"Yes, Tien Shinhan."
Chiaotzu nodded obediently.
In addition to the Ki he had learned to harness under the tutelage of his master, the Crane Hermit, he also possessed innate psychic abilities.
Whenever he wished, he could utilize his telekinetic powers to freely manipulate the outcome of the tournament draw.
The Roster:
"I shall now announce the eight contestants who have advanced to the main tournament rounds:
Son Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Jackie Chun, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, Puff, and Wolfman."
The announcer stepped up to the podium once again.
At that moment, however, Wolfman—standing among the crowd below—shouted back in protest:
"It's Man-Wolf! Man-Wolf, not Wolfman!"
"Is there a difference?"
"A Wolfman is a lowly monster that transforms into a wolf only during a full moon. I, however, am different; I only transform into a human during a full moon!"
"Very well then—Contestant Man-Wolf."
The announcer nodded with a hint of exasperation, then continued:
"Now, please follow me to the contestants' lounge for the main tournament draw, where we will determine the order of matches."
The eight contestants followed the announcer out of the Martial Arts Hall, passing through the main arena floor—which was already thronged with countless spectators—
until they arrived at the contestants' lounge located behind the ring.
"When your name is called, please step forward to draw your number."
Inside the lounge, a staff member was already standing by, having prepared the box for the draw and a small blackboard to record the results. "First up: Contestant Jackie Chun."
With his hands clasped behind his back, the Turtle Hermit stepped forward and drew his number.
"Number Four."
The announcer wrote Jackie Chun's name next to the number four slot on the blackboard.
"Contestant Jackie Chun, you will be in the second match."
"You can assign the others however you like, but I want to be paired against that Son Goku!"
As he watched Yamcha step up to draw his number second, Tien Shinhan lowered his voice and spoke once again to Chiaotzu.
Originally, he had intended to be the one to swiftly eliminate the presumptuous Yamcha first; but now, his focus had shifted entirely to Son Goku—the boy who had nearly scared him into trembling submission just moments ago.
If he could not overcome the psychological demons that Son Goku had stirred up within him, then the rest of the tournament would be utterly meaningless.
Chiaotzu extended his right hand, activating his psychic powers. Inside the opaque box, the slips of paper immediately began to spin. As Yamcha reached his hand inside, the slip marked "Number Eight" seemed to actively drift right into his grasp.
At that moment, the Goku—sensing something—turned his head to cast a glance at Chiaotzu.
Having traversed so many different worlds, witnessed a myriad of power systems and bizarre techniques, and even mastered the control of souls, nothing escaped his notice.
The unnatural swirling of the slips inside the box, coupled with the faint ripples of spiritual energy emanating from Chiaotzu, simply could not elude his heightened senses.
With a flicker of realization, he instantly knew that Chiaotzu appeared to be using his abilities to cheat.
Yet, he chose not to expose him.
It simply didn't seem to matter to him; after all, a fight was inevitable regardless—it made no difference who his opponent was.
To claim the championship, one required a level of strength that transcended everyone else's.
"Contestant Puff!"
Puff—a celebrity fighter and two-time world martial arts champion—stepped forward. He drew "Number Seven," placing him in the same bracket as Yamcha.
"Contestant Tien Shinhan!"
Tien Shinhan stepped up and drew the very number he had been hoping for: "Number Two."
Numbers One and Two formed the first bracket—and, consequently, the very first match scheduled to kick off shortly.
He could hardly wait to redeem himself.
Next, Krillin, Chiaotzu, and the Wolfman stepped up in turn to draw their lots.
Krillin and Chiaotzu were paired together, while the Wolfman and Master Roshi formed the final bracket.
Finally, only one slip remained undrawn.
"By the looks of it, that leaves only Contestant Son Goku. You are Number One—which means you'll be facing off against Contestant Tien Shinhan. Just get ready, and you can head out to the arena shortly!"
The host glanced at the tournament bracket displayed on the blackboard and proceeded to write the Goku's name beneath the "Number One" slot.
Upon hearing this, a look of sheer astonishment suddenly spread across the Goku's face as he stared at the host.
"How did you know I was Number One? Do you possess the magic of Divination?"
The host had known his assigned number before he had even drawn it himself; to Goku, this seemed exactly like the "Divination magic" that Grandpa Dumbledore had once described.
It was a mystical form of magic capable of foretelling the future—an ability that could only be wielded by true Seers, those born with the innate gift of foresight.
"Huh... what?"
Upon hearing this, the host was momentarily at a loss as to how to explain the situation to Goku.
Krillin and Yamcha couldn't help but cover their faces in embarrassment.
Over on the other side, Tien Shinhan went straight to mocking them:
"Hahaha! I never realized that to become a disciple of the Turtle School, you first have to learn how to crack jokes."
How could such a complete idiot possibly be that powerful? He became even more convinced of his earlier theory.
It was nothing more than a mere smokescreen—a trick designed solely to intimidate.
"Tien Shinhan, what was so funny just now? I hadn't even let him draw a number yet, so how could that guy possibly know he was Number One?"
"Chiaotzu, don't ask so many questions."
Tien Shinhan's face instantly flushed red as he reached out to clamp his hand over Chiaotzu's mouth.
His adorable junior brother was perfect in every other way; it was just that he hadn't attended much school and wasn't particularly good at counting.
"It seems the Crane School enjoys cracking jokes just as much."
Hearing this, Krillin immediately seized the opportunity to fire back.
Chiaotzu struggled free from Tien Shinhan's hand and, refusing to be outdone, whipped off his hat and pointed to the single strand of hair atop his head.
Krillin instantly lost his composure, barely managing to restrain himself from lunging at him right then and there.
Back at the martial arts dojo, Chiaotzu had constantly flaunted that solitary strand of hair while taunting Krillin for being bald.
Blushing once again, Tien Shinhan shoved the hat back onto Chiaotzu's head; he found this particular method of asserting superiority to be utterly moronic.
But what could he do? He had to look out for his own junior brother, so he couldn't be too harsh on him.
"Everyone, please wait here for now. Once you hear your name called, simply step out onto the arena floor!"
The host once again announced the roster for the first round of the official tournament matches, then exited the waiting area and headed toward the ring to deliver the opening address.
Soon, enthusiastic cheers and applause erupted from the arena outside.
"Alright! The exciting matches of this tournament are about to begin. Now, let us welcome our first pair of contestants:
Son Goku and Tien Shinhan!"
Hearing the host call his name, Goku stood up and headed toward the entrance leading to the arena. "Yeah!"
"Go get him, pal!"
They shouted in unison:
"Goku, go for it! Beat that guy until he's scrambling to find his teeth!"
"Goku, don't hold back! Give that guy a merciless thrashing!"
Krillin and Yamcha yelled out to Goku.
Meanwhile, Master Roshi offered a piece of earnest, weighty advice:
"That guy is no pushover; whatever you do, don't let your guard down."
"Mm-hmm, I got it. I won't be careless."
Goku nodded, his tone serious.
Tien Shinhan turned his head to cast a glance at Goku:
"I don't know what kind of illusion or trickery you used just now...
...but in the face of true power, none of that is of any use.
I'm going to make you realize just how insignificant you really are."
The two of them walked out of the waiting room together and stepped onto the outdoor arena stage.
Back in the waiting room, the remaining six contestants all crowded around the entrance, ready to watch the fierce battle about to unfold.
Meanwhile, a massive airship was approaching Papaya Island from the distant horizon.
Inside the airship, seated high upon a throne—and clad in green robes emblazoned with the kanji for "Demon"—an ancient figure looked down at the two henchmen who had just been brought into existence. He declared:
"Since all seven Dragon Balls have finally been gathered in one place...
...there's no need for any further complications. Let's just head straight there and use them to wish for the restoration of my youth!"