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*****
George wasn't actually lying. Piccolo, who had been guiding his cultivation during this time, could technically be considered his master. Furthermore, Piccolo was the runner-up of the World Martial Arts Tournament two sessions ago—the year Son Goku took the championship.
As for why his mother, Emma, had suddenly been promoted to supervisor this month after years of being a common researcher? That, of course, was also because of George.
Early on, he had placed a permanent "Luck Enhancement" on both his mother and his sister. For the rest of their lives, everything would go their way—smooth sailing, easy wealth, and divine favor.
"I support Big Brother! Go, Brother, go!"
Alice, her face now wiped dry, jumped up and raised both hands in enthusiastic approval the moment she heard they were going on a trip.
Emma thought about it for a moment. Realizing George's points made sense and not wanting to crush her son's confidence, she finally nodded in agreement.
"Then your sister and I will go together to cheer for you. It doesn't matter if you lose; you've only just started learning, and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
"I want to request a month off from school to focus on training with my master," George added, seizing the momentum of Emma's consent.
While he had a clone that could attend school in his place, it was certainly better not to have to go at all.
"Alright, I'll call the school in a bit to handle the leave for you," Emma nodded. With George's current grades, missing a month wouldn't have any negative impact.
The next day, George ostensibly left for the Lookout to follow Piccolo for intensive training. In reality, he began a solo world tour. He had already milked all the "wool" he could from the Lookout; there was no need to linger. He figured Gohan was likely already being pestered by Videl, and he had no intention of interrupting the young couple's budding romance.
Instead, he used this time to travel the globe, preparing himself to replicate this world in the future. Starting from Satan City, George passed through East City, North City, Central Capital, West City, and South City. He only returned to Satan City the night before the tournament began.
That evening, he took Emma and Alice on a plane to the small island where the World Martial Arts Tournament was held.
The island, located at the southernmost tip of the world, boasted stunning scenery and served as a premier vacation resort. Even without the tournament, it would be packed with tourists year-round. Naturally, because of the event, the crowds over these few days were particularly massive.
"It looks like there are no rooms left?"
As the three of them approached a hotel near the tournament venue, Emma noticed several tourists walking out with their suitcases looking disappointed.
"It seems we'll have to find a hotel a bit further away," she sighed. Even during normal times, booking a hotel with such a prime location was difficult, let alone during the tournament.
"I'll go ask. Maybe our luck is good and there's still something," George smiled and walked straight inside.
Emma, holding Alice—who was busy munching on cotton candy—followed him into the lobby.
"Excuse me, are there any rooms available?"
"I'm afraid not. All rooms were fully booked three days ago," the receptionist, who possessed a fox-like head, replied. Just as the words left her mouth, the telephone beside her rang. After a brief conversation, she looked back at George with a bright smile.
"Two guests just called to cancel their pre-booked rooms due to an emergency. We happen to have two vacancies right now."
"We'll take both! How much?" Emma's eyes lit up. She hurried forward with their identification documents.
"It's 20,000 Zeni per room," the receptionist quoted.
Emma winced slightly but produced the 40,000 Zeni. If she hadn't been promoted to supervisor with a massive salary bump, she truly wouldn't have been able to afford such an expensive stay. However, a second later, the fox-headed receptionist checked her computer, remembered something, and smiled again.
"Congratulations, guests! You happen to be our 20th set of guests on the hotel's 20th anniversary. You qualify for a free stay for one week!"
"Really?!" Emma was so delighted she scooped Alice up in a hug. She felt as though her luck lately had been supernatural; in her thirty-odd years of life, she had never won so much as a raffle.
Luck isn't added for nothing, George thought, completely unsurprised.
In the Dragon Ball world, the currency was Zeni. 10,000 Zeni had the purchasing power of roughly 500 dollars. 20,000 was 1,000. Two rooms for a week would have cost 14,000—a tidy sum to save.
After checking in and being led to their rooms by the staff, the three of them did some light unpacking and headed out to explore the island's night market. The competition started tomorrow, but the majority of contestants, tourists, and media had already arrived. Famous martial artists from all over the world could be seen everywhere, surrounded by fans and interviewing reporters.
Among them were several monsters with strange appearances and intimidating heights. Emma's heart hammered at the sight, and she repeatedly instructed George to forfeit immediately if he encountered such opponents.
The next morning, after breakfast, the three returned to the tournament grounds. The crowd was even denser than the day before. At the registration desk, George spotted Piccolo standing in the shadow of a tree with his eyes closed, resting his spirit.
After signing up, George led Emma and Alice over to say hello.
"This is Mr. Piccolo, the one who guided my cultivation. And these are my mother, Emma, and my sister, Alice."
Piccolo gave a brief nod in greeting. Emma, however, bowed deeply and solemnly. "Thank you, Mr. Piccolo, for taking care of George during this time!"
"It's his own talent," Piccolo replied, feeling a bit sheepish. He had only taught George for a few days before George had effectively learned everything he had to offer.
"Gohan and the others aren't here yet?" George's mental perception swept across the island. He didn't sense their Ki.
Piccolo shook his head. "They are usually quite late."
"Then let's wait here for a bit." George led Emma and his sister to sit on the steps in the shade.
Once seated, Emma whispered to George, "Mr. Piccolo's complexion doesn't look very good. Is his health okay?"
"He's fine. His skin is naturally that color," George explained with a smile, his mouth twitching slightly. Namekians had hearing far beyond that of normal humans; no matter how low Emma whispered, Piccolo could hear every word.
About half an hour later, while George was playing with Alice, his heart stirred. He looked up toward a certain direction in the sky. His mental energy had detected Gohan's group. He saw Gohan, Bulma, Krillin, and the others entering the island's airspace in their flyers and preparing to land.
This was the difference between him and the people of this world. Goku and the others sensed "Ki" to determine positions. While that could span planets and even universes, it failed if the target suppressed their Ki. George was different; he used mental energy and magic. Even if their Ki was suppressed to the absolute minimum, he could find them instantly.
Ten minutes later, Gohan's group appeared at the registration desk. They spotted Piccolo and George's family under the tree.
"Aunt Emma, George, little Alice!" Gohan walked over to greet them first.
Emma looked at Gohan—who was wearing a white turban and dark sunglasses that obscured half his face—and hesitated before asking uncertainty, "Are you... Gohan?"
George had brought Gohan home for dinner before, so she knew him, but this outfit made him almost unrecognizable.
"Aunt Emma, don't you think this looks cool?"
"Um..." Emma nodded, being somewhat dishonest for the sake of politeness, while secretly thanking the heavens that her own son's aesthetic sense was normal.
"It's so cool! I want to transform into a hero of justice too!" Little Alice pulled out her Spark Lens toy and pressed it, causing it to flash with light.
"When you grow up, you can transform into a hero," Gohan said, picking up Alice and lifting her high into the air.
Watching them, George thought to himself: You don't need to grow up. Fifth grade will be enough.
The Spark Lens in Alice's hand wasn't just a plastic toy; it was a magical artifact he had specifically crafted. In six years, when Alice reached the fifth grade, the device would truly activate. As long as she held it and shouted "Transform," she would become a magical girl capable of wielding various spells. It would be more than enough to fight crime and handle enemies with a battle power under 10,000. It was a way to fulfill her dream of being a hero—and perhaps take over for Gohan and Videl.
Whether Alice would still be in her "chunibyo" phase by then was uncertain, but usually, that brand of middle-school syndrome lasted until at least the eighth grade.
After the greetings, Gohan turned to Piccolo. "Uncle Piccolo, have you seen Dad?"
"Not yet. Gohan, do you really intend to wear that to the tournament?" Piccolo shook his head, unable to comprehend Gohan's incredibly tacky disguise.
"Ah! Mr. Satan is here! Mr. Satan is here!"
Just then, a flashy, luxurious private plane landed on the tournament's helipad. The exceptionally muscular Hercule Satan stepped off the plane with his daughter, Videl. Instantly, all the nearby reporters and spectators swarmed toward them.
"That guy... he's always like this. I can't stand him," Bulma said, shaking her head with a hand on her hip.
"Same old story. He's got a thick skin," Yamcha shrugged.
Krillin chuckled. "Can't be helped. Everyone thinks he's the one who defeated Cell and saved the world."
"His battle power isn't high, but his acting is top-tier. It's a shame he isn't an actor; his reflexes are fast too," George noted with a hidden smile, listening to Satan brag to the press.
Satan's power was peak human—he wouldn't be the previous champion otherwise—but compared to Krillin and the others, the gap was like an ant to an elephant. Still, the man was brilliant in other ways; his marketing was so good that he had convinced the world. Later, his wits would save his reputation multiple times. Moreover, it was his genuine compassion that would eventually touch Buu and allow the good side to split from the evil. It was also his influence that would convince the people of Earth to donate their energy for the Spirit Bomb. Even the tournament prize increase—from 500,000 to 10 million—was largely due to the investment Satan's fame brought in.
After everyone finished registering, the group chatted in the shade. Gohan introduced George's family to Krillin, Master Roshi, Bulma, and the others. They integrated quickly. Emma, as a newly promoted supervisor for a branch of Capsule Corp, already knew of Bulma, though they hadn't been close. Emma and Chi-Chi found plenty of common ground discussing the struggles of raising children alone. Alice and Krillin's daughter were of similar age and began playing together immediately.
George, of course, was already familiar with Gohan and Piccolo, and since he understood the personalities and histories of everyone else, a few well-placed sentences had everyone liking him immensely.
"Everyone has changed so much!"
Suddenly, two figures appeared before them. It was Goku, who had been training in the Other World, arriving via Instant Transmission with Fortuneteller Baba.
"Goku!"
Seeing Goku for the first time in seven years, everyone became emotional. Except for George's family, almost everyone there was a friend because of Goku. Even Piccolo and Vegeta, once great villains, were now part of the circle. Goku was the true protagonist of this world, the savior who rescued it time and again.
They spent a long time catching up until registration was nearly closed, at which point Goku went to sign up.
As registration ended, the contestants were called in for the preliminaries. These were held inside the venue, away from the eyes of non-contestants and media. Only those who passed would move on to the main event, which would be held on the grand stage before the seated audience.
The only ones entering the adult preliminaries were Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin, Android 18, and George. Goten and Trunks were in the Junior Division. Their matches didn't require preliminaries and would begin while the adults were qualifying, serving as entertainment for the crowd.
"Good luck, Big Brother! Knock them out!" Alice shouted fiercely, waving her Spark Lens.
Emma, more concerned for his safety, kept calling out, "It's the taking part that counts! Safety first!"
"Don't worry," Chi-Chi said, patting Emma's shoulder reassuringly. "George might not take first place, but passing the preliminaries won't be a problem at all." She had heard from Gohan that George's talent was extraordinary and that his strength might already surpass Krillin's.
(End of Chapter)