"Fourth match! Yamcha versus Chiaotzu!"
With the referee's call, the two fighters stepped onto the ring and faced off.
Their powers were well matched, and what followed was an intense and exciting duel.
Dodōn Ray, Solar Flare, Spirit Ball—
One flashy move after another.
The battlefield became a canvas of dazzling techniques, drawing thunderous cheers from the crowd.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Piccolo sat frozen in place.
The descendant of King Piccolo, he had inherited his father's powers.
He'd trained for three years, surpassed his father's strength by a long shot...
And yet he'd fled the stage. Lost.
To someone who wasn't even the champion.
Forget revenge—
He hadn't even made it to the finals.
He was spiraling into a full-blown identity crisis.
Then, a woman with blue hair stepped in front of him.
Bulma.
Piccolo frowned. Then scowled.
"You're blocking my view. Trying to die?"
His words were sharp and cold, but Bulma didn't flinch.
Instead, she smiled.
"Piccolo, you couldn't even make the finals, and you think you're going to conquer the world?"
Piccolo stiffened. A drop of cold sweat slid down his temple.
She knew who he was?
And she still dared stand in front of him?
A human...
Completely unafraid of the name Piccolo the Demon King—
The very name that once made children cry and adults tremble after dark.
How far his legacy had fallen.
It was humiliating.
Before he could sink further into brooding, Bulma pointed toward the display listing the tournament's Top 8.
"See that?"
Piccolo glanced over, then looked back at her.
"What about it?"
"I know all of them. Except you and that masked guy," she said.
"I've watched them grow stronger. I know exactly how they got that way."
She pulled out a Capsule from her pocket.
"If you really want to conquer the world, you'll need to surpass Krillin, Chi-Chi, Goku, and every other fighter on this planet.
You're smart. You already know—
Strength is everything.
No schemes, no cunning will get you far without power."
Bulma held out the capsule.
"It contains footage—years of training sessions.
Goku, Chi-Chi, and Krillin, from various stages of their growth.
With these as reference, maybe you'll become even stronger than them."
She offered it without conditions.
Piccolo blinked, caught completely off guard.
What was her angle?
After a pause, he chuckled darkly and pinched the capsule between two fingers.
"So... you're giving me this because you want to pledge loyalty once I conquer the world?"
Bulma gave a slight shrug.
"Hey, could be a good investment.
For me, it's a win either way."
"But," she added, expression sharpening,
"don't get cocky.
Even if you reach the level in those recordings, it won't be enough.
In a few days, they're heading off for special training—with guidance from higher powers.
They're only going to keep getting stronger."
"You're over ten years behind them.
If you don't improve faster than they do, your dream of world domination will remain exactly that—a dream."
Piccolo narrowed his eyes.
"It won't take long.
Sooner or later, I'll defeat them all… and the world will be mine again."
With that, he turned and flew off into the sky.
Bulma watched him go, thoughtful.
'This isn't quite what Goku did in the other timeline…
But maybe he won't go off the rails.'
Just then, a man in uniform stepped up beside her—
But it wasn't just anyone.
Kami, inhabiting the body of a human host.
"If you're all leaving Earth… are you certain he won't become a threat?"
Bulma gave him a sidelong glance.
"Oh please.
They're going to train—not to die.
If Piccolo tries anything, just call one of them back. One's enough to flatten him."
Kami frowned.
"You may be right, but… just in case, I know of a sealing technique humans once developed.
It's called the Evil Containment Wave..."
Bulma waved a hand.
"Relax. Piccolo Junior isn't the same as the original Demon King."
"The original was just the embodiment of evil.
But this one—he's a person.
He entered this tournament to challenge Goku. That means something."
"And besides," she added, "he hasn't killed a single person since he was born. Right?"
Kami paused.
Indeed, ever since King Piccolo had birthed the egg, he'd watched the child from afar.
He'd inherited the Demon King's obsessions—vengeance, world conquest…
But his thoughts and behaviors were clearly his own.
Like any child, he resembled his parent, but he was not the same.
As Kami drifted in thought, Bulma interrupted again.
"Maybe someday… you two will actually get along."
Kami stared at her, stunned.
After a long silence, he asked,
"Bulma. You're very wise.
Would you consider becoming… Earth's Guardian?"
Bulma nearly choked.
"Me?! A Kami?!
Don't be ridiculous!"
Before the conversation could go any further, the crowd erupted into cheers.
Chiaotzu had narrowly defeated Yamcha, advancing to the semifinals.
"Now, finalists, please prepare!"
"Next match—Chi-Chi versus Son Goku!"
Both stepped onto the arena.
Bulma blinked as she looked up at them. Something about the way they glanced at each other…
Her cheeks flushed slightly.
'Wait a sec…
How many times have those two kissed already?
Why does Goku hug me like he's done it a thousand times before?'
Her thoughts drifted.
In a few days, Goku and the others would head to King Kai's Planet for training.
The Lookout was still on Earth—just a bit higher up. She could visit.
But King Kai's Planet had ten times Earth's gravity.
Bulma could barely handle double.
This goodbye might last a while.
She pinched her thigh.
'Dammit. There's still so much time before the Saiyans arrive.
Why am I sending him away so early?
We could've lived peacefully here for two more years.'
She felt like she'd hoisted a stone only to drop it on her own foot.
'I was too eager. Too impatient.
We could've had a baby. A Saiyan child—one with way more potential than a human...'
Still, she tried to reassure herself.
'Goku learned Spirit Bomb and Kaioken in just one year last time.
He's already stronger now than he was back then.
Maybe he'll be back in a few days.'
Her spirits lifted.
'I should hurry and build a large Gravity Training Room.
Once he's back, they can train at home instead.'
It'd need to be spacious enough for all three of them to spar and fight inside.
Suddenly, she had another idea.
'Gravity bracelets... Earth doesn't have the materials.
Maybe I can wish for them with the Dragon Balls.
Or at least wish for the raw materials to make them myself!'
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Meanwhile, Chi-Chi and Goku's match concluded.
Goku—having lost interest in becoming champion—intentionally threw the match.
Chi-Chi had no desire to win either.
In the finals, she lost to Krillin without a fight.
And thus, Krillin won the World Martial Arts Tournament for the second time in a row.
But the days that followed were far from peaceful.
The media swarmed Krillin.
He'd hoped to quietly marry Snow and go on vacation.
Instead, sponsors and fan meetings flooded his schedule.
Krillin was annoyed—
But Snow seemed to enjoy the spotlight.
She dressed up and accompanied him everywhere as his beautiful, beloved wife.
After all the events, though, Krillin remembered something important:
He still needed to grow... five centimeters taller.