"U-unbelievable..." Murmured the blonde haired man while he held the microphone in his left hand. He saw a lot of fights in his days, but this one, this fight was something else. The man quickly snapped out of his surprised state and spoke through his microphone. "Tienshinhan is down, folks! Is this the end of this year's finale!?" The voice of the announcer caught the attention of the audience which was silent and watched what happened with their eyes wide open. Whispers were able to be heard from the crowd, a lot of people were astonished by the fight while the others were disappointed that the fight was over so fast. While the voices in the crowd were louder and louder, the man with a scar on his left cheek just grunted, catching the attention of the old man standing near him.
"Hmph, this match is far from over. That brat is strong, and he will not be beaten so easily, he is tough for a human." Commented Bardock who to master Roshi surprise smirked. The old master didn't understand why would the man smile in such situation, but his attention was brought back to the ring when he heard something. A small piece of rubble which was on the ring fell down when a dark shadow flew from the hole created in the ring. The dark shadow with great speed flew towards its opponent who managed to block the punch with both hands. The young saiyan glanced seriously at his opponent who was clearly boiling with anger, but that anger was soon replaced with a smirk. Goku's tall opponent moved his head back a little and with enough force headbutted the saiyan who groaned in pain. As Goku was forced back because of the blow he received, Tienshinhan grabbed his tail and twirled around. The three-eyed man released his opponent who was heading fast towards the ring and was about to crash into it, just like him few minutes ago. The young saiyan was about to hit the center of the ring, but before he crashed into it, he placed his hands in front of his head and bounced away. Goku safely landed on the left side of the ring and just when he was to stand, he immediately looked above. His eyes slowly opened when he saw a yellow beam coming his way, but thanks to his speed the saiyan managed to avoid it.
"You won't be lucky this time! Dodon Ray!" Yelled Tienshinhan who fired another beam towards his opponent, but the saiyan avoided that one too. Tienshinhan scowled and with another yell fired a barrage of Dodon Ray's. The yellow beams landed all over the ring, except on Goku who dodged every beam that came in his way. The young boy had a smile on his face as he avoided another beam when he opened his right hand and glanced above, towards his opponent.
"I guess this would be a good time to test if I can do it." Thought Goku as he avoided another beam and with a serious expression glanced at his right palm. Goku focused on his right palm when suddenly a whitish-blue sphere of ki appeared into it. The young boy happily smiled and stopped just after he dodged the yellow beam. He didn't even look up when he fired the sphere. "Final Spirit Cannon!" The energy sphere was heading fast towards Tienshinhan who was surprised by the amount of power in it, but the pupil of crane hermit fiercely shouted back.
"Enough! I'll show you just how much stronger I'm from you!" Tienshinhan quickly moved his arms in front of his body, determined to stop the blast rather than dodge it. His muscles bulked up even more as he released a mighty yell. The blast exploded when it made contact with Tienshinhan which caused the smoke to surround him and for the announcer as well the crowd unable to see him anymore. While everyone stared towards the smoke in the sky, Krillin shifted his eyes back to his friend and wondered when and where he learned that attack. In the crowd, master Roshi was thinking the same thing, but the old man quickly realized that his pupil probably saw it from his father.
"That was a very powerful technique, did you teach him that as well?" Asked master Roshi whose eyes never left the ring and his pupil on it until he received an answer from Bardock who closed his eyes and smirked.
"No, he learned on his own." The answer didn't surprise the old martial artist at all. He knew too well how good Goku was, the small boy probably saw it once and immediately learned it. The man with a long white beard laughed a little when he remembered how easily Goku copied the Kamehameha wave. Roshi glanced back at the ring while Bardock slowly opened his eyes and looked at his son. He would lie if he said that he wasn't pleased with his son progress, but he also knew that his son can do better. The matured saiyan quickly shifted the gaze from his son and glanced above, just like his son. The smoke which surrounded Tienshinhan was blown away by the wind and revealed the three-eyed fighter. His bulky arms were covered in bloodied bruises which he lowered down and exposed his face. The bald fighter looked down with a serious expression, but then he just flew down, on the ring. When he landed on the ring, he stared at Goku with a serious expression while Goku with a surprised one spoke to him.
"Man are you strong! I'm totally surprised!" Spoke Goku who honestly meant what he said. He was looking forward to this match ever since the beginning of the tournament. A small smirk appeared on his face as he eyed Tienshinhan who released a chuckle.
"That's my line. You're surprisingly tough little bastard." Tienshinhan smirked back while he observed his smaller opponent. He would never admit it out loud but the brat with the tail was stronger than he imagined. The tall man smirk grew even bigger if possible, he was slowly starting to... enjoy this? He was quickly brought back to reality when he heard Goku speaking.
"Looks like I can go all out! I can tell that you won't die even if I push my power out to the limit." The words which came out from Goku's mouth surprised Tienshinhan, but only for a moment. The taller fighter burst out laughing which lasted only for a second when he glanced back at Goku.
"Stop joking, you've been going all out this whole time!" Said Tienshinhan with a raised voice. He couldn't believe the nonsense Goku was speaking to him. If this was Goku's way to intimidate him, it miserably failed.
"Yep, with the power I use for matches, but..." Goku narrowed his eyes as he raised his fists and clenched them. "My dad told me when I see that someone's trying to kill me to go all out. So I'll fight with the power I use in real combat!" Declared the young saiyan whose stance and eyes made Tienshinhan a bit uncomfortable. He didn't know what it was, but there was something into those eyes that made him retreat, but Tienshinhan wouldn't let it be that way. The man took one step forward and moved into his stance.
"For combat? You know nothing about that, but that doesn't matter! I never heard such a stupid bluff in my life!" Stated the three-eyed man on which Goku remained quiet while Tienshinhan continued. "Well, you got my hopes up. Come on!" Tienshinhan didn't have to say it twice, Goku already dashed towards him which shocked the taller fighter who blinked few times in confusion, he lost track of Goku. "What a.." The crane student words were cut off when he received a punch in the jaw out of nowhere however, it wasn't over yet. Goku unleashed a barrage of punches which landed on Tienshinhan's entire upper body. The saiyan stopped, but just to jump and with a knee hit Tienshinhan in the chin. While Tienshinhan wasn't able to do anything, Goku spun around and kicked his opponent which was sent flying to the other side of the ring. As Tienshinhan continued flying towards the other side, Goku disappeared and just reappeared on the other side, waiting for his opponent. When Tienshinhan was close enough, Goku shouted and kicked his opponent towards the other wall which wasn't destroyed. Tienshinhan couldn't do anything in the moment and crashed into the wall, breaking it in half. Goku's serious expression faded away and a smile appeared on his face when he saw Tienshinhan slowly getting up.
"That gotta hurt, right?" Spoke Goku through a laugh while Tienshinhan stood up and took few steps towards him. Tienshinhan cleaned the blood from his mouth while he held the stomach with his other hand. His angry expression was replaced with a loud laugh which confused the young saiyan.
"Haha, I'm so happy! I can't believe there's someone like you! I-I never thought I could be so excited... this never happened to me!" Yelled Tienshinhan whose words only made Goku smile. He knew exactly what his opponent was talking about, he was just as excited or even more. He could feel his blood boil and thirst for combat. "I'm going to take the title no matter what! Prepare yourself!" Declared the taller fighter who quickly shifted into his fighting stance.
"You can try, but I won't let you!" Goku did the same and moved into his fighting stance. He was sure to have fun, but he wouldn't let Tienshinhan win this match. This wasn't just for the title, this was also to prove himself to his father. He carefully observed his opponent who with a loud yell charged towards him, with a right fist aiming for his head. Goku quickly raised a left knee and blocked the fist and countered with his left punch which landed on Tienshinhan's cheek. The taller fighter spat a large amount of blood, but didn't back away and resumed his attack. He unleashed fast punches, but each punch was blocked or avoided by the saiyan who was slowly backing away. As Tienshinhan's last punch was blocked, he quickly raised his right leg and went for a kick to the head, but Goku dodged and jumped away, only to be followed by Tienshinhan who wasn't allowing Goku to put a distance between them. The three-eyed man, this time, tried to land an elbow on Goku as he released a loud shout, but the young saiyan just smirked and disappeared.
"He disappeared just like in his match against Krillin!" Concluded Tienshinhan in his mind as he glanced right and left while a drop of sweat fell from his forehead. "Alright, calm down and focus" The strong bald man released a breath and calmed down. He stood in the middle of the ring with his eyes closed, he focused so much that he wasn't even able to hear the crowd and the announcer talking. The crowd, as well as the announcer and Krillin, watched in confusion until they heard Tienshinhan loud voice; "There you are!" The young fighter suddenly turned around and with a swift punch grazed his opponent's face. Goku was surprised, but the smirk was still on his young face and without holding back kicked Tienshinhan in the jaw, making the taller man fall on the ground.
"Wow, I'm surprised you managed to find me. You're truly a great fighter!" Goku had a bright smile as he said that to Tienshinhan while the same man stood up from the floor. Goku was once again surprised by Tienshinhan's strong endurance. "That still didn't knock you out?" Even tho he was surprised that his opponent was still able to stand up, Goku was glad he did because he wanted to fight as long as he could.
"I'll make you pay for that... Play time is over! I'm settling this fight." Spoke Tienshinhan out loud as he moved his hands fast and placed them near his head. Goku immediately recognized what was about to happen and prepared himself for that. "Solar Flare!" Yelled the pupil of the crane hermit school and caused everyone except the announcer, master Roshi and crane hermit blind again. The bright light covered almost entire tournament area, but Tienshinhan didn't care for that as he dashed towards his opponent. "You can't see, can you!? This is the end for you!" Declared the fighter with a big smirk on his face as he was already in front of his opponent. Tienshinhan's right fist was heading towards the face of his opponent and just when it almost reached the target, to his great shock, his fist was blocked. The taller fighter's eyes were wide open in shock, but his shock was replaced with a pain which was inflicted upon him. The man received an elbow in the gut which caused him to fall to the floor immediately.
"A-Arghhh... H-How were you a-able to b-block it and..." Tienshinhan barely managed to force the words out of his mouth while he was holding his stomach and trying to stand up. He somehow managed to cast a better look at Goku and what confused him, even more, was the fact that Goku was blinded by the light, his eyes were still closed. While the announcer explained what happened in the ring to the blind crowd, Goku gave his own explanation to Tienshinhan.
"Even tho you blinded me with that nifty technique, I focused all my senses on your strong ki and followed your movement" Explained Goku who smiled as he was finally able to see. The bright light faded away which allowed the crowd to see what was going on inside the ring. While the announcer continued talking through his microphone, Roshi couldn't but be surprised by Goku's tremendous improvements. Unlike master Roshi, his old rival didn't share the same thoughts and with a serious expression glanced towards his other pupil who sweated in fear.
"Don't get cocky, you little brat! I only got knocked down because I was caught off guard... Daahaa!" Tienshinhan didn't waste any second and charged at Goku who did the same. Goku was few steps away from his opponent and just as he raised his left fist, he suddenly stopped moving. "You're wide open!" Yelled the three-eyed fighter who unleashed a barrage of fists which landed all over Goku who wasn't even trying to block or escape from it. Tienshinhan continued that for few seconds until he kicked the saiyan in the gut which sent Goku crashing on the other side of the ring.
"Damn it! You play dirty!" Yelled Goku with a growl from the other side of the ring which took Tienshinhan aback. He didn't understand what his small opponent was talking about.
"What are you babbling about!?" Tienshinhan yelled back, but as he yelled back he was intimidated by the look he saw on his opponent. He didn't know how to describe it, but it was almost as he was in front of a beast for a second. The taller man just closed his eyes and when he reopened them, he dashed towards Goku. "Stop with your stupid whining and fight!"
"If you're gonna do that again let's see you try!" Goku growled back as he charged towards his opponent. They were about to clash in the middle of the ring when once again Goku stopped moving and received a kick in the head. The strong kick sent him outside of the ring, but the saiyan quickly gained his composure back and flew back into the ring, directly towards Tienshinhan who wasn't even able to see him. Goku's fist was few inches from Tienshinhan's face when he was again stopped. The little saiyan tried to move, but even with all his effort he just wasn't able to do it. Tienshinhan quickly snapped back from his shock and punched the saiyan on top of the head. The saiyan was smacked on the floor and it was at that moment then Tienshinhan noticed something...
"Something is wrong, this was too easy... Wait! Don't tell me!" Tienshinhan shifted his gaze towards his master and friend when he noticed. The crane master had that evil smile on his old face while his little friend had his index finger pointed directly towards Goku. "I see, so that's how it is." Murmured the man who looked down on the floor and clenched his fists.
While Tienshinhan was standing above the lying Goku, master Roshi cursed inside his mind. He knew too well what was going on and he was sure to deal with it. The old martial artist couldn't believe that his former rival could fall so low and cheat like this. The master angry expression and clenched fist only caught the attention of the saiyan who was standing near the older man. Just like the old man, the saiyan with a scar on his face knew something was wrong, he was able to feel it, but he decided to let it go and see how his son would fare in such situations. After his son was for the third time overpowered by the same move, the saiyan decided to get involved, but he was somehow surprised by the old man anger.
"Shen, you wrinkly piece of shit... how could you fall so low!" Mumbled the martial arts master who placed his suitcase on the floor as well as his staff. The old master was about to walk to the other side and have a 'talk' with his former rival when he felt a strong hand on his left shoulder. The old man glanced back and saw Bardock just pass by without any words. Master Roshi watched as the saiyan easily passed through the crowd when a smirk appeared on his face. "I see, well I wouldn't want to be in Shen's shoes right now." Roshi even released a small chuckle after which he glanced back into the ring.
"Now! Kill him! Kill him, Tienshinhan!" The words of his master kept coming, but Tienshinhan didn't answer to them at all. He shifted his eyes away from his master and instead to answer to his master and do his bidding, the taller fighter spoke to his little friend. "Chiaotzu, are you behind this?" Asked Tienshinhan who received a weak and hesitant reply from his friend.
"Y-Yeah..."
"Undo your spell!" Spoke Tienshinhan who looked back at his friend and master who were shocked by his words."Undo your spell quickly! I don't want to win like this!" While he argued with his master, the announcer was close to declaring the winner of this match.
"You fool! The match isn't important! Just kill him already! That's an order!" Shouted master Shen through the telepathic link. He was barely able to contain himself, he was never angry like this before and he couldn't believe what he was hearing from his best pupil. The old man clenched his left fist in anger, he knew why this was happening, but he wasn't going to allow it and for the last time he yelled his pupil name: "Tienshinhan!"
"STOP IT!" Yelled the tall man who not only scared his friend with such an angry and loud voice but also the announcer who was just to end the countdown. Tienshinhan tried to regain his breathing and composure while the announcer and the crowd just looked at him in confusion.
"Ummm... Stop what?" Asked the announcer who didn't understand what was going on with the bald fighter. The man in a black suit quickly snapped from his confusion when he saw the other fighter stand up. "Oho! Contestant Goku has stood up! He's up again, folks!" Spoke the man with glasses while the crowd behind his back still watched in confusion. The moment he was on his feet, Goku dashed towards Tienshinahn with a loud growl, but he stopped when he heard his old master. The young saiyan glanced in confusion towards his master, but what made him wonder even more was that his father wasn't there. He searched for his father when he felt his ki somewhere in the crowd, he didn't know why, but he could feel that his father was heading towards the place where his opponent master was.
"Tienshinhan, so you're rebelling against me... me, your own master!" Said the crane hermit angrily through his teeth while he tightened the grip on the wall in front of him.
"I-I just... I want to fight with everything I got in this match. I don't need any help, I'll definitely win through my own abilities, you'll see" Tienshinhan replied back to his master who once again shouted back at him. His master was still ordering to kill Goku, but as much as his master demanded that from him, he just couldn't. He wanted to win the match properly. "I can't kill him. If I did that, I'd lose the title a-and... I-I no longer... wish to become a killer" The second those words left his mouth he felt relaxed and maybe even... free. In the crowd master Roshi smiled, he knew this would be a great moment for Tienshinhan and the rest of his life. While master Roshi was happy for Tienshinhan, his former rival was mad.
"W-Why you! You have let that idiot turtle hermit mess with your head!" Murmured the crane hermit Shen who in anger climbed on the wall and yelled: "You have forgotten the gratitude you owe me for making you such a skilled fighter! Well, in that case, I'll kill you both! Chiaotzu paralyze them both!" Ordered master Shen who shocked the little Chiaotzu with such a demand. The little fighter shook in fear when he saw the mad expression of his master.
"I-I've never seen Tien fight in a match with his full strength before... I-I want to see how the fight will end too... and I-I just can't do anything bad to him." Chiaotzu was barely able to finish his sentence when he was violently lifted in the air. Chiaotzu stared in fear while his master glared at him and moved his hand behind, ready to strike him at any moment.
"So you too, huh... No matter, I'll kill anyone and everyone who dare to oppose me!" Declared the master of the crane school with a loud yell as he was about to strike Chiaotzu. Tienshinhan yelled his little friend name in panic, but to his surprise, his master stopped. He blinked few times in confusion until he saw that it wasn't his master who willingly stopped no, someone stopped his master.
"W-What!? Who dares to interfere!?" Asked master Shen who glanced behind only to see a man with a black messy hair and a scar on his left cheek. The old man eyes were wide open as he started to sweat, he couldn't move! He didn't know how he wasn't able to feel such a strong presence before, but he knew one thing, this man behind his back was dangerous. The master swallowed hard when the man behind his back spoke.
"Who I'm it shouldn't matter to you, since... you're about to leave this place" The man with a scar chuckled which caused the old master of the crane school to shake in fear. He didn't know how was this even possible, he was never afraid like this in his entire life, even when... The master was forced to snap out of his thoughts when he felt something warm on his stomach. The old master glanced down when he saw a bright blue energy orb and it was growing. He tried to move and as he was trying to escape he released the hold from Chiaotzu who fell on the ground and just like his master stared in fear. The blue orb stopped growing and without even saying anything, the man with a scar fired the blast which carried the old man high in the sky and far from the tournament. The crowd immediately backed away from the saiyan who just crossed his bulky arms and glanced back into the ring where his son was smiling while Tienshinhan just stared in shock.
"Hmph, the old fool will probably survive, but I doubt he'll be able to move for a while. Now stop gawking and finish this match!" Stated Bardock who remained standing in the same place with his arms crossed on which Goku nodded and immediately shifted into his stance while Tienshinhan still tried to process what was going on