The four of them drove to the airport and boarded a plane to Papaya Island.
It was already past 7 p.m. by the time they arrived at the tournament venue. The World Martial Arts Tournament was scheduled for the next day, so John Doe and the others needed to register before midnight.
As John and the others filled out the registration forms, the staff member who noticed the young Goku and Krillin double-checked, "Are you sure these two kids are participating? We don't have separate categories for children and adults."
Master Roshi confirmed, "Yes, they will compete."
Seeing their insistence, the staff member had no choice but to register Goku and Krillin.
Just as Master Roshi was about to take John and the others to rest, several voices called out to them, "John! Goku!"
They turned around and saw Yamcha, Bulma, Oolong, and Puar approaching.
Goku didn't recognize Yamcha at first with his short hair, but when Yamcha demonstrated the Wolf Fang Fist pose, Goku immediately recognized him and shouted excitedly.
Master Roshi, seeing Bulma, approached her, hoping to take advantage of their past acquaintance at Fire Mountain. However, Bulma produced a hammer from somewhere and knocked Master Roshi to the ground.
The group gathered at a tea shop, chatting over tea until 10 p.m., then headed to the tournament's partner hotel to rest.
Early the next morning, Master Roshi took John and the others to the tournament venue.
Master Roshi brought out four sets of Turtle School martial arts uniforms and asked John, Goku, and Krillin to change into them, as suits were not suitable for combat.
After they changed into the uniforms, Master Roshi said, "The rest is up to you. I won't go in. John, look after Goku and Krillin. There are 152 participants, and only eight will advance to the finals, which will be held in front of the audience to determine the champion."
"So, give it your all in the preliminaries. I hope to see you all in the finals."
John nodded. He felt the least pressure, while Goku was excited about the upcoming preliminary battles.
Krillin, on the other hand, was nervous, as he wasn't entirely sure about his strength.
As they entered the venue, the preliminary arena was filled with athletes training their bodies. Some bodybuilders were lifting several dozen kilograms of barbells, seemingly unconcerned about losing strength during the competition.
Seeing these physically imposing opponents, Krillin's face tensed up. John noticed Krillin's anxiety and placed his hand on Krillin's shoulder, saying, "Krillin, don't be nervous. Trust in Master Roshi and believe in the training you've done these past eight months. You're stronger than anyone else."
Krillin felt the strength in John's hand, and his anxiety dissipated.
At that moment, a gong sounded, signaling the start of the draw.
John, Goku, and Krillin lined up in front of the draw box. There were four platforms in the preliminaries, with a total of 152 participants. The top two from each platform would advance to the finals.
Soon it was John and the others' turn to draw. John reached into the box and randomly picked a number, which read '36', indicating the first platform.
Goku drew next, and his number was '80', placing him on the second platform. Krillin drew '110', also on the second platform, but they were unlikely to meet unless one of them was eliminated by another opponent. If they both made it through, they could advance to the finals together.
Yamcha also approached John and asked about their numbers, hoping not to face John in the preliminaries.
John didn't reveal his number but asked Yamcha for his, which was '5', placing him on the same platform as John, but they wouldn't meet in the preliminaries.
Hearing this good news, Yamcha was thrilled. If any of them were eliminated in the preliminaries, it would be a blow to the group.
The draw concluded quickly, and John and Yamcha bid farewell to Goku and Krillin, promising to meet in the finals. The two of them headed towards Platform 1.
After the first group of matches, it was John's turn to take the stage, while Yamcha cheered from below.
John's opponent was a tiger-headed humanoid with a muscular build, a true tiger-backed bear-waisted physique, and a pair of tiger palms.
Seeing his slender opponent, the tiger-headed man tried to persuade him, "Kid, with your frail body, I suggest you surrender. I'm afraid my palm strike will cripple you."
The athletes surrounding Platform 1 heard the tiger-headed man's words and started jeering at John, whistling, and urging him to surrender.
John's heart was as calm as a deep, still pond. His expression remained unmoved, like the surface of a deep, unfathomable pond. He calmly said, "Don't take my words too seriously, or you might not live to regret it."
The tiger-headed man, hearing John's words, immediately flew into a rage and demanded the referee start the match.
The short referee, startled, quickly called for the match to begin and then jumped off the platform, fearing he might get caught in the crossfire.
The tiger-headed man, with a sinister smile, said, "Kid, I gave you a chance, but you didn't take it. Now, I'll send you down myself, but I can't guarantee you'll come out unscathed."
As he finished speaking, the tiger-headed man lunged at John, raising his tiger claws to strike.
However, when he brought his claws down, he realized his opponent was no longer in front of him. John had disappeared from his sight.
The tiger-headed man searched for John, but John, using his quick movement technique, had positioned himself behind the tiger-headed man the entire time. The athletes below the platform shouted to the tiger-headed man, alerting him to John's presence behind him.
"You idiot! Look behind you! Your enemy is right there!" The chaotic shouts finally woke the tiger-headed man, who turned to look behind him.
Unfortunately, he couldn't see John because John's movement speed was too fast, always staying in the tiger-headed man's blind spot.
The tiger-headed man broke into a cold sweat, realizing that his opponent was no ordinary fighter. He shouted, "Come out! Come out, you..."
But before the tiger-headed man could finish his insult, John struck him with a hand blade to the neck.
The tiger-headed man collapsed, and after the referee's ten-second countdown, he was eliminated, and John advanced to the next round.