It had been fifteen years since I was born into this world—the world of Dragon Ball—with Yuji Itadori's template, or body, if you want to call it that. I now looked exactly like Yuji Itadori, except for one thing: the scars on his face. Maybe I will get them in the future. Or maybe not. We'll see.
As for my birth, you could say I was a mutant wrapped in human skin—possessing Yuji's body, cursed energy, and everything that came with it. For the past ten years, ever since I was five, I had been training relentlessly. I learned the fundamentals of Cursed Energy Manipulation, mastered Divergent Fist, and achieved Black Flash.
Reverse Cursed Technique was the hardest of all. Learning it without seriously injuring myself took years, but I eventually cracked it. After that came Blood Manipulation, which ironically became one of the key factors that helped me fully master the Reverse Cursed Technique. Still, I had not awakened Shrine or achieved Domain Expansion. However, I had mastered the New Shadow Style: Simple Domain, which would definitely come in handy.
Aside from cursed techniques, I also trained my body—Boxing, Wrestling, and Judo—pure, practical combat styles.
If you're wondering whether I mastered basic ki control, the answer is no. Learning everything else was already overwhelming, especially while attending high school and having no one to properly teach me. I did train using methods similar to Master Roshi's training style, but that was all I could manage at the time.
Even my parents thought I was strange at first, but they eventually got used to my antics. Yes, I had parents—normal parents. But we can talk about that later.
While I trained in relative isolation, a lot happened around the world. The biggest event was the invasion of Demon King Piccolo. I chose not to interfere. To be honest, I didn't even fully remember the plot, so acting recklessly felt like a bad idea. And I don't think i really that strong to begin with
But that is no excuse, even with how much I can frog stuck in a well for all know, and I need to change everything about it so the simplest solution to participate in the Twenty-Third World Martial Arts Tournament.
This would be the first time I would fight a strong opponent face-to-face. Even in this rainy weather, I headed out to register for the tournament.
After some time, I reached the tournament grounds. The rain had stopped, and sunlight was beginning to break through the clouds. I joined the long line at the registration desk and waited for a couple of hours until it was finally my turn.
I registered my name.
Yuji Itadori.
Yeah. That was my name now. As for my name in my previous life, I couldn't remember it. Maybe there was some condition tied to my rebirth. Whatever.
The clerk handed me my participant number and informed me that the tournament would begin the next day.
I had already booked a motel room before coming to register in the nearby town. With so many participants, finding a room later would've been impossible. After checking in, I went straight to sleep, determined to be in peak condition for the tournament.
The day passed just like that.
The next morning, I woke up early, took a shower, stretched, and changed into my hoodie and trousers—the ones I had left to dry on the balcony the day before. After getting dressed, I went to a nearby bakery for a quick, light breakfast. Then I headed straight to the tournament venue.
I waited until the announcer's voice echoed through the grounds.
"All contestants, report to the fighting arena."
Soon after, my number was called, and I was led onto the stage. My opponent was a sumo wrestler named E. Honda. He stood in a classic sumo stance—legs wide, one fist resting on the stage.
I stepped onto the platform and took my position. We bowed to each other before the match began, a sign of mutual respect. Despite the massive difference in our weight classes, he didn't seem arrogant. If anything, he seemed surprisingly respectful—a rare trait for someone his size.
The bell rang.
In the blink of an eye, he charged toward me, attempting a tackle to close the distance quickly, arms spread wide. I could've ended it right there with a straight punch to his chest—his guard was completely open. But since he had shown proper etiquette, I decided to meet him on his terms.
I spread my legs and took a wrestling stance.
We collided.
As if reading each other's intentions, our hands locked onto each other's shoulders in a raw contest of strength. The power struggle didn't last long. I quickly broke the hold, grabbed his waist from the left side, shifted my weight, and executed a clean suplex.
The impact knocked him unconscious.
Just like that, I won the first round—without much difficulty. I stepped off the stage and waited for the second round to begin.
While waiting, I noticed a commotion on another stage. I didn't pay it much attention, assuming it was normal for an event as chaotic as the World Martial Arts Tournament.
Eventually, Round Two began.
My next opponent was Contestant Number 44: Mercenary Tao.
At a glance, I knew this fight wouldn't be easy.
As we moved toward the stage, Tao suddenly approached from the side, placed a hand on my shoulder, and spoke with a crooked smile.
"It won't be too tense, kid. But just in case, you'd better give up. Don't want to dirty my hands too soon, you know."
He removed his hand, clasped both hands behind his back, and calmly walked onto the stage.
I didn't respond. I simply stared at his back for a moment longer than necessary, a single thought echoing in my mind.
He was more dangerous than anything—or anyone—I had faced so far. Not that I had much experience to begin with; I could count my serious fights on one hand.
For the first time in my life, I felt pressure.
And strangely enough…
I felt excited.
We stood facing each other as the second round was about to begin. There was no bow this time. Tao merely stood there while I took my stance.
The bell rang.
And the match began.
If you want, I can: