A young bald boy can be seen striding through the bustling streets of Papaya City, located on Papaya Island. This city is well known for being home to the famous Martial Arts Temple.
'Master Shen brought us here to participate in the tournament held by the temple. We three disciples have swiftly reached the semifinals as well... but that being said, has my performance truly been satisfactory? I did defeat all my opponents, but they were all very... weak.'
'What if Master is disappointed in me? Both of my elder brothers are stronger than me. What if I can't catch up?'
Many thoughts linger around the boy; Namu..., like moths attracted to bright light.
"Ooh!! I'm here!! Finally, I've found the temple." The temple he refers to is not the martial arts temple but a regular temple, with portraits of different gods and goddesses lining its outer walls.
Namu enters through the front door, his eyes landing on the large copper statue of a Buddha at the end of the hallway.
"Hmmm!!" His gaze fixes on the enigmatic figure... instantly, his mind feels enlightened. "Maybe... just maybe... such a thing is possible."
Later that day... The tournament location:
In the midst of a lively crowd, the proud King Chappa stands firmly. "Come, boy, attack me with all the might you've got," he confidently calls out to the teen standing on the other side of the ring.
Suddenly, a loud scowl comes from the threshold of the ring, "Dumbass, just because you have 'king' in your name doesn't mean you can act cocky!" This came from the fighters' waiting area.
"Stop being arrogant, Choppa or whatever your full name is. . . Nam, beat his ass!!" Giran criticizes the man on Namu's behalf.
His shouting reaches its intended target, but King Chappa merely scoffs at it...
Though Nam didn't need the invitation from his opponent, he nonetheless; takes the opportunity given to him.
"Please watch out," he warns his opponent before launching a flurry of attacks.
Chappa barely manages to dodge any of them. Every second, he's hit multiple times, leaving him unable to catch his breath.
Due to the constant pain, the older man loses his footing and falls to the ground, Seeing this The younger boy halts his attack, letting the guy rest for a while...
While shell-shocked and embarrassed, Chappa manages to stand up with great difficulty. He can do so because Nam hadn't used his full strength. Otherwise, Chappa would be in a world of pain right now.
Coincidentally, these two look a lot alike. Both have similar facial structures and clothing, exuding vibes of resolute monks. People could mistake them for real brothers.
"I didn't think you were this strong... Then, how about this... Yaaaaaaa!!!! Eight-Arm Fist!"
Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch!... He tries to overwhelm the boy with his fists, but Nam is unaffected. His superiority is evident as he effortlessly dodges all of King Chappa's punches.
Deciding to end the fight, Nam jumps up, and with a knee slam to his opponent's gut, he simply flatlines the man.
"Thank you for the fight," Nam says, bowing respectfully.
Seeing this, his teacher in the viewing area thinks, "This brat... He doesn't even realize that the person he just defeated could possibly be the one who was actually supposed to win this tournament... In the anime, it was said that King Chappa had once won a previous iteration of this tournament..."
A small smile appears on his face. "Sadly for King Chappa, today is not his lucky day."
—At the lobby beside the ring—
"Hmph! This so-called king... He was outmatched from the start. Well, this is only natural," Giran sarcastically shakes his head, musing at the expense of the defeated man. In the future, this kind of behavior is sure to come back to bite him.
Promptly following the outcome, the match between Giran and Bora is about to begin.
All of a sudden, the tournament announcer suddenly draws attention to himself:
[ Ladies and gentlemen, as your announcer, I have BIG news for you all. Just a while ago i had been made aware of a thrilling Fact. This is a reveal that is sure to pump up all your hearts!
Through a trustworthy source, we have learned that Nam-san, Bora-san, and Giran-san are all disciples of the same School.. the renowned Crane School... Truly, it seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
This explains their overwhelming strength... What a spectacular event to witness, don't you all agree? ]
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The crowd erupts in an uproar.
"As expected of the Crane School and the Crane Hermit. His disciples are out of the ordinary," someone in the crowd exclaims.
"They're a cut above the rest of us," another person adds dejectedly.
"This really speaks volumes about the magnificence of Master Shen," a previously disqualified participant of the tournament comments.
People are having all kinds of discussions.
At the forefront of the now noisy audience, Shen stands with arms folded, keenly listening to the commotion. A smirk is plastered on his face as his nose reaches high into the sky, trying to breach the space between the heavens and a mighty nose.
'Keep the praise coming... As expected, revealing their identities now would create the biggest bang... A trustworthy source? Heh!! It's obviously me,' he muses...
Suddenly, interrupting everyone, the familiar voice of the announcer comes from the microphone...
[ Now, now, everyone, I request your attention! Please keep your eyes on the ring as the second match of the semifinals has begun.
Look! Our young heroes have already stepped into the ring...
Let me tell you, it's surely no coincidence that the only participants left in this tournament are the three disciples of Master Shen... Let's see what they'll show us today...
What is this??.. the two fighters are motionless... a tense stare-down has ensued between the two... It's uncertain, who is going to yield first!!.
OOOOOhhhhhh!! It's Giran-san!.. looks like Giran-san is the first one to make a move. ]