"INCREDIBLE! HERCULE SATAN HAS DEFEATED KING CHOPPA IN ONE BLOW!!!!!!!!!"

"WHAT AN AMAZING FIGHT! KILLA NARROWLY GETS THE VICTORY AGAINST YAMU!"

"UNBELIEVABLE! RANFAN COMPLETELY SWITCHES UP HER TACTICS FROM THE LAST TOURNAMENT, AND BEATS PAMPUT DOWN WITH PURE SKILL!"

"GOOD LORD ALMIGHTY!!!!!!!! SPOPOVICH KNOCKS PINTAR OUT WITH A SINGLE FINGER TAP!!!!!!!!! WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE FINISH!!!!!!"

Raditz stares at the ongoing tournament, a bored expression gracing his face. Any normal human, or hell, any normal Saiyan, would be too far away to be able to hear the tournament... but Raditz and his brother are far from normal. The raw amount of Ki infusing their bodies has strengthened their senses beyond what most people would consider possible. Despite being able to hear the tournament as clear as those with front row seats... the brothers aren't exactly enjoying themselves.

"Man, the last tournament sure was better..." Goku remarks, looking disappointed. "I'm glad to see that Ranfan is back, and the fight between Killa and Yamu was interesting, but it's no fun to watch a tournament when the finalists will face no competition, y'know?"

"Yeah... it's pretty obvious that Hercule Satan and Spopovich will end up being the finalists. Both of them have won their matches in one hit." Raditz replies as he stretches in place. "Due to how overwhelmingly powerful those two are, both them and their opponents aren't even getting a chance to show off their skills during their matches, and with how slow their movements are compared to ours, this is about as fun as watching paint dry."

"Who do you think will win? That Spopovich guy is cheating, and he has a ton more power, but Hercule is strong too! His stance looks a lot better than Spopovich's! Do you think that he's skilled enough to bridge the power gap?"

"Hmph... I don't know who will win, but judging by the malice I can sense... Spopovich isn't planning to have a friendly finale..."

As the semi-finals begin, a group of six old, soft-spoken men dressed in pristine suits stare at the TV-screen in the corner of the wall.

"Tsk... that 'Hercule' is far more talented than Spopovich. What a pity..." the mayor of East City says with a sigh.

"With that daughter of his, we could make him far more agreeable than Spopovich ever could be." West City's mayor bemoans. "If only we had discovered him earlier... we wouldn't have even needed to train him in the use of Ki."

"We could order Spopovich to spare him." Orange City's leader suggests. "We could even offer a monetary incentive."

"No, that won't work. That musclehead is far too bloodthirsty and insecure." the leader of South City argues. "He'll think that Hercule would take his place or be the more senior Android... and he isn't exactly wrong. Spopovich isn't a pleasant man to be around."

Murmurs of agreement spread throughout the room, before North City's mayor speaks up.

"We could, of course, expose the fact that he's already a Ki user. That would give Hercule the win, and Spopovich would surely lose his temper and attempt to kill Hercule after the match. We could then send one of our Ki experts to rescue him, killing Spopovich in the process."

Wicked smiles appear on the faces of the other mayors.

"Yes... that could work." the heaviest of the men says. "It's smart, and almost guaranteed to succeed. I like it."

"That isn't our decision to make." the youngest of the five reminds them.

"R-Right... thanks for reminding me." North's City's mayor stammers, before turning towards the last man in the room. "B-Boss, what do you think?"

The last of the six is silent, as he has been for the entire conversation. The man is positively ancient, and stares at the men around him with a look of disdain.

"When my son told me about what he learnt during the meeting... I was in disbelief." the elderly man begins. "I thought that, perhaps, he may've gone insane, or that this was some sort of elaborate prank, an attempt to startle me into a heart attack, giving him full access to my modest fortune. It wasn't until I saw the recording that I truly believed him... and yet he never told me how goddamn foolish those working with him are!"

The old man's fury startles those around him. They sit there in shocked silence, closely resembling scolded schoolchildren in the principal's office.

"I have that muscly buffoon eating out of the palm of my hand! I took him, a small-time fighter in an illegal, poor-paying league, and turned him into a star! I turned him into one of the most powerful men in the world! He would never dream of wishing me ill! He would never dream of working against me, even after he becomes an Android! Spopovich sees me as closer than his own father, and you would have me throw it all away on someone more talented?!?! I don't give a damn if Hercule will be more powerful in the future! All I care about is the absolute loyalty Spopovich has for me!"

"Spopovich will win this tournament, he will kill Hercule at the end, and you will judge it as an accident! Am I clear?!?!"

"...Yes sir..." the five mayors reply.

"Good! Now watch the screen! Spopovich just defeated that whore Ranfan, and so the final match will begin soon!"

"I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT I'VE SEEN SO FAR! BOTH HERCULE SATAN AND SPOPOVICH HAVE BREEZED THROUGH THE SEMI-FINALS, EASILY DEFEATING THEIR OPPONENTS IN A SINGLE BLOW!" the announcer shouts, staring at the crowd with a fake smile.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

'Ugh. I shouldn't have agreed to announce for this tournament.' he thinks sourly. 'Without Goku and the others... it's just too boring! I miss watching the crazy skills and techniques they utilize.'

He shakes those thoughts from his head, instead launching back into a loud, falsely-excited announcement.

"WITH JUST TWO FIGHTERS LEFT, WE'RE NOW DOWN TO THE FINALS! WHO WILL BECOME THE 24TH WORLD MARTIAL ARTS CHAMPION?! WILL IT BE THE UNBEATABLE, LIGHTNING-FAST HERCULE SATAN, OR WILL IT BE THE INDOMITABLE, UNMOVABLE, OVERPOWERING SPOPOVICH?! I THINK WE'LL BE FINDING OUT VERY SOON!"

Hercule steps into the ring, staring at the beefy man opposing him with hesitation. Spopovich, for his part, doesn't even seem to notice Hercule, instead bragging and boasting to the crowd.

"HERCULE, ARE YOU READY?!" the announcer asks.

After a quick nod from the hairy martial artist, the announcer turns towards Spopovich.

"SPOPOVICH, ARE YOU READY?!"

The brown-haired brute smirks. "I'm ready to be champ."

"BEGIN!"

As soon as the words leave the announcer's mouth, Spopovich has already dashed across the ring, immediately coming face to face with a wide-eyed Hercule...

Boom.

A shockwave spreads throughout the stadium, startling the crowd. The sheer force behind the attack kicks up a cloud of dust and smoke, blinding everyone in the stands.

"W-WHAT'S THIS?! IT SEEMS THAT SPOPOVICH HAS MADE HIS ATTACK, AND HE'S HIT FAR HARDER THAN HE DID IN THE PREVIOUS ROUNDS!" the announcer shouts, waiting for the smoke to clear.

Chiaotzu raises his hands, and soon after, the dust is swept away by a gust of wind, revealing the two fighters...

Hercule's left arm hangs limp, snapped like a twig. It is bent at an angle it never should've been capable of bending. The hairy man stares at his arm, silently biting back a scream.

A split second later, Spopovich backhands him, sending him flying towards the other side of the ring. Just before Hercule exits the ring, a massive hand wraps around his leg, halting all of his momentum. The sheer strength in the hand's grip crushes the bones in Hercule's leg, and yet he still doesn't cry out in pain. Spopovich turns around, slamming the hairy martial artist into the hard floor of the ring.

The announcer stares at the downed man, disgust evident on his face by the brutality he's seeing. He immediately begins counting at a pace far, far quicker than he has before.

"1-2-3-4-5-6-7-"

Before he can finish his count, Spopovich grabs Hercule by the hair, dragging him to his feet... or foot, considering the broken leg...

"Hey hey hey, slow down! He's not out of the fight yet!" Spopovich says with a cruel grin.

"..."

The crowd is silent, unbelieving what their eyes are showing them. Even the most cruel, bloodthirsty fans shift uncomfortably in their seats as the giant fighter continues his beatdown of his weaker opponent.

One little girl watches the battle with wide, tear-filled eyes...

"Dad!" she cries out, voice echoing throughout the arena.

Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Krillin share a silent look between themselves. Without any further ado, they disappear from their seats.

Those nearest to their seats look at the ring expectantly, waiting with baited breath for the Ki warriors to end this madness. And yet...

...they aren't anywhere to be found. As a matter of fact, they aren't even in the same time zone as the island the tournament is held in. No... they're flying towards Central City at top speed, aiming to have a chat with the King of Earth.

But that isn't what's important for Videl. All she sees is that four of her new friends have abandoned her dad, leaving him to be beaten to death in front of a crowd of witnesses.

Before she can do something drastic, such as jump into the ring herself, she feels a small, powerful hand grip her shoulder. She turns her head, staring into the black eyes of the six year old boy sat next to her. Gohan's eyes are surprisingly calm, despite the horrendous situation. He's angry, no doubt about it, but there's no worry in them. He's not concerned that Hercule will die, and not in a cruel way. Rather, it's as if he knows something that she doesn't...

"He's not done yet, Videl. I know it. Your dad is going to be fine." he says in a calming voice.

"B-But he--"

"Just watch. Trust me."

"..."

'It hurts.'

'It hurts so damn much.'

Those are the first and second thoughts to pass through Hercule's mind as he gets off the floor, standing unsteadily on one leg.

'What is this guy's problem?' Hercule thinks groggily.

A split second later, yet another burst of pain goes through him as Spopovich launches himself at Hercule's battered body, landing a massive haymaker that sends the hairy martial artist back into the ground. Blood splatters on the white tiles of the ring on contact, and yet Hercule still refuses to scream.

Spopovich scowls, before roughly stomping down on his opponent. Hercule's mouth opens, causing the giant fighter to grin expectantly.

"Cough... cough... dammit. Alright, I giv--"

Before Hercule can give up the match, his opponent clamps a massive hand down on his face, muffling his words. Spopovich, now even angrier, throws the beaten martial artist to the opposite side of the ring. After taking a second to make sure that Hercule isn't in any danger of falling out of the ring, he turns towards the crowd, arms wide open as he practically begs them to praise him.

'It looks... it looks like I'll be seeing you soon, Miguel...'

Suddenly, a voice reaches his ears.

"Dad!"

Videl's cry immediately snaps Hercule to his senses. His head jerks up, allowing him to see his daughter, tears streaming down her face.

'No... no... I ain't gonna die here... I can't!'

With every ounce of willpower left, Hercule forces himself to stand on his unbroken leg, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side.

'That bastard... he's too fast! I can't jump out of the ring, I can't surrender, and I can't stay down for a ten count. I guess that leaves me with one option!'

Spopovich turns away from the crowd, eyes filled with glee as he sees his hairy opponent standing. Just like he's done previously, he launches himself at Hercule at max speed...

...but unfortunately for him, that's what Hercule had planned for.

The wounded martial artist moves even before Spopovich does, turning his body at just the right angle to avoid the oncoming blow. Immediately after, he grabs onto the arm that he knows will be there, turning his hips to throw his opponent away.

Spopovich, unable to stop his own momentum, falls for Hercule's trap. His brain doesn't even have time to register that he didn't hit the hairy martial artist before Hercule's one remaining arm latches onto his wrist, and with a quick turn of the hips, Spopovich is sent flying out of the arena...

Eyes widen, shocked gasps fill the arena, and Gohan turns towards Videl, excitement written all over his face.

"See! I told you!"

But unfortunately for Gohan, that wasn't the reason for the gasps. Although the reason does have to do with Spopovich. It isn't because Hercule beat him by ring out, no...

...the reason why the crowd is shocked is because Spopovich hovers half a foot above the grass, staring at Hercule with pure, raw fury. Without any hesitation, the cheating giant points both of his hands at Hercule, launching the most powerful blast he's capable of at his stunned opponent. The hairy finalist, along with the crowd behind him, barely have time to stare at their oncoming doom before the attack lands.

Boom.

An explosive flash of yellow energy blinds the crowd, but as the dust settles, the sight that meets their eyes shocks everyone...

Standing in front of Hercule is a one-armed man with long, black hair. His one remaining arm is outstretched towards Spopovich. Although the palm is covered in smoke, it is completely undamaged, having taken the entirety of the blast.

"Tsk tsk. Cheaters making it to the finals? I can't believe how far the World Tournament has fallen." Raditz says with an arrogant smirk.