Dragon Ball: My Earthly Rebirth

Seeing the formidable strength of his upcoming opponent, Krillin's face showed concern. The excitement he felt about reaching the semifinals had turned into a bit of disappointment.

John noticed Krillin's expression and understood what he was thinking. He said to Krillin, "Krillin, what are you afraid of? Jackie Chun is much older and has trained for hundreds of years, but you are only 13 years old, like a rising sun."

"Even if you aren't his match this year, as long as you keep training, you will eventually surpass him."

"When we came to participate in the martial arts tournament, Master Roshi already said that this time we are here to experience different martial arts styles; winning or losing isn't important. What matters is surpassing oneself."

After hearing John's words, Krillin, who had been feeling down, slowly regained his composure and said, "Thank you, John. I understand now."

Just as Jackie Chun stepped off the ring, he overheard John and Krillin's conversation and nodded in satisfaction.

Soon the third match was about to begin, with John facing Nam, who had entered the tournament to win the prize money to buy water for his drought-stricken village.

As they stepped onto the stage, John's robust appearance was met with enthusiastic cheers that rivaled the applause Yamcha received earlier.

In the back of the venue, Jackie Chun felt a twinge of jealousy and said to Goku and Krillin, "When I was young, I was even more handsome than him and was chased by many beautiful girls."

Krillin and Goku exchanged disdainful glances at Jackie Chun, thinking he was boasting.

Seeing their expressions, Jackie Chun became angry and shouted, "What kind of look is that? Do you think I'm lying?"

Krillin chuckled nervously and explained, "Grandpa, we just think that being handsome when young isn't important; you still look great now!"

Jackie Chun calmed down and turned his attention back to the ring.

At this moment, the gong sounded to signal the start of the third match.

Nam clasped his hands together in respect towards John. John returned the gesture since Nam's goal was indeed worthy of respect.

"Hah!" Nam shouted as he attacked John, raising his hand to form a blade aimed at him.

John didn't even need to dodge; he simply raised his hand to block it and then delivered a flying kick that sent Nam flying out of the ring.

Nam crashed heavily onto the stage and struggled to get back up.

As he slowly rose, Nam resolutely declared, "I cannot lose! I cannot lose! My brother and the villagers are waiting for me to bring back water!"

John didn't continue attacking but waited for Nam to get back on his feet.

Once Nam stood up again and assumed a fighting stance, he shouted, "I cannot lose!" and swung a punch at John.

John responded, "I admire your spirit, but the gap in strength cannot be closed just by persistence. It's over."

With that, John swiftly closed in on Nam and landed a punch to his abdomen.

Nam cried out in pain and collapsed onto the stage.

The referee began counting down: "One... Nine... Ten! John wins!" The audience erupted into cheers.

Before long, once he regained consciousness, Nam began to cry loudly.

Jackie Chun approached him and whispered something before giving him a capsule that stopped Nam's tears and brought a smile back to his face.

With the conclusion of the third match, preparations began for the fourth round. In the first three matches, winners had primarily relied on their strength to advance into the semifinals. Everyone eagerly anticipated the end of the fourth match so they could enter the semifinals.

The fourth match featured Goku against Giran. They quickly took their places on stage while Krillin cheered loudly for Goku from behind a wall.

Due to food-related issues between them, Giran and Goku both wore serious expressions as they prepared to teach each other a lesson.

Suddenly dark clouds gathered in the sky, followed by heavy rain. The spectators quickly scattered to find shelter from the downpour.

Consequently, the martial arts tournament had to be temporarily halted.

Other competitors chose to go eat at restaurants supported by the event organizers; however, John opted to stay in the hall and continue meditating.

Summer thunderstorms can pass quickly; before long, what had been pouring rain ceased. The crowd gathered around the stage again in anticipation of watching the fourth match.

However, when it was time for competitors to enter the ring, everyone noticed that only Giran was present; Goku was nowhere to be found.

With no choice left, event organizers dispatched all competitors to search for Goku.

John and Krillin were among those looking for him. Krillin nervously said to John: "Where could Goku have gone? The match is about to start! If we don't find him soon, he might be disqualified!"

John reassured him: "It's fine; Goku is probably napping somewhere. Remember when we trained with Master Roshi? He usually took naps around this time!"

"Let's check under some trees; Master Roshi liked taking us there for afternoon naps. If all goes well, Goku should be resting under a tree nearby."

The two began searching around trees near the venue until they finally found Goku napping under one of them.

John grabbed one arm while Krillin took the other as they hurriedly ran towards the ring with Goku just as the host was about to announce Goku's disqualification.

Goku was still groggy from his nap as they dragged him onto the stage while yawning repeatedly; however, time waited for no one—the match had officially begun!

Krillin shouted from beside him: "Goku! Wake up! You're in a match right now!"

Giran looked at his still-drowsy opponent with an expression that suggested he intended to toy with him.

He clenched his fist and said to Goku: "Come over here! I have something good in my hand!"

Goku's curious nature—like that of a monkey or cat—kicked in upon hearing this invitation about something good. He leaned forward without caution only for Giran to land a heavy punch squarely on Goku's cheek.

Goku was sent flying back against a wall before crashing down onto the stage again.