Quarterfinals

The first quarterfinal was Yamcha versus Piccolo. When Piccolo stepped into the ring, the atmosphere in the arena changed. His skin was green, two antennae sprouted from his head, and he wore a purple Demon Clan robe. His gaze was cold and sharp. An unsettling aura radiated from him—the demonic energy of the Demon Clan. Yamcha took a deep breath and stepped into the ring. "Your ki is weak," Piccolo said, his voice low and hoarse. "Not even enough to warm me up." "We'll see how weak I am once we fight." Yamcha took a battle stance. "Begin!" Yamcha moved first. Fast as a leopard, he fired a Ki Blast at Piccolo's face. Piccolo didn't even raise a hand. He simply tilted his head, and the blast flew past his ear. "Too slow." Piccolo vanished from where he stood. In the next instant, he appeared behind Yamcha and struck him in the back with his palm. Yamcha flew out of the ring like a kite with its strings cut, crashing heavily onto the ground outside. "Yamcha is out of the ring! The winner is Piccolo!" The crowd erupted in an uproar. Piccolo had defeated Yamcha of the Turtle School with a single move. Kashu watched from below, his brow furrowing slightly. Piccolo was stronger than he'd expected. That one strike had used less than a tenth of Piccolo's strength, yet he'd moved faster than Yamcha could perceive. "Demon King Piccolo... truly lives up to his reputation," Kashu murmured.

The second match was Krillin versus Tien Shinhan. Tien was a tall, lean young man wearing a dark blue Crane School martial arts uniform, with a third eye on his forehead. His gaze was cold and sharp, and a scornful smile played on his lips. Chiaotzu stood beside him, a short, chubby boy with pale skin, wearing the same uniform.

"So you're a student of the Turtle School?" Tien looked at Krillin with disdain. "Just some little bald guy?" "What's wrong with being bald? You paying for my rice?" Krillin shot back. Tien's mouth twitched. "You've certainly got a sharp tongue. Let's see if your kung fu is just as impressive. Begin!" Krillin moved first. He knew Tien was far stronger than he was, so he went all out from the start—his full 80,000 battle power unleashed, moving so fast that ordinary spectators couldn't follow him. Tien's third eye flashed, seeing through Krillin's movements. He dodged Krillin's first punch, then struck back at his chest with his palm. Krillin twisted in midair and barely evaded him, but the force of Tien's palm still grazed his shoulder, leaving it stinging. "Where's your Ki Blast? Let's see it," Tien said. Krillin didn't hesitate. He fired more than a dozen Ki Blasts in rapid succession. Tien swept his hands through the air, batting every one aside with ease. "That's it?" Tien shook his head. "The Turtle School isn't much after all." "I'm not done yet!" Krillin brought his hands together. "Kamehameha!" A blue beam roared toward Tien. Tien's pupils contracted slightly. That move had some power. He thrust out his right hand, a yellow glow gathering in his palm. "Dodon Ray!" The yellow and blue beams collided, erupting in a blinding flash. The two blasts struggled against each other for several seconds before Krillin's Kamehameha began to give way. Krillin gritted his teeth and poured in more energy, but Tien did the same. At last, the Dodon Ray punched through the Kamehameha and struck Krillin in the shoulder. Krillin flew backward, barely managing to stop himself at the edge of the ring. A small hole had been blasted through his left shoulder, and blood streamed from the wound.

"Krillin is injured! Can he keep going?" the announcer cried nervously. Krillin glanced at the wound on his shoulder and gritted his teeth. "I can keep going." "You're no match for me," Tien said. "Surrender before I hurt you worse." "Surrender?" Krillin laughed. "I'll do anything, but I won't give up." He took a deep breath, gathered a small ball of energy at the tip of his right index finger, and flung it forward. The ball spun through the air, transforming into a rapidly rotating disc—"Destructo Disc!"

Tien's third eye saw the disc's incredible cutting power, and for the first time, his expression changed. He didn't dare block it. Instead, he dodged to the side. The Destructo Disc skimmed past him, sliced the ring's protective railing in two, then flew out of the arena and left a deep gash in the wall. "That was close..." A bead of cold sweat appeared on Tien's forehead. If he hadn't dodged, it might have been his body that got cut in two. Krillin panted, too exhausted to throw a second Destructo Disc. "I give up." He raised a hand, then dropped onto his rear. "If I can't win, I can't win." "Krillin forfeits! The winner is Tien Shinhan!" Tien looked at Krillin, a complicated emotion flashing in his eyes. He'd thought all students of the Turtle School were useless, but this bald kid, despite being far weaker than him, had fought to the very end. "What's your name?" Tien asked. "Krillin." "Krillin, I'll remember you." Tien turned and walked out of the ring. "You're a worthy opponent." Krillin blinked, then grinned. "Thanks, Three-Eyes."

The third match was Son Goku versus Chiaotzu. Chiaotzu floated in midair, watching Son Goku with an expressionless face. His psychic powers were incredibly strong. He could move objects, immobilize opponents, and even stop time briefly. "Little monk, you should give up," Chiaotzu said. "I don't want to hurt you." "I don't want to hurt you either," Son Goku replied. "But let's fight anyway!" "Begin!" Chiaotzu struck first. He stretched out both hands, and an invisible force pinned Son Goku in place. "You can't move, can you?" Chiaotzu said. "That's my psychic power. Give up." Son Goku tried moving his arms and legs, realizing that a powerful force really was holding him still. But he didn't panic. Instead, he closed his eyes and used his ki to sense Chiaotzu's position and the flow of his psychic power. "You use ki to activate your psychic powers," Son Goku said. "If I cut off the connection between you and me with my ki, I can break free." "What?" Chiaotzu froze. Son Goku released his energy, and golden flames surged from his body. Chiaotzu's psychic power crumbled in an instant before Son Goku's immense ki. The force of the backlash flung him away, and he tumbled through the air several times. "Super Saiyan?" Kashu raised an eyebrow from below. No, Son Goku hadn't transformed into a Super Saiyan. He'd only unleashed an ordinary burst of power. But his ki was far greater than Chiaotzu's, enough to overwhelm his psychic abilities. "My turn!" Son Goku brought his hands together. "Kamehameha!" A blue beam shot toward Chiaotzu. Chiaotzu had no time to dodge and was blasted out of the ring. "Chiaotzu is out of the ring! The winner is Son Goku!" The crowd cheered. A twelve-year-old boy had defeated a psychic fighter from the Crane School. Tien watched from below, his expression turning grave. This boy named Son Goku was far stronger than Krillin.

The fourth match was Kashu versus King Chappa. King Chappa had won the previous tournament. He was fifty-five, but his movements were still nimble. His Eight-Hand Fist let him throw eight punches in an instant, each one astonishingly powerful. "You're the Turtle School's Kashu, little boy?" King Chappa looked the fourteen-year-old over. "I've heard of you. You won the championship five years ago, but that was only because I didn't compete. This year, the championship is mine." "Please teach me, King Chappa," Kashu said, bowing slightly. "Begin!" King Chappa moved first. His Eight-Hand Fist came at Kashu in a storm of blows—up, down, left, right, straight, reverse, feint, and true. Eight fists closed in around Kashu. But Kashu didn't even blink. His body swayed slightly as he weaved through the eight shadows of fists, moving in a way that seemed slow but was as fast as lightning. Every punch missed him by a hair. "Impossible!" King Chappa's pupils contracted. "Your Eight-Hand Fist is fast, King Chappa, but your ki tells me the path of every punch," Kashu said. "I've already seen through it." Kashu reached out his right hand and gave King Chappa a gentle push on the chest. The push looked light, but it held terrifying force. King Chappa flew backward, rolled through the air several times, and landed safely outside the ring. "King Chappa is out of the ring! The winner is Kashu!"

The crowd erupted into deafening cheers. With one move—just one—Kashu had defeated the previous tournament's champion. King Chappa stood outside the ring, staring at Kashu in shock. "Little boy, your strength... far exceeds my expectations," King Chappa said. "The Turtle School truly lives up to its reputation." "You were gracious," Kashu replied, bowing before he left the ring.