The next day, Gohan waited patiently outside of the World Tournament walls as the hundreds of fighters dwindled down to just eight. The hours passed slowly but, as all things do, they passed, and once the tournament ground staff began to leave, along with the remaining contestants, Gohan and the group met up with Yamcha, Goku, and Krillin. Goku gladly filled in the details of the day as he described both the fantastical and the horrible fights between the countless nameless fighters. He also told Gohan about how badly Tien beat their friend Nam; he was actually beating him so fiercely that the staff had to call the match off out of fear that Tien would kill him. Gohan could tell Goku was furious at Tien's brutality and he knew that once they got in the ring together, Tien would not be getting the same treatment his father normally gave his opponents.
Surprisingly, as the group returned to the hotel, the tournament had staff waiting there for them. The finely dressed gentlemen explained that all of their meals would be provided and covered by the tournament this evening and that it would be their esteemed honor to serve them the evening before the tournament. Of course, everyone agreed, and they were seated in the hotel dining hall and sat through an elegant, albeit tense, and awkward dinner, with the other contestants, including Tien. Throughout the entire meal Roshi was practically staring at Crane from the opposite end of the very long table, and Goku, although more sly about it, was silently sizing up Tien from his seat next to Gohan and Krillin. He couldn't wait to get the opportunity to tear him apart after what he did to Nam.
Thankfully, everyone kept their heads and the dinner was quiet. Each party returned to their rooms without incident.
The night passed quickly and in the morning everyone was up early and dressed for the hot summer day ahead of them. Once they got to the lobby and looked out the hotel's double glass doors they saw a nearly mile-long line to get into the tournament.
"Boy am I glad we don't have to wait in that line." Oolong said.
"Yeah, you're telling me! Thank goodness we have tournament participants because there's no way I could wait in that line! Some of the people look like they've been waiting there for hours!" Bulma replied.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go! I can't win the tournament from here." Yamcha said eagerly.
Bulma, waiting at the elevators watched the pad above the sliding doors; it was blank, indicating that none were being used."Ugh, we're still waiting on Master Roshi and it still looks like he's not even on the elevator yet. Oolong where is he?"
"Hey don't ask me, he was still repacking his suitcase when I left to meet you guys and that was twenty minutes ago."
"Here I am!" Roshi exclaimed, coming from behind the group. "Sorry about the wait, I took the stairs down today. I uh, needed some exercise."
"Alright!" Goku exclaimed, "Now that we're all here we can go right?"
"That's right my boy," Roshi said. "Although I do have some business to attend to with the hotel. Why don't you all go ahead without me? I'll catch up soon."
"Okay, guys let's go then!" Yamcha said as he opened the door.
Everyone hurryingly stepped through the door and out into the sunshine, the grounds were only a short walk from there and no one was content in waiting any longer. They continued passing by the enormous line of people, many of whom were fanning themselves with hats to try and keep cool, while others tried to huddle up in whatever shade the trees cast over the road.
In no time at all, they saw the massive walls of the tournament grounds and were met by Jackie Chun.
"Well, look who it is! Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha. Good to see you boys showed up today, I'm glad you didn't get cold feet after what Tien pulled yesterday. That boy has issues." he said.
"Cold feet?" Yamcha asked. "We're students of the great Master Roshi, we don't get cold feet."
"Well then Yamcha, if you're so eager to fight him I hope you get him first." Krillin said jokingly.
Yamcha smirked back. "I hope I do."
"Let's not dilly-dally then, after all, we're the main event so let's be on time and look good!" Roshi said as he began to walk towards the contestant entrance.
"Hold on," Goku said as he took out the four-star ball and untied his power pole. "Here Jack, I know you'll keep these safe so I want you to take them while I fight."
"Actually Goku, it's a new tournament policy that customers can no longer bring anything into the stadium. They said it was for security reasons so if you want Jack to watch, you've got to leave that stuff in the main hall."
"Oh...okay."
"Don't worry about it Goku you have Krillin, Yamcha, and I to look after it while you fight. It will be perfectly safe with us." Roshi assured.
"Y-yeah you're right." Goku said.
Gohan smiled and added his own assurance. "It'll be fine Goku. Just go in there and have fun! Bulma, Puar, Oolong, Master Roshi, and I will all be cheering for you!"
"Yeah, we will!" Bulma said ecstatically.
Goku smiled back and thanked Gohan and Bulma before he and the rest of the group walked behind the heavily guarded contestant entrance.
Bulma looked toward the stadium entrance and nudged Gohan. "C'mon Jack, let's go and get some good seats before they're all gone."
Gohan nodded and followed Bulma as they went into the contestant supporter's check-in. As they made their way through the very short line, Oolong tapped Gohan's shoulder, seemingly to ask a question.
"What's up Oolong?"
"Hey Jack, I've been meaning to ask this since nobody else around here want's to ask it, but... when did Goku's tail grow back?"
"I think about two years ago? Maybe a month more...I'm not quite sure. Why?"
"Well do you think there's any chance of him going ape mode? I'm a little worried we're going to have a repeat of last time."
Gohan tried to think about what his father told him about this tournament and despite his best efforts he couldn't remember much except for the fact that he didn't win. "Um, I wouldn't worry about it Oolong, remember the moon's gone now so there's no chance he could become an Oozaru."
"Oozaru?"
Gohan cleared his throat. "Sorry, I meant ape."
Oolong let out a long sigh. "Well thank goodness for that Jackie Chun, I don't want to even think about what would have happened if he didn't destroy the moon."
"What are you two talking about?" Bulma pried. "We're through the checkout so let's hustle."
Gohan, Launch, Puar, and Oolong followed Bulma's lead and great seats. They were exactly in the middle of the front row on the right side of the stadium. They were great seats, the only problem was that they would be in the sun all day long, but they each thought it was worth it to see their friends in action. It took a little while but soon every seat in the stadium was filled and a massive gong was sounded, hushing everyone instantaneously.
The announcer, with his golden hair and dark shades, walked up the arena's steps and to the center with his microphone in hand. "Good morning everyone! Welcome to the Twenty-Second World Martial Arts Tournament!"
Gohan clapped and smiled as Bulma, and plenty of others stood out of their seats and cheered.
"Now that's the kind of spirit I like to see. And let me tell you, this tournament is going to be one for the history books because today we have eight amazing fighters here to display the beauty of modern martial arts!"
Just as he paused the crowd erupted into a frenzy of even louder cheers and thunderous applause.
"And not only are there eight fighters, we now have two whole martial arts schools participating! Today we have the Turtle Hermit School comprised of Son Goku: the runner up from the last tournament! Krillin, the fantastic young lad that sure showed me that size isn't all that matters! And Yamcha, the newest turtle hermit member, who also fought bravely in the last tournament! As for the other, we have the Crane Hermit School, made up of two mysterious but powerful fighters named Tien and Chiaotzu!"
He paused to allow the crowd to once again voice their approval in droves.
"But let's not forget our remaining contestants Man-wolf, Pamput, and of course the winner of the previous tournament: The Incredible Jackie Chun!"
Gohan gazed around the arena at the dozens of fans now standing out of their seats cheering for Jackie Chun. He could hardly believe everyone was so excited for this tournament, it definitely seemed even more energetic than last time.
"So I know what you're all wondering: 'Who fights who first?. Well, I've got you covered there. The fights are to take place as follows: Tien versus Yamcha, Man-Wolf versus Jackie Chun, Chiaoztu versus Krillin, and lastly Goku versus Pamput." The announcer paused to wipe his brow and clear his throat before speaking again. "As you all know we've got lots of fighting to get through today so the first fight will begin in fifteen minutes so make sure you've all got your popcorn and various concessions ready for the most exciting World Martial Arts Tournament ever!"
Hardly anyone left their seats in the time after he made his announcement and swiftly walked off the stage, in fact, hardly anyone moved a muscle until they heard the tournament drums begin to beat. The crowd seemed to liven up as the drum beats got faster and faster and once they heard the gong sound and saw Tien and Yamcha come out they cheered wildly for them both.
"Now gentlemen the rules are simple: Fights are concluded only when your opponent can no longer fight, you must stay on the stone platform, and absolutely no killing! You'll know when you're opponents finished and we expect you to show them mercy and respect as a fellow warrior."
Both Yamcha and Tien nodded as they stared at each other.
The announcer, satisfied with his contestant's understanding of the rules, turned to the crowd. "Now that our fighters are familiarized with our code let the first match of the Twenty-Second World Martial Arts Tournament Begin!"
Yamcha smirked as he lowered himself into his fighting stance. "You know, Tien, I think I'll go slow for a little while so I don't put you out of commission too soon."
Tien smirked as well as he responded, "Do what makes you happy Yamcha, after all, this is your funeral."
Yamcha's grin disappeared as Tien got into his fighting stance as well. Gohan sensed him focusing some of his ki into his upper body which meant he was expecting more hits near his chest than his legs. The two charged towards each other, opening with a few trading blows to the chest and shoulders mixed in with some mild acrobatics.
To any normal observer, it looked like Yamcha was clearly the faster fighter, but Gohan could easily tell that he was using far more energy than Tien, even if they both were just tapping into the first little bits of their energy.
Yamcha backed away from Tien for a moment, he knew that he was a skilled fighter, but he hadn't expected him to have such perfect counters to the turtle hermit style. He charged forward once more diving beneath Tien's right kick and hitting his lower back with his elbow. Just as he hoped, that hit caused Tien to fall on one of his knees which allowed him to jump back up and hit him with a kick of his own. But, just before Yamcha's kick would have landed, Tien leaped behind Yamcha and slammed him to the ground with both of his fists. He would have continued hitting him if Yamcha hadn't rolled out of the way. Once Yamcha stood back up he had a good distance of seven feet between him and Tien, and to his surprise, Tien didn't pursue.
"You know Yamcha you do have some talent. I'll give you that." Tien said condescendingly.
"Oh really?" Yamcha said. "Means a whole lot coming from you, you bald-headed loser."
Tien didn't respond he just listened to the sound of Yamcha's labored breathing, while his was steady and calm, like he hadn't moved a muscle the entire time.
Yamcha stood straight and said, "I think I'm done warming up. How'd you like to see my wolf fang fist?"
"Wolf fang fist? That sounds pompous and ridiculous so I think I'll let you try that. See where it gets you."
"It'll get me to the next round of this tournament," Yamcha said as he focused all of his strength into his hands. "WOLF FANG FIST!" He screamed as he charged towards Tien ferociously. Tien, although surprised at Yamcha's initial speed, saw the attack coming just long enough to back away from the first swipe. He continued to back up as Yamcha clawed at him viciously, that was until he actually cut his face, then Tien slammed Yamcha's chest with his fist as soon as he saw a large opening.
Yamcha backed away, completely baffled by Tien's strength and speed and recovering from a massive hit to his sternum.
"Nowhere," Tien said wiping the blood off his face. "It got you nowhere Yamcha."
"Well try this on for size then!" Yamcha said, bringing his hands back. "KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!"
Gohan couldn't believe Yamcha had just done something that incredibly stupid, firing off his first kamehameha in the middle of a world tournament match was as dangerous as it was irresponsible, especially since Tien deflected it back towards him. Luckily, Tien happened to deflect the beam into the wall separating the empty main hall and the arena.
Yamcha was petrified as he began to descend from the jump that allowed him to dodge his own kamehameha. He had put everything he had in that attack and to see it deflected so easily was soul-crushing. He was so petrified by what just happened that he could hardly stop Tien from slamming him down into the concrete, just as he did near the beginning of the match.
Yamcha, despite his best efforts, couldn't move, he was stunned, dazed, and clearly outmatched, which made Tien's next attack more devastating. Tien had used his momentum to come soaring down on Yamcha's leg, breaking both his tibia and fibula.
The crowd was shocked, stuck gawking at the utter disrespect and violence Tien showed towards Yamcha. There were no cheers as Tien stood and backed away from Yamcha, in fact, there was little more than scared whispers coming from the crowd. Gohan, especially, found his awfulness disturbing. He couldn't imagine Tien was capable of something like this.
The announcer quickly jumped on the stage and stood between Yamcha and Tien. "Okay! Okay! That's enough Tien! You're the winner." He said. "Just make some room so EMTs can get through."
Tien crossed his arms and walked off the stage back towards the main hall. As he passed by, Goku made an effort to get in front of him "You didn't have to break his leg; he was already beaten."
"Yeah. I know." Tien said as walked around Goku.
The announcer stood by diligently as medical staff came through with a stretcher. Once they had him, the announcer put a finger to his ear and nodded a couple of times before facing the crowd. "Listen, folks... I'm sorry you had to see that. I know that usually doesn't happen because, usually, we have more civil fighters, so I think we're going to take the rest of the day to sort Yamcha out. Make sure to come back tomorrow for the fight between Jackie Chun and Man-Wolf."
It was lucky that the Papaya Island Hospital was so close to the tournament grounds because Yamcha was there in a matter of five minutes, although he would be in the hospital much longer. His broken tibia and fibula required surgery which took several hours, causing anxiety not only for Bulma but for everyone else too. In the waiting room, Gohan sat closely next to his father; he was completely silent and deep in thought, most likely about Tien.
"Excuse me?" The doctor said, "You're Yamcha's friends right?"
"Yes, that's us." Bulma said worriedly.
"Well the surgery went well, his bones are set correctly but will take time to heal. If you want to follow me to his room his anesthetic should be wearing off by now."
Everyone wasted no time in following the doctor to Yamcha's bedside.
"Hey, guys..." Yamcha slurrily said. "Man, did I mess up huh? Guess you were right Krillin, maybe I shouldn't have been so eager to fight him after all, haha..."
Bulma took Yamcha's hand and sat in a chair next to him. "You did great Yamcha."
Yamcha smiled. "Thanks, Bulma."
He then looked at Gohan. "Say, Jack, you wouldn't happen to have any more of those senzu beans would you?"
Gohan tapped his satchel. "No Yamcha, I'm sorry, but I ran out five months ago."
"That's a shame," Yamcha said, before turning on his side to talk to Goku. "You've gotta beat him. If any of us can do it, it's you Goku. You've gotta win it for me."
"I will Yamcha," Goku said. "Tien won't win the tournament. I promise."
Gohan smiled, his father promised Yamcha, and Gohan knew he'd do everything he could to fulfill that promise.
"Good." Yamcha said before looking up at a circular white clock beside the room's television "Now get outta here you guys, it's already six o'clock, you must be starving."
The crowd, now knowing what to expect, were much more silent as they filed into the tournament grounds than the day prior. Each went to their seat eager for the future matches where they hoped Tien would get what he deserved; they all now knew the cruelty of the Crane School.
The announcer came out swiftly to greet everyone. "Hello everybody! Hope you had a great night's rest because today is the second day of the Twenty-Second World Martial Arts Tournament! And we're going to start today off right with a battle between our returning champion Jackie Chun and Man-Wolf! All you have to do now is sit right there and allow us to bring out the fighters, so be ready. I've got a good feeling about today!"
Soon the contestants were brought out onto the battlefield and the crowd didn't waste a second voicing their approval for the old man. Many clapped and even more cheered his name as he took his spot on the platform. His opponent, on the other hand, foamed at the mouth as he waited at the opposite side of the ring, he had waited months for the very moment he could get revenge for Roshi blowing up the moon.
"Well, gentlemen I assume you are both familiar with the rules after yesterday so...YOU MAY BEGIN!"
Man-wolf walked up to Roshi growling with foam and saliva dripping from his jowls.
"You uh...need a little something for that?" Roshi said as he searched his coat pockets in vain. " I'm sorry but it seems that I left my handkerchief in my other suit."
"You shut up! Do you know what you've cost me, Chun? I used to be human until you took away the moon! I used to have a name before I resorted to this ridiculous stage name. I used to be Otoko but now all I am is this! This ridiculous furry monster!"
"Listen, I'm sure you have your grievances but I'm far too tired right now to listen to them. I think I'll go wait over there for a minute until you've calmed down." Roshi said as he began walking towards the edge of the stage.
Insulted, Man-Wolf could hardly contain himself, he threw himself into a sprint and swung at Roshi, but only managed to hit the air where he stood.
Roshi yawned and said, "You really need more practice. I think I'm falling asleep over here."
Man-Wolf attempted more swings but never managed to even get close to touching Roshi, he even tried to fake a swing with his right and go in with a left but all that got him was kicked onto the ground.
With his inconsistent fighting style and real lack of proper technique, Roshi could tell Man-Wolf was fighting off of emotion alone, it was something he could respect but not something he would encourage any longer.
"Alright, listen Man-Wolf, I think you've had your fun now so what do you say I fix this little predicament of yours?"
"Fix this?! Just how can you fix this!" Man-Wolf screamed angrily.
Roshi smiled, "Hypnosis of course." He paused, revealing a beef bone from his coat sleeve. "Just fetch this bone boy!"
Like a trained dog, Otoko hopped off the stadium as the bone landed in the grass and as everyone laughed at him he couldn't feel any more stupid. He dropped the bone and walked up on stage towards Roshi. "I can't believe you tricked me like that Chun! I'll kill you for it!" He said as he swung his claws at Roshi. Roshi easily deflected his arms and froze him in place using his easily attackable pressure points.
"W-what did you do to me?!"
"I froze you so I could explain a little bit more. First, I want you to know that I tricked you only so that I could help you; I can't have you trying to rip my head off as I turn you back into a human now can I? Secondly I needed you to stand perfectly still for this to work."
"For what to work?!" Otoko cried.
"You see that bald boy hanging on the wall over there?" Roshi asked as he pointed out Krillin.
"Y-yes, I do...But-"
"That's good, all I need you to do is focus intensely on his head and I can do the rest."
Otoko reluctantly complied with Roshi's request and looked at Krillin's head.
Roshi cleared from Man-Wolf's line of sight. "You see its circular shape? How it sheens in the sunlight, almost glowing with a lunar-like luster?"
"I-I do..."
"Doesn't it seem so relaxing, so familiar just like the moon?"
"It...it does, doesn't it?"
"That's because it is the moon Otoko, it is the moon."
Something must have clicked for Otoko because in the next moment his body began to morph back into its human form and, although the transformation wasn't pretty, the crowd clapped as Jackie Chun helped return a lost man his identity.
"Jackie...I can't believe it but you did it!" Otoko cried as he locked Roshi in an enormous bear hug. "I'm actually human! Thank you so much!"
The announcer awkwardly climbed up on stage, thus far this tournament was turning out to be the strangest he'd ever hosted. "All right folks, now how heartwarming was that!? What a pair those two, both entering the ring as enemies and leaving together as friends! That's something you don't see every day now is it?!"
He paused as the crowd showed their agreement. "Now the next match I expect to go a little bit differently because next up is Krillin and Chiaotzu! They may be the smallest of our contestants but that doesn't mean they still can't pack a punch! Sadly, we will be taking a brief intermission as I am getting word one of them is taking a little bit longer to get ready, so please, be patient and we'll be right back after this brief intermission!"