Son Goku's undisguised, burning gaze made Son Goten shudder. He subtly took a few steps back. Zhuge had once told him that low intelligence was contagious, so it was best to keep his distance.
As for the World Martial Arts Tournament, Son Goku and the others had left without a second thought and still hadn't returned. The organizers were locked in a heated discussion: should they disqualify Son Goku's group, and... what should they do next?
"What's going on?"
"I don't know. What's wrong with everyone?"
The audience saw that the matches had stopped and began discussing the matter in confusion.
"Well... Since several contestants left without explanation, and nothing like this has ever happened before, the judges are discussing what to do. Please wait," the blond referee announced. Seeing that the crowd was getting restless, he put his many years of hosting experience to use, and the audience finally settled down.
The blond referee had his own grievances. Son Goku-sama, why did you just up and leave? I've been looking forward to this for so many years. Couldn't you at least finish the tournament?!
Only three contestants remained: Android 18, Jera—the dark-skinned guy who had fought the Masked Fighter, who was really Son Goten—and Pui Pui, a ridiculously effeminate man who had fought Yamu. Fortunately, Yamu had left early, or he'd already be dead by now.
"How about a battle royale?" one spectator shouted.
"Yeah, a battle royale!"
"Exactly! At least then we can still see Mr. Satan!"
The spectator's suggestion quickly struck a chord with the crowd. What they really wanted was to watch Mr. Satan show off. Little did they know that their so-called hero was still unconscious from Son Goten's punch.
"Where's Mr. Satan? Hurry up and get him ready!"
The organizers quickly accepted the spectator's suggestion. As far as they were concerned, Mr. Satan was so powerful he'd even beaten Cell, so a mere battle royale was nothing. It wouldn't matter even if all three contestants teamed up against him—one of them was a woman, after all.
They'd forgotten the terrifying score Android 18 had gotten on the punching machine.
"We're here to invite Mr. Satan to take the stage," a few backstage staff members said to Satan's bodyguards outside his private VIP room.
"No," one burly-looking bodyguard refused. What a joke. How could Satan show himself in his current state? And the young lady still hadn't returned, either.
Out over the ocean, Videl had followed Son Gohan and Kibito for a while out of curiosity and was now on her way back: ...
"Why not?" the man asked, puzzled.
"Well, Mr. Satan is meditating. He can't be disturbed," a rather thin bodyguard said.
"Meditting?" The man eyed the thin bodyguard suspiciously.
"That's right. Mr. Satan is at his most terrifying when he meditates and trains," the thin bodyguard said ominously. "Whenever Mr. Satan meditates, a terrifying power appears around him. The last time he was meditating, Cell foolishly tried to disturb him. You can guess what happened next."
Cell, in Hell: ...
This guy had obviously been with Mr. Satan for a while. His ability to lie through his teeth was no exaggeration. The backstage staff who'd come to invite Satan were all terrified. If someone as powerful as Cell had died, what chance did they have?
Damn it! If I weren't Cell myself, I'd actually believe that! Cell seethed in Hell.
"Sorry for disturbing you." The staff members stumbled away.
Once the staff members were out of sight, the burly bodyguard patted the thin bodyguard on the shoulder. "You did well, young man."
"It was nothing, it was nothing." The thin bodyguard awkwardly scratched his head. Good thing he was pretty skilled at talking his way out of things.
"Has Mr. Satan woken up yet?" The thin bodyguard glanced at Satan, still lying in the VIP room.
"Not yet." The burly bodyguard shook his head. Thinking of that terrifying kid, even he felt afraid. Damn, how could a kid be so strong that he'd knocked an adult out cold and kept him that way?
Son Goten: Give it a rest. My punch was enough to keep him down for a whole day. You want him to wake up? Dream on.
With no real experts left in the tournament, Android 18 easily claimed the championship. Mr. Satan would have to wait until next year to show off.
Somewhere unknown.
Dabura, who had already come out of the Meditation Room, was fighting Son Gohan in a heated battle.
Dabura effortlessly handled Son Gohan in his Super Saiyan form. He dodged one of Son Gohan's sweeping kicks, took a deep breath, and then... Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!
He spat out a ball of fire and sent it hurtling toward Son Gohan. Son Gohan leaped into the air to dodge it, then used the momentum to charge at Dabura.
Whoosh.
Dabura, who had seen it all coming, used a technique similar to the Afterimage Technique, leaving a copy of himself in place. Son Gohan's punch struck the afterimage and went right through it.
"I'm over here!" Dabura called from a distance, playing with Son Gohan like a cat with a mouse. He held out his palm toward Son Gohan, and a ball of molten energy blasted from it.
Boom!
Son Gohan let his guard down for an instant and was struck by the ball of molten energy. He smashed through a mountainside and plunged into the water with a splash.
Whoosh.
Son Gohan burst out of the water, his clothes somewhat tattered. He glared furiously at Dabura, gripped his green outer garment, and tore it apart with a sharp Riiip.
Dabura stood there confidently, watching Son Gohan's furious expression with a mocking smile, as if everything were going according to plan.
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