On the morning registration opened for the World Martial Arts Tournament, crowds had already filled the streets.
Goku and Bulma strolled toward the registration counter.
Bulma smoothed her hair with a smile.
"I'm so excited! We finally get to see everyone again. They're going to be shocked when they see how much you've changed, Goku."
"Haha, yeah!" Goku laughed casually.
After Goku finished signing up, he and Bulma wandered around the city.
By evening, Master Roshi waited anxiously at the registration entrance with Oolong, Puar, and Launch.
"Besides Goku, who registered early, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu still haven't shown up," Roshi muttered, frowning. "And there are only five minutes left."
"Exactly!" Oolong groaned, squatting on the ground. "Four people are missing, and Goku's vanished too!"
Puar floated nervously in the air.
"If Master Yamcha doesn't hurry, there won't be enough time!"
Launch crossed her arms. "Oolong, Puar—can't you two transform?"
"That's right!" Roshi smacked his forehead. "Why didn't I think of that sooner?"
"But…" Oolong hesitated. "After I transform once, I can't change again for hours."
"Same here," Puar added softly.
That left Roshi with a problem. Four people needed registering, but Oolong and Puar could only cover two. He glanced at his watch—three minutes left!
"Quickly! Transform and register for them first, or no one gets in," Roshi ordered.
Puar decided to take Yamcha's form, while Oolong reluctantly transformed into Krillin.
But just then, a powerful gust of wind swept past. Tien Shinhan, Krillin, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu appeared before them.
"Master Roshi, long time no see," Krillin greeted warmly.
Roshi's expression softened with pride.
"You've all grown taller—and stronger too. No time for chatting, hurry and register!"
The four rushed off, signing in just before the deadline. When they returned, Tien asked,
"Master Roshi, where's Goku?"
"That's right!" Krillin chimed in. "Where is he?"
Yamcha and Chiaotzu looked around curiously.
Roshi shook his head. "The counter shows Goku registered this morning, but no one's seen him since."
Yamcha, holding Puar, smiled. "Don't worry. If Goku signed up, he'll definitely appear."
Everyone agreed.
A moment later, Bulma's voice carried across the courtyard.
"Bulma, over here!" Launch waved.
Everyone turned—and there she was, walking with Goku at her side.
Krillin's jaw dropped. "Th-that's Goku?!"
"Yo! Long time no see, Krillin," Goku greeted with a grin.
Yamcha felt a small twinge of jealousy at seeing Bulma so close to Goku, but he brushed it aside—they were just good friends.
Krillin, however, slumped. He had grown taller since last time, but compared to Goku towering over him now… it was depressing.
Tien's eyes burned with excitement. "Goku, I look forward to fighting you."
"Me too," Goku replied with an eager smile.
Having not seen each other in three years, everyone quickly fell into conversation, laughing and catching up.
"Goku, I really envy you," Krillin admitted. "You grew so much taller."
"Haha!" Goku clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't be silly. Your strength's improved a lot too."
Krillin grinned with confidence. "Then I'll show you just how much during the matches!"
While chatting, Goku quietly activated his combat power panel—a gift from Shenron's wish.
Krillin: 190
Chiaotzu: 131
Yamcha: 177
Tien Shinhan: 240
Tien's power far surpassed Yamcha and Krillin. In this era, a difference of fifty or sixty points was a serious gap.
By the next morning, the Tournament preliminaries officially began. With so many participants, Chiaotzu used his psychic abilities to keep everyone apart, ensuring none of the friends fought each other too soon.
Goku sat calmly in the arena, scanning the crowd. On the far side, he spotted a familiar figure cloaked in malice—Piccolo, the Demon King reborn.
Piccolo: 328
"As expected," Goku thought. His own power was 430—far higher than Piccolo's. Before his training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, he had been around 330. Piccolo's level made sense.
"Confidence wins fights. Recklessness just gets you killed. The old Goku might've been careless, but not me."
By the end of the day, the grueling preliminaries concluded. The Top Eight finalists were announced:
Tien Shinhan vs. Mercenary Tao
Son Goku vs. Chi-Chi
Yamcha vs. Disguised Human (Kami)
Krillin vs. Piccolo
The stage was set—the greatest battles were about to begin.