The Inevitable Showdown

As Ye Bai walked back toward the rest area, he saw the wary look on Goku's face and smiled faintly.

"Goku, see you in the finals."

Goku froze for a moment. Krillin, beside him, asked, "Goku, do you know him?"

"He looks kind of familiar, but I don't think I've ever met him," Goku said, shaking his head.

Tien Shinhan walked in from outside, supporting the injured Yamcha. The others hurriedly asked whether Yamcha was alright, and Yamcha said it was only a minor injury and nothing serious.

"You need to be careful around that guy. He's incredibly strong. I was completely no match for him—I couldn't even touch him." Yamcha clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth, unwilling to accept it. All the hard training he had done over the past three years seemed almost laughable at that moment.

"Yamcha, you're already very strong. You were just unlucky to run into someone like him. None of us even saw him make a move. It would've ended the same way if any of us had gone up there," Krillin consoled him, because he was simply telling the truth.

"Yeah, Yamcha. Don't deny yourself. You're already strong. And with such a powerful opponent, we should train even harder and strive to defeat him." Goku also tried to comfort him. Then he looked toward Ye Bai, who had begun eating in a corner, his face filled with fighting spirit.

Bulma and the others outside the arena had never expected Yamcha to lose so miserably.

"Master Yamcha... Master Yamcha actually lost, and..." Puar drooped his head and said dejectedly.

Master Roshi, walking behind them, spoke as though it were only natural. "That's normal. If Goku and the others ran into him, they'd end up just like Yamcha."

"Huh? Master Roshi, you know him?" Bulma was the first to react.

"Yes. Not only do I know him—you all know him too." Master Roshi nodded.

"We know him too? Could it be... Ye Bai? If it's him, then that makes sense." Though Oolong was a pig, his brain was still working just fine.

"Ye Bai?" Bulma imagined Ye Bai as a child and the person who had just stood in the ring. Gradually, the two figures merged together.

"That's right! It's Little Bai! That person is Little Bai!" Bulma suddenly shouted.

"Little Bai?" Everyone imagined that handsome young man from earlier alongside Little Bai's former appearance, and their faces filled with shock.

The break ended, and the announcer stepped up to speak.

"Now that all quarterfinal matches have concluded, we move on to the semifinals! According to the rules, the next matches will be Tien Shinhan versus Son Goku, and Xing Xing versus Demon Junior!"

"Please welcome the competitors for our next match: Tien Shinhan and Son Goku!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries and sharing a glance, the two leaped onto the ring. They immediately launched into a fierce exchange, battling from the ground into the sky before falling back down. Then they vanished from everyone's sight as they began a clash of speed.

After their intense exchange, the two appeared to be evenly matched, but Tien Shinhan had already begun to pant, while Goku, still wearing his weighted clothes, remained steady in breath.

After trading blows, Tien Shinhan realized that Goku was slower than him. He finally decided to fight at full strength, using his speed to suppress Goku and forcing him to remove his weighted clothes.

After Goku took off his weighted clothes and made a joke by stealing Tien Shinhan's belt, he finally forced Tien Shinhan to reveal his ultimate move. Tien Shinhan used the Four Witches Technique and once again suppressed Goku. When Goku dodged into the sky, Tien Shinhan knocked him to the ground, but Goku rose to his feet and said he had already seen through Tien Shinhan's weakness.

Goku had Tien Shinhan repeat his earlier attack, then flew into the sky and countered with a Solar Flare. He told Tien Shinhan that his first weakness was his eyes. Once Tien Shinhan recovered, Goku attacked again and knocked him out of the ring, telling him that his second weakness was that he had spread his strength too thin.

The referee stared in stunned disbelief before finally recovering and announcing that Goku had successfully advanced, followed by another break.

After a short rest, the referee stepped onto the stage and announced the next match.

"Ladies and gentlemen, before the finals, we still have one more match! This semifinal will determine the other finalist. Please give a round of applause to welcome our next two competitors: Demon Junior and contestant Xing!"

Because of Ye Bai's involvement, Kami had not entered this tournament. Instead, he had asked Ye Bai to deal with Piccolo.

Ye Bai walked onto the ring. Piccolo had already been waiting on the other side, watching Ye Bai warily.

After reaching the other side of the ring, Ye Bai casually took his stance and said to Piccolo, "Aren't you taking off your weighted clothes? If you don't take them off now, you won't get another chance."

Hearing this, Piccolo became even more wary of the young man who appeared to be an ordinary human. Yet he did not argue. Instead, he obediently took off his hat and cape before asking, "Who are you? Why is there no human as powerful as you in my father's memories?"

"Piccolo, who I am isn't important. How about we make a bet? If you lose this time, you'll follow me and train from now on."

"Impossible! How could I, King Piccolo, lose to some nobody like you?"

"So confident, are you? Then do you dare accept this wager?" Ye Bai provoked him.

"What's there to fear? I can't possibly lose." Though Piccolo said he would not lose, every muscle in his body was tense as he guarded against the human standing before him.

"He looks a little familiar," the announcer said into the microphone. Someone in the crowd recognized Piccolo and shouted, "He's King Piccolo!"

The crowd began to panic. Bulma and the others in the stands recognized him as well and shouted, "Little Bai, go! Defeat King Piccolo!"

Everyone behind the ring was stunned. Goku opened his mouth wide and said, "Little Bai?"

"Eh, I've been recognized? Well, it doesn't matter anymore." Ye Bai was somewhat surprised. Then he turned to the announcer and said, "Mr. Announcer, calm everyone down. Tell them not to panic. He isn't that King Piccolo."

After hearing this, the announcer wiped the sweat from his forehead before speaking into the microphone. "Everyone, please do not panic. This is not King Piccolo. He merely looks a little like him."

Only then did the crowd calm down, though they continued whispering among themselves. Piccolo wanted to speak, but Ye Bai shot him a glare. Piccolo clicked his tongue and shut his mouth.

Ye Bai turned toward Bulma and the others, smiled, and nodded at them before curling his fingers at Piccolo and saying, "Come on."

Piccolo flew into a rage at the sight. He unleashed all his energy, brought his hands together, and gathered power at Ye Bai with all his might, preparing to fire an energy wave.

Seeing this, everyone behind the ring sensed the terrifying aura and shouted toward the spectators behind Ye Bai, "Not good! Everyone, run!"

Ye Bai looked at Piccolo without the slightest concern and extended one hand toward him. Seeing this, Piccolo grew even angrier and shouted—

Demon Flash~

A terrifying ki blast hurtled toward Ye Bai, its violent shockwave ripping up the stone tiles across the arena, only to stop dead in front of Ye Bai's palm, unable to advance another inch.

"Impossible!" King Piccolo shouted in terror at the sight.

Ye Bai slowly closed his hand, and the energy blast before his palm gradually shrank along with it. When his hand finally closed completely, the blast vanished without so much as a ripple, crushed apart in his grip.

"This is impossible!" King Piccolo cried as he backed away in fear.

"You're scared? Do you want to surrender?" Ye Bai asked, looking at King Piccolo before him with a hint of disappointment.

"Impossible! I, King Piccolo, will never surrender!" King Piccolo roared and launched a full-force attack at Ye Bai. Ye Bai dodged every strike. When King Piccolo threw another punch, Ye Bai finally moved. In an instant, King Piccolo seemed to suffer hundreds of blows, suspended in midair before Ye Bai, before collapsing helplessly onto the ground.

"Hey, Mr. Referee, you can start the count," Ye Bai said, turning to the referee.

"Oh, oh, oh, right. Sorry."

Even after the referee's count ended, King Piccolo remained motionless. Under everyone's stunned gazes, Ye Bai grabbed King Piccolo by the foot and dragged him toward the rest area behind the arena.

As the referee announced Ye Bai's victory, Ye Bai entered the rest area. Only after tossing King Piccolo into a corner did he greet Goku, who was not far away.

"Long time no see, everyone."

"Xiaobai!" Goku shouted as he lunged at him under Chi-Chi's watchful gaze. This time, Ye Bai did not indulge him. He flicked Goku on the forehead with a finger, sending him flying back.

Goku sat on the ground, clutching his forehead. "Ow, ow, ow! That hurt, Xiaobai! What was that for?"

"You're about to get married, so stop hugging all over me. I like girls," Ye Bai said disdainfully.

"Hahahahaha..."

Amid everyone's laughter, Ye Bai felt as though he had become part of the group once more.