"Talk about lucky — Guldo got to go first!" Recoome muttered with envy.
"What's there to be jealous about?" Jeice scoffed. "That little shrimp he's up against looks like the weakest one. This fight's gonna be a snooze."
Chiaotzu floated forward, stopping in front of Guldo with a curious look.
'I clearly suppressed my Ki… how did he still pick me out as the opponent with the lowest power?'
Guldo curled his lip in disdain.
"Hmph. I knew it. I draw the short straw again. This guy looks like a total pushover. Guess I'll just be on garbage duty."
"Enough chit-chat. Get on with it, Guldo!" Recoome urged from the sidelines.
Guldo snorted, clearly underestimating Chiaotzu.
Chiaotzu, however, didn't dare get careless. He rose into the air and narrowed his eyes.
Then, without warning, he pointed a finger and unleashed a Dodon Ray.
A bright beam lanced through the air, headed straight for Guldo.
Guldo's eyes widened. The blast was too fast — it reached him in an instant.
Panicking, he yelled, "Time Freeze!"
In a flash, the entire area was suspended in stillness.
The Dodon Ray had been right above Guldo's head when time stopped.
He gasped, then jogged out of the blast's trajectory and beyond its impact radius like he'd done this before.
Back in the distance, Goku, Bulma, and Chi-Chi were stunned.
This was their first time witnessing a technique that could freeze a Dodon Ray mid-air.
It really was a time-freeze.
Bulma exhaled in relief. "Whew… good thing his time freeze is localized. Otherwise, this would be way too broken."
By the time she finished speaking, Guldo had finished running out of danger and dropped the time freeze, gasping for breath.
The beam struck the ground with a thunderous boom, kicking up clouds of smoke and dust.
Hovering above, Chiaotzu could tell his attack had missed. He scanned the surroundings—then spotted Guldo.
"Dodon Ray!"
"Agh!"
Another beam flew straight at him.
Again, Guldo yelped and shouted, "Time Freeze!"
The second beam was just as fierce and just as close.
Guldo broke out in a cold sweat.
'This kid's fast… his energy blasts are intense… and way too frequent. I can't keep burning stamina on time stops like this! I need to end this—fast!'
Dodging the second beam, Guldo struck back.
He raised both arms to his shoulders and shouted, "Yaaah!"
Suddenly, a strange force locked Chiaotzu in place.
'This feeling…!'
It was just like his own psychic technique.
He tried to move but found himself sluggish, like wading through a swamp. It was nearly impossible to budge.
Seeing him immobilized, Guldo wiped the sweat from his brow.
"You little brat… you're tougher than you look. Forced me to use Time Freeze."
"But now that I've got you — it's over! I'll kill you!"
Guldo looked around, spotted a nearby tree, and ran to it.
He broke off a thick branch and whittled it into a crude wooden spike.
"I'm gonna skewer you like a shish kebab and roast you over a fire! Bet you'll taste great!"
He turned toward Chiaotzu and raised the spike to throw—
—but Chiaotzu's eyes flared wide, and his palms opened toward him.
Suddenly, Guldo found himself paralyzed.
That swamp-like pressure surrounded him too.
Now both fighters were frozen in place.
The rest of the Ginyu Force stared, dumbfounded.
"What the…?"
"Why isn't Guldo moving?"
Tien's eyes lit up.
"Chiaotzu used his paralysis technique! They're evenly matched!"
"Chiaotzu — finish him before he can time-freeze again!"
Chiaotzu's eyes flickered in understanding.
Struggling through Guldo's technique, he slowly moved — not releasing his own hold — and floated behind his opponent.
Guldo's eyes bulged. His psychic technique wasn't enough to completely lock Chiaotzu down!
Panic set in.
Krillin, Tien, and the others held their breath, worried the Ginyu Force might interfere — but they didn't move, simply watching with arms crossed, treating this like a fair match.
"Dodon Ray!"
At last, Chiaotzu released his technique and fired the beam at point-blank range.
BOOM!!
A massive explosion rocked the battlefield.
Guldo was swallowed by the blast.
Chiaotzu exhaled, finally shaking off the sluggish weight of the psychic duel.
"Phew… that was close. His power really is similar to mine…"
A gust of wind blew through as the smoke cleared.
Guldo lay on the ground, body charred black, unconscious, eyes shut tight.
Chiaotzu whooped with joy.
"Tien, I won!"
Tien smiled and gave him a nod of approval.
The Ginyu Force, meanwhile, looked stunned.
Jeice clicked his tongue. "Aw, man. One down already!"
Burter frowned. "Just when Captain finally perfected our five-man formation dance…"
Recoome folded his arms. "He's dead. Nothing we can do. Guess Captain Ginyu will have to come up with a new four-man version."
Ginyu ignored them. "We'll worry about that later. Who's next?"
Burter stepped forward. "It's me, Captain. My turn!"
Ginyu nodded. "Don't let us down. Don't embarrass the Ginyu Force."
Burter smirked. "Relax, Captain."
He took center stage and struck his pose. "Ginyu Force — Burter~!"
Krillin, seeing how polite they were — despite being Frieza's men — stepped forward and returned the gesture.
Hands together, he bowed. "Turtle School of Earth — Krillin."
Chi-Chi rested her chin in her hand, looking at Goku.
"Hard to believe these guys are Frieza's troops. They're so... polite."
Goku nodded. "Yeah. This is a life-or-death match, and they're showing more manners than half the people on Earth."
Bulma smirked. "Nah, I think they're just dumb. But hey, dumb works in our favor."
Goku and Chi-Chi both chuckled.
Chi-Chi added, "Yeah, they're definitely missing a few brain cells. Kind of endearing in a weird way."
Bulma noticed how formal both Krillin and Burter were acting — stiff, even.
It made her wonder… maybe these guys weren't completely evil after all?
At least, they didn't seem like the type to stab you in the back.
She casually pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff.
At that moment, both Goku and Chi-Chi turned to stare at her.
Bulma raised the box. "Want one?"
Chi-Chi quickly waved her hands. "Nope! I'm good!"
Goku shook his head. "Smoking's bad for your health. Might weaken my power."
Bulma rolled her eyes and puffed again.
Back on the battlefield, Krillin was far stronger than Burter.
He could've ended the fight in one move — but Burter had been respectful, so Krillin humored him and exchanged dozens of blows before finally taking him down without killing him.
…But maybe he was being too generous.
Even after being thoroughly beaten, Burter still thought he'd just slipped up and lost by accident.
He never realized Krillin outclassed him in both raw power and technique.
Soon, Jeice and Yamcha's fight kicked off.
The two seemed evenly matched at first, trading blow for blow.
But Yamcha's real-world combat experience gave him the edge.
Even when suppressing his power to match Jeice's, Yamcha still won easily.
Captain Ginyu, watching through his scouter, grimaced.
"Energy levels are about the same… so why are we losing every match?"
Recoome laughed. "Relax, Captain. Don't lose faith. My fight's up next!"
Recoome stepped forward.
"Vegeta! I've been waiting forever. Now it's our turn!"
Vegeta advanced without a word, letting out a cold snort and taking his stance.
Recoome grinned, then spun on one foot like a ballerina, twirling several times before striking an absurd pose.
"How's that, Vegeta? Pretty elegant, huh?"
Vegeta: "…"
Everyone watching fell silent.
This guy looked the most physically intimidating — but his dancing was the most ridiculous.
Ballet moves? Really?
Vegeta wasn't amused. Not even a little.
With a roar, his energy exploded.
Recoome's scouter shrieked in alarm.
Before he could read the number, Vegeta charged.
BAM!
A punch slammed into Recoome's face, sending him flying.
Vegeta didn't let up — chasing with a flying kick, side-strike, knee slam, and an overhead hammerfist.
A beautiful combo. Fast and ruthless.
The final blow sent Recoome crashing through a mountain, shattering rocks and leaving behind clouds of dust.
But Vegeta wasn't done.
He stretched out both arms, energy crackling like lightning in his palms.
With a focused breath, he pressed his hands together.
"Galick Gun!!"
A powerful beam formed between his hands.
Goku, watching nearby, instinctively shielded Bulma.
But—
"Agh! HOT!"
Goku flinched. Bulma had a lit cigarette, and he'd accidentally pressed it against her lip.
She quickly batted it away.
"When did you light another one?!"
Bulma puffed her cheek and glared at him. "Great. Now I'm injured. Think a Senzu Bean will fix my lip burn?! What if it scars?!"
Goku scratched his head, sheepish.
Just then, the Galick Gun launched — a searing purple beam ripping across the landscape, skimming the ground as it tore toward Recoome's smoking crater.
Chi-Chi suddenly grabbed Bulma and ducked — just in time to avoid the shockwave.
Wind howled past them like a sandstorm.
Bulma blinked. She wanted to be mad — but Chi-Chi had saved her. She sighed and let it go.
A few moments later, Bulma peeked back toward the battlefield.
Vegeta hovered midair, arms still outstretched, gasping for breath.
Before him lay a massive crater.
The blast hadn't gone deep, but it had traveled far — beyond what the eye could see.
"Did… did he win?"
She scanned the field but couldn't see Recoome.
Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes. "Hard to say. The dust is still thick — I can't sense his Ki clearly."
Then the wind picked up, and the smoke began to clear.
Chi-Chi's expression sharpened.
"I can feel him now. He's still alive. Vegeta didn't finish him."
At that moment, a powerful shockwave tore through the dust.
Recoome stood tall — shirt in tatters, body singed — but otherwise unharmed.
Legs crossed, arms out, he struck a pose.
Grinning, he opened his mouth, revealing a missing tooth.
"Hey, Vegeta! Warm-up's over. Time to get serious~!"
Vegeta's pupils shrank. "Impossible. Not even a scratch?!"
His aura faltered.
Krillin and the others sensed it too.
'What the hell? One full combo, and Vegeta just gives up?!'
'This is martial arts?! He's only thinking about brute force! Try something creative!'
'Doesn't he want to push himself?!'
Tien shouted, "Vegeta! Don't give up! You two aren't that far apart. You've got a shot!"
Vegeta blinked.
His aura flickered, but didn't vanish completely.
"Hmph. Mind your own business."
But the words had reached him.
He retook his stance — this time more focused.
His eyes never left Recoome, scanning for an opening.
Recoome laughed, then lunged.
"Yo-ho — FIST!"
Both arms swung forward like cannons.
Vegeta knew he couldn't take the hit head-on — but the speed, he could just barely track.
He twisted to the side, narrowly dodging.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Recoome's fists missed by inches.
Vegeta sighed in relief—
—and took a kick to the back.
BAM!
A knee followed, slamming him into the sky.
From afar, Goku watched and sighed.
'He dodged the first hit… then paused to celebrate.'
'Instead of countering or staying alert, he got smug.'
'That kind of gap… that's how you get beat down.'
'So foolish.'
'In real fights, you can't afford to celebrate a dodge. Every moment counts.'
'Your mindset — your mental state — is the foundation of combat.'
'Even if the opponent is stronger, if you stay calm, they'll slip up eventually.'
'But if you panic — or get cocky — it's over.'
After just a few exchanges, Goku had already figured out Vegeta's greatest weakness.
And then — he froze.
A strange realization struck him.
'I… I think I just… took a step forward in martial arts.'