So, you want to host a tournament in the next ten days?"

"Yep."

"And want to make it a test of skill rather than power?"

"Yeah huh."

"On top of that, you plan on inviting the entire group as well?"

"That's right!"

Tien let out a huff as he brought up a cup of tea to drink, dragging out the sip to give himself plenty of time to think. "I'm not going to lie; I'm surprised you decided to do something like this." The Monk admitted, giving Goku a suspicious look. "Or was it someone else who came up with it?"

"Come on, Tien, give me some credit." The Saiyan whined, sitting casually in the seat across from his long friend. "It's just been so long since any of us have fought against each other for fun."

"That's because the rest of us haven't been able to pose a serious challenge to you for a very long time." Tien pointed out plainly, reaching out to open the lid of the teapot, dropping in a few more leaves. He wanted this blend to be a bit more potent. "But if you're serious about keeping every one's power restrained, then you can count me in." The monk smiled to himself, thinking how wonderful it would be if he managed to beat Vegeta in this.

That mental image was more than enough to get him excited.

"Great! We'll be doing it by my house." Goku stood up from his seat and prepared to teleport out of the house.

"Sounds good, Goku." Tien waved, and then the scenery changed from a relatively simple living room to a bustling city.

Looking around, the Saiyan saw several people giving him startled looks, one woman was still in the process of screaming, but there was one in particular that stood out to him.

"Hey Yamcha!"

The former bandit spat out the coffee he had been drinking, showering the woman across from him in the process.

"G-G-Goku?" Yamcha asked in-between coughs, looking over at the man in question while the woman scoffed at the mess and left without another word. "No, Sarah wait!" He called out, only for his words to go unheard as his date continued to walk away.

"Did… I interrupt something?" Goku asked as he approached the baseball player while scratching the back of his head.

The response he received was a very disgruntled groan.

Meanwhile, nearly half-way across the entire planet, 21 herself appeared at the top of a grassy hill that overlooked a rather peaceful meadow. A sudden breeze blew her hair around a bit, and she was glad that it had been placed into a ponytail in minimize the mess.

21 breathed in the fresh air with a smile before making her way over towards the person she came to see.

Floating just at the top of the hill was the familiar turban and cape of Piccolo, appearing to be mediating for all intents and purposes, but the Android could tell by the way he his shoulders rose that he was aware of her presence.

"Is there any particular reason you came out here to see me?" the Namekian asked before she even had a chance to open her mouth, maintaining his posture as though he were ready to continue meditating at a moment's notice.

"Goku's hosting a tournament." 21 answered without missing a beat, a little let down he didn't appear to be interested in small talk. "And he really wants you to be there too."

Piccolo huffed. "And why would I join in?"

"Because it would be fun?" She offered, stepping closer and around so she was looking at his side rather than his back. Seeing the slightest hint of curiosity in the man's eyes, 21 continued. "It's a 'no power' tournament, so we're only fighting with our martial arts instead of with any abilities."

The Namekian's scowl deepened as he processed that information. "So, we'll all be fighting on equal footing is what you're saying?"

21 brought a hand up to run it through her hair, offering him a shrug in response. "Kinda, anyone who's been practicing will have a better chance, but that's the idea behind this."

Piccolo appeared intrigued by this point, at least, 21 thought so with the way he wasn't dismissing the idea immediately. The sharp nod he gave to himself was very encouraging, especially the answer he gave right after.

"Alright, I'll join in. It should be a good way to mix things up at the very least."

"Great!" 21 nearly cheered, clapping her hands together while giving the green man a pleased look. "We will be doing it in about ten days from now, near Goku's. See you there." She waved, disappearing right after, leaving Piccolo alone once more.

The Namekian let out a breath as he stopped channeling energy into maintaining flight, allowing his legs to touch ground for the first time in hours.

"Guess I should start practicing." He said, tossing aside his extra clothes before using the Multi-Form technique to make a perfect replica, it was going to take a bit for him to get used to fighting without any Ki.

-0-

Three days before the tournament was to be held saw both Gohan and Goku walking around the forest near the latter's house, trying to find a good area to hold the event. They had been searching for an hour by this point and failed to find anything that met their expectations. They were half-tempted to just clear out their own space to simplify things.

"We could always just make a dirt ring next to the house." Gohan eventually suggested as they finished examining another potential spot. "Plenty of space all around there to do that, and mom probably wouldn't mind since we can't cause too much trouble by fighting without power."

"I know," Goku sighed, disappointed that they just might have to do something like that, "but I wanted this to be different, you know?"

"Yeah…" the young man agreed, because he was also looking forward to doing this as well. The idea of doing it near his old home felt… boring, in a way. "I mean, we still have a couple days anyway. That should give us plenty of time to find somewhere interesting."

The Saiyan looked at his son with a smile. "Definitely!" He agreed, pushing a few branches out of his face, only to stop after spotting something ahead of them.

"Dad?" Gohan questioned, stepping up so he was beside his father, allowing him to see what had caught the older man's attention.

"I think we just found what we were looking for."

And Gohan would agree as the two found themselves at the edge of a decent-sized clearing, with a river flowing through the middle of it. Looking off to one side, Goku found himself staring at a mountain with a waterfall feeding a small lake that acted as the river's source.

"In-fact," the man continued, his face stretching with an excited grin, "I think I've got an idea."

-0-

"This bracket is going to be a little uneven." 21 commented as she and Chichi stared at a sheet of paper with the names of everyone participating in Goku's tournament.

The Princess, with bandages covering her wrists, chewed on her pencil while tapping a finger against the table. 21 was right in that regard, with eleven people joining in, the pairings would be all over the place. One person was going to skip ahead to the finals without having to fight anyone, but with the way things were, someone was going to have to do an extra battle before going into the semi-finals.

She sighed, it wasn't perfect, or even preferred, but they were going to have to roll with it. "I know, but it's the best we can do given the numbers. If we had an even eight or sixteen this would be perfect."

"Maybe next time." The Android muttered, stretching her arms above her head until a satisfying 'pop' could be heard. After letting out a quiet moan in delight, 21 looked over at her friend and saw the woman staring at her with a raised brow. "What?"

"'Next time'?" Chichi asked. "You think we're going to be doing something like this again?"

That was a good point, considering this was something neither of them knew if it would turn out well or if everyone would enjoy it. "I guess there's a chance we won't. Who knows, maybe we'll have so much fun it becomes a yearly thing."

Letting out a quick shrug at that, Chichi looked at her with a little more life in those eyes than 21 was used to seeing. "You know, I actually hope we do. Training is a lot more enjoyable than I remember it being." The Housewife raised an arm and rubbed her wrist with a slight grimace. "Just as painful though."

"You're doing great though!" 21 complimented.

"Still, I probably won't get past the first round." Chichi reasoned, not with how out of practice she was. Not to mention, some of them were masters of their craft. "I might just take up training again when this is all over, pain aside, it's been a long time since I felt as energetic for something besides my family."

"Goku will love that."

Chichi laughed, resting her hands on her lap. "I'm sure. With anyone else, I'd be worried they'd hold this against me for the rest of my life."

"Oh, come on. No one… would do that." 21 looked anywhere but the woman before her to hide what was a blatant lie.

The look she received told 21 that even a blind man would have seen through her.

"…want to get dinner started?" the Android offered.

"Sure." Chichi rolled her eyes, a fond smile stretching across her face as the two of them set the notes aside and began getting the materials ready to start the meal.

"You've got this Yamcha!"

The cheer from Bulma was joined by a few others as they watched their friend face off against his opponent in the tournament.

Vegeta shouting out "Whose side are you on, woman?!" caused the others to laugh with 21 being one of the few trying to contain her amusement, settling for yelling out a general cheer to show her support for the both of them.

Goku was smiling wide as he witnessed his long-time rival struggle against taking on the former bandit, Vegeta's eyes were constantly darting from looking at Yamcha to making sure he wasn't getting diverted towards the stones that formed a semi-circle, representing the edge of their makeshift ring, or towards the water which also counted as being out of bounds. With that distracting him, the Saiyan was struggling to counter and retaliate against Yamcha's relentless assault.

Sure, give him another minute or two and the man's spatial awareness would kick in, allowing him to focus completely on the fight, but it seemed like the Baseball champ was aware of that, and was doing his best to keep Vegeta distracted with a relentless string of attacks.

"I don't think I've seen Yamcha that motivated in a long time." Krillin commented as he strode up to Goku, using one of the towels to dry himself off having lost against his best friend by means of a water ring-out. Sure, it was disappointing that he lost in the very first match, but considering who he had been up against, the man wasn't going to waste energy complaining about it.

"He's definitely having a lot more fun than he does during those baseball games." Goku agreed, watching Vegeta get knocked back with a well-aimed palm strike. He narrowed his a little when a hint of the Saiyan's power began to leak out, obviously from frustration, but relaxed as it was reigned back in almost instantly. No one seemed to notice the minor slipup, but that could have been because they were enjoying the spectacle to much.

"Might be because he knows how much it will bother Vegeta if he wins." Krillin added with the slightest of smirks, resting the towel around his shoulders. He almost yelped as the sent of alcohol assaulted his senses as Master Roshi draped an arm around his towel-d shoulders.

"Not to mention it would make me a pretty penny with how much I'm betting on him!" the Turtle hermit said, taking a drink from his bottle before throwing out his own cheer. "Kick his ass Yamcha!"

Krillin raised a hand up to his ear that was currently being yelled into, rolling his eyes and sharing a look with his best friend.

Goku's smile widened in response and offered up a shrug before turning back to the fight.

"I can't believe I agreed to something so ludicrous." Vegeta stumbled back while blocking a series of rapid punches, twisting his body around and taking a few side steps to avoid having his back facing the edge of the arena. Taking a quite stock of his surrounding showed that he was closer to the water than he would like, but that was all he could process before forcing up a knee to intercept Yamcha's. The Saiyan glared at his opponents smirking face, making a silent promise to wipe that look off.

"You know, I always wondered what it would be like to fight you on even ground." Yamcha crouched low to the ground to avoid the roundhouse kick aimed for his chest, punishing the move by attacking the exposed leg with a series of three consecutive punches. "And I got to say, I'm not disappointed."

Vegeta gave a grunt and a glare. "It must be nice knowing the only way to face me is with this ridiculous handicap."

"Said the man who took everyone he could find just to beat Goku." Yamcha shot back.

"HA!" Roshi laughed off in the distance, further enraging Vegeta.

Unfortunately, that rage would be the last mistake the Saiyan made as Yamcha took full advantage of Vegeta turning his gaze to send a murderous glare towards the old master. With the grace of a wolf, the Bandit lashed out with his foot, striking his opponent's ankle and was satisfied hearing the yell of pain.

A hasty punch was thrown to try and ward off any other assault, but it was quickly batted away and countered with a much more precise palm strike. Skidding back just a bit from the force, Vegeta felt a shred of horror as his heel began to feel wet and looking back confirmed that he was at the very edge of the zone.

And then his head twisted further than before and Yamcha finished the match with a spinning kick, sending the man into the air, allowing him to rotate a few times before crashing into the water.

Those who had already been cheering gave off one more thunderous yell while those who were far more subdued finally joined in to congratulate the man. The only one not joining in the initial celebration was Goku, oddly enough, with the Saiyan walking forward, giving Yamcha a pat on the back along the way, and reaching his rival.

Vegeta was merely floating on his back with a pensive frown, only managing to not get carried away by the current by keeping a single foot planted in the ground.

"So, what did you think?" Goku asked without a care in the world, knowing full well there was a chance the man would blast him in response.

There was a moment of silence between the two as the others got ready to start up the next match.

"It was… different." Vegeta finally offered, ignoring the hand being offered in favor of getting up himself. "I wouldn't be opposed to doing this again, but the results would be far different if I end up going against that man again."

Declaration made, the Saiyan strode past his rival to join his wife and son along the sidelines, the former already offering a towel while the latter held out a plate of food. Both were accepted, and Goku quietly laughed as he rejoined the main group to watch the next match.

-0-

Without a doubt, the battle between the Saiyan Prince and the Baseball Champion was going to be considered an absolute treat for those that witnessed it. It was probably going to be the highlight of every one's day.

Vegeta would find himself the subject of a great deal of jokes, and no amount of threats managed to deter anyone.

21 faced off against Tien in the next match. The years of muscle memory programed into her body, along with the great deal of training she went through with Goku and Chichi allowed the Android to perform extremely well against the man, but the sheer difference in actual experience between them became apparent in the end as Tien directed the flow of combat.

She didn't even realize she had lost until the whistle had been blown with the Crane user being declared the victor by a knockout.

It was a little embarrassing for 21 to lose that way, especially since she had avoided taking more than a few hits while landing a decent number on him.

"You did well." he complimented as the two of them walked out of the ring. Tien rolled his arm around to try and loosen it up. "If I hadn't been doing this for my entire life, I probably wouldn't have pulled off a win."

An easy win. 21 added, knowing the two of them were thinking it. "You know, I've been doing this my whole life too." She joked, figuring it would be better not to linger on the defeat.

All three of his eyes gave her a deadpan look. "Ha ha." The man was clearly suppressing a smile, he had to, it was a pretty funny joke.

The two of them raised their hands to catch a bottle of water that 18 kindly tossed to them, with 21 offering Tien one more 'congratulations' before walking off to join the blond Android.

"I thought you were going to beat him." 18 said once she was close enough, her eyes focused on the arena as Piccolo and Chichi made their way onto it. "Not much of a fighter myself though, so I didn't see what was happening until it was over."

21 hummed in agreement, feeling her stomach fall as the Namekian and Princess dropped into their respective stances, knowing that battle was already decided. In no way was it because she didn't believe in Chichi, but there was no denying she hadn't properly trained in over a decade.

"Experience makes all the difference." The brunette explained, wondering how well she'd fair after another year of practice. She blinked when the thought finished, and the woman found herself turning to send a mock glare over towards Goku, who just so happened to be looking back with a giant grin as if he knew what was going through her head.

All things considering, he probably did.

21 wanted to smack that stupid look right off.

"Are you going to explain what that glare is all about or should I leave so you two can keep looking into each other's eyes?"

The harsh look moved over to 18, and much to 21's annoyance, she was smirking at her with mirth shining in those eyes.

"It's nothing." She finally replied, making it a point to turn away from both of them in order to focus on the match. Only to realize with a start that it was already almost over.

It was clear Chichi was putting up quite a fight if the sweat and focus she was showing were any indicator, but the way Piccolo was deflecting every strike with practiced ease made it clear it wasn't difficult for him. With one final punch to the gut, Chichi was knocked out of the ring and landed on the ground with a sharp exhale.

"She did well." Bulma said from 21's other side, leaving the Android to wonder when the woman had approached her.

18 shrugged in response. "Not like she stood much of a chance to begin with."

"Honestly, we both kinda expected this to happen." The Bio-Android admitted. There was only so much they could do with less than two weeks. "But I think she was glad to have a chance to do this."

"Chichi does look pretty proud of herself."

The three of them took another look towards the subject of their conversation, and sure enough, the woman was walking back towards her family with an earnest grin that shined through the occasional grimace. That look grew even brighter when her family surrounded her with various degree of concern, though, Goku himself appeared the least worried as he carefully handed the woman something to drink.

"Next match is the last one in this round." Bulma pointed out, drawing 18 and 21's attention towards the board they were using to keep track of things, with Goten, Trunks, and Marron being the ones marking it. Or at least, the latter two were since one of them was busy at the moment. "I almost feel bad for Tien and Yamcha. Whoever wins their match will have to face off against Goku before being able to move on."

"Feel bad for whoever has to face Roshi in the finals." 18's brows were drawn together with some emotion neither Bulma nor 21 could pinpoint, but both could tell it wasn't positive. "He's probably the best fighter out of everyone, and he won't have to face anyone until the end."

21 couldn't help but place a hand over her face and groan. "I know it's not ideal, but with the odd amount of people fighting, we couldn't really form a nice bracket."

"Sounds rough." 18 commented, her tone conveying mild sarcasm. She actually laughed when her friend smacked her arm.

-0-

Gohan and Videl ended up having a fairly close match with the victory going to the Half-Saiyan when he tossed his fiancée over the shoulder and into the water. When he offered her a hand, she ended up pulling him in as well.

It had earned a chuckle out of almost everyone, Vegeta actually gave a snort at the display between the two until Bulma fixed him with a look that made the man look away as the slightest amount of blood rushed into his cheeks.

There was a ten-minute break between rounds in which Goten and Trunks cleaned up the makeshift ring as Marron finished marking the tournament bracket while the those who were still fighting performed stretches, cooled off by splashing water in their face, or in Goku's case, ate several plates worth of food.

Partway through, 21 realized that Master Roshi was nowhere to be seen or sensed. A little worried the old hermit had wondered off in some kind of drunken stupor, she approached Goku and brought this up. He had waved off her worry, his tail performing the exact same gesture as his hand, claiming he knew where the man was.

She pressed the Saiyan to tell her what was going on but received no further explanation on the matter. So, with cheeks puffed out in slight indignation, 21 went back to talking with her friends until the second round started up.

When it did, 21 couldn't help but feel a little confused when Bulma, Krillin, and Goku got together and began talking just quietly enough so the rest could only hear snippets of their conversation. Tien and Yamcha seemed to be aware of something too as they both approached the arena with excited looks.

"Can't help but feel like I'm out of the loop." Videl said, wearing far more casual clothes after changing out of her fighting uniform.

"That's because you are." Piccolo stated to the young woman, catching 21's interest as well. "Tien and Yamcha have fought against each other before in the Worlds Martial Arts Tournament. I wasn't born yet when that happened, but it didn't go well from what I heard. Tien apparently broke Yamcha's leg."

"Seriously?!" she gasped, not quite loud enough for others to hear.

The Namekian nodded. "That was a long time ago. I'm almost sure both men are more excited about this rematch than anyone else."

"Who do you think will win it?" 21 chimed in, curious about his opinion.

"Tien."

Sure enough, Piccolo's prediction came true several minutes later as the man swept the former Bandit's legs out from under him, knocking him to the ground where Tien proceeded to put Yamcha into a grapple that could not be broken. When Krillin called out "Ten!" the hold was released, and the two men were quickly exchanging compliments as they joined the main group.

"Wish they would get a room already." 18 muttered to 21, and the poor brunette ended up shooting water out of her nose having made the mistake of drinking when the comment was made.

There was no doubt that the previous match had been nostalgic for several of the members, but the next one was certainly one of the most meaningful as Gohan and Piccolo squared off against one another.

As soon as it started, both men were upon each other, throwing out attacks with such intensity that some of the observers wondered if they were using their power.

But the fact that Goku wasn't saying anything about it meant that wasn't true. Even so, it was almost startling to see the Saiyan watching the battle with a great amount of focus. All signs of cheer gone, in its place was stern discipline that was normally reserved for battles.

Back and forth the two opponents went. Bringing each other to the very edge before one or the other threw themselves towards the center to stay in the fight.

Gohan was the first to show actual damage as bruises started showing across his body, the match going on long enough for ugly splotches of purple to appear. Piccolo must have been actively suppressing his regeneration since his own skin started changing color as well. Neither slowed down though.

It wasn't until a full fifteen minutes had passed that the fight started shifting in someone's favor.

No one was quite sure how it happened, but Gohan started fighting with even more ferocity. His attacks landed harder than before, his body contorted to odd angles to avoid strikes that he normally wouldn't have been able to avoid, and his breathing refined itself until it was functioning at its absolute max.

No one knew what was happening, no one but the Saiyans that is.

They knew his instincts were in full control. Without anything clouding his mind, Gohan was fighting with the full battle prowess of a Saiyan, and the calm focus of a human.

In that state, both Goku and Vegeta knew not a single person would have been able to beat the young man in that moment.

The last blow was brutally delivered in the form of a rising kick to Piccolo's chin. So much force was held in that single move. Enough to actually lift the Namekian off the ground, into the air, and out of the ring.

No one said a word in the following moments, the only noise that could be heard were the labored breaths from the two that had fought with their all given the circumstances. It took Krillin almost a full minute to regain his composure and declare the hybrid as the winner.

Everyone's cheer came together to form a thunderous applause.

Goku couldn't have looked any more proud as he wrapped an arm around his eldest son to pull him away from the arena. Goten was by the young man's other side, looking up at him as if he were the coolest person on the planet.

A senzu bean was offered to make sure Gohan would be recovered by the next match. Piccolo himself merely allowed his regeneration to kick in, taking less than a second to remove all signs of battle.

The Namekian and hybrid made brief eye contact, the former offering a solid nod that made the latter beam with pure elation.

It was almost sad to say that people were still focused on congratulating, complimenting, or questioning Gohan by the time the next match started. There was a lot of history between Goku and Tien as well, but once again, there were only a few people who could really appreciate it as the two men battled it out for a third time.

Needless to say, the battle was well fought.

Goku was the one who managed to pull off a win in the end, having pulled off a rather unorthodox fighting method that seemed to incorporate parts from both the Turtle and Crane schools. It proved to be effective enough to confuse Tien, causing the Ex-Assassin to slip up one-too many times.

It was clear to see after the match was called that Tien was rather disappointed at the loss, but underneath that, and quickly rising to the surface, was a desire to get better to try again.

21 once again found herself being impressed by the subtle manipulation that was taking place in this last-minute tournament. There was no doubt in the Android's mind that another one would take place next year, maybe even sooner depending on how the group felt.

But it was something to think about later as another round came to an end.

-0-

"You nervous?"

Gohan looked up from where he was sitting to see Videl gazing back with genuine curiosity. He shook his head and smiled. "Excited actually. I think I can beat him."

The young woman hummed, leaning down to press a solid kiss against his lips. "For luck." She whispered after they parted, jumping away with a yelp when someone cleared their throat behind them.

"How about you save that for after the fight?" Krillin suggested with a sly look aimed at the two of them.

"Hehe, right…" Gohan scratched the back of his head, a great deal of heat creeping up his neck with the same happening to Videl.

"You've got this big brother!" Goten cheered with a banner supporting Gohan held over his head.

Goku actually whined. "Goten…"

But the youngest actually seemed to have him covered as well. Pointing to the side showed Trunks holding a similar sign in support of Goku, and surprisingly, Vegeta was standing behind his son, waving a miniature flag that had the other Saiyan's head on it.

The man looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but there.

"Aw… you do care."

It was a testament to Vegeta's control when the flag didn't snap like a twig in his grip. "J-Just shut up and fight, Kakarot!"

Deciding now was as good of time as any, Krillin started the match and leapt away just in time to avoid getting caught in-between the two.

Unlike the fight against Piccolo though, Gohan appeared to turn the tide of this battle far quicker than before, doing so within the first five minutes in-fact. Goku still managed to hold off his son from winning outright for a little while afterwards, but it was obvious to see the younger man was building up momentum that simply couldn't be stopped.

When the final blow came, Goku, for intents and purposes, looked as if he were the happiest man alive. At least until the punch connected with his cheek, knocking the upper half of his body into the river.

"And that's the match!" Krillin called out with a big grin.

21's cheer was a little more subdued compared to some of the others, she was happy for the son, but there was no doubt she had been more in Goku's favor. Still though, it was nice to see Gohan faring so well against veteran fighters.

But where the hell was Roshi?

Her questioned was answered almost immediately when the man who had come up with this whole event told everyone they were moving closer to the nearby mountain.

The flight there ended as soon as it began, and the group could see Roshi himself sitting on a circular, stone platform housed in the center of a waterfall fed lake.

"Bout time you lot finished up!" the old man declared, his shirt and sunglasses nowhere to be seen. "So… who's facing up against the Turtle Hermit?"

Gohan stepped forward and floated over towards the stage. "I am." The young man said.

A brow was raised in slight surprise. "Well ain't that something."

"Alright. Alright." Krillin appeared between the two and waited for them to get into their respective stances. "This is the final match of the tournament. Fighters ready?"

A nod was given by both of them.

"Begin!"

Gohan slowly emptied his lung, and then charged forward to engage the master.

From the sidelines, 21 watched with the others as the fight played out, and part-way through, the Android realized exactly what a lifetime of experience could mean. Gohan was fighting harder, faster, and better than Roshi was, no one would deny that, but the Hermit was always the one in control.

He was the one dictating the rhythm between the two. Even when the younger fighter landed a solid hit, there was an impression that that had been planned.

"So that's what a master fighter looks like." 21 whispered, eyes transfixed on the way Roshi seemed to be able to read Gohan like a book, anticipating moves that hadn't even finished forming yet and countering them when they did.

"It's something else alright." Goku agreed.

No one was surprised when the battle ended in Roshi's favor. 18's previous prediction had been spot on, and none there thought they would have fared any better.

"Ha! Still got it!" the old man declared, puffing out his chest with pride.

-0-

When most of the Son family returned to the house, their mood was understandably high. With the fights over, everyone had decided it was time to go. Goku had made sure to ask around before the group left about if they wanted to do this again or not and was pleased when a unanimous 'yes' had been declared.

Needless to say, he looked ready to burst with excitement.

"Alright, Goten. Why don't you go inside and get changed? You can help me out with dinner tonight." Chichi instructed, smoothing a few wrinkles out of her outfit in the process.

"Ok." There was a hint of a whine in the boy's response, but the mother let it slide when no other protest was made.

As soon as the hybrid was out of sight, Goku leaned forward with his hands planted on his hips. "You had fun doing this, right?"

It was a rhetorical question, all of them had seen how into it the woman had been. Chichi let out a longwinded sigh as she raised a hand to cup her husband's cheek, moving to plant a kiss on the other one. "I did." Her eyes immediately hardened as her hand moved away. "But don't think that means you can fight whenever you want."

"Yeah… I know." The Saiyan knew that. It was a little disappointing, but all things considering, it wasn't unexpected.

"Good." Chichi nodded, satisfied, but more importantly, happy. She then turned to 21 and moved to wrap her arms around the Android for a hug. "And thank you for getting me to agree to this, I haven't had this much fun in a while."

21 was momentarily shocked by the sudden gesture, but easily got over it to return it. "I'm glad."

"Now than," the woman started, releasing the hug, "I need to get dinner started."

"I'll help out once I've changed!" the Android offered, getting a gratified thumbs-up.

There was a moment of silence that lingered until the housewife disappeared into the house, one that lasted for a few more moments until 21 questioned her friend.

"You knew, didn't you?"

The innocent look he tried to send her was betrayed by his twitching lips. "What do you mean?"

"That everyone would want to do this again if you got them to participate." 21 accused, jabbing a finger into his chest.

Goku held up his arms in surrender. "Ok, so I may have known they would have wanted to try this out just for fun, and that giving them less than two weeks to properly prepare wouldn't be nearly enough for most. With such a small timeframe to improve, almost no one would have been able to say they were at their best if they lost. Those who lost would want to try again after training a lot more while those who won would want to improve to keep up the victory."

21 leaned back with crossed arms, leveling a smirk at the man before her. "Oh, you are evil."

He chuckled at that, and she joined in as well.

"I'm still glad it went so well." Goku said once his laughter was under control. His features melted into something far more earnest, and 21 felt her cheeks heat up at the grateful smile. "Thanks for helping Chichi have fun with this. It means a lot to me."

"It was my pleasure." The Android turned her head a little to the side, unable to maintain the look while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "We should head inside, don't want to miss out on dinner after all."

"Oh yeah! Let's go!"

21 followed after the enthusiastic man with a content smile, ready to enjoy another wonderful meal with this family.

Not much to say down here either. Thanks to everyone who looks at this story, and I'll see you all next time!