The moment one wave of attacks ended, the next began.
Nam suddenly kicked at Chi-Chi.
A smug smile tugged at the corner of Chi-Chi's mouth.
She swung both hands up, precisely blocking Nam's kicks without leaving the slightest opening.
When Chi-Chi felt his attacks weaken a little, she immediately counterattacked.
She stamped down hard and leaped up, kicking toward Nam's stomach.
Even Nam, tall and powerfully built, was sweating a little now.
Feeling the force behind her kick,
he didn't dare underestimate it and immediately crossed his arms to block.
Sure enough, her kick landed on his crossed arms.
He seemed to have blocked it, but his arms still went numb, and he staggered back two steps.
To his surprise, Chi-Chi came at him with another unexpected move.
The next moment, she did a backflip and landed on one knee.
As her knee straightened, her body shot forward like a cannonball, crashing into Nam.
Chi-Chi's attack landed, sending Nam flying backward.
She pressed her advantage, hoping to knock him off the ring in one go.
But Nam was an adult, after all, and was taller than she was, with longer legs.
While flying backward, he swept out a leg, sending Chi-Chi flying too.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly. She rolled in midair and landed steadily on the ground.
As it happened, Nam stepped on one of the tournament ring's pillars as he flew backward.
The next moment, he used the force of his push-off to rocket toward Chi-Chi.
Chi-Chi had just regained her footing and didn't have time to react before Nam kicked her in the stomach.
She cried out and flew backward, landing hard on the ring.
Chi-Chi lay on the ground, clutching her stomach and groaning in pain.
Nam looked at Chi-Chi and said with some reluctance, "I'm sorry. I have to win. You should give up."
Just then, Son Goku and Krillin's cheers suddenly rang out from backstage.
Son Goku called, "Chi-Chi, come on! Give it everything you've got!"
Krillin shouted too, "Chi-Chi, you're doing great! Keep it up! Don't let him beat you!"
Hearing their encouragement, Chi-Chi immediately got back to her feet.
She wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes and faced Nam in her fighting stance once more.
"Goku's watching me fight. I'm not going to lose that easily!"
Seeing Chi-Chi regain her fighting spirit, Nam was startled, and sweat broke out on his forehead.
I should've just knocked her off the ring when I had the chance!
Bulma was also shocked by how strong Chi-Chi was.
Chi-Chi was already stronger than most adults.
Though she was still young, she had already surpassed the peak of her strength in her previous life,
even though she hadn't trained much in martial arts back then.
Bulma looked at Chi-Chi's opponent, Nam—
a formidable martial artist.
In her previous life, she had watched nearly every World Martial Arts Tournament, so she knew who Nam was.
Nam could even go toe-to-toe with Little Goku.
And Chi-Chi was holding her own against him.
Chi-Chi was just a child!
In a few years, once she was older, defeating him would be easy.
Bulma murmured to herself, "Is this the Butterfly Effect?"
"In this life, Chi-Chi has actually taken up martial arts. I wonder how far she'll go."
But then Bulma thought about what would come later and shook her head.
Even if she kept up with Goku now, he would still leave her behind eventually.
If she counted only Earthlings, Chi-Chi really was quite strong.
But when Raditz arrived and ushered in the era of the wider universe,
the Earthlings wouldn't be able to keep up.
Only Krillin, after the trip to Namek, would manage to keep pace a little.
Unfortunately, after Goku died of a heart attack, everyone except Gohan and Trunks would be killed.
Bulma had thought of all kinds of ways to change the future.
But she couldn't stop the Saiyans from coming to Earth.
And defeating Android 17 and Android 18 wouldn't be enough.
After all, even Trunks, who was less skilled than Goku,
could kill Android 17 and Android 18 after going to the past to train.
Babidi and Majin Buu would also appear later on Earth.
What worried Bulma most was that,
in the future, someone unknown would appear and switch bodies with Goku.
That was why it wouldn't be enough for Goku to grow stronger on his own.
There was only one reliable way to protect Earth:
Goku had to keep getting stronger,
and there also had to be someone who could match him.
Even if it took several people working together to restrain him, that would be fine.
Then, as long as they could temporarily subdue the person who had taken Goku's body,
they could use the Dragon Balls to switch Goku back.
Chapter 46: Hey, Brother, You Smell So Good
Bulma felt the delicate bracelet in her hand and considered the possibilities.
The only person who might be able to match Goku in strength in the future
was Vegeta, who would eventually invade Earth.
The Saiyans' natural talent was beyond anything Earthlings could hope to match.
Unfortunately, Vegeta was too arrogant. Sometimes, he'd rather die than adapt.
He was an option, but she couldn't rely on him alone.
If only there were someone with Saiyan talent and the broad-mindedness of an Earthling.
Suddenly, Bulma had a flash of inspiration.
"Trunks said that in his timeline, Gohan had incredible talent,
and his strength actually surpassed Goku's by far!"
Bulma suddenly realized something
and looked at Chi-Chi again, unable to keep herself from wondering.
"Are Chi-Chi's genes that strong?"
Just then, Chi-Chi and Nam entered the final, decisive stage of their fight.
At a critical moment, Chi-Chi unleashed a Kamehameha.
It wasn't especially powerful, but it blasted Nam clean out of the ring, deciding the match.
Thunderous applause erupted from the crowd below.
The referee announced Chi-Chi as the winner.
Bulma couldn't help but be shocked by the sight!
"I wonder if, in this life, after taking up martial arts, she'll still marry Goku as his little bride and have children so young."
But then she saw Chi-Chi, barely four feet tall, on the ring.
Goku and Krillin, watching from behind the ring, were both children too. Bulma could only smile bitterly.
She really had let her imagination run wild.
Goku and Chi-Chi were both so young. They were still children.
It was much too early to be thinking about all that.
Bulma began to reflect on herself too. As someone who had lived through it all once,
she was making far too many plans for the future.
If she kept demanding that Goku follow her plans and do this or that,
how would she be any different from the future Chi-Chi who forced him to earn money?
So she could only make use of her advantages and provide him with material support when it mattered.
Just then, the defeated Nam walked toward the exit, looking dejected,
and happened to pass Bulma.
Bulma had a sudden thought and immediately called out to him.
"Hey, were you going to win the tournament to buy water for your village?"
Nam was startled.
"H-how did you know?"
In her previous life, after the Dragon Radar broke,
Bulma went on adventures with Goku and learned about Little Goku and Dinosaur Man during one of their conversations.
That was how she knew Nam had entered the tournament because his hometown was short on water.
Bulma didn't explain. Instead, she took out a Capsule Corp Capsule and handed it to Nam.
"Don't ask how I know. Take this.
Fill it with water from the river and take it home. It'll be enough for your village for a few days.
If you can hold out for a few days, water will start flowing through your village's river again."
Nam's pupils contracted. He immediately asked, "Who are you?"
Bulma smiled. "Me? I'm just the unremarkable daughter of the richest person in the world."
"What?"
"Come on, hurry up and get the water, then go home!"
To Bulma's surprise, Nam refused. "I don't need the capsule."