Seeing Raditz's fierce expression, the blond-mustached referee was genuinely startled.
"Contestant Raditz, y-you've already fallen out of the ring. According to the tournament rules, that means contestant Son Goku is the winner."
The referee might not look like much, but everyone present had witnessed how fierce Raditz was in the ring just now. The mere thought of getting kicked by such a monster made the mustached referee shudder. He hurriedly explained, hoping to calm Raditz down. He had already lost—no need to go berserk over it.
"Hmph!" Raditz snorted, releasing two streams of hot air from his nostrils as he forcibly suppressed his mounting frustration. "You're right!"
What else could he do? His father was watching from behind. The moment Raditz even considered raising a hand against the mustached referee, his old man would make him experience firsthand what it meant to "relearn Saiyan discipline" the hard way. If Bardock were still the same father Raditz had always known, he might have been bold enough to push back. But now? Golden hair, emerald eyes—Super Saiyan! Just looking at him was enough to make Raditz's liver tremble.
And so, Raditz exited the tournament in the quarterfinals, carried off to the spectator stands by Bardock.
"Some people keep claiming that Earth's martial arts tournaments are beneath them, but look at the results!" Bulma wasn't going to be polite to Raditz. The day Bardock had summoned this guy to Earth using the Dragon Balls, her courtyard had been turned into a disaster zone. What was that all about? Naturally, she had to take the chance to rub salt in the wound. "Who would've thought you'd get eliminated in the first round? Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Raditz was absolutely fuming! But what could he do?
No matter how weak Bulma was, he couldn't lay a finger on her.
Not that Bulma was afraid of him, anyway. If Raditz ever did something stupid, all she had to do was make a quick call to Penguin Village.
A certain friend of hers—who loved poking poop with a stick—would probably be more than happy to beat up a bad guy. And in that case, forget Raditz—even Bardock himself wouldn't be able to withstand it. Yamiru had, on more than one occasion, hinted to Tights about Arale's true origins, and Tights had, in turn, shared a little with her younger sister. Not that Bulma was the type to go blabbing about it.
While the stands were lively, the victorious Son Goku had already retreated backstage.
After exchanging a quick fist bump with Yamiru, he sat down to watch the next match and recover. Fighting Raditz had taken a toll on both his stamina and energy.
The next match, the last quarterfinal bout, was about to begin: Chi-Chi vs. Yamcha.
Yamcha stepped onto the stage, standing across from the young girl. The blond-mustached referee stood between them as Yamcha assumed his signature Wolf Fang Fist stance—his presence was certainly impressive.
"Go for it, Yamcha!" From the front row of the audience, a blue flying cat, Puar, cheered loudly for his master.
"Chi-Chi, show them what you've got!" Gine also called out from the stands.
On the other side, Chi-Chi looked a little nervous.
Making it through the preliminaries—where over a hundred contestants had fought for a spot in the main event—was already beyond her own expectations.
"P-please take care of me," Chi-Chi said softly, raising her hands into a fighting stance.
However, it wasn't the standard Turtle School stance but a rather generic and unremarkable one. After all, Gine had never formally studied any Earth martial arts schools. As for Korin… could Korin even be considered a martial arts school? His teachings were purely about martial fundamentals, with no emphasis on external forms.
Chi-Chi was undeniably adorable, and the sight of such a cute girl on the tournament stage made the audience's hearts melt.
Behind the Martial Arts Pavilion, Krillin gritted his teeth. "Damn it! That bastard Yamcha wouldn't dare hurt such an adorable girl, would he?"
He turned to look at the others—Yamiru, Son Goku, Tien Shinhan—and even glanced toward the spectator stands where Bardock, Raditz, and Gine were seated. Every single one of them, without exception, showed no concern at all.
So cold-hearted! The little bald monk muttered to himself.
Yamcha, on the other hand, was secretly relieved. Thankfully, his "old problem" only triggered when facing women his own age. If he made direct eye contact or spoke to them, he'd freeze up and become completely useless. But Chi-Chi? She was far too young and cute for his brain to even register her as a "woman." If his affliction acted up now, he'd find himself unbearable.
The match began!
At the sound of the mustached referee's command, he quickly scurried to the side, microphone in hand, ready to narrate the action.
At first, he assumed this fight would end just like the previous ones—with an overwhelming blow finishing things instantly. After all, the little girl on one side looked so fragile that spectators worried she might trip and fall over before even throwing a punch.
Bulma vs. Yamcha
But Chi-Chi's display of strength surprised many, including her opponent, Yamcha.
As soon as the match began, Yamcha rushed in, intending to finish the little girl with a single blow. He wanted to conserve as much energy as possible for the next match against the ferocious Goku. However, to his shock, the girl blocked his attack head-on.
How could such a small girl have such strength? Yamcha was dumbfounded.
"Hah, Chi-Chi is still the Ox-King's daughter, after all," Yamiru chuckled from behind the Martial Arts banner. "If you judge her by her size alone, you're in for a rude awakening."
Goku grinned. He had never fought the Ox-King himself, but he had seen his enormous frame, clearly a man blessed with natural strength. While the Ox-King hadn't made much of a name for himself, his daughter had undoubtedly inherited some of that power. And with the added guidance from Goku's own mother, Gine, there was no way Chi-Chi was just some frail little girl.
Yamcha had underestimated her and suffered for it.
He cursed inwardly. During the preliminaries, he had focused too much on watching Tien, Goku, and Yamiru, barely paying attention to Krillin—let alone Chi-Chi. Now, caught off guard, he was wide open as Chi-Chi seized the opportunity to counterattack, leaving him in a disheveled state.
"Come on, Master Yamcha!" Puar cheered loudly.
However, the Desert Wolf was no amateur. His combat experience far outstripped Chi-Chi's, and he quickly regained control of the fight.
Being careless at the start had cost him, but now that he was accustomed to Chi-Chi's strength, Yamcha used his larger physique and superior raw power to gradually reclaim the upper hand.
Chi-Chi started to panic, leaping backward in an attempt to regroup.
"Wolf… Fang…"
In that split second, Yamcha had already begun his technique.
Chi-Chi had no idea when he had started charging it, but by the time she realized, his attack was already coming at full force.
She instinctively reached for her head—only to grasp at air.
Only then did she remember that her bladed helmet had long since been taken away by her master, Gine. Not to mention, the tournament prohibited the use of external weapons.
As Yamcha was about to unleash his signature move, Puar beamed with excitement. "Yamcha is definitely going to win!"
Standing nearby, Bulma narrowed her eyes at the floating blue cat. Oh? You think you're the only one who can cheer?
"…Fang Fist!"
Yamcha, fully charged, lunged forward like a lone wolf in the desert, his aura forming the phantom image of a snarling beast.
"Go, Chi-Chi! You got this, Chi-Chi!"
Awoo—huh?
Yamcha was mid-attack when he suddenly heard an exceptionally pleasant voice cheering. His instincts made him glance toward the audience—and the moment he did, he saw Bulma enthusiastically waving in Chi-Chi's support.
Oh wow! She's gorgeous!
"Damn it!" Puar shrieked in horror. Seeing Yamcha's expression, the floating feline immediately knew what was about to happen and could only cover its face in despair.
Huh? Bulma was in the middle of cheering when she noticed the handsome fighter on stage had turned his gaze toward her, completely frozen in place. Then, glancing at Puar's reaction, Bulma's sharp mind instantly pieced together the situation.
So… this guy has some kind of weakness when it comes to pretty girls?
A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes, and she deliberately gave Yamcha a playful wink.
Boom! It was as if heaven itself had struck him with five bolts of lightning.
Yamcha collapsed on the spot.
Chi-Chi had braced herself for impact, convinced she was about to lose. But after waiting a moment, she peeked through her fingers—only to find the big guy sprawled on the ground, completely out cold.
…???
Chi-Chi tilted her head, utterly confused.
What just happened? Master never taught me this…