A Rising Star on the Baseball Field

High in the air, Piccolo was covered in wounds, blood continually spilling from his mouth.

Wang Yang suddenly clasped his hands together and brought them down on Piccolo's head like a hammer, smashing him out of the sky and into the ground like a cannonball.

Boom!

The ground trembled, and the spectators instinctively crouched.

"So powerful!"

Son Goku stood firm as an old pine, murmuring to himself. He had just fought Piccolo in a fierce battle, exhausting every last bit of his strength and leaving himself badly battered before he could barely defeat him.

He hadn't expected Wang Yang to defeat Piccolo so easily. The difference between them was immediately clear.

Hovering in the air, Wang Yang tilted up the corner of his mouth as he looked down at Piccolo. He pressed his right hand downward, and blue energy surged from his palm like a blue dragon, roaring into Piccolo.

Brilliant light blossomed across the ground.

Boom!

A deafening crash shook the earth. The already pitted ground was left with a massive crater by Wang Yang's attack.

Everyone hurriedly dropped to the ground.

Below, Bulma looked up at Wang Yang, his black hair dark as ink, his powerful, confident presence full of masculine charm. Her eyes sparkled.

Wang Yang's fierce aura and slight smile made her heart flutter.

Piccolo lay in the crater, covered in wounds and half buried in dirt. If not for his chest rising and falling, it would have been easy to think he was dead.

He had only just recovered, and now he had been beaten nearly senseless again. Piccolo was both furious and afraid.

"So powerful!" The spectators' eyes nearly popped out of their heads.

Piccolo had just been evenly matched with Goku, fighting fiercely, yet Wang Yang had defeated him with such ease.

"No, Wang Yang's power is about the same as Piccolo's. His battle experience is just incredibly rich. He spotted Piccolo's opening and launched a fierce attack, giving Piccolo no chance to counter. And his power is extremely concentrated; he doesn't waste any energy during a fight." Goku watched, his expression grave.

He had never seen this kind of fighting style. Usually, he warmed up first and only then gave it his all.

Wang Yang landed without even glancing at Piccolo in the crater, turning his gaze toward the serious-looking Goku.

"Now it's our turn to fight. Do you need to rest?" Wang Yang asked with a smile.

"No. I ate a Senzu Bean just now, so I've fully recovered. What about you? Do you want to rest after fighting Piccolo?" Goku replied with a smile.

"I don't need to, either. You've seen how I fight, so you should understand that I've been giving it my all from the start. If you don't give it your all from the beginning when we fight, don't blame me for not giving you a chance." Wang Yang kindly warned Goku, who always held back at the start.

"Haha, I won't!" Goku laughed. Against someone like Wang Yang, who went all out from the start, he wanted to test the waters with an attack, but feared he'd end up like Piccolo and lose before he could use his trump cards. That would be a real shame!

Wang Yang was strong, and Son Goku felt tremendous pressure. But he quickly steadied himself and entered a fighting mindset.

Goku let out a shout, gathering his energy and raising his ki to its peak.

His power's grown a little. Looks like recovering from the brink of death just now awakened his Saiyan blood. Wang Yang sensed Goku's increased strength and understood.

That was only a noticeable boost compared with Goku's former strength. To Wang Yang, the increase was practically negligible.

Goku stamped his right foot hard against the ground and rushed toward Wang Yang, becoming an invisible blur.

Wang Yang immediately raised his ki to match Goku's level. Sensing Son Goku's position, he clenched his fist and struck toward him.

Their fists collided. Goku's figure appeared out of nowhere, and they locked together in midair for a moment before both vanished again.

Ha!

Son Goku threw a punch, but his fist passed straight through Wang Yang's body without resistance. The afterimage Wang Yang had left behind wavered and disappeared.

"What?"

Son Goku was stunned. The next moment, Wang Yang appeared on his right, sweeping in with a low kick.

Wang Yang also realized something was wrong. He had missed, too.

"Afterimages!"

"I'm over here!"

Goku's voice suddenly came from behind him, followed by a punch.

They traded blows, but neither could land a hit on the other.

"They're so fast. Even my three eyes can barely keep up with them."

Tien Shinhan's eyes darted around as he couldn't help exclaiming.

Wang Yang dodged Goku's flying side kick, his figure flickering repeatedly. His eyes narrowed as he spotted Son Goku's real body. An energy ball formed in his hand, and he thrust it toward Goku.

Goku didn't look startled. Quick as a flash, he formed a beam of light with his right hand and blasted it straight into Wang Yang's energy ball.

A dazzling flash suddenly appeared in the bright sky. Then a powerful wave of air surged toward them, kicking up the dirt and filling the air with yellow-brown dust.

Wang Yang and Son Goku were both sent flying backward.

They each landed with a backflip, then pushed off hard and shot toward one another like arrows loosed from a bow.

This time, neither dodged. They clashed in a fierce battle, the sounds of impact following one after another, until they spun upward into the sky.

"Kamehameha!"

Just then, a roar rang out from the sky. A white beam, thicker than a barrel, shot from Goku's hands and hurtled toward Wang Yang.

Wang Yang watched without fear. He spread his body out and gathered two dazzling beams of light in his hands. Spinning rapidly in midair, they formed a glowing whirlwind that shot toward the Kamehameha.

The two attacks had only just made contact when, instead of colliding with a bang, the whirlwind Ki Blast narrowly dodged Goku's Kamehameha at the last instant. It curled around Goku's beam like a nimble snake and spiraled toward him.

"What?" Goku was stunned. He had never imagined Wang Yang's Ki Blast could be so agile.

Doing that required not only incredibly precise control, but also powerful mental focus. Neither would be enough on its own.

Yamcha watched, his expression a little dejected. Wang Yang's move looked far more sophisticated than the Spirit Ball he had always been so proud of.

The Kamehameha contained the full force of Son Goku's attack, so changing its direction was no easy feat. As the two Ki Blasts closed in, Goku immediately dispersed his Kamehameha and crossed his arms in front of his chest, trying to block Wang Yang's attack.

Boom!

A deafening crash rang out as both Ki Blasts struck Son Goku at once. He cried out and was thrown through the air.

A faint smile appeared on Wang Yang's face. He flashed after Goku and suddenly appeared behind him, lashing out with a vicious kick to his back and sending him flying high.

Wang Yang blurred out of sight again, reappearing above Goku to rain down a relentless barrage of blows.

"Get away from me!" Goku struggled to control his body. A powerful surge of energy welled up within him, forming what seemed to be an invisible sphere around him, trying to push Wang Yang away.

That looks a bit like one of Kami's techniques! A thought flashed through Wang Yang's mind. But the powerful punch he had gathered was more than Goku could repel in his haste.

His punch slowed slightly, but it still broke through Goku's defense with unwavering force and landed squarely on his face.

Wang Yang's punch shattered the invisible field!

So powerful! His battle experience is incredible!

Goku could only smile wryly. At first, they had exchanged blows evenly, neither gaining the upper hand. But Wang Yang had seized on what seemed like a nonexistent opening in one of Goku's moves, leaving him in this helpless position.

Goku wasn't used to Wang Yang's style of giving his opponent no chance at all and relentlessly attacking the moment an opening appeared.

He wanted to ask Wang Yang to stop for a moment and let him catch his breath.

But Wang Yang's fierce assault left him no chance to speak. He feared that if he let up for even an instant, Wang Yang would finish him with a continuous barrage of attacks.

"Goku!" Chi-Chi watched anxiously as Goku was sent flying back and forth through the sky.

"Damn it!" Piccolo had finally recovered enough to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. He crouched on the ground, gritting his teeth as he stared up at the sky.

"Ah! King Piccolo!" Bulma and the others noticed Piccolo getting up and hurriedly fled. They seemed afraid that if they stayed too close, he might hurt them.

Boom!

A figure dropped like a cannonball, followed by Wang Yang, who slowly descended.

"Sir, Goku fell out of bounds, right?" Wang Yang asked the blond announcer beside him.

"Oh!"

"That was an incredibly fierce battle! Competitor Son Goku has fallen outside the ring! Competitor Wang Yang is the champion of this World Martial Arts Tournament!" the announcer shouted.

With Chi-Chi supporting him, Goku got to his feet and looked at Wang Yang, who wasn't even out of breath. A wry smile appeared on his face.

"Wang Yang, was that your full strength?"

"More or less," Wang Yang said, keeping a straight face as he lied.

"My fighting style still needs work. I'm going to train hard from now on, and next time I'll definitely beat you!" Goku told Wang Yang, clenching his fist. He felt he could do it. Their strength wasn't far apart; Wang Yang's only real advantage was his greater battle experience. If Goku could improve his fighting style, he still had a good chance of winning.

Just thinking about it filled Goku with energy.

"Sounds good. I'll be waiting," Wang Yang replied calmly.

After eating a Senzu Bean, Goku heard that Kami wanted him to become the next Kami. He was so startled that he hurriedly grabbed Chi-Chi and ran off.

Wang Yang glanced at Piccolo. When Piccolo noticed his gaze, he jumped and quickly flew away.

Kami had been a little worried, but seeing this, he smiled and nodded to everyone before flying off toward the Heavenly Realm.

After witnessing the power of Wang Yang and Goku, it seemed Piccolo could no longer go unchallenged. Kami didn't need to live on edge anymore.

"After such a tournament, everyone must be exhausted. Why don't you all come to my house and have a get-together?" Bulma casually tossed out a Capsule, and a brand-new yellow airplane appeared.

"Sure!"

The group boarded Bulma's airplane and flew toward West City in a grand procession.

At the banquet, everyone chatted and laughed. Wang Yang once again showed off the Saiyans' uniquely enormous appetite.

After eating his fill, Wang Yang wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth and went over to the glum Yamcha.

"Yamcha, come with me for a moment. I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" Yamcha asked, sounding a little annoyed, but he still followed Wang Yang outside.

The group watched the two leave, exchanging glances without knowing what to say.

No one knew what Wang Yang and Yamcha had talked about, but when they returned half an hour later, both looked as if nothing had happened.

Bulma's eyes moved back and forth between them.

"Bulma, I'm heading home. Puar, let's go!" Yamcha said goodbye to Bulma and called for his companion to leave.

"Okay!" Puar paused, then hurried after Yamcha.

Once Yamcha had left, Krillin looked Wang Yang up and down, curious about what the two of them had talked about.

"It's getting late. Bulma, we should head home, too." Master Roshi yawned and smiled as he said goodbye to Bulma.

"Take care on the way," Bulma replied with a nod.

Before long, everyone had left. Only then did Bulma walk up to Wang Yang.

"Wang Yang, what did you say to Yamcha?"

"Nothing much. I just gave him some advice. I told him he was lecherous and had the makings of a womanizer, always eyeing pretty young girls. I also told him lots of beautiful girls liked baseball, and that if he played well, he'd never be short of girlfriends. He felt both ashamed and happy to hear it, then decided he wasn't good enough for you, so he left." Wang Yang smiled at Bulma, his expression perfectly innocent.

"Now he's embracing his true nature. All he can think about is baseball and all the pretty girls he'll meet."

"Really?" Bulma looked at Wang Yang suspiciously. She had a feeling it wasn't that simple.

"Truer than gold!"

"Bulma, that Gravity Chamber I mentioned before—when do you think you can finish it?" Wang Yang changed the subject.

"I've got a few ideas. I should be able to finish it in five days."

Talking about the field she excelled at, Bulma grew confident again and stopped pressing Wang Yang about what he had told Yamcha.

"Phew... Puar, slow down." Beneath the dim streetlights, Yamcha clutched his chest and called weakly up to Puar in the sky.

"Master Yamcha, Wang Yang went too far, beating you up like that! You have to train hard and beat him next time!" Puar floated in front of Yamcha, indignant on his behalf.

"He's too strong. I can't beat him," Yamcha said, disheartened.

"Then what are you going to do?" Puar asked, disappointed.

"Martial arts have no future. I think he was right about one thing: baseball. If I'm good at baseball, lots of girls will like me."

Yamcha pictured himself looking dashing on the baseball field, surrounded by beautiful women. His eyes glazed over, and a string of clear drool trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Thanks to Wang Yang's "advice," Yamcha gave up martial arts for good and devoted himself to baseball. With his martial arts training as a foundation, he became a rising star on the baseball field, often surrounded by beautiful women.