Chi-Chi's eyes widened in shock at Goku's words.
He was going to be a father?
But… something didn't add up.
"Bulma…" Chi-Chi muttered, recalling a blue-haired girl she had met before.
"So… is she the one you love?" she asked, her voice unsteady. "And how exactly are you going to have a child with her in two weeks? Is she your wife?"
Goku scratched his head, visibly uncomfortable.
He had promised Bulma that he wouldn't tell their friends about the pregnancy yet, and now, he wasn't sure how to answer Chi-Chi's questions.
"I… I can't tell you right now, Chi-Chi," Goku admitted.
Chi-Chi's expression fell. No answers.
"I'm sorry about all this," Goku added. "But… I still want us to be friends."
Chi-Chi hesitated, then slowly raised her eyes, meeting Goku's familiar, friendly smile.
In that moment, she knew.
She had no chance anymore.
Looking back, maybe she should have explained to Goku what marriage really meant when they were kids. Now that he understood it, his promise had lost all meaning—it had no real foundation, no validity.
Chi-Chi's heart ached, but at least…
"Then… let's be friends, Goku," she whispered, accepting his outstretched hand.
She didn't resist the urge to hug him one last time.
She hadn't gotten the future she wanted, but at least Goku was still in her life.
And that was better than nothing.
---
With Bulma…
Bulma sat on the couch, watching the tournament on TV, hundreds of questions racing through her mind.
Who was that girl?
Why did her face seem so familiar?
Why had she started talking to Goku in the middle of a match?
And more importantly—why had she run away crying?
Bulma sighed, rubbing her forehead. She's probably just another friend of Goku's. Maybe he said something dumb that made her upset…
"You should relax, Bulma," Tights teased, placing a hand on her shoulder. "She's just a friend of Goku's."
"Yeah, and besides, Goku is your man," Fusui added with a smirk.
Bulma sighed again. "I know… I just want this tournament to be over already so I can talk to Goku."
Tights grinned. "Well, look who's fighting next—your ex-boyfriend."
Bulma glanced at the screen, spotting Yamcha standing in the ring opposite an elderly man.
"You made the right choice picking Goku," Tights remarked, crossing her arms. "He's way more humble—and his physique is way better."
"Was Yamcha really that bad?" Fusui asked, raising an eyebrow.
Tights nodded. "I saw him once, and I can confirm—he's vain and pretentious. I never liked him."
"Goku is the opposite," Bulma said with a small smile. "He's kind and humble."
"And built like a statue," Tights added playfully.
Bulma chuckled. "Yeah… I don't think I could have found someone better than Goku."
---
To the shock of Bulma and her friends, Yamcha lost his match against the elderly fighter, Chen.
Another point against the former bandit.
Shortly after, Krillin faced off against a green-skinned fighter named Majunia, who was none other than Piccolo Jr., a fact that Goku confirmed and told his friends later.
Goku revealed the truth to his friends after Krillin was eliminated.
With the semifinals set, Goku faced his longtime rival Tenshinhan in an intense match. The battle was evenly matched, but in the end, Goku emerged victorious.
Meanwhile, Majunia faced off against Chen, who was later revealed to be Kami—the Guardian of Earth.
Kami had disguised himself as an old man in hopes of sealing Piccolo Jr. away using the Mafūba technique.
However, Piccolo countered it, reversing the technique and sealing Kami instead—securing his place in the final round.
Now, the championship match was set: Goku vs. Piccolo Jr.
---
Back at Capsule Corp…
Fusui munched on a handful of chips. "Looks like Goku's gonna fight that green guy. I'm sure he'll win!"
Tights sat beside her, eating a cake their mother had made.
Dr. Briefs occasionally glanced at the TV, observing the tournament with mild curiosity.
"I hope so…" Bulma whispered, a sinking feeling forming in her chest.
Something about Majunia—no, Piccolo Jr.—felt off.
Bulma wasn't about to lose the man who had stolen her heart.
She wasn't about to lose the father of her daughter.
Yes, the Dragon Balls existed, but she wasn't in any condition to go searching for them.
She couldn't risk losing Goku.
Her fears only deepened when, in the middle of the fight, Piccolo finally revealed his true identity to the entire stadium.
"I AM THE REINCARNATION OF PICCOLO DAIMAŌ! I AM PICCOLO JUNIOR!"
Panic immediately spread through the crowd.
People screamed and rushed for the exits, trying to flee the stadium.
But Goku's friends stayed put.
They had to see this fight to the end.
"If Goku beat him once, now that he's even stronger, he can do it again," Tights reassured her sister.
She could tell that Bulma was terrified.
Tights understood—it was never easy to watch someone you love fight for their life.
But Bulma believed in Goku.
To her, he was the strongest person in the universe.
---
Bulma's heart dropped as she watched Piccolo enlarge himself, his massive hands crushing Goku in his grip.
But somehow, Goku escaped.
Hope briefly returned.
Then—
BOOM!
Piccolo's mouth beam tore through Goku's chest.
Bulma's breath caught in her throat.
"Oh my God!" Fusui shrieked.
Tights looked away.
Bulma covered her face with a cushion, trembling.
She couldn't watch.
The image of Goku bleeding out burned itself into her mind.
She had already seen him like that once before—when he collapsed at her doorstep, half-dead.
She couldn't go through that again.
Piccolo rose into the sky, preparing to finish Goku once and for all.
But—
Even with barely any strength left, Goku refused to give up.
With his last ounce of energy, he unleashed a final Kamehameha—a move that would decide the fate of the world.
BOOM!
The clash was brutal.
And then—
Silence.
Goku had won.
---
After the Tournament
"YES!! BRAVO!!"
Tights and Fusui screamed in joy, hugging each other as they celebrated Goku's victory.
But Bulma was already moving.
"Where are you going?" Tights asked, watching her sister pull out a capsule.
Bulma threw it, revealing a mini-plane.
"To the hospital," Bulma said firmly. "I can't sit here while Goku is injured and alone."
Tights grinned. "So, you're running straight to your man, huh?"
Fusui smirked. "Then we're coming with you."
Bulma smiled, her heart pounding.
She had waited long enough.
It was time to tell Goku the truth.
Time to confess her love.