Because Goku had won the second match, Krillin was his opponent in the semifinals.
Goku looked at Krillin standing across from him and smiled. "Come at me, Krillin."
Just standing there, Krillin could feel the pressure coming from Goku. He couldn't help swallowing.
"All right, senior brother Goku, please be careful."
With that, Krillin became a black blur and charged at Goku.
Krillin clenched his fists, drawing both arms back like a great bow, and threw a vicious punch at Goku. Just as it was about to land, Goku suddenly vanished from sight.
Oh no!
Krillin hurriedly turned around in midair, but his momentum kept him from stopping.
Krillin staggered back several steps on the ground to arrest his momentum, only for Goku to kick him in the stomach.
In an instant, Krillin became a streak of white light and flew out of the ring.
It had all happened in a second or two. The match was over before the announcer could react.
"S-Son Goku wins!"
After the announcer declared the result, Goku stepped out of the ring and helped Krillin up.
"Ha ha, senior brother Goku, the gap between us really is huge."
Krillin couldn't exactly be described as unscathed, and he was in a sorry state, but he still smiled from the bottom of his heart.
"It's all right. If you keep training, you'll definitely catch up to where I am now."
"Really? That's great!" Krillin's eyes lit up.
Goku had actually been a little sly. Krillin could indeed catch up, but only to where Goku was now. He gave everyone time to catch up until he was beyond everyone's reach.
Ahem, that was a bit of a boast, a bit of a boast.
As expected, Master Roshi also defeated Nam, leaving Goku to face him in the final.
"Goku, you can do it! I know you'll be the champion!" Bulma cheered Goku on from the stands.
Goku nodded to Bulma, then stepped into the ring.
In the final, Goku looked at Master Roshi, who was disguised as Jackie Chun, and wondered whether he should expose him. After all, all three of them knew.
"Grandpa Roshi, stop pretending. Don't you know I can sense Ki?" After thinking it over, Goku decided to expose Master Roshi.
"Yes, I know. I disguised myself for the other two. I originally wanted to teach them a lesson myself and show them that there's always someone stronger, but who knew you'd beat them up first? That works too."
"What about now, Grandpa Roshi? Are you going to fight me?"
Goku didn't think Master Roshi could beat him. After more than half a year of training in the gravity chamber, he had improved enormously.
Although he didn't have a battle detector to measure his exact power level, a single Kamehameha from him was now enough to destroy Earth. It should have been over ten thousand.
"You little brat, do you think this old man can't fight anymore? Yes, your Ki is much stronger than mine now, but today I'll teach you something: strength isn't determined entirely by how powerful your Ki is!" Master Roshi assumed a defensive stance.
"Come at me."
"All right, Grandpa Roshi. Be careful."
Goku leaned forward and punched at Master Roshi. He didn't use all his strength, but even so, he was sure Master Roshi couldn't block it.
"What?"
Goku saw Master Roshi twist his body slightly and dodge the punch. Unable to believe it, Goku threw several more, the wind from his fists sweeping outward.
Yet Master Roshi dodged every one of them with complete ease.
Goku stopped attacking and stared at Master Roshi in shock. Was this the prerequisite for comprehending Ultra Instinct? He couldn't help thinking so; it was too much like Ultra Instinct!
"Well, Goku? This is the calm state of mind pursued after reaching a certain level in martial arts. The body and consciousness separate perfectly, and every move becomes as though it were carved into the body."
Seeing Goku stop, Master Roshi couldn't help feeling a little smug. But perhaps this was also the only thing he could still teach his disciple.
"Yes, Grandpa Roshi, reaching your level of martial arts is impressive. I'll keep improving my own martial arts too, but what if my Ki is far stronger than yours?"
Goku unleashed all his Ki. A fierce wave of energy swept toward Master Roshi like a tsunami, and Master Roshi couldn't help smiling bitterly as he felt how powerful Goku's Ki was.
Yes, a profound level of martial arts could make up for some difference in strength, but once the gap reached a certain point, even the highest level of martial arts was a joke.
Goku flew toward Master Roshi, his surging aura carving a furrow in the ground, and grabbed his arm before he could react.
"Grandpa Roshi, please surrender." Goku still wanted to let Master Roshi save face.
"Announcer, I surrender."
"I declare the champion of the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament to be Son Goku!"
After the announcement, the announcer took Son Goku to collect the 500,000 awarded to first place.
Honestly, Son Goku wasn't all that excited about getting 500,000 anymore.
Never mind the 100 million Bulma had given him, living at her house for the past half year or so had already shocked him with how wealthy her family was.
As Goku left the arena with Master Roshi and the other two, he heard Bulma's voice nearby.
"That's wonderful, Goku! I knew you'd win!" Bulma ran over excitedly.
The corners of Master Roshi's and the other two's mouths twitched, but she was right. They and Goku weren't in the same league.
"Keep it down, Bulma. Keep it down."
Seeing everyone around them looking over, Goku felt a little embarrassed to be seen with Bulma.
Bulma had been a little too excited. When she realized it, she looked at the people around them and blushed slightly.
"Ahem, enough about that. To celebrate Goku's victory, I'll treat you all to a meal. Eat as much as you want."
Bulma felt that since Goku had won, she should do something to mark the occasion, such as treating his master and junior brothers to a meal.
"Great!" Krillin replied excitedly.
"I know a restaurant with excellent food. I'll take you there," Master Roshi said.
"Then let's go."
They headed to a restaurant not far from the tournament grounds.
During the meal, Krillin got to see just how much Goku could eat.
After eating and drinking their fill, they split into two groups.
"Goodbye, Grandpa Roshi, Yamcha, Krillin!"
From Bulma's plane, Goku waved to Master Roshi and the other two.
"Goodbye, Goku!" all three called.
With that, the plane flew off into the distance, blasting the three on the ground in the face with its wake.
"Master, why did you pretend to be someone else to enter the tournament?" Krillin asked Master Roshi, puzzled, after Goku and Bulma had left.
"What the hell do you know? I was teaching you."
"Huh? But didn't you lose to senior brother Goku? What did you teach him?" Krillin exposed him without mercy.
"That's why I said you don't know a damn thing. Of course you can't tell what I taught him." Master Roshi gave Krillin a sharp rap on the head.
"Ow!"
"When we get back, your training volume will be doubled for a month."
"Huh? No, please, Master Roshi!"