Champion

As Kashius fell unconscious, the spectators who had been staring in stunned silence finally came back to themselves.

Then applause rose in waves.

Kid Goku was badly injured, but he still remained conscious. Controlling his body as it hovered above the ring, he slowly floated toward Kashius.

At that moment, the host also snapped out of it.

"Well then, dear spectators, I hereby announce that the final winner of this spectacular, earth-shaking match is contestant Son Goku!"

At that moment, the applause that had gradually begun to die down rang out again. And each wave was louder than the last.

After noticing Kid Goku's condition, Krillin and Jackie Chun both rushed out from backstage and arrived at the place where Kashius lay unconscious.

Just as little Krillin was about to pick Kashius up and take him to have his wounds bandaged and treated, a somewhat childish voice came over.

"Krillin, let me do it."

"But, Goku? In your condition?!"

Seeing Kid Goku covered in wounds, little Krillin said this with some worry.

Master Roshi, standing nearby, looked Kid Goku over a few times. When he discovered that Kid Goku's eyes were filled with determination, he shook his head and pulled little Krillin a few steps back.

"It's fine. Let him do it."

Krillin still wanted to say something, but when he saw Kid Goku looking at him with a smile, he forcibly swallowed the words already on his lips.

"Thank you, Grandpa. Thank you, Krillin!"

After thanking them, Kid Goku had only just set his feet on the ground when he sucked in a breath of cold air. His expression changed abruptly, and he clenched both fists tightly.

Gritting his teeth and enduring the pain coming from his feet, Kid Goku lifted Kashius, who was about twice his size, in both arms. Then his whole body immediately floated into the air.

And after his feet left the ground, Kid Goku's face clearly looked much better.

"Hey, Goku!" little Krillin suddenly called out at that moment.

"What?" Kid Goku, who had been about to leave, stopped after hearing little Krillin's voice.

"Goku, I don't understand. Since you're brothers, why did you have to fight to this point?

I don't understand, Goku!

You're clearly such good brothers, so why did you have to fight like this!

You two idiots!

You total bastards!"

Little Krillin seemed to have mustered tremendous courage to say those words. But after he finished, his whole body was like a deflated balloon, collapsing limply where he stood.

After hearing little Krillin's question, Kid Goku showed no reaction. He turned around and carried Kashius toward the hospital.

When he was about to go far away, Kid Goku's words drifted back. After little Krillin heard them, he broke down sobbing, not caring whether he was in full view of everyone.

"It's exactly because we're brothers that we had to fight like that! Aren't you our brother too, Krillin!"

Master Roshi, who was disguised as Jackie Chun, nodded in relief after hearing this.

Fellow disciples getting along in harmony—wasn't that exactly what he most liked to see?

After Kid Goku took Kashius to the hospital, little Krillin followed right after him once he had cried enough and went to the hospital as well. The backstage staff of the World Martial Arts Tournament also began repairing the arena that Kashius and Kid Goku had destroyed.

Because the arena had been damaged so badly, the repairs took a full hour or so. During that time, even Kid Goku finished getting bandaged and returned to the World Martial Arts Tournament site.

After the ring was repaired, the battle between Master Roshi and Barbarian also began.

Against Barbarian, whose whole body gave off a terrible stench, even Master Roshi was troubled for a while.

He completely couldn't get close. The moment he entered within five meters of Barbarian, he would immediately smell an odor that could knock someone out.

Relying on the advantage of his own foul stench, Barbarian grew braver the more he fought. (Actually, it was like this: every time he took one step, Master Roshi was immediately stinked into taking one step back.) Very quickly, he forced Master Roshi to the edge of the ring.

"This is far too stinky! This old man really can't stand it anymore!" In the end, Master Roshi truly couldn't bear it any longer. After transforming, he sent Barbarian flying out of the ring with a single punch.

However, at the spot where Barbarian fell, the originally noisy spectators instantly cleared out an empty space about five meters long and five meters wide. And the time it took to clear that space was less than five seconds...

"Next, I announce that this match is won by contestant Jackie Chun." The host raised Jackie Chun's hand and announced the result.

Backstage, little Krillin was looking at Kid Goku with a worried expression.

"Goku, can you really keep competing like this? Never mind how serious your injuries are—just being wrapped up like this makes it hard to fight. How about it? I think you should forfeit."

At that moment, Kid Goku had not only been wrapped in bandages, he had been tied up like a mummy. Forget fighting—even walking had become a problem.

And sure enough, wasn't Kid Goku currently using the Flight Technique to hover above the ground?

"Cough, cough! I think contestant Krillin is right. Contestant Son Goku, you should forfeit." Master Roshi, disguised as Jackie Chun, coughed lightly a few times and said this.

"How could I do that? I've already come this far. How can I admit defeat? No matter what, I have to go fight." When Kid Goku heard this, his face was full of unwillingness.

Even though he had been wrapped up like a mummy, Kid Goku still refused to give up the match. It seemed that, on this point, a certain cowlick really was stubborn to the extreme.

"Goku, even if you go up and compete, in your current state, there's no way you can beat contestant Jackie Chun. Just give up, Goku! We'll come back in three years, okay?"

Seeing Kid Goku being so stubborn, even little Krillin couldn't help speaking up to plead with him.

"Krillin~"

"Goku! Listen to me! Give up. We can come back and enter again in three years."

Little Krillin looked at Kid Goku, pleading with him once more.

"How about this, Son Goku? If you give up the match, I'll split the prize money with you. What do you think?"

At that moment, Master Roshi, who was standing to the side, couldn't watch any longer and couldn't help speaking up.

"Half each?" Kid Goku asked, a little pleasantly surprised.

"That's right. As long as you give up the match, I'll split it with you. How about it?" Sensing that Kid Goku was somewhat tempted, Master Roshi repeated himself.

"Deal!" Kid Goku happily accepted Master Roshi's proposal.

Uh... actually, when it came to money, Kid Goku didn't care about it at all. He didn't even know what use there was in having more or less money.

But the reason he accepted Master Roshi's proposal was because of this: back at Kame House, a certain black-haired guy had constantly drilled into a certain cowlicked guy the idea that entering the tournament was all for the sake of getting the prize money.

And so, after Kid Goku heard there was prize money to take, he decisively accepted Master Roshi's proposal.

"Once Kashius wakes up and sees there's this much prize money, he'll definitely be happy." At that thought, a certain cowlicked guy started grinning again.

The way he looked, to anyone watching, was as silly as silly could be. And so, with Kid Goku conceding, Master Roshi, under the alias Jackie Chun, won the championship of this World Martial Arts Tournament.

When he received the title of number one under heaven, the host also brought over the ten-million prize money for Master Roshi.

Although Master Roshi was very reluctant to part with the money, he still kept his promise and gave five million of it to Kid Goku.