A thought suddenly flashed through Tien Shinhan's mind. This guy... couldn't fly?
That was it. If he could use the Flight Technique, he wouldn't have been fighting on the ground this whole time!
If that was the case, all he had to do was destroy the ground beneath him...
A nearly insane tactic, one that came at a steep cost, took shape in Tien Shinhan's mind.
He had already put the championship out of his mind. All he cared about now was defeating Raditz, even if it meant losing the matches that followed!
"Hey, kid! Listen up. You'd better dodge my next move!" Tien Shinhan warned gravely. "I don't want to kill you!"
Without waiting for Raditz to react, he brought his hands together in front of his chest. The veins on his arms bulged as a heart-stopping energy began to gather slowly between his palms.
"What's he doing?" Krillin exclaimed from below, his vision restored. "That looks incredibly powerful!"
"Oh no! That's..." Master Roshi watched too, but his expression suddenly changed. He immediately warned Raditz, "Raditz! Do what he said! Make sure you dodge!"
If his guess was right, Tien Shinhan was using the Crane School's secret technique, the Tri-Beam. It was a ki attack with an enormous range and incredible power, but it put a tremendous strain on its user. Using it consumed a huge amount of energy and could even shorten one's lifespan.
"That bald-headed Master Shen actually taught him such a vicious move. What a disgrace to the title of teacher," Master Roshi thought, cursing Master Shen in his mind.
Raditz couldn't afford to heed Master Roshi's warning. He was looking up at Tien Shinhan, and he could clearly sense that terrifying energy.
"His power's still rising. It's already close to 250..."
Tien Shinhan didn't wait any longer. He held back some of his strength to preserve his stamina, then gave a low growl and thrust the gathered energy down toward the ring!
"TRI—BEAM!!"
The terrifying energy crashed down, swallowing the entire ring in an instant.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion rang out. The sturdy stone ring was blasted into a pitch-black hole by the destructive impact.
The entire arena fell silent. The ring had vanished before their eyes, and when spectators near the edge peered down into the hole, they couldn't even see the bottom.
"T-That was dangerous!"
"Where's that boy?"
"Could he be dead?"
Bulma searched for Raditz too. She refused to believe that the boy who'd worked so hard in the Gravity Chamber could die just like that.
Though a little nervous, she followed Goku and the others' gazes and found him.
Just as the explosion went off, Raditz had bent his knees and leaped upward.
The ki inside him suddenly began to circulate. It was the same method he had figured out by watching Tien Shinhan use the Flight Technique moments earlier.
An invisible force lifted him into the air. Under Krillin and the others' astonished gazes, Raditz floated there just like Tien Shinhan. He still wobbled from side to side, but at least he didn't fall.
"Look up! He's up there!" someone in the stands cried.
Tien Shinhan stared at the boy before him, hardly able to believe his eyes. "You can use the Flight Technique?!"
"I just learned it." Raditz adjusted his breathing in midair and replied calmly, "After watching you use it a few times, I more or less figured out how it works."
After watching it a few times? Tien Shinhan's mind went blank.
The two faced each other across the air.
Tien Shinhan was deathly pale, his energy depleted. The Tri-Beam had nearly drained all his stamina.
Watching Tien Shinhan struggle to stay upright, Raditz suddenly took a Senzu Bean from his clothes and flicked it toward him. It landed in Tien Shinhan's hand.
"Eat it. It'll restore your strength," Raditz said calmly.
Tien Shinhan paused, looking at the unremarkable bean in his hand, then at Raditz. In the end, he tossed it into his mouth.
A warm current instantly spread through his body. Tien Shinhan's eyes widened. "What is this...?"
"Thanks," Raditz said with a slight smile. "For letting me see the Crane School's secret technique."
Then, still a little awkward at controlling his body, he drifted slowly beyond the ring and landed safely outside it.
He turned to the referee and said, "I forfeit."
The arena fell silent.
"..."
Bulma paused, then stamped her foot. "That idiot! What's he doing now?!"
Krillin and Yamcha exchanged bewildered looks. They had no idea what Raditz was thinking.
He'd learned the Flight Technique, and his opponent was at the end of his rope. Why forfeit?
Master Roshi stroked his beard thoughtfully, seeming to understand something.
Tien Shinhan hovered dumbly in the air, looking at Raditz, who had forfeited of his own accord. He could feel his strength fully restored, but for a while, he couldn't find the words.
The referee finally came to his senses and announced loudly, "The winner of the first match is Tien Shinhan! He advances to the semifinals!"
Applause broke out, but Tien Shinhan felt no joy in his victory. He descended slowly and stood at the edge of the ruins, watching Raditz gather his things and head backstage.
"Why?" Tien Shinhan finally caught up with Raditz and managed to force out the question.
Raditz looked at Tien Shinhan's grave expression and smiled from the heart. "Because I've already accomplished what I came here to do. There's no point in continuing the match. Winning the championship isn't that important to me."
"Your purpose?" Tien Shinhan frowned.
"Yeah." Raditz nodded and answered frankly, "I said it from the start. I wanted to see the Crane School's secret techniques, especially your signature move. I got to see them, and they were all impressive. I learned a lot."
Tien Shinhan stared at him for a moment, then understood. His expression darkened. "So you used me as a training target and copied my techniques?!"
"Don't put it that way." Raditz shook his head. "A match is an opportunity for both sides to test themselves and learn from each other."
"I didn't copy them. I just 'watched' and 'thought.' Whether I could learn them was up to me. When you watched my Afterimage Technique and Kamehameha, didn't you get at least a little inspiration?"
Tien Shinhan was at a loss for words. He had to admit that Raditz's fighting style and use of ki had given him some valuable insights. He already understood the Kamehameha of the Turtle School, and he was sure he could use it himself.
Raditz stepped closer, his tone earnest. "Tien Shinhan, you've got talent and strength, but following Master Shen won't lead you anywhere good. You don't really want to become a killer like Tao Pai Pai, do you?"
Tien Shinhan's body trembled. He stared at Raditz.
Though his master, Master Shen, had always pushed him to follow Tao Pai Pai's path and become a hired assassin, Tien Shinhan had instinctively resisted that future. He wanted to become a martial artist instead, but out of respect for his master, he had always followed his arrangements.
Raditz's strength and frankness stirred the first traces of doubt and confusion in Tien Shinhan's heart.
"My business is none of yours!" Tien Shinhan finally turned his head away. His voice was stiff, but he sounded less hostile than before.
It was up to him to decide. Raditz smiled and said no more before turning to leave.