The answer was obvious.
Goku, eager for the challenge, muttered to himself, "I wonder what kind of strong opponent we'll face? I'm really looking forward to it!"
Fortuneteller Baba led them to the back of the palace, where they walked across a floating bridge over an oasis.
Tights and Yamiru walked at the back, and Tights chuckled, commenting, "You're starting to look more and more like the martial artist you always talk about."
"You shouldn't judge by appearances," Yamiru joked. "Actually, it's been two years, and I've found it harder to find suitable opponents. Since Baba can provide strong fighters, I certainly can't miss this chance. This is a rare opportunity for combat experience."
"Wow, impressive," Tights clicked her tongue and tapped her chin with a finger. "Let me think... I think the next World Martial Arts Tournament is about a week away? I'm guessing you'll be entering, right? Hmm, and you'll probably bring Goku along too."
Yamiru winked. "I'll beat the ones who knocked me down, just like I always do. Five years ago, I couldn't even make it into the top eight. This time, I'm definitely going to give it another try."
Tights giggled. "I'll be watching. I'll cheer for you both!"
Yamiru nodded. "First, let's focus here." He looked up, and Fortuneteller Baba had already brought them to a large, circular arena. "Surviving long enough to find the last Dragon Ball is no sure thing."
"Don't push yourself too hard..."
Fortuneteller Baba explained the rules. "You'll fight our contestants here. If you win, you'll face the next one. If you lose, another will take your place. If you defeat all four of our fighters, I'll give you a free fortune-telling."
Tights was taken aback. "Four? That's not fair!"
Fortuneteller Baba remained unmoved, sitting on her crystal ball. "You've brought four people, we've brought four, it's quite fair."
"But obviously, only two of us can fight!"
"That's your problem."
"Darn it!" Tights huffed, clearly frustrated.
"Should I use my laser gun to fight?" Bulma asked, looking at Yamiru.
"No need," Yamiru replied. "You can watch from the sidelines. Goku, any problems?"
"Nope!" Goku raised his fist, ready to go.
"Thinking of two against our four, huh... Hehehe, big talk!" Baba chuckled darkly. "Just a reminder, the rules are similar to the World Martial Arts Tournament: surrender or falling outside the arena into the lake means you lose. Now, which of you little brats is going first?"
Goku looked up. "Who's going first?"
Yamiru, sticking with his usual method, suggested, "Let's play Rock-Paper-Scissors."
"Okay!"
"Rock, paper... scissors!"
"Oh! I won, I'll go first!"
Goku grinned, flashing a peace sign with his fingers before leaping lightly onto the arena, landing at the center with ease.
Tights joked from the sidelines, "If Goku beats all the opponents, you won't get a chance to fight!"
Yamiru smiled. "It's not going to be that simple..."
"Alright! Dracula, come on out!"
Seeing Goku ready for the fight, Baba called for the first fighter.
The name sounded very vampire-like, and sure enough, as Baba's voice echoed through the palace, a bat emerged from the shadows. It flew towards the arena, and with a puff of sound, it transformed into a gaunt, spindly man with messy hair and a thin, almost skeletal frame. He landed lightly on the arena and immediately knelt, performing some strange warm-up moves, humming an eerie tune like a Muay Thai fighter preparing for battle.
"What a weird guy..." Goku commented, sizing up his opponent.
"You're the weird one!" the bony man, named Dracula, retorted. "You're just a little human kid, but you have a tail like a monkey!"
"True enough!" Goku laughed, swinging his tail.
"Enough! Let the match begin!" Baba barked, cutting off the banter.
Goku immediately assumed a fighting stance.
The bat-like man raised his boxing gloves and bounced lightly, letting out a shrill screech before charging at Goku with surprising speed.
Goku remained poised, waiting for his opponent's move.
Goku quickly realized that Dracula's speed was nowhere near his Grandpa Gohan's or Yamiru's. He could see the opponent's movements clearly.
Judging by the sound and motion, Dracula's strength was also far inferior to Yamiru's.
So Goku didn't move. He knew with absolute certainty that one punch would knock this opponent out.
As the gaunt boxer lunged at him, Goku prepared to throw his punch. But just as his attack was about to connect, Dracula transformed back into a bat with a 'poof', gracefully arcing through the air to dodge Goku's strike.
"Ha! Foolish brat!"
The bat circled around Goku at high speed, taunting him with mocking cries.
"So small now!"
Goku frowned, finding it tricky to grab an opponent in bat form. But on the other hand, all this aimless flying around was a waste of energy. Goku stayed in place, observing carefully, his sharp eyes tracking every move of the flying bat. No matter where Dracula flew, Goku's gaze never wavered. His combat instincts naturally kicked in, allowing him to adopt the wisest strategy with ease.
Yamiru, watching from the sidelines, murmured, "Hmm..." Without even activating his Golden Veil, he could clearly follow the bat's flight path. He wasn't worried about Goku's match; his mind was occupied with another thought. "This creature... It looks strikingly similar to the demons depicted on the murals in the Demon King's underground lair."
Hearing this, Tights nodded in agreement. "Now that you mention it... it really does resemble the pureblood vampires described in the Satan's records. According to the text, there was a vampire named Paifu, a notorious demon of his era who had a penchant for mischief..."
Bulma added, "The records mention vampires having transformation abilities, which matches this guy."
"Wonder if he actually drinks blood..." Tights mused. On the stage, however, the bat seemed to be growing anxious with all its erratic flying.
"What's going on?" Dracula flapped his wings nervously, circling the arena. No matter how fast he flew, he couldn't seem to escape his opponent's gaze. "Why can't I shake this kid's eyes? How is he able to track my movements at this speed? Impossible!"
Frustrated, Dracula made a bold move. He flew behind Goku, transforming back into human form. Baring his sharp fangs, he lunged to bite Goku's neck.
"Haha! I'll just- ARGH! OUCH, OUCH, OUCH!"
The sound of a crack echoed through the arena as Dracula bit down on Goku's neck. The vampire clutched his mouth, tears streaming from the pain.
"Guess he does drink blood," Bulma remarked dryly.
"What are you doing?" Goku exclaimed in confusion. He grabbed Dracula and pulled him to the front. With a single punch, Goku knocked him unconscious and tossed him out of the ring. "I've been training hard, so my body's as tough as steel! Even bullets can't hurt me."
Tights, shocked, turned to Yamiru. "Is that even possible?"
Yamiru sighed. "Without using ki to strengthen the body, this is unique to him. Steel muscles and bones... Tch."
Bulma speculated, "Must be because of his Saiyan physiology."
Onstage, Fortuneteller Baba clapped approvingly. "That was an easy win for you. But keep in mind, our fighters will only get stronger."
Goku stretched his arms with a grin. "Hehe, I get more excited the stronger the opponent! Can we call out the second fighter now?"
"Hehehe..." Baba chuckled slyly. "He's already here!"
"Huh?" Yamiru's eyes widened in realization. He recalled that one of Baba's fighters was an invisible man. In the original manga, Krillin had to strip Bulma's top to distract Master Roshi, whose nosebleed revealed the invisible opponent. Yamiru quickly activated his Golden Veil, scanning the arena carefully.
Ignoring the ki signatures of Baba and Goku, Yamiru spotted a third humanoid ki form. Standing opposite Goku, the invisible figure appeared to be casually doing warm-up exercises.
---
Paifu, the vampire, is the protagonist from Akira Toriyama's short manga Cowa!
Dracula the Vampire: 20
Invisible Man: 50