"This is getting ridiculous. Even an actual Supreme Kai is entering the tournament now…" Krillin rubbed his head. "My chances just got even worse."
"Let's go," Goku said.
The group headed into the preliminary venue together.
As soon as they entered, the referee waved to them from across the room.
"Everyone, all contestants are now present," the referee said with a smile. "We'll begin drawing lots to decide the matchups. When your name is called, please come forward and draw!"
Please, Kami, don't make me fight one of our own in the first round, Krillin prayed silently. Then he quickly added, And don't make me fight the Supreme Kai either!
"Isn't your god Dende?" Piccolo asked from the side.
Krillin did not want to talk.
Goku looked around at the contestants in the room.
He quickly noticed Yamu and Spopovich, both marked with an "M" on their foreheads.
There was something evil about them. It wasn't just their aura. Even their eyes felt wrong.
Who are those two?
Then Goku looked at Mighty Mask.
Why does that guy's body look so weird?
The sixteen finalists for this year's World Martial Arts Tournament were Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Kale, Piccolo, Android 21, Android 16, Krillin, Shin, Kibito, Videl, Mr. Satan, Mighty Mask, Spopovich, Yamu, and Jewel.
The draw began.
Goku and the others came forward one by one and picked their numbers.
A staff member wrote each fighter's name and number on a large whiteboard, and soon the matchups were set.
Match 1: Krillin vs. Yamu
Match 2: Shin vs. Ma Junior
Match 3: Videl vs. Spopovich
Match 4: Kibito vs. Great Saiyaman
Match 5: Android 21 vs. Mr. Satan
Match 6: Goku vs. Vegeta
Match 7: Mighty Mask vs. Kale
Match 8: Android 16 vs. Jewel
"Huh? I'm fighting that guy?" Krillin lit up with relief and looked over at Yamu, scratching his cheek. "He's weird, though. His aura feels pretty nasty."
"Krillin, don't let your guard down. Something's off about him," Goku warned.
"I know, I know. He doesn't look like much," Krillin said with a grin, not too worried.
Yamu looked at Krillin without saying a word.
"Android 21, you got lucky. You're fighting Mr. Satan," Krillin said, turning to her with a smile.
"Who?" Android 21 asked. She did not know much about Mr. Satan.
"But Goku, your opponent…" Krillin clicked his tongue.
I actually called it.
Goku really drew Vegeta.
"Vegeta…" Goku smiled at him.
Vegeta looked even more thrilled.
Kakarot, I've been waiting for this.
This time, I'm grinding you into the dirt.
"Hey, Goten, our dads are fighting each other," Trunks said. "Who do you think will win?"
"My dad, obviously," Goten said.
"Idiot. My dad is definitely winning. Your dad is only going to be a Supreme Kai. A Supreme Kai is weaker than a God of Destruction. Don't you know that?" Trunks huffed.
"If a Supreme Kai trains hard enough, he can surpass a God of Destruction someday," Goten shot back.
"Will you two stop arguing?" Zarek snapped. "Look at who we're fighting first."
Goten and Trunks immediately looked at their opponent.
When they saw Kale's name, both of them started trembling.
"This is bad," Trunks groaned. "Maybe I should just drop out."
"Useless. There are three of us. Are you telling me we can't beat a Legendary Super Saiyan?" Zarek snorted.
"Zarek, Kale-nee beats you up all the time, and you don't even dare talk back," Goten said.
"Shut up! This time, we're beating her no matter what," Zarek said through his teeth.
"And that settles the match order!" the referee announced. "The tournament will begin shortly. I'll take everyone to the waiting room now!"
The contestants followed the referee toward the waiting room.
"I'm sure everyone already knows the rules, but I'll go over them again," the referee said. "You lose if you surrender, stay down for ten seconds, fall out of the ring, or kill your opponent. Since we have several matches today, each match has a thirty-minute time limit. If there's no winner after thirty minutes, the referee will decide the result."
"There's a time limit?" Krillin said, surprised.
That guy shouldn't take long anyway.
"Videl, are you doing okay?" Gohan asked.
"Gohan, Kale, we all ended up entering after all," Videl said with a smile.
"Let's do our best," Gohan said with a laugh.
"Good luck, Videl," Kale said with a small smile.
"Yeah, all of us," Videl said, nodding.
The referee stepped into the ring and raised his microphone.
"Sorry for the wait, everyone! The World Martial Arts Tournament is about to begin!"
The crowd burst into applause.
Then, suddenly, the wind picked up.
Dark clouds rolled in, covering the sky. In the blink of an eye, the whole world seemed to dim, as if the heavens themselves were mourning.
"What's going on?"
"Is it going to rain?"
"Wasn't the weather supposed to be clear today?"
Goku and the others looked up, their faces turning heavy.
"Goku… my chest hurts," Krillin said quietly.
"I feel it too," Goku said, his voice low.
"Damn it…" Vegeta's tears fell before he could stop them.
"A supreme god has fallen…" Piccolo said, tears streaming down his face.
"It feels like my childhood is gone…" Gohan wiped his eyes.
"Gohan…" Kale was crying hard.
Everyone looked up at the sky.
The world had gone dim, as if it had lost someone close to its heart.
That moment lasted for a long, long time.
Everyone in the Dragon Ball world fell silent.
Ken, Zeno-sama, the Grand Priest, the Angels, the Gods of Destruction, and the Supreme Kais all bowed toward the sky, honoring the great god who had passed.
The wind changed. The universe darkened. Every planet seemed to mourn.
…
Akira Toriyama: "I only went to the God of Destruction's Planet to watch Goku and Vegeta train. You don't need to use the Dragon Balls to bring me back. Move well, study well, play well, eat well, rest well, and live a happy, fun, energetic life. The Turtle School will always be with you."
Farewell, Toriyama.
A tribute to the youth we lost.
…
"The sixteen fighters who made it through the preliminaries will now compete in the following order," the referee continued.
Two staff members carried out the whiteboard with the match list and turned it toward the audience.
"Some of the spectators farther back may not be able to read the names, so I'll announce them," the referee said. "The first match will be Krillin versus Yamu. The second match…"
The referee read through the list.
"Whoa, Goku is fighting Vegeta?" Yamcha said in surprise.
Bulma and the others looked a little surprised too.
"Bulma, when is Ken coming back?" Gine asked.
"He said he already started heading back. I don't know when he'll arrive," Bulma said.
"Is Bardock coming back too?" Gine asked.
"Yeah," Bulma said with a nod.
"Has it been a long time since you were with a man?" Oolong asked with a grin.
Gine blushed and had no idea how to answer.
Bang!
Bulma punched Oolong to the ground.
"Are you seriously joking about her?" Bulma snapped. "That's Goku's mother. Her husband is a God of Destruction!"
"I was just joking to lighten the mood!" Oolong clutched his head, tears welling from the pain.
"That's the full match list," the referee announced. "Who will rise to the top? We're short on time, so the first match begins now! Krillin versus Yamu!"
Krillin and Yamu walked toward the ring.
"Krillin competed in the World Martial Arts Tournament when he was young and earned excellent results. After many years away, he has returned to this stage," the referee said, introducing the fighters. "His opponent, Yamu, was defeated in the first round of the previous tournament. This time, he has changed his look and returned to challenge his opponent again!"
The two fighters stepped into the ring and faced each other.
Neither of them spoke.
Krillin, however, had a faint look of confidence in his eyes.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
"Come on," Krillin said, beckoning Yamu forward.
Yamu's face barely changed, though his eyes looked fierce.
Without hesitation, he rushed straight at Krillin.
Krillin watched him charge in, then punched him in the stomach.
"Guh…"
Yamu spat out a mouthful of bile, slid backward, and fell to the ground.
"That's it?" Krillin said with a smile.
Then something surprising happened.
Yamu pushed himself up from the ground and glared at Krillin through gritted teeth.
Krillin raised an eyebrow.
A normal person took one of my punches and still got up?
He can take a hit.
Krillin did not think too much about it. He kept his easy smile and said, "You're not going to beat me. Just give up."
Yamu said nothing and charged at him again.
This time, Yamu attacked with everything he had, throwing punches and kicks in a rush.
Krillin blocked them all with ease.
Then he kicked Yamu hard, sending him flying backward until he landed on the floor again.
"As expected of Krillin! Yamu has been knocked down again!" the referee announced.
"Can you still stand?" Krillin asked with a smile. "That kick should hurt. A normal person would need at least a month to recover after taking that."
But as soon as Krillin finished speaking, Yamu gritted his teeth and stood up again.
Krillin stared.
This guy isn't normal, is he?
"Yamu is back on his feet! Incredible!" the referee shouted, sounding shocked.
Goku frowned slightly.
Something's wrong.
Yamu rushed at Krillin again without fear.
"You really don't know when to quit. Fine, I'll put a little more into it this time." Krillin snorted, and his aura suddenly surged.
Bang!
Krillin kicked Yamu hard in the chest.
Yamu coughed up blood and flew out of the ring, crashing to the ground as his whole body twitched.
A moment later, his head rolled to the side, and he passed out.
"Out of the ring! Krillin wins!" the referee announced.
The crowd broke into loud applause.
Krillin raised his fist with a smile and walked down from the ring.
But as he passed Yamu, he noticed Yamu's hand twitch. Then Yamu's closed eyes suddenly opened.
Krillin jumped.
What the hell?
He took that hit and still opened his eyes?
What is this guy?
"Raaagh!"
Yamu suddenly scrambled up and charged at Krillin, arms flailing.
Krillin stared at him.
"Yamu, you've already been eliminated! The match is over!" the referee shouted, startled.
Krillin hopped lightly out of the way, avoided Yamu's punch, and chopped him on the back of the neck.
"Are you done yet?" Krillin said.
Yamu face-planted into the ground and lay there, dazed.
"You still want to fight?" Krillin asked coldly.
Yamu's head drooped to the side. This time, he finally passed out for real.
"I was starting to think you couldn't go down," Krillin said, letting out a small breath before walking away.
Several staff members came over and carried Yamu out.
Krillin returned to the waiting room.
"Krillin, that guy wasn't normal. Are you okay?" Goku asked.
"I'm fine. He was just a normal guy…" Krillin smiled and waved it off, then added, "Well, a really tough normal guy."
"As long as you're okay," Goku said, relieved.
"Now let's move on to the second match!" the referee announced with his usual smile. "Shin versus Ma Junior!"
"So it's him," Shin said, smiling.
"Piccolo," Goku said, stepping up to him. "Ken told me you're going to become a Supreme Kai in the future too, so do your best."
"Hmph. I haven't been wasting these past seven years, Goku," Piccolo said with a smile. "If I'm going to become a Supreme Kai someday, of course I've been training."
"That's what I wanted to hear." Goku smiled and nodded.
Shin froze.
Now there's another future Supreme Kai?
"You people are ridiculous! Who said he's a future Supreme Kai too? Was it that Ken again?" Kibito snapped, unable to hold back.
Goku smiled and ignored him.
A moment later, Piccolo and Shin walked toward the ring.
"Shin is entering the World Martial Arts Tournament for the first time," the referee said. "His opponent, Ma Junior, once reached the finals of this tournament and left a strong impression on me even after all these years!"
Then the referee lowered the microphone and leaned toward Piccolo.
"Please don't destroy the arena again."
Piccolo ignored him and calmly stepped into the ring.
Shin and Piccolo faced each other.
Piccolo took a deep breath.
I'm going to become a Supreme Kai too. There's nothing to fear.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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