The passersby on the streets all cast sidelong glances at the speeding vehicle, especially the black ape slumped in the back…
"Is that a chimpanzee or some kind of animal-person."
Someone took a photo and complained online.
"Goku's the third match. I wonder if he'll be late. Could he have already been disqualified?"
Tights kept her foot on the accelerator. The Martial Arts Temple was already within sight, and they could faintly hear the clamor of the crowd.
"That wouldn't be good," Ape Goku said from the back seat, worried but mostly nonchalant.
"No," Yamiru said, standing on the car seat and using his fiery golden eyes to look towards the open-air arena within the venue. Beyond the dense crowd of human auras, he saw two auras of similar strength fighting on a high, invisible platform. Not far from them, at a lower position, was another ordinary human aura, probably the referee.
Yamiru smiled. "The monk from Orin Temple isn't bad. To stall until Goku returns, he's actually managed to drag out his match with Tien Shinhan until now."
"That's right, Master Roshi seemed to be muttering something like that earlier."
"But he's almost at his limit. Giving up the advantage of his power and deliberately stalling is bound to waste a lot of stamina. The high monk has given up his own advancement."
Yamiru could clearly see Fourteenth's intentions with his fiery golden eyes.
"Goku, hurry up. Don't let Master Fourteen's efforts be in vain." Yamiru gently patted Ape Goku's hairy back and winked encouragingly. "Defeat Jaco! Let that arrogant elite see the martial arts of Earth, the martial arts of the Turtle School from Mount Paozu."
"Okay!" Ape Goku got out of the car and sprinted towards the venue. He looked back and saw Yamiru giving him a thumbs-up. He grinned. "My body is getting more and more used to this."
With that, he jumped from the spot. The entire ape, no, the entire ape-form, shot into the sky like a missile.
Meanwhile, at the competition venue.
Fourteenth was, after all, old. Even though his raw power was higher than Tien Shinhan's, his stamina and recovery ability couldn't compare to a young man's.
Tien Shinhan wasn't having an easy time either, not just physically but mentally as well.
"Why aren't you continuing?" Tien Shinhan said, panting heavily, with a sneer. "Going to keep acting high and mighty? Weren't you going to give me some guidance? What's wrong, old man, can't do it anymore?"
Fourteenth sighed slightly and said, "Young man, the quills on a hedgehog may protect it, but they also prevent others from getting close. Stop using cold words and actions to reject the goodwill of others. I've said all I need to say. After this… it will be your match with Yamiru. If he can return in time."
After speaking, Fourteenth reached the edge of the ring. With a light jump, he landed on the ground outside the ring.
"..." Tien Shinhan clenched his fists tightly on the ring, not saying a word.
Why, why would an old monk go to such lengths for that Goku, that Yamiru, even sacrificing his own advancement to stall for time and exhaust my stamina? Tien Shinhan didn't understand, didn't want to understand.
At this moment, the referee announced that Fourteenth had fallen out of the ring and that Tien Shinhan had advanced.
Because there had already been a significant delay, the referee immediately announced the start of the next match.
Jaco, who had been bored and spacing out with Master Roshi, Dr. Omori, and Bulma, upon hearing this, immediately jumped onto the ring, striking his signature Galactic Patrol Jaco pose upon landing. Unfortunately, these ignorant Earthlings didn't appreciate it and all responded with a cold face.
"Tch," Jaco said, crossing his arms and looking at the host.
The referee wiped his sweat and spoke into the microphone:
The audience was becoming impatient, and the referee had no choice but to repeatedly shorten the waiting time.
Managing the World Martial Arts Tournament was difficult! The Martial Arts Temple was aloof and conservative, enduring public pressure, pressure from professional fighting leagues, insisting on refusing commercial investment and operations, refusing alliances, and refusing to restrict the registration qualifications of participants… The referee also didn't dare offend the audience who had graced the venue with their presence.
Time ticked by…
The temperature rose. In the boring wait, the crowded audience displayed a noisy silence. A dull and fragmented murmur filled the air, but no specific content could be discerned, which was extremely irritating. The referee timed on the stage, wiping his sweat non-stop, turning off the microphone to ask Jaco if he wanted some water to quench his thirst.
Jaco didn't answer and suddenly looked up at the sky above the audience area.
"He's here!" Master Roshi's sunglasses flashed.
Bulma and Dr. Omori looked up and saw a black figure trailing a tail, streaking across the blinding sunlight, gliding over everyone's heads like flying. This figure was so dashing that it seemed to evoke the roar of a jet taking off. Everyone was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that the protagonist had returned, and the crowd erupted.
"He's finally back!"
"Not bad, monkey kid!"
"Beat that salted egg kid on the stage! Go for it!"
Ape Goku thumped onto the ring, cracks appearing on the ground beneath his bare ape feet. The enormous momentum and the imposing aura emanating from his powerful physique made the blond, sunglass-wearing referee feel a little suffocated.
"Not bad, you made it back just in time!" Jaco said with his arms crossed, smiling. He looked at the ape Goku in front of him; this was the first time he had seen him with his own eyes.
"Hehe," Ape Goku also smiled. This Saiyan was clearly full of fighting spirit. "Jaco, you're really strong! I definitely wouldn't have had a chance against you before, but now it's not so certain."
"Hmph, Saiyans are always so boastful."
Jaco unfolded his arms, preparing to fight. It was said that only royal Saiyans could maintain their rationality after transforming into Ozaru, and when Goku first landed on Earth a few years ago, he was indeed like an ordinary low-class warrior, going berserk after transforming. Unexpectedly, what Tights said about the Dragon Balls really worked, fixing the flaw of the low-class warriors.
"Ten times the fighting power." the Galactic Patrolman calculated in his mind.
The blond referee announced loudly with great enthusiasm.
The audience cheered.
"Goku! Go for it—!" Tights squeezed to the front of the crowd. "Give Jaco a good beating!"
Jaco on the stage was speechless. Weren't we supposed to be friends who knew each other first?!
Master Roshi looked at the returning Tights. "You're finally back. What about Yamiru? What happened with Master Shen and Tao Pai Pai?"
Yamiru, carrying some food, also squeezed over, chewing and saying vaguely, "Tao Pai Pai was fed to the sharks by me. Master Shen couldn't beat the transformed Goku, and after sensing Tao Pai Pai's death, he used his flight technique and ran away." Bulma, who was sitting on the railing next to them, asked curiously, "That three-eyed guy seems to be Master Shen's student, right? Their clothes are similar. Did he just leave his student here and not care?"
"Maybe," Yamiru replied. He remembered that in the manga, after Master Shen was blasted away by Master Roshi's Kamehameha at the tournament, he never returned to find Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu. Perhaps disciples were truly dispensable to him; once lost, they were lost.
"…" Master Roshi cursed under his breath. "That guy has been acting willfully since our master passed away, always self-indulgent, free and unrestrained. He's really infuriating."
"Are you okay? How's your stamina?" Tights handed Yamiru a bottle of water. "Why don't you rest for a while? I'll call you when it's your match."
"Mm," Yamiru drank the water and nodded.
His next opponent was Tien Shinhan.
Assuming Yamiru won against Tien Shinhan, then regardless of who won between Ape Goku and Jaco, they would be incredibly formidable opponents in the finals. Yamiru needed to recover as much stamina as possible.
---
Jaco (mildly poisoned): 886
Son Goku: 777
Sato Yamiru (very tired): 42
Tien Shinhan (tired): 30