Training hard for so long should have felt miserable.
But under Roshi, they felt happy.
A month passed in a blink.
They grew stronger and their friendship deepened.
At last, tournament day arrived.
When they removed their shells, their power and speed leaped to a new level.
With Roshi leading them, they reached the tournament grounds.
Krillin, Goku, and Chi-Chi had never been here before.
The moment they arrived, the air was thick with martial spirit.
"Participants, please enter the preliminary hall for qualifiers!"
Seeing three kids, a staff member barked at them.
"Hey! Kids, this is a tournament hall. Go watch from outside!"
Roshi stepped forward calmly.
"No no. They're here to compete."
"What?!"
The staff stared, shocked.
Who lets kids fight in a national tournament?
Roshi nodded seriously. "They're competitors."
After registering, the three walked out happily.
Roshi said, "From here on, I won't accompany you. Do your best."
They bowed. "Yes, Master!"
Chi-Chi asked, "Master, you'll watch us in the stands, right?"
"I will. Fight well, and don't go too far."
"Yes!"
Roshi vanished from their sight.
But once they left the registration doors, Roshi returned wearing a disguise and head wrap.
"Contestant Jackie Chun, here to register."
The clerk squinted. "What's wrong this year?
Kids and now an old man?"
Roshi smiled politely. "So… can an old man register?"
"Y-yes, yes, yes…"
…
Inside the hall, they changed into Turtle School uniforms and entered the qualifier arena.
They stared wide-eyed at the towering fighters.
Some guys' arms were thicker than the kids' whole bodies.
Goku thought: if these giants trained under Roshi, maybe they'd be monsters too.
That made Turtle School feel even more insane.
A staff announcer raised his voice.
"The World Martial Arts Tournament begins!
138 fighters from all over the country have come to compete.
Eight will advance to the main bracket.
This will be a fierce battle!
Rules:
One-on-one matches on the ring.
Falling off, being knocked out for over ten seconds, or verbally surrendering counts as a loss.
No killing.
No weapons.
Prelim matches last one minute; if unresolved, referees decide.
Because there are many entrants, we have four divisions.
Each division yields two winners to form the final eight.
Now draw lots.
Check the bracket and go to your ring by number."
Chi-Chi looked at her slip.
"I'm number 23. What about you two?"
Goku: "I'm 70!"
Krillin: "93."
Chi-Chi scanned the bracket and pumped her fist.
"Great! None of us are in the same division."
Krillin laughed. "Even though Goku and I are in one division, our numbers aren't near each other. We shouldn't meet!"
Just then, the announcer called:
"Division One—contestants 22 and 23, to the ring!"
Chi-Chi blinked.
"Eh? That's me."
Goku and Krillin cheered her on.
"Chi-Chi, you've got this!"
She nodded. "Yeah!"
Chi-Chi stepped onto the ring.
She was a kid.
Her opponent wasn't just an adult—he was huge.
A mountain of a man, at least three meters tall.
Just one arm could swallow Chi-Chi whole.
The crowd gasped.
"Whoa!"
"That little kid's competing?!"
"This is a joke match!"
"The 22-guy has such an advantage!
A kid and a little girl—lucky bastard!"
The massive contestant looked down at Chi-Chi, conflicted.
"She's my opponent?
Beating a tiny kid isn't glorious…"
The referee called:
"One minute. Begin!"
Chi-Chi looked at him, scared.
From below, Goku shouted, "Chi-Chi! Go!"
Her body shook.
"Goku's cheering for me—I can't embarrass myself!"
She stomped and shot forward.
A headbutt slammed into the giant.
BAM!
The big man stumbled back, lost balance, and toppled straight off the ring.
A hush fell over the arena.
"What just happened?"
"He got beaten by a little girl! How humiliating!"
"He just lost his footing—bad luck!"
Krillin cheered.
"Nice! He fell off!"
Goku watched seriously.
"It wasn't that simple. We've trained hard—our strength is different now.
He hasn't gotten up yet. Hope he's okay."
Right then, the giant stood up.
Goku exhaled in relief.
"Krillin, Chi-Chi—later in prelims, control your strength.
If your opponent isn't strong, don't hit with full power."
Krillin nodded quickly. "Got it!"
Chi-Chi stared at her hands, amazed.
"So I'm this strong now…!"
At that moment, two bald men—one fat, one skinny—walked over.
They looked straight at Krillin.
"Hey, isn't that Krillin?"
"Looks like it really is you.
You're here at the tournament too, huh?"
The taller, thinner one patted Krillin's shiny head with a nasty grin.
"Heh. Long time no see, Krillin.
How've you been doing since you left Shaolin?"
Krillin looked up at them, face full of terror—like a flood of terrible memories hit him.
"B-Brother…?"