The Battle is Set!!

Reunion in the Crowd

Goku and Krillin weave through the thick crowd at the arena to find Master Roshi, Bulma, Oolong, and Puar finally gathered in one place again. The reunion is warm and loud, full of the kind of easy teasing the group has not traded since the early days of their desert adventure together. Goku proudly tells Roshi that he and Krillin both made the main bracket, which earns beaming pride from their teacher. Moments later the announcer calls for the eight remaining fighters to report to a staging area for their next instructions. Roshi suddenly slips away from the group without a word, leaving Oolong to wonder aloud what the old man could possibly be up to in the middle of the chaos.

The Draw

In an undisclosed room backstage, the eight qualifying contestants line up to await their orders from the officials. The announcer arrives and quickly sorts them into four first round pairings. A stoic traveler named Nam is placed opposite a graceful woman called Ranfan in the third scheduled match. Krillin draws an unpleasant looking brute called Bacterian for the very first battle of the day. Goku is matched with a scaled monster named Giran in the fourth match, a hulking opponent clearly built for a long brawl. Yamcha lands the second slot of the night across from a mysterious older man calling himself Jackie Chun, who looks suspiciously familiar to anyone paying close attention to the details.

A Sudden Absence

Jackie Chun is Roshi in disguise, which neatly explains why the hermit ducked away from his friends just as the main bracket was being announced. The chapter closes as the announcer steps to the mic and prepares to call the opening match of the tournament proper: Krillin against Bacterian.