c 11 – The 21st World Martial Arts Tournament
In the blink of an eye, another five months had passed.
The long-awaited 21st Tenkaichi Budokai the first World Martial Arts Tournament of its kind in this era was about to begin.
Li Xu brought Bulma to Papaya Island, where the tournament would be held. The grounds were already bustling with activity. Although only a little over a hundred fighters had registered, the crowd gathered to watch the spectacle numbered in the thousands—locals and martial arts fans alike filled the stands.
"So many people!" Bulma exclaimed, wide-eyed at the size of the venue.
"Son Goku and the others are here too," Li Xu said with a grin as he spotted several familiar figures in the crowd: Master Roshi (disguised, of course, as Jackie Chun), Son Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha.
"Li Xu! I didn't expect you to beat us here!" Goku called out cheerfully as he rushed over, clutching his trusty Power Pole on his back.
"You've gotten a lot stronger since the last time we met," Li Xu chuckled as he observed the young Saiyan.
"Yeah! Grandpa Roshi gave me super tough training for this tournament!" Goku said with his usual unfiltered excitement. He looked forward to testing himself against Li Xu most of all.
"Let's get registered first. The real competition starts tomorrow," Li Xu replied.
"Okay!"
Ding dong! Mission triggered: Win the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai. Reward: Standard Saiyan Bloodline Plugin.
Just then, the cold mechanical voice of the system echoed in Li Xu's mind.
Seriously? Now you trigger it?! Li Xu silently cursed. If I knew there was a reward for winning, I wouldn't have encouraged Goku to train so hard! This would've been a clean sweep…
But it was too late for regret. The reward was too tempting Li Xu now had a single goal: win.
After registering, Li Xu and Goku's group went their separate ways. He returned to the hotel with Bulma. Despite the closeness they'd developed, they still hadn't crossed the final line in their relationship.
The next morning arrived quietly, and the two returned to the arena under the early sunlight.
"Li Xu, you have to win today!" Bulma said, her tone serious despite the excitement on her face.
"Don't worry, trust your man. I'll bring that trophy back." Li Xu gave a confident smile.
Bulma blushed bright red.
Seeing her embarrassment, Li Xu stopped teasing and walked into the staging area for the lottery draw and preliminary round.
Inside, the hall was filled with contestants from across the globe humans, beastmen, and martial artists of all kinds. There were even anthropomorphic fighters, such as werewolves and tiger-headed men. But despite the colorful lineup, truly strong opponents were few and far between.
"Li Xu, what number did you draw?" Goku and Krillin jogged over, both wearing their new orange Kame School uniforms.
"Number one!" Li Xu grinned and held up his draw slip.
"Awesome! That means we won't face each other until the finals!" Krillin said in relief. He had witnessed Li Xu's power before and wasn't confident about facing him in early rounds.
"See you in the final then." Li Xu smiled knowingly.
Just then, he noticed a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye—tall, spiky-haired, and wearing a white martial arts gi.
"I didn't expect him to show up too!" It was Yamcha, or as the announcers would call him, Leping, just like in the original manga.
Yamcha noticed Li Xu and came over, nodding in recognition.
"Hey. I lost to you last time, but I've trained hard since then. This time I'll win," Yamcha said with confidence and resolve.
Li Xu raised an eyebrow. "You'd better make it to the finals first."
Since Bulma no longer had romantic ties with Yamcha in this altered timeline, Li Xu didn't have any reason to view him as a threat—either emotionally or competitively.
"Contestant Number One, please report to the ring!" came the familiar voice of the Tournament Announcer, dressed in his signature black sunglasses and blue suit.
"I'm up first," Li Xu said, heading calmly toward the stage.
As he stepped into the bright sunlight of the arena, chatter began to swell in the crowd.
"Whoa, poor guy. He's facing King Chappa right out the gate?"
"Yeah, King Chappa's undefeated! He once took down eight opponents at once!"
Hearing the whispers, Li Xu's expression didn't change. He had already noted the difference in aura Chappa's strength was real, but compared to Goku, Roshi, or himself, it wasn't overwhelming.
He walked toward the center of the ring as the crowd buzzed, ready for the opening fight of the tournament completely focused on the mission, the reward, and the road ahead.
"Goku, is this King Chappa really that strong?" Krillin asked in a low voice as they watched the match begin.
"I'm not sure," Goku replied, scratching his cheek, "but I don't think he's a match for Li Xu."
"Young man," King Chappa said with a composed, mentor-like tone, "it may be painful to be eliminated in the first round, but even defeat can be a form of growth."
"You'd better get started," Li Xu said casually.
Although King Chappa was clearly stronger than most competitors, in Li Xu's eyes, he was no different from the rest—far below his level.
"Hmph, then don't blame me," Chappa muttered, irritated by Li Xu's arrogance.
With a quick dash, King Chappa launched an attack, but the moment he reached Li Xu's position, his target had vanished.
"Huh? Where did he?"
"Whoa! So fast!" Goku exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.
Li Xu was now standing behind King Chappa, arms folded, having made no move to strike yet.
"Go ahead and use your ultimate move. At least then, when you lose, you won't have any regrets," Li Xu said calmly.
King Chappa's face twisted in shock. He hadn't even noticed when Li Xu got behind him.
"Young man… I underestimated you. I'll use my ultimate technique now. Be prepared." Chappa took a deep breath and shifted his stance. "This is the Eight-Handed Fist!"
"The Eight-Handed Fist?!" a spectator cried out from the stands. "That's Chappa's famous move! His punches are so fast they look like eight arms at once!"
With a battle cry, King Chappa rushed at Li Xu again, fists blurring with incredible speed.
But just as one of his punches was about to land, his movements halted mid-strike. Li Xu had already stepped inside his guard, delivering a clean punch to the stomach with surgical precision.
Chappa's face contorted in pain. Then—
Thump!
He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.
There was a stunned silence before the tournament announcer finally found his voice.
"Contestant Number One is the winner!"
"Goku, did you see that?" Krillin asked, eyes wide. "I didn't even catch what happened!"
"I did… kind of. But Li Xu still wasn't using his full strength," Goku replied, excitement burning in his eyes.
"He's incredible…" Krillin muttered, swallowing nervously.
After stepping off the stage, Li Xu walked toward Goku and the others.
"Li Xu! I really can't wait to fight you!" Goku said, grinning with unfiltered anticipation.
"Don't disappoint me when the time comes," Li Xu replied, appreciating Goku's drive to challenge strong opponents.
"You're both monsters," Krillin groaned, feeling the gap between himself and the two.
"You're strong too, Krillin," Goku said encouragingly.
"Enough talk," Li Xu said, "focus on getting through the next round."
The following matches proceeded rapidly. Li Xu continued eliminating his opponents in a single move per round, while Goku's battles, though slightly more drawn out, also ended decisively due to the vast difference in strength.
Krillin was nervous at first, unsure if he could keep up. But after a few rounds, his confidence grew. With each fight, he began dispatching his opponents in one or two clean hits.
Soon, the preliminary rounds came to an end, and the top eight contestants were announced:
Li Xu vs Yamcha, Jackie Chun vs Krillin, Son Goku vs Ranfan, and Nam vs Giran.
It was mostly in line with the original tournament lineup, except that Li Xu had replaced Bacterian, and the match order had been slightly altered.
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