Chapter 107: The Finals – Dragging It Out Infinitely
"Hey, you there—you're not allowed to just... give reminders!" The referee choked on his words under Lin Qi's piercing gaze.
"Remind about what? A move? A tactic? Did I break the rules?" Lin Qi shrugged innocently and asked back.
"Well... technically not... but... still..."
Before the referee could finish his hesitant reply, Krillin threw his head back and let out a 'tremendous' roar of energy from the ring.
"Now that's a bit interesting." Piccolo muttered grimly, looking down at Krillin, who barely reached his waist.
That intimidating aura from before—who did it come from?
Piccolo mulled it over. As his eyes landed back on Krillin, his gaze changed. He thought he was being kindly helpful, but the way he looked was actually terrifying and sinister.
"Your basics are solid, kid. But you're lacking edge. You've got to dare to go on the offensive!"
Hearing Piccolo's taunt and sarcasm, Krillin clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth. This time, he decided to take the initiative and charged at Piccolo with a punch.
Their fists collided. Piccolo immediately followed up with another punch, but Krillin's reaction wasn't bad either—he raised an elbow to block it just in time.
Piccolo raised an eyebrow, giving an honest compliment. "Not bad—your defense is solid."
He figured this bald kid must've had guidance from some master. Probably the same one who had released that mysterious and unfathomable aura earlier.
Otherwise, purely in terms of physical technique, even Piccolo had to admit Krillin was more solidly grounded than himself.
Of course, Piccolo failed to consider the vast difference in training time between the two.
When Krillin was eventually knocked out of the ring, Piccolo chose not to pursue it further. He was still wary of the aura from that mysterious person earlier...
Next up was the final match of the round: "Immortal" vs. Yamcha. Needless to say, that "Immortal" was clearly someone in disguise.
If Yamcha doesn't become the background prop, who will?
After a short break, it was time for the semifinals!
Tien vs. Son Goku—the champion and runner-up of the previous tournament were about to clash again.
"This is the match the whole world has been waiting for—Tien vs. Son Goku!" The referee, naturally the one doing all the loud commentary, was beside himself with excitement. "Surely there's no one who doesn't know this, right?"
"These two aren't just last tournament's champ and runner-up—they're also the only two heroes who've stood alone against the Great Demon King!"
"Their battle promises to be nothing short of spectacular—let's see who comes out on top!"
The audience roared with applause and cheers.
Goku and Tien stepped onto the ring. After respectfully saluting each other, they got into their fighting stances.
Tien grinned with excitement. "No need to feel each other out—we both know exactly what the other is capable of!"
"Alright, let's start with some good old hand-to-hand!" Goku flashed a wide grin and eagerly agreed.
The two launched themselves forward, clashing at the center of the arena in the blink of an eye.
Their fierce melee was dazzling—at least to the few who could actually follow it. To the average spectator, it was just a blur.
They couldn't even see the punches and kicks, but the crowd's enthusiasm only grew louder. There was something strangely satisfying about watching something they couldn't fully see—just barely catching glimpses and filling in the rest with their imagination.
Compared to regular, visible exchanges of blows, this invisible high-speed battle was surprisingly fresh and thrilling for the audience.
Still, not everyone was enjoying it—like the poor referee below the stage.
He still had to do commentary...
So who did he go to for help? Not Krillin. Not Yamcha. Nope—he walked straight over to the guy sitting front-row center in the audience: Lin Qi.
Lin Qi thought this guy was amusing. Of all the people he could've asked, he came to him?
So Lin Qi humored him with a bit of commentary. "They're evenly matched."
"Tien's style is more brute-force—very manly. He rarely dodges. Most of the time, he just charges Goku head-on."
"When he attacks, it's always with full force, even if it means taking a hit."
"Goku, on the other hand, is more composed. He doesn't avoid direct clashes on purpose, but he does dodge noticeably more than Tien."
After this little analysis, Lin Qi added with a smirk, "But honestly, the way these two are fighting—it's kinda sloppy."
Right on cue, the two fighters jumped apart, each retreating to a corner of the ring.
"Ah... clearly, they've realized that pure hand-to-hand won't settle this!"
The referee beside him nodded furiously. "If they only used melee, how long would it take to decide a winner?"
"At this rate, they'll still be fighting when night falls," Lin Qi quipped as he glanced up at the sun—it was only noon.
Back on the stage, both fighters were sweating. They started complimenting each other.
"You're really something, Goku. Great stamina!" Tien said, panting slightly, though his face was filled with excitement.
"Heh heh, don't flatter me. Your moves burn more energy than mine do!" Goku replied cheerfully. He wasn't even out of breath—just sweating a bit.
After that round of mutual praise, Tien pulled out his trump card—Four Witches Technique!
At that moment, the referee snatched the mic from Lin Qi's hand and shouted, "Tien has split into four! How did he do that?!"
Lin Qi shrugged. Who knew? Not like he could do it himself, even at his current strength.
If you had to explain it, it was just four simple words: "plot convenience."
Looking back now, Toriyama really did have a thing for foreign (alien) characters...
Take the Saiyans, Namekians, and Tien's Three-Eyed race...
Though the move was novel, it wasn't particularly effective. Probably an issue with Tien's strategy.
Would've been much better to close in on Goku—have three of his clones block all escape routes, and the last one seal the top.
No need to show off some energy beam from the third eye!
Splitting your power into four parts? That's just lame. Way better to attack directly!
Lin Qi quickly lost interest. In the end, the fight was ridiculously long-winded and underwhelming. Goku barely managed to scrape out a win.
Then came the second match: Piccolo vs. Kami.
It was basically the same as in the original version. Watching it felt like replaying the anime—pure nostalgia.
After another intermission, it was time for the final showdown: the championship match, Goku vs. Piccolo—an epic clash of destiny?
When Piccolo stepped onto the ring, he actually looked a bit dazed. Maybe he was wondering what he'd do with himself after defeating Goku.
As for their fight?
Compared to Tien's match, it was even more underwhelming.
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