With even darker skin, as if he had weathered more storms, King Chappa stood barefoot on the arena. His yellow martial arts gi draped over one shoulder, revealing a well-built, muscular chest, giving him an intimidating presence.
"Heh heh heh..." The scruffy-bearded King Chappa let out a vague chuckle as he looked at the woman with voluminous purple curls standing across from him. "This tournament is really becoming a joke, letting a delicate little girl like you make it to the top eight."
Launch showed no reaction to such provocation. She didn't even seem focused, her demeanor overly relaxed.
That only made King Chappa angrier.
Did she even know who was standing in front of her!?
"She's really strong," Goku commented, arms crossed, floating in midair at the front of the audience stands.
Meanwhile, in the arena, King Chappa could no longer contain himself and lunged at the woman who dared to underestimate him.
As he charged, his arms blurred like illusions, seemingly transforming into sixteen hands in an instant!
However, just as Goku expected, in the very moment King Chappa nearly touched Launch, the audience barely heard a muffled impact before witnessing him—who had been rushing forward—suddenly fly backward instead, crashing unceremoniously onto his backside outside the ring.
King Chappa lay on his back, staring at the blue sky and white clouds through his legs. Amidst the uproar of the audience, a single thought circled in his mind:
Where... am I?
On the stage, Launch slowly lowered her hand.
From behind the Martial Arts Temple's gate, Krillin peeked out, utterly dumbfounded. He hadn't even seen when this stunning woman, who looked more like a fashion model than a martial artist, had moved. One moment she was standing casually, and the next, she had somehow launched King Chappa out of the ring. Had she punched? Used her palm? He had no idea…
"Uh... Alright, dear audience, the winner of the first match in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament's quarterfinals is... Launch!" The mustached announcer hesitated for a moment before quickly recovering and declaring the result.
Under the crowd's enthusiastic cheers and applause, Launch walked behind the Martial Arts Temple's gate. Krillin shrank slightly as she passed by. The purple-haired beauty, who looked more like a supermodel than a martial artist, simply leaned against the wall and closed her eyes indifferently.
The second match…
The third match…
The fourth match—Krillin, cheered on by Goku and their friends, secured an easy victory, advancing to the semifinals.
In the first semifinal match, Launch slowly lowered her leg after a side kick. Her opponent, just like King Chappa before, found himself inexplicably sent flying out of the ring.
The mustached referee wiped his sweat repeatedly, awkwardly praising, "Launch... uh, Launch wins yet again with a clean, decisive victory…"
Damn, it's a good thing not everyone is like her, or the entire tournament would be over in thirty minutes!
In the audience, Chi-Chi gaped in astonishment. She had assumed her own easy defeat was just because she was too weak, but now she realized—it was because that woman was overwhelmingly strong.
"She's so cool…" Chi-Chi murmured with a hint of admiration, her bright eyes reflecting the silhouette of the effortlessly victorious, purple-haired woman.
Sure, her master Gine was even stronger—perhaps by an unfathomable margin—but Chi-Chi knew her master was an alien. Goku and his family were all Saiyans, a special race that was naturally beyond human limits. But Launch… she was just like her. A human. A woman from Earth.
Even the author seemed to have suddenly introduced a bizarre, unexpected character pairing…
The Finals!
Krillin took a deep breath, standing firmly on the stage. The beautiful, purple-haired woman across from him exuded an overwhelming presence, making his heart pound with anxiety.
"Go, Krillin!" Goku cheered loudly from the audience.
Easy for him to say! Krillin mentally complained, sweating bullets, but in the end, he decided to just go for it.
The mustached referee announced the start of the final match, and Krillin immediately took a stance in the Turtle School's opening form. Across from him, for the first time, Launch's gaze seemed to shift slightly.
The bald fighter charged forward—and this time, he wasn't instantly sent flying out of the ring!
Finally, after multiple one-sided battles, the audience got to witness what looked like a real match. The mustached announcer narrated excitedly, thrilled to finally see some back-and-forth action, feeling like this was how a proper World Martial Arts Tournament should be!
Fists and palms clashed. Launch shifted her body slightly, extending her hand. With one long, delicate finger, she tapped the confused bald fighter lightly on the forehead.
"You've still got a long way to go," she chuckled softly.
With a loud wail, Krillin was flicked backward, sent soaring out of the ring.
The audience erupted into laughter—this scene had played out three times already!
"And with that, the champion of the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament is... Launch!"
The mustached referee mustered his energy and passionately announced the final result.
Amid the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd, Launch nonchalantly accepted the referee's congratulations before leaping off the stage and leaving on her own.
"She's really something else!"
"What a strange woman."
"What a badass big sis!"
As the group dispersed, Goku, Krillin, and Bulma each gave their own remarks. Gine, seeing that her disciple hadn't lost confidence, felt relieved.
"Huh? Where's my sister?" Bulma chatted with her friends before suddenly realizing something. She glanced around but didn't see Tights anywhere.
Thinking for a moment, Bulma bent down and poked Goku's head. "Hey, Goku, can't you sense people's… uh, 'ki' or whatever, like Yamiru does? Hurry up and find out where my sister went!"
"Oh, right!" Goku responded and started searching.
However, Tights' ki was relatively weak, and with the large crowd near the Martial Temple, it was hard to pinpoint her location right away…
---
Tights was buying water when she noticed the woman who had just won the tournament approaching her. She greeted her politely, but the woman stopped a few steps away, wearing an odd expression—almost conflicted. Seeing her hesitate, Tights simply smiled and thanked her again. "Thanks for your help earlier. Want some water?"
She pulled a bottle from the bag, but the other woman suddenly let out an annoyed grunt, turned around, and walked off.
Before she got far, though, Launch abruptly turned back, snatched the bottle Tights was about to put away, and declared in a booming voice, "THANKS!"
With that, she strode away without looking back.
Tights was stunned. She had a vague feeling that Launch held some kind of grudge against her—but it wasn't exactly hostile.
"Sis, was it that woman again?" Bulma and the others had found her by then. Tights handed out the drinks, shaking her head in confusion. "I don't get it. It's like she already knew me, but I don't think we've ever met… She seemed like she wanted to talk to me in private, but in the end, she didn't say a word and just left…"
Bulma casually twisted off the cap and took a sip. "Could she be another one of your fiancé's flings?"
Not far away, Launch held an open bottle of water in one hand, the cap in the other, her face blank with confusion.
Where am I?
Where did this water come from?
Why is everyone calling me the tournament champion?
Why did that fearsome King Chappa just glare at me and declare he'd be back next time?
Has the tournament even started?
Wait… I'm already the champion?
—
Power Levels:
Launch: 330
Chi-Chi: 100
Krillin: 180
King Chappa: 81
Son Goku: 416