Bulma absentmindedly traced her fingers over the sleek surface of an elegant wristband, lost in thought.
In the future, the only one who could rival Goku in combat power—
was the man who would eventually invade Earth: Vegeta.
Saiyan talent was something no Earthling could ever hope to match.
Unfortunately, Vegeta was far too arrogant—sometimes to the point of death before compromise.
He was a candidate, sure, but not someone to rely on completely.
'If only there were someone with Saiyan potential and the strategic mindset of an Earthling…'
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Bulma's mind.
"Trunks said that Gohan, in his timeline, had extraordinary talent—
and ended up far surpassing Goku in power!"
Bulma's eyes snapped back to the arena, landing on Chi-Chi.
A strange suspicion stirred within her.
'Is Chi-Chi's genetic potential really that strong...?'
Right then, the match between Chi-Chi and Nam reached a fever pitch.
And just as the tension peaked—
Chi-Chi unleashed a Kamehameha.
The power wasn't overwhelming, but it was enough to blow Nam clear out of the ring and decide the match.
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
The referee immediately declared Chi-Chi the winner.
Seeing it unfold, Bulma couldn't hide her shock.
'If she's walking the martial path in this life…
will she still marry Goku and become his little wife?
Will she still have kids that early...?'
But then she glanced at the tiny Chi-Chi on stage—barely 1.2 meters tall—
and at the two young boys peeking out from behind the ring: Goku and Krillin.
All just kids.
Bulma sighed, then smiled wryly.
'I'm getting ahead of myself again…'
She began to reflect.
As someone who had lived through all this once before, she couldn't stop herself from planning for the future.
But if she kept pushing Goku to follow her plans, always telling him what to do...
Wasn't that just like how Chi-Chi pressured him to earn money in the old timeline?
No.
She could only rely on her own advantages—supporting him materially at the crucial moments.
Just then, the defeated Nam walked off toward the edge of the ring, his expression hollow and disheartened.
As fate would have it, he passed right by Bulma.
On impulse, she called out to him.
"Hey—you're here to win the prize money to buy water for your village, right?"
Nam froze in shock.
"You—how do you know that?"
In her past life, after the Dragon Radar broke, Bulma had gone on adventures with Goku.
During their conversations, Goku had mentioned his run-in with the dinosaur-like contestant.
Naturally, she also knew about Nam's drought-stricken hometown and why he'd joined the tournament.
But she didn't explain.
Instead, she pulled out a capsule from her stash and handed it to Nam.
"Don't ask how I know. Just take this.
Go fill it up at the river and bring the water back. It'll last your village for a few days.
And in just a few more days, the river will be flowing again."
Nam's eyes widened. He immediately asked, "Who are you, really?"
Bulma smiled. "Me? I'm just your average, unremarkable daughter of the world's richest man."
"...What?"
"Alright, go get the water and head home."
But to her surprise, Nam gently pushed the capsule back.
"No need. Master Roshi already gave me one inside the dojo. Thank you, though."
Bulma blinked. "From the dojo? Master Roshi gave you a capsule?"
Nam nodded. "Yes. The villagers are waiting. I'll be on my way now."
"Okay. Safe travels."
With that, Nam turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Bulma tapped her chin, lost in thought.
"In the dojo? Master Roshi gave him a capsule?
Jackie Chun's power outclassed Roshi's during that mountain fire incident…
One Kamehameha and he blew away the moon…
And Roshi's been missing since the start of the tournament..."
Suddenly, the image of bald-headed Master Roshi and Jackie Chun overlapped in her mind.
Bulma's pupils constricted.
"I knew it—they're the same person. He's been playing Jackie Chun all along."
…
Just then, the referee's voice boomed:
"Fourth Match: Son Goku vs. Giran! Will both fighters please enter the ring!"
1
A hulking dinosaur-like fighter climbed onto the stage.
Massive body. Thick muscles. Wings on his back.
Clearly not an ordinary human—but a beast-man.
This was Goku's opponent: Giran.
Goku stepped up as well, casually warming up on his side of the ring.
Seeing the kid act so nonchalantly—stretching like it was recess—Giran scowled.
"You little brat! I'll beat you till you pee your pants!"
Goku glanced at him, twitching his nose.
"Sniff… Hey, bro—you smell delicious."
Giran blinked. "What?"
Goku kept stretching as he spoke.
"My roasted dinosaur skills are top-notch, you know!
With your build, you'd cook up real nice—plump but not greasy. Bet you'd sizzle like crazy on a spit.
But since you're intelligent now, I guess I can't roast you anymore. That's why it's a shame."
Giran's eyes bulged. "WHAT?! You little punk!"
Just then, the referee shouted, "Begin!"
Giran relied on his size and immediately swung a massive kick at Goku.
His thick leg was nearly bigger than Goku's entire body—blocking it would be impossible.
But his huge size also meant huge openings.
Goku didn't back down—instead, he dashed forward to avoid the blow,
then whipped around and landed a clean kick to Giran's face.
BAM!
Giran crashed to the ground.
The referee, shocked, quickly jumped in with commentary.
"Amazing! Giran attacked first, but Son Goku advanced instead of retreating!
Dodging the attack, he struck back with a kick to the face—and Giran's been knocked down!"