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The East Supreme Kai and his attendant had come to Earth because they discovered that Babidi—the son of the evil wizard Bibidi—had secretly arrived on the planet. Babidi was currently gathering energy with the intent to reawaken the sealed Majin Buu.
However, after searching the globe without success, they turned their attention to the World Martial Arts Tournament. The East Supreme Kai suspected that Babidi might use the event to siphon ki from the world's strongest fighters. Furthermore, he knew that experts like Goku resided on Earth and hoped they might provide necessary assistance.
As for why George was keeping a close eye on the East Supreme Kai? His motivations were twofold: he wanted to establish a good relationship to learn the Fusion Dance, and he hoped to use the Supreme Kai as a bridge to contact the Gods of Destruction and Angels. His ultimate goal was to study the secrets of Ultra Instinct.
"We are now officially beginning the preliminaries for the World Martial Arts Tournament!"
A referee dressed in black and wearing sunglasses stepped forward, announcing the rules to the crowd: "For these preliminaries, the format will be..."
In previous years, the preliminaries consisted of multiple fighting matches held on internal stages to filter out the weak. This time, however, the rules were much simpler. Participants would use a punch-strength testing machine; the fifteen highest scorers would advance to the main tournament. Since Mr. Satan was the defending champion, he received an automatic seed, bringing the total number of finalists to sixteen.
To a serious martial artist, this new rule felt incredibly unfair and unprofessional—clearly the result of corporate interference. A martial arts tournament should be about skill and technique, not just raw power; judging strength solely by a machine felt more like a strongman competition.
Of course, this change didn't bother Goku's group in the slightest. Their power levels were so far beyond the human norm that the machine was a mere formality.
"Now, let us invite Mr. Satan to give us a demonstration!"
"Who thinks they can surpass me today?" Mr. Satan shouted. He tossed aside his cape and brandished his gold belt, triggering a roar of cheers from the stadium. Most of the contestants were either students from Satan's own dojo or people who had taken up fighting because of his fame. Only a small fraction were genuine martial arts masters.
"There's a whole lot of people here who can surpass you," Krillin muttered, rolling his eyes.
Amidst the thunderous applause, Mr. Satan approached the machine, wound up with all his might, and delivered a punch. The display flashed a score of 137, drawing gasps of awe from the ordinary spectators.
At that exact moment, Piccolo's eyes flashed with a subtle light. Every camera and recording device held by the nearby reporters suddenly sparked and fried, ensuring that Gohan wouldn't have to worry about his secret identity being exposed on the news.
With the demonstration over, the referee instructed the contestants to line up, collect their numbers, and take turns at the machine. George joined the line, curious to watch the power levels unfold.
"Number 2: 97 points!"
"Number 3: 88 points!"
"Number 4: 72 points!"
As the staff called out the scores, the line moved quickly. Soon, it was the turn of Number 84: Android 18.
In terms of raw human strength, Mr. Satan wasn't actually lying about his prowess. So far, the highest score had been a 117 from a massive bear-man. Scores over a hundred were exceptionally rare for normal humans.
18 stepped up and gave the machine a casual tap with a single finger. The numbers on the display blurred as they skyrocketed.
"S-Seven hundred and seventy-four?!" The staff member's voice trembled as the final tally settled. The surrounding contestants stared in stunned silence.
"The machine must be broken..." a voice whispered. How could such a slender woman possess over six times the strength of Mr. Satan? It defied logic; it had to be a mechanical failure.
Technicians were rushed in to check the equipment. After a quick recalibration, the official announced, "Our apologies, there was a minor malfunction. It is fixed now. Miss, please try again."
"I told you, don't use too much force! Control it, control it!" Krillin hissed into 18's ear.
18 waved him off impatiently. "You're so annoying! Controlling this little power is hard, okay?"
Standing behind them, George couldn't help but chuckle. Android 18 was a cyborg created by Dr. Gero; her power had been given to her instantly, unlike Krillin and the others who had spent years refining their ki through disciplined training. Her fine-motor control over her output was naturally a bit coarser. For Goku's group, the challenge wasn't hitting a high number—it was hitting a number low enough to seem human.
18 took a breath, focused, and gave the machine a gingerly poke.
"Number 84... 203 points?" The staff member wiped cold sweat from his brow. This time, however, he didn't call for a repair; he simply recorded the score.
Next was Krillin, who delivered a carefully measured tap.
"Number 85: 192 points!"
Clearly, Krillin's control was superior to 18's. Their goal was to stay as close to Mr. Satan's score as possible—high enough to qualify, but not so high it caused a riot.
"Number 86: 186 points!" Goku's control was even more precise.
"Number 87: 210 points!" Piccolo, the former Demon King, found it a bit harder to suppress his overwhelming energy.
"The machine is definitely broken. Someone get a replacement over here immediately!" The official was convinced the string of high scores was a glitch.
Just then, it was Vegeta's turn. The proud Saiyan Prince stepped forward.
"Move," Vegeta snapped at the staff. Without a hint of restraint, he drove his fist into the machine.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed through the hall. The testing machine didn't just register a score; it disintegrated, bursting into a thousand metallic shards. The entire room fell into a deathly silence.
If the previous high scores could be explained away as glitches, there was no explaining a machine being turned into confetti. Even a fool could see this strength was monstrous. Goku and the others slapped their foreheads in unison. Expecting the Prince of Saiyans to play it low-key was a lost cause.
"W-We are very sorry... please wait while we bring a new machine for the remaining contestants," the staff finally managed to stammer after the shock wore off.
"Don't go to all that trouble."
George stepped toward the pile of wreckage and pointed a finger at the debris. Channeling his ki as the catalyst, he cast a Mending Charm.
"Reparo!"
He didn't want to waste the whole afternoon waiting for logistics. Under the influence of the spell, the shards of the machine flew back together, reversing time until the device stood perfectly intact in its original position.
"What... what just happened? Am I hallucinating?" A staff member slapped himself across the face, only to realize the machine was indeed fully repaired.
The crowd's eyes widened further, and even Goku's group looked surprised.
"He's very good at inventing strange techniques. He has a real talent for it," Piccolo remarked, though he was the least surprised. Having spent time with George at the Lookout, he knew George had developed numerous specialized ways to manipulate ki.
"It's just a trick," George said with a grin. "While I'm a martial artist, I also moonlight as a magician."
To sell the lie, George reached out and grabbed a staff member's hat. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled a live pigeon from the empty space. The bird flapped its wings, flew into the air, and then suddenly vanished into a shower of colorful flower petals that drifted slowly to the floor.
"Oh, it's magic! What incredible sleight of hand!"
The crowd let out a collective sigh of relief, choosing to believe George's explanation. It was the only way to rationalize a shattered machine restoring itself. Everyone knew magic tricks were "fake," but before they are debunked, they look like miracles. The crowd assumed this was a pre-arranged entertainment segment to keep spirits high during the wait.
"The preliminaries continue!"
The staff checked the machine, found it functioning perfectly, and resumed the roll call. George stepped up and delivered a punch that registered exactly 130. His control over his energy was so refined that he could hit a target number with surgical precision. 130, he figured, was plenty to qualify without drawing unwanted heat.
Ten minutes later, Gohan and Videl had both secured their spots in the finals.
"Junior Division contestants, please prepare! Your matches begin in five minutes!" the loudspeakers announced.
"The kids are starting. Let's go watch," Goku suggested.
Normally, a junior tournament wouldn't interest them, but this one featured Goten and Trunks.
"Might as well. It's better than sitting in this boring room," Vegeta agreed. Since they had all passed the test, there was no reason to linger.
As they walked toward the main arena, Gohan introduced Videl to the group. Seeing their casual displays of power, Videl was beginning to suspect there was much more to these people than met the eye.
As they left, George glanced toward a corner where two bald, muscular men stood. Both had a distinct "M" symbol tattooed on their foreheads.
Those two must be Babidi's lackeys, George thought.
Babidi's most dangerous magic was his ability to dominate anyone with evil in their hearts, even if they were far stronger than him. He could also "Makarize" his followers, drastically boosting their physical abilities. The two men, Yamu and Spopovich, had been ordinary contestants in the previous tournament and were easily defeated by Mr. Satan. Driven by resentment, they had become the perfect vessels for Babidi's influence. Their goal today was to find fighters with massive energy and drain them dry.
Minor characters, George dismissed them. Even with the power boost, their power levels likely didn't exceed a thousand. He didn't give them a second thought.
The group reached the high balcony overlooking the arena just as the Junior Division matches began. Predictably, Goten and Trunks steamrolled the competition, eventually meeting each other in a spectacular final showdown. Their raw power left the audience speechless and fueled Videl's growing suspicions. In the end, Trunks won by a hair, knocking Goten out of bounds.
Base form around 200 million... Super Saiyan probably around 10 billion, George calculated, gauging the boys' true strength. That meant his own total ki was roughly on par with a transformed Goten or Trunks. Of course, in a real fight, his experience and versatility meant he could handle them both with ease.
"The preliminaries are over! Will the following sixteen contestants please report to the hall for the drawing of the lots!"
The loudspeaker crackled to life again: "Puntar, the Mighty Mask, George, Son Goku, Vegeta, Ma Junior, Krillin, Number 18, Great Saiyaman, Videl, Shin, Kibito, Killa, Yamu, and Spopovich."
"He really made it!" In the front row of the stands, Emma—sitting next to Chi-Chi—jumped up in excitement when she heard George's name.
Meanwhile, the students from Orange Star High School were in total disbelief. George? The quiet bookworm? How did he qualify for the finals? George hadn't worn a disguise like Gohan, so his classmates had recognized him immediately, but none of them had actually expected him to win a spot.
"I wonder if there are any other strong guys besides us," Goku mused.
"I doubt it," Vegeta replied curtly.
As the group headed toward the drawing hall, Krillin began to pray under his breath. "Oh, Great Kami, please don't let me face one of them in the first round..." To him, a first-round match against Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, or Piccolo was an automatic exit.
"Krillin, the Kami you're praying to is Dende now," Piccolo reminded him with a smirk.
Krillin blinked, then quickly corrected himself. "Then Dende! Please look out for me! I saved you plenty of times on Namek!"
George looked at Krillin and shook his head with a smile. Out of the sixteen finalists, there were at least nine people with power levels significantly higher than Krillin's. Unless the heavy hitters ended up knocking each other out early, Krillin's chances of making the top five were slim indeed.
(End of Chapter)