Goku glanced toward Piccolo not far away and thought to himself—
since Piccolo had already lost, there was no reason for the Guardian to keep tormenting Yamcha.
Sure enough, moments later, Shen calmly conceded the match.
Although Yamcha won, his dignity had been completely shattered.
After both fighters left the ring, the referee announced loudly:
"After an intense series of battles, the top four competitors have finally been decided!"
"They are: Tien Shinhan, Son Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha!"
When the audience realized all four semifinalists were disciples of the Turtle School, they erupted in astonishment.
"Wow! Last tournament, Tien joined the Turtle School—so now the top four are all Master Roshi's students!"
"So that's how it is!"
"Master Roshi was already incredible for producing warriors like Krillin and Mr. Goku…"
"But now all four semifinalists are from his school—his reputation as the God of Martial Arts just keeps rising!"
The referee raised his voice again:
"All right! Everyone's been waiting long enough!"
"Next—let the semifinals begin!"
"Son Goku versus Tien Shinhan!"
"Please step onto the arena!"
The two leapt forward simultaneously, landing lightly on the stage.
Tien's eyes burned with excitement.
"Let me see the real strength you learned from the Lookout!"
Goku didn't even assume a stance. He simply stood upright.
"Don't hold back. Come at me."
Tien launched the attack, his fist shooting forward at astonishing speed.
Even Krillin couldn't help but marvel at how much Tien had improved.
But just as Tien was about to land his blow—
Goku moved later, yet arrived first.
Bang!
Goku's fist smashed squarely into Tien's face.
Tien cried out and flipped backward through the air.
The referee shouted in shock:
"Incredible! I couldn't even see Tien's movement, and yet he was struck by Mr. Goku!"
"This level of combat is simply too high!"
Tien stood back up, clutching his cheek, disbelief written all over his face.
"Goku… you're amazing. I was moving that fast, and you still caught my opening…"
Goku grinned.
"This punch might look simple, but it carries three whole years of training!"
"You've only seen the tip of the iceberg!"
Tien laughed.
"Is that so? Then I'll have to get serious!"
With a roar, his aura surged dramatically.
In the next instant, Tien began sprinting around the ring—faster and faster.
Soon, his figure vanished completely, leaving only rapid tap-tap-tap sounds echoing across the stage.
Goku remained still, calmly sensing his movement.
The crowd gasped.
"Whoa—that's incredible!"
"Tien's so fast he disappeared!"
"If not for the footsteps, I'd think only Goku and the referee were on the stage!"
Master Roshi watched closely, smiling with pride.
"Not bad… after three years of training, even I'm starting to lose track of Tien's speed."
Just as everyone stared at an apparently empty ring—
Goku suddenly threw a punch to the side.
Thud!
Tien's face appeared exactly where Goku's fist landed—
as if he had run straight into it.
"He hit him?!"
Bulma cried out in disbelief.
"That's insane luck! He just threw a punch and hit Tien at full speed?!"
Roshi's expression turned serious.
"Idiot. That wasn't luck."
"Goku read Tien's movement pattern."
Shen watched quietly.
Goku was barely using strength—only calm awareness and perfect timing.
Both punches had landed cleanly on Tien's face.
He couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"So he's using everything he learned from being beaten by Mr. Popo… and applying it directly in combat."
Piccolo's gaze sharpened.
"Impressive…"
"But it's just reaction speed. His power doesn't seem overwhelming."
"If that's all he has, defeating him will be easy."
"Hmph. Son Goku—don't disappoint me."
Tien attacked again and again, but every assault was broken by a single clean counter.
Frustration began to rise in his chest.
"I'm done holding back!"
This time, all three of Tien's eyes focused simultaneously.
Yet when he closed in again—
Goku's fist once more struck his face.
Tien flipped backward several times to regain balance.
The stands fell silent.
Once might be luck.
Twice might be coincidence.
But again and again—
this could only mean one thing.
Goku's speed and power far surpassed Tien's.
Tien wiped the bruise from his cheek.
"My movements are that fast… and you still counter every time."
"So your speed is at least equal to mine."
"But even so—I won't give up!"
"Get ready. I'm using my ultimate technique!"
This time, Goku finally assumed a stance.
"Bring it on!"
Tien roared, his hands flashing through seals.
His figure blurred.
"Four Witches Technique!"
In an instant, four identical Tien Shinhan appeared.
Krillin stared in shock.
"That's not an Afterimage… this is real!"
The referee shouted:
"Incredible! Tien Shinhan has split into four people!"
Even Piccolo looked startled.
Tien laughed loudly.
"Goku! Now I'm attacking you with four bodies!"
"You won't be able to counter them all!"
The four Tiens charged simultaneously.
Goku's lips curved upward.
He moved.
A punch struck the first.
A kick sent the second flying.
An elbow smashed the third.
A sweeping roundhouse blasted away the fourth.
In a blink, all four Tiens crashed to the ground.
"So fast!"
The referee cried out.
"Son Goku attacked first and knocked down all four Tien Shinhan contestants!"
"But… how do we count this?"
At that moment, all four Tiens stood back up.
They didn't attack.
Instead, each ran to a corner of the arena.
The next instant—
all four gathered ki in their palms and fired simultaneously.
Whoosh!
Just as the four energy blasts were about to strike—
Goku vanished.
"Huh?! Where did he go?!"
The blasts collided, exploding into a massive cloud of smoke.
Then—amid the thunderous roar—
four screams rang out in sequence.
"Ah!"
"Ugh!"
"Gah!"
Bang!
The crowd looked toward the edges of the ring.
All four Tiens had been kicked clean off the platform.
Then—
poof, poof, poof!
Three of them vanished into thin air.
The remaining Tien collapsed onto the ground, staring at his hands in disbelief.
"…I lost?"
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