Junior Division Showdown

The World Martial Arts Tournament was divided into a Junior Division and an Adult Division. Contestants in the Junior Division had to be under fifteen years old, while the Adult Division had no age restrictions. The Junior Division matches were held on the first day. Son Goten was seven years old this year, and he looked exactly like Son Goku did when he was a child. His personality was also remarkably similar to his father's—innocent, gluttonous, and energetic—but his talent for combat was astonishing. He had been able to transform into a Super Saiyan at the age of four, which had given Chi-Chi quite a shock. Trunks was eight years old and was the son of Vegeta and Bulma. He had inherited Vegeta's combat talent and Bulma's sharp mind, showing incredible potential even at such a young age. He and Goten were best friends, and the two often trained together. There were thirty-two contestants in the Junior Division in total. Goten and Trunks were placed in different brackets; if both advanced, they would meet in the finals.

Goten's first match was against a karate-practicing boy. That boy was two heads taller than him, muscular, and full of confidence. "Go home and drink your milk, little brat!" the karate boy mocked. Goten tilted his head to look at him, then let out a yawn.

The referee announced the start of the match. The karate boy rushed forward, launching a high kick toward Goten's head. Goten crouched slightly, dodging the blow. He extended his index finger and gave the sole of the karate boy's foot a light flick. The boy went flying, crashing through the stadium wall and landing in the parking lot outside.

The entire arena fell silent. Then, it erupted into thunderous applause. "One hit! He knocked his opponent away with just one hit!" Videl watched from the spectator stands, dumbfounded. "Gohan, your brother... is he a monster?" Gohan gave a wry smile. "He was even holding back. If he had used his full strength, that boy might not even be in this world anymore." Trunks's match was even more exaggerated. His opponent was a sumo wrestler weighing over two hundred kilograms. Trunks blocked the opponent's full-force charge with a single finger, then blew a light breath, and the sumo wrestler drifted out of the ring like a feather. "Too weak," Trunks said, clapping his hands. "See you in the finals, Goten."

Goten and Trunks cut through the competition, easily advancing to the finals. The final match was held in the afternoon, and the arena was packed. Everyone wanted to see which of these two genius boys was stronger. Goten and Trunks stood on the ring, looking at each other. "Trunks, I won't hold back," Goten said. "Me neither," Trunks replied. "Let's have a real fight!"

The referee announced the start of the match. Both of them vanished simultaneously. The audience could only hear the dense sounds of collision in the air—bang! bang! bang! bang!—the sound of fists meeting fists and feet meeting feet. Their speed was so fast that the naked eye couldn't capture it at all; only by using the holographic replay function could their movements be seen. "Their speed... has exceeded the speed of sound?" the commentator's voice trembled. "No," said the special guest commentator, Bulma. "Their speed is more than ten times the speed of sound." The arena was in an uproar. Goten and Trunks stopped their high-speed combat and appeared at opposite ends of the ring. Both were panting, but their eyes burned with fighting spirit. "Warm-up over," Trunks said. "Yeah," Goten nodded. "Let's get serious." Their hair turned gold at the same time, and their auras surged into the sky. Super Saiyan. Screams erupted from the stands. Some recognized this form—seven years ago at the Cell Games, Son Goku and Son Gohan had transformed into this state. "Super Saiyan!" the commentator's voice changed with excitement. "Two boys are actually able to transform into Super Saiyans!" Videl covered her mouth. "Super Saiyan... I've only seen it in historical recordings. Gohan, can you do it too?"

Gohan nodded. "I can. But I rarely use it anymore." On the ring, Goten and Trunks clashed again. This time, their power and speed had increased dozens of times over. The surface of the ring began to crack, and the protective barrier around it flickered under the energy impact. Goten launched a flying kick at Trunks, who dodged sideways and countered with a punch toward Goten's back. Goten flipped in mid-air, blocking the punch with his heel. Their combined force created a shockwave that snapped all the ropes around the ring. "Too strong..." Krillin watched the live broadcast from the contestants' lounge. "These two kids have much more talent than we did at their age." "They have pure Saiyan blood in their veins," Vegeta said, a flash of pride in his eyes. "My genes combined with Bulma's produced the best result." "Hey, hey," Bulma said from the side. "My genes are important too, you know!" On the ring, Goten and Trunks unleashed their ultimate techniques simultaneously. "Kamehameha!" Goten cupped his hands, and a golden beam of light roared toward Trunks. "Galick Gun!" Trunks pushed his hands forward as well, and a blue beam of light met it head-on. The two energies collided in the center of the ring, creating a massive energy sphere. The sphere grew larger and brighter, looking as if it were about to spiral out of control and explode. "Oh no!" the referee shouted in terror. "The energy shield won't hold!" Just as the energy sphere was about to detonate, a figure appeared in the center of the ring.

Kashu. He placed his hands on the shoulders of Goten and Trunks, respectively, and pressed down gently. Both of their energy waves dissipated instantly, and the energy sphere burst like a bubble, leaving no trace behind. "That's enough," Kashu said calmly. "You both fought well, but if you keep going, you'll hurt the spectators." Goten and Trunks reverted from their Super Saiyan states and scratched their heads sheepishly. "Uncle Kashu, we just got too excited," Goten said. "Be careful next time," Kashu patted both their heads. "The final result is a draw. You are both champions." The stands erupted in enthusiastic applause. Although the match didn't have a winner, everyone was conquered by the strength of these two boys.

Videl looked at Kashu's back and asked Gohan in a low voice, "Who... is that man? How could he easily block the attacks of two Super Saiyans?" Gohan smiled. "He is the leader of the Earth Guardians and my master. He is much stronger than I am." "Earth Guardians?" Videl frowned. "What kind of organization is that?" Gohan hesitated for a moment. "I'll tell you slowly later."