"Videl—"
"Videl—"
"Videl—"
When Videl stepped onto the stage, the crowd's excitement reached its peak, and everyone shouted her name with all their might.
As Supreme Kai passed Spopovich, his brows furrowed slightly. He watched silently as Spopovich and Videl climbed onto the stage, then walked back to the waiting room with light steps.
"Phew."
"Phew."
"Phew."
Spopovich's face twisted into a vicious expression as he glared at Videl, even drooling.
What a disgusting guy. Videl looked at Spopovich with revulsion.
"Videl, good luck!" A blonde girl in Videl's class shouted encouragement.
"Someone like him will be a piece of cake for Videl," said a blonde boy from her class, equally confident.
Behind the scenes at the Martial Arts Tournament.
"That's strange. How did Spopovich change so much?" The effeminate Pui Pui thought back to what Spopovich used to look like and compared it with how he looked now. The difference was huge.
"When I saw him just now, I didn't recognize him at first," said dark-skinned Jera, looking equally shocked.
"All right, let the match begin!" the referee shouted.
The Martial Arts Tournament waiting room.
Sensing Piccolo approach, Supreme Kai smiled faintly and faced him.
"I might be wrong, but you... could you be...?" Piccolo stammered, acting nothing like his usual self.
Supreme Kai smiled faintly. "Could I be what?"
"C-could you be... Grand King Kai?" Piccolo asked with great difficulty.
"No, you've guessed wrong."
"He is Lord Supreme Kai," said Kibito, stepping out from behind Piccolo and answering the question that had been troubling him.
"Sup... Supreme Kai."
Piccolo's mouth fell open. The news was simply too shocking for him.
Supreme Kai paid no attention to Piccolo's stunned expression. As he walked past him, he said quietly, "Please keep my identity a secret. I don't want anyone to know who I am."
Among all the Kais, Grand King Kai held the highest status. I'd heard there was a Supreme Kai above even Grand King Kai, but...
Seeing that something seemed off with Piccolo, Son Goku assumed Supreme Kai had said something unpleasant. "Piccolo, what's wrong? That guy's so arrogant. I'll go teach him a lesson."
"No, don't! Please, don't say anything!" Piccolo hurriedly stopped Son Goku.
King Kai Planet.
"That young man is actually Supreme Kai? I've never even seen him before. But why would he come to Earth?" King Kai murmured under his breath, looking terrified.
"Bang."
The fight onstage was raging. Videl swept Spopovich off his feet with a kick.
"Haah!"
Spopovich got up from the ground and threw a flurry of punches at Videl as she rushed toward him.
"How's the fight going? That girl..."
"She's doing pretty well!"
"Yeah, she's had the upper hand the whole time. Every move of hers lands."
The others discussed the match. Videl was indeed impressive by ordinary standards.
"Thud!" Videl seized her chance and drove her knee into Spopovich's chin, then followed up with a kick that sent him flying.
Blood ran from the corner of Spopovich's mouth, but he charged at Videl as if nothing had happened—as if he weren't the one who'd been injured.
Son Goku noticed something was wrong with Spopovich, and his expression grew serious.
After knocking Spopovich down again, Videl thought she'd won. But the battered Spopovich got back up, wearing a strange smile.
"..." Videl panted heavily, drenched in sweat, with her hands braced on her thighs. When she saw Spopovich get up again, she looked astonished. By her calculations, the force of her last blow should have left her opponent unable to rise.
"H-how is that possible?" Son Gohan exclaimed in shock.
"You'd better forfeit. That guy doesn't seem right," Son Goku said gravely.
"Bang."
Showing no mercy to Videl, Spopovich slapped her hard, sending her flying. She'd already used up too much of her strength.
Spopovich followed up with a kick, sending Videl off the stage.
"She's going to fall off the arena!"
At the critical moment, Videl used the Flight Technique and hovered in midair. Under the crowd's astonished gaze, she flew back onto the stage.
"That's great! I'm glad I taught her the Flight Technique," Son Gohan said happily.
"Maybe it would've been better if she'd fallen off," Son Goku said gloomily from the side. "There's something really strange about Spopovich. He's taken some serious hits, but he's completely fine..."
As it turned out, Son Goku's hunch had been right. In the fight that followed, Spopovich brutally beat Videl. Son Gohan was so furious that he transformed, and even Son Goten nearly ignored the rules and charged in to take Spopovich down. They'd spent quite a bit of time together and had grown fond of each other, and Son Goten liked this future sister-in-law.
"Stop playing around, Spopovich!" Yamu shouted, making Spopovich stop. "We still have a mission. Hurry up and finish the match."
"Oh, right." Spopovich grabbed Videl, who was barely conscious, and threw her off the arena.
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