Raditz's journey through the World Martial Arts Tournament had come to an end. Though he hadn't won the championship, he still felt he'd gained far more valuable things than a title and the five-hundred-thousand-zeni prize.
Flight Technique went without saying. As long as Raditz practiced diligently, he could move just as fast as the Flying Nimbus.
And a divine technique like Solar Flare was extremely useful in the early days of Dragon Ball. As long as he used it at the right moment, it could work wonders both in a fight and when making a getaway.
These skills all demonstrated more varied ways to use ki. They also confirmed the ideas of the Turtle School. Raditz believed it wouldn't be long before he could fully master them.
"Hey! Your match is over, so why are you just standing there spacing out?" Bulma saw Raditz standing silently and couldn't help speaking up. "Even if you regret forfeiting now, it's a little too late, don't you think?"
Raditz waved a hand and smiled. "Not at all. I was thinking about what I gained from this tournament."
"What could you have gained after forfeiting?"
"..." For some reason, Raditz thought he heard a hint of resentment in Bulma's voice.
"Well, I did gain something. I have a new understanding of how to use ki." Raditz was rather pleased with himself, then remembered that Bulma might not know what "ki" was.
He added, "You just need to know that I've gotten stronger. Compared to that, the tournament doesn't matter."
"That makes sense," Bulma said.
Seeing that Bulma sounded displeased, Raditz sheepishly forced a change of subject. "By the way, now that the arena's been destroyed, how are they going to continue the tournament?"
"They must have another arena as a backup. This is a major event they've held several times, after all. They won't be short on experience with this sort of thing."
"I see. Then let's go watch the matches. Goku and Krillin's should be starting soon."
"Let's go. We won't get a good spot if we're late." Seeing that Raditz really didn't seem to care about winning or losing, Bulma dropped the subject.
After all, she'd seen how hard Raditz had worked over the past year.
Since Raditz himself didn't seem to regret it, maybe his reason for entering the tournament really was what he'd said: to learn.
At the new arena, the crowd was packed shoulder to shoulder, and it was impossible to see what was happening in the ring.
Bulma had been right. If they dawdled, they wouldn't get a good spot.
But Bulma solved the problem with just one furry little thing.
"Ah-choo!"
"Miss Launch, please!" Bulma said sweetly.
"Leave it to me!" Blonde Launch grinned and briskly pulled two machine guns out of a Hoi-Poi Capsule.
She raised the barrels above the crowd and mercilessly squeezed the triggers.
"Move, move! If you want to live, get out of the way!"
Two streams of gunfire burst forth, instantly sending the spectators in front scrambling for cover and clearing a path.
"All done!" Bulma said triumphantly, lifting her chin at Raditz.
"Heh... heh." Judging by how practiced she was, this wasn't her first time.
When they reached the front row of the stands, Raditz saw the two fighters facing off in the ring.
The tournament had reached the semifinals.
Tien Shinhan was facing Master Roshi, who was competing under the name "Jackie Chun."
With the help of a Senzu Bean, Tien had completely recovered his stamina, and every move he made was especially fierce.
Master Roshi was a seasoned fighter, but as time went on, he began to struggle more and more to keep up.
And just as Raditz had expected, Tien had learned the Kamehameha.
Master Roshi respected Tien's strength and talent, and, seeing his potential, took the opportunity between blows to offer him some earnest advice.
"Why don't you use your martial arts for the right reasons?"
"Leave the path you've been following!"
"Break with Master Shen once and for all!"
Every word struck Tien's heart.
In the end, Master Roshi took an "unsteady" step and fell out of the ring.
"Jackie Chun is out of bounds! Tien Shinhan wins and advances to the final!"
Tien stood in the ring without immediately leaving. He looked at Master Roshi, who had deliberately lost, then unconsciously glanced toward Raditz in the stands, who had also forfeited of his own accord.
The two were completely different, yet they had made similar choices and offered nearly identical advice.
A complicated mix of emotions welled up inside Tien. The beliefs and principles Master Shen had instilled in him for so long developed a crack unlike any before.
The other semifinal was between Goku and Krillin.
The match between fellow students wasn't close. Goku truly lived up to the title of "Low-Class Warrior" Kakarot. In three years, his strength had left Krillin far behind. He won without any suspense.
"Sun Wukong wins! He advances to the final!"
The entire crowd erupted.
After a brief break, the final of the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament began at once.
Tien Shinhan and Sun Wukong stood facing each other in the ring. The referee raised his right hand, took a deep breath, and announced the start.
At that very moment!
Raditz's expression sharpened. He abruptly looked up at the sky.
A faint yet deeply malicious pressure appeared without warning.
There was no specific direction. It was more like some enormous, slumbering being had just awakened, releasing a wisp of ominous energy.
"King Piccolo." Raditz understood at once.
It seemed the Pilaf Gang had found the Electric Rice Cooker that sealed him and let him out.
But Raditz still wasn't skilled at sensing ki. He could only sense it nearby, and an ill will directed at the whole world was too vague for him to pinpoint its location.
Raditz wasn't alarmed. He felt only a calm certainty that what was bound to happen would happen.
In his mind, this aged King Piccolo shouldn't be as strong as Kami on Kami's Lookout.
He'd seen Kami's strength on a Scouter before. By Saiyan battle-power standards, Kami was around 320, so the old Piccolo would be even weaker.
As long as Raditz stepped in at the crucial moment, it shouldn't be a problem.
As he thought, Raditz's gaze swept over Goku, who was fighting in the ring, and Krillin, who was watching below.
In the original story, after the match, Krillin would kindly go fetch the Power Pole Goku had left in the waiting room, only to run into one of Piccolo's underlings, who had come to collect the martial artists' names. Krillin would be killed in cold blood.
If Raditz went to get it for Goku before Krillin could, he could prevent that from happening. Better yet, he could capture the Demon Clan member and eliminate any chance of an accident.
Raditz's thoughts turned over in his mind. Reassured, he continued watching the match.
Tien and Goku's fight continued. Master Roshi had used the Kamehameha earlier to deal with Master Shen, who had disrupted the match, leaving Tien with nothing to hold him back. All he had to do was give it everything he had and win the championship.
The result was just as dramatic as in the original story.
Tien performed the "Arena Disappearing Technique" once again, successfully forcing Goku into the air.
But Goku hadn't learned Flight Technique. Instead, he used the last of his energy to propel himself forward and slammed into Tien.
They both fell to the ground. Goku lost the championship by a hair.