"Thank you all for your patience!"
"I now declare the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament officially open!"
"We've selected 8 finalists from 182 martial artists."
"These eight will face off in an elimination-style bracket."
"Who will claim the title of the strongest under the heavens?"
"And who will take home the grand prize of 500,000 zeni?"
"Let the battles begin!"
"First Match: Tien Shinhan vs Yamcha!"
"The contestant Yamcha is a disciple of the martial arts god, Master Roshi! And interestingly, four of the top eight finalists are his students!"
"As for Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu, they hail from the Crane School!"
The crowd erupted.
"What?!"
"No way!"
"Almost all of them are from Roshi and Crane schools!"
Roshi, disguised as Jackie Chun, clenched his teeth.
"They're comparing me to that trash Crane Hermit? Hmph!"
Crane Hermit sneered from the stands.
"Half the finalists belong to Roshi? I'll enjoy smashing his little turtles!"
Tien and Yamcha entered the ring—eyes burning with fire, insults flying with each step. They didn't even wait for the bell before throwing verbal jabs.
But when the referee finally called for the match to begin, they wasted no time.
Their clash was immediate—fists flew, kicks cracked through the air. Each movement left afterimages. The two seemed to teleport across the ring, their blows fierce and clean.
The audience fell into stunned silence.
Moments later, thunderous applause shook the stands.
"Unbelievable!"
"These guys are monsters!"
"This is the first match?! How can it be this intense already?!"
Even the announcer was on the edge of his seat.
"We've just witnessed a breathtaking exchange of lightning-fast strikes and defenses! This might be the most exciting match of the entire tournament!"
After a few fierce exchanges, both fighters broke apart.
Yamcha grimaced.
'He's stronger than I thought…!'
Tien smirked, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow.
'So he's not all talk after all. Haven't had a real fight like this in a while.'
Yamcha shifted into stance.
"New Wolf Fang Fist!"
Tien answered by rushing forward with his own techniques.
They clashed again—flesh against flesh, power against power. No tricks. Just brutal martial prowess.
Krillin, watching from the sidelines, frowned.
"Yamcha's not going to hold out."
Goku nodded.
"Yeah, it's not looking good."
Chi-Chi tilted her head.
"So what? If he loses, we'll just avenge him later."
"It's not the losing I'm worried about," Goku said grimly. "It's that Tien might cripple him."
"What do you mean?" Chi-Chi asked, concerned.
"You saw how much they were trash-talking each other. Even if Tien wins, he might not stop there."
Krillin clenched his fists.
"That'd be too cruel! Should we tell Yamcha to forfeit? He can't win this."
Goku shook his head.
"I tried. He wouldn't listen."
Chi-Chi shrugged.
"Let him get beat then. Worst case, we give him a Senzu Bean. He'll be fine."
Goku frowned.
"We can't let everyone know about those. The more people learn about Senzu Beans, the faster we'll run out."
Krillin nodded.
"Yeah… one or two is fine, but if word spreads…"
"I'm mostly worried about a certain fat guy," Goku muttered.
Chi-Chi suddenly pointed.
"Look! He's about to use his finishing move!"
On the ring, Yamcha had formed his hands into a blooming shape—the classic stance for a Ki blast. A golden orb sparked in his palms.
"A Ki blast in the first match?!"
The crowd gasped.
Jackie Chun tensed.
"He's using the Kamehameha this early? Yamcha, you fool…"
"If it doesn't work, he's done for," Krillin muttered.
Goku's eyes narrowed.
"Wait. Behind Yamcha… that's the audience!"
He suddenly looked to Krillin.
"Your girlfriend's sitting in the front row, right?"
Krillin blinked.
"Yeah, why—"
"Go now. Stand behind Yamcha. If Tien reflects the blast, people might get hurt. Especially her."
"What?!"
Krillin didn't ask twice. He bolted.
Meanwhile, Yamcha had charged the blast to its peak.
"Kame…hame…ha!!"
A brilliant golden wave exploded toward Tien.
Tien calmly brought his hands up, fingers pointed skyward. His energy flared, cloaking him in a shimmering aura.
He didn't dodge.
He reflected it.
"Hah!!"
Tien roared, bouncing the Kamehameha back toward Yamcha.
Yamcha leapt high to dodge—but the blast didn't vanish. It kept going… straight toward the crowd.
Right where Snow was sitting.
"Goku, how did you—?!"
Krillin didn't hesitate. He launched a blast of his own, intercepting the Kamehameha mid-air.
BOOM!
A massive explosion rippled out between the ring and the stands—but no one was hurt.
The crowd exhaled in relief.
"That kid saved us!"
"He's a hero!"
Snow stared at Krillin with sparkling eyes.
"Krillin… that was amazing!"
Krillin scratched his head sheepishly.
"Ehehe… wasn't a big deal…"
Goku grinned at him. Krillin nodded back, grateful.
Chi-Chi tilted her head.
"How'd you know he'd reflect it?"
Goku shrugged.
"Just had a feeling."
Chi-Chi looked over at Krillin and Snow standing side by side—same height, smiling like a couple out of a storybook.
Then she looked at herself and Goku. The height gap made them look like siblings.
She didn't like that.
"Goku," she said, "we were supposed to grow up together. Don't you dare stop growing."
Without turning, Goku replied,
"Don't worry. I'll definitely be taller than you."
Chi-Chi smirked.
"Want me to collect the Dragon Balls and wish for it?"
Goku finally looked at her.
"I'll grow on my own. I promise."
Saiyan growth was slow, but it always caught up in the end. Their youth just lasted longer.
Chi-Chi wasn't convinced.
"…Okay. But until then… can I play with your tail?"
"Not here…" Goku glanced around.
"I wanna."
Sighing, he handed it over.
Chi-Chi beamed triumphantly.
She'd helped Goku overcome his tail weakness during their training on Korin Tower—but now she just liked messing with him.
—
Back on the ring, Yamcha made a final leap.
Tien met him mid-air with a brutal strike.
CRACK.
Yamcha screamed as his leg twisted unnaturally. He hit the ground with a thud, unconscious.
The audience gasped.
"He already won! Why hit him like that?!"
"His leg's broken!"
Tien stood tall, unfazed.
"Ref! Declare the result!"
The referee knelt by Yamcha, checked his condition, then stood.
"Yamcha is no longer able to continue. The winner is Tien Shinhan!"
"Medic! We need a stretcher!"
Puar dashed over.
"I'll take him!"
He transformed into a flying carpet and scooped Yamcha onto his back.
Goku watched, expression dark.
The leg was mangled—medical treatment wouldn't be enough.
He reached into his pack.
"Chi-Chi, stop squeezing."
"Oh—sorry!"
She'd been so angry she'd forgotten she was still holding his tail.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"No… it actually felt kind of nice…"
Chi-Chi flushed.
Goku handed Puar a Senzu Bean.
"Wake him up and feed him this. He'll be fine."
Puar nodded. Moments later, Yamcha sat up, good as new.
"Wha…? I'm healed?"
Puar clung to him, crying.
"You're okay! Thank goodness!"
The crowd applauded again, this time not just for the battle—but for the miracle.
To be continued…