"How would you know unless you fight?" Goku was brimming with excitement, itching to take on Cryos immediately. However, since his opponent seemed interested in playing along with this tournament, he decided to go along with it for now.
The preliminaries continued, with Goku and his companions effortlessly defeating all their opponents.
"Haah!" Chi-Chi executed a flying kick, knocking out her opponent with ease. Among the female fighters, her combat strength was quite impressive.
"Contestant 59 qualifies for the tournament!"
"What a surprise! That girl is actually pretty strong!" Krillin exclaimed in amazement.
"I can't believe it... That little girl from back then grew up to be so cute," Yamcha remarked, equally surprised. They had already recognized her the moment Goku called out her name.
At that moment, two rather large competitors stepped onto the stage. One was short and fat, with his face covered, while the other was an absolute mountain of flesh.
"You've got to be kidding me! Why are my opponents always giants?" The masked contestant looked at the massive figure in front of him and suddenly felt an immense pressure. This masked 'warrior' was none other than Yajirobe. In the earlier days of Dragon Ball, he had quite a bit of screen time.
"Kid, I'm gonna flatten you like a pancake!" The mountain-like fighter sneered, and as soon as the referee signaled the start of the match, he leaped into the air, aiming to crush Yajirobe beneath his enormous bulk.
"No way! You're seriously trying to squash me?!" Yajirobe panicked. There was no room to dodge—despite his opponent's massive size, his descent was surprisingly fast!
With no other options, Yajirobe leaped up and delivered a powerful punch… right to his opponent's crotch.
"AAAHHHH!!!" The mountainous fighter let out a scream before collapsing to the ground, twitching uncontrollably. Moments later, he passed out from the pain.
The referee counted to ten, but the fighter remained unconscious. Meanwhile, Yajirobe crawled out from under him, securing his victory.
"Alright, the preliminaries are officially over! Will all qualified contestants please come forward to draw lots for the matchups..."
"The long-anticipated 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament is about to begin! The matchups have been decided!"
Matchups:
Match 1: Mercenary Tao vs. Tien Shinhan
Match 2: Son Goku vs. Chi-Chi
Match 3: Krillin vs. Yajirobe
Match 4: Cryos vs. Yamcha
"No way! My opponent is that guy?!" Yamcha nearly fainted upon seeing his matchup.
"By the way, where's Taurus?" Goku asked in confusion. He had been expecting Taurus to qualify easily with his strength.
"Oh, Taurus?" Krillin scratched his bald head with a grin. "I saw him and the strategist following some very well-endowed woman. He didn't show up for his match, so he was disqualified!"
Goku shook his head helplessly. "That idiot... Oh well, maybe it's for the best. Who knows what kind of trouble he'd cause?"
After a short break, the World Martial Arts Tournament officially commenced!
"Goku, you have to win first place!" A group of girls, including angel, cheered him on with raised fists.
"Goku, if you don't win this tournament, you're not allowed in our room for a whole week!" Bulma and the other women threatened playfully.
"Relax, winning this is a piece of cake! I'll take out everyone!" Goku confidently grinned as he and his friends walked toward the arena. 'Including you, Cryos.' He added the Frost Demon's name in his thoughts.
Meanwhile, in the audience stands, the women found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer number of spectators.
"There are way too many people! We can't see a thing!"
"What should we do?" Saeko scanned the crowd.
Bulma, having anticipated this, pulled out a foxtail grass stalk and approached Launch. "Sorry, Launch!" She lightly brushed it against the blue-haired girl's nose.
"Aaachoo!" With a powerful sneeze, Blonde Launch made her dramatic entrance.
"We're counting on you, Launch!" Bulma smiled mischievously.
"Leave it to me!" Blonde Launch pulled out a capsule, retrieved two machine guns, and marched into the crowd, firing wildly into the air. "Outta the way! You wanna die?!"
"Apologies, everyone~" Bulma grinned as she clasped her hands together in a shamelessly innocent gesture.
"Isn't this a bit over the top?" Saeko and the other girls broke into a cold sweat at the sight of Blonde Launch's wild west behavior.
---
"Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is over! The 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament officially begins!"
A thunderous round of applause erupted from the audience.
"The first match features Mercenary Tao versus the previous tournament's champion, Tien Shinhan! Both contestants, please step onto the stage!"
"Good luck!" Krillin encouraged Tien.
Tien nodded. "Thanks."
Tao Pai Pai, however, smirked confidently. "Don't worry, I won't kill you—yet. I'll just leave you half-dead for now. After I win the championship, then I'll take my time dealing with you and Goku."
"Match 1, begin!"
Tao sneered at Tien. "Heh, are you prepared to lose?"
"I—"
"Perfect! Then let's get this over with!"
"Heh, traitor, you're dead!" Not far away, Master Shen grinned maliciously as he watched the match unfold.
"Hah!" Tao lunged forward with a powerful strike, aiming straight for Tien! However, Tien vanished in a blur, causing Tao's attack to miss entirely. The next moment, Tien reappeared behind him and chopped the back of his neck, sending him crashing onto the ground.
Master Shen's smug expression shattered into stunned disbelief. His jaw nearly hit the floor!
What happened next was the same as in the original story, Tao was no match for Tien. Desperate, he resorted to cheating, activating a hidden mechanical blade from his cybernetic arm and slashing Tien's chest! Enraged by this dishonorable act, Tien knocked Tao out with a single devastating punch.
---
"Now, onto the second match! Son Goku, last tournament's runner-up, will face off against Chi-Chi, a female fighter who proved her strength in the preliminaries!"
Unlike in the original timeline, Goku had already recognized Chi-Chi earlier, so she hadn't competed anonymously.
"Hmph!" Chi-Chi pouted, glaring at Goku.
"Why are you still mad?" Goku sighed. "I already told you I'd marry you!"
"You already have a wife! Why would you marry me too? I refuse to be some side-wife!" Chi-Chi huffed, still fuming.
In the audience, the women watched curiously.
"What are they whispering about? Do they know each other?"
"When did that idiot meet another cute girl?"
"Match 2, begin!"
Smack!
The moment the referee signaled the start, Chi-Chi launched a flying kick at Goku's face! Goku dodged swiftly, weaving through her relentless attacks. He was hesitant to strike back—after all, she was a girl, and more importantly, someone he had promised to marry.
"Can't we just sit down and talk about this?" Goku asked as he dodged her strikes.
"Talk?! You heartless jerk! You don't understand a woman's feelings at all! I've been waiting for you all this time!" Chi-Chi's anger only grew, and her attacks became even fiercer.
--
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