Alvin was more than satisfied with the battle against Tambourine.
Not only had his power level increased…
He had also learned the Flight Technique.
On top of that, he had gained a much deeper understanding of how Ki could be manipulated.
His dream of creating a technique similar to the Kaio-ken had taken another significant step forward.
To Alvin…
This battle had been a complete victory.
He had profited in every possible way.
“Goku.”
He looked at the unconscious demon lying on the ground.
“I’ll leave this one to you.”
Now that he had already received the Power Inheritance, Alvin had no interest in continuing the fight.
He needed to keep refining his new techniques.
Everything he was doing now was preparation for the inevitable battle against Demon King Piccolo.
Even from this distance…
He could still sense Piccolo’s sinister Ki.
It dwarfed his own.
If he wanted even the slightest chance of victory…
He needed every advantage he could get.
Goku frowned.
“Alvin…”
“You hit him too hard.”
“How am I supposed to have my revenge now?”
“I wanted to beat him fair and square.”
Alvin chuckled.
“He only looks badly injured.”
“I barely used any force.”
“He’s actually fine.”
With a casual kick, Alvin sent Tambourine flying into a nearby stream.
Splash!
“I’m leaving.”
“I’m going to find Yajirobe.”
“And while I’m at it…”
“I’ll see if I can borrow that Dragon Ball.”
He smiled.
“If I stay here…”
“I’ll just get in the way.”
“You won’t enjoy the fight either.”
With that, Alvin dashed into the forest.
Thanks to his Ki sensing, finding Yajirobe’s location among the dense trees wasn’t difficult.
Meanwhile…
Cough!
Cough!
Tambourine sputtered awake after swallowing a mouthful of water.
He crawled onto the riverbank, gasping for breath.
“Damn you…”
To Tambourine, a proud member of the Demon Clan…
There was no greater humiliation than being defeated by a human.
Goku stepped forward.
“Hey.”
“This fight belongs to us now.”
“You stole my Four-Star Dragon Ball.”
“You killed Krillin.”
“You even destroyed my Flying Nimbus.”
He clenched his fists.
“I’m going to avenge Krillin…”
“…the Flying Nimbus…”
“…and take back my Dragon Ball.”
The fur on Goku’s tail stood on end as his anger surged.
Tambourine slowly rose to his feet.
“I’ll kill you.”
He bared his fangs.
“Even if I die today…”
“I’ll drag you down with me.”
He had already accepted that escaping Alvin was impossible.
But if this little brat wanted revenge…
Then he’d kill the brat first.
Even if he died afterward…
Lord Piccolo would avenge him.
Goku calmly settled into his stance.
“I’m different now.”
“I’ve eaten.”
“I’m full.”
“And now…”
“I’m stronger than before.”
With a loud battle cry—
Goku exploded forward.
His speed was unbelievable.
As he sprinted around Tambourine, countless afterimages filled the demon’s vision.
“W-What?!”
Tambourine frantically turned in every direction.
“Impossible!”
“He’s too fast!”
He couldn’t distinguish the real Goku from the countless afterimages surrounding him.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down his face.
For the first time…
He realized something terrifying.
He might actually lose to this child.
“No…”
He roared desperately.
“That’s impossible!”
“I’m Lord Piccolo’s strongest subordinate!”
No sooner had Tambourine finished speaking than Goku’s elbow slammed into the left side of his face.
Bang!
A burst of searing pain exploded through Tambourine’s jaw.
His eyes widened as the impact sent him flying.
Goku never gave him a chance to recover.
He leaped after the demon, unleashing a relentless barrage of punches and kicks.
Every strike landed before Tambourine could even react.
The pain came so quickly and so continuously that he couldn’t mount a single counterattack.
Goku was simply…
Too fast.
Even faster than Alvin had been moments earlier.
Fueled by his overwhelming anger, Goku temporarily pushed beyond his normal limits.
His strength and speed surged past his usual 180 power level.
“Yaaah!”
With one final strike, Goku launched Tambourine into the air.
He immediately sprang upward.
His knee crashed into the back of the demon’s neck.
Crack!
Tambourine’s eyes bulged.
Spittle sprayed uncontrollably from his mouth.
Before he could recover…
Goku’s fist smashed him straight back into the ground.
At that moment, Alvin and Yajirobe emerged from the forest carrying large bundles of firewood.
They arrived just in time to see Goku standing beside the defeated Tambourine.
Yajirobe lit the fire and laughed.
“Not bad.”
“You’re pretty strong.”
Goku, however, wasn’t smiling.
His eyes remained fixed on Tambourine.
“I’ll never forgive him.”
His voice was unusually cold.
Normally, Goku’s innocent heart rarely held onto hatred.
But Krillin’s death was different.
Yajirobe picked up a long wooden spit.
“Alright.”
“We had a deal.”
“You two caught the prey.”
“So this one’s mine.”
He prepared to skewer Tambourine over the fire.
“Wait.”
Alvin quickly stopped him.
He pointed toward the fallen demon.
“He’s not dead yet.”
“His Ki has weakened…”
“But it’s still there.”
“If he were dead…”
“His Ki would’ve disappeared.”
Almost the instant Alvin finished speaking—
Tambourine staggered back to his feet.
Seeing him rise, Goku instinctively prepared to attack again.
Tambourine roared in desperation.
“You’ll all die!”
Gathering every last ounce of Ki he possessed, he condensed it inside his mouth.
An enormous energy blast erupted toward the three of them.
Goku had already sensed Tambourine’s intentions.
He had begun gathering Ki even before the attack was released.
“Kamehameha!”
His blue beam shot forward first.
The Kamehameha collided head-on with Tambourine’s mouth blast.
“Haaah!”
Goku poured even more power into the attack.
The blue beam steadily pushed the opposing blast backward.
It engulfed Tambourine completely.
There was no time to escape.
The explosion erased him from existence.
Nothing remained but drifting ashes.
Far away…
Inside Piccolo’s aircraft…
The Demon King suddenly froze.
The moment Tambourine died…
Piccolo felt it.
Every child he created was linked to him.
The pain tore through his very soul.
“Aaagh!”
He clutched his head with both hands and screamed in agony.
“Lord Piccolo!”
His chief advisor rushed forward in alarm.
Nearby, Pilaf, Mai, and Shu trembled in terror.
“D…
Tambourine…”
Piccolo’s breathing grew ragged.
“Tambourine is dead too.”
His eyes burned with murderous fury.
“What happened there…?”
He slowly turned toward Pilaf’s group.
“You.”
“Take the aircraft there.”
“Fly to the place where Tambourine and Cymbal were killed.”
His voice was ice-cold.
“I…”
“…will deal with them personally.”
Facing that terrifying gaze, the Pilaf Gang snapped to attention.
“Y-Yes, Lord Piccolo!”
Mai hurried into the cockpit.
Pilaf immediately adjusted the flight path using the Dragon Radar.
The aircraft changed course.
Meanwhile…
Back in the forest…
The battle was over.
It was finally time to eat.
But…
Yajirobe glared accusingly at Goku.
“Seriously?”
“You blasted him into dust.”
“How am I supposed to eat that?”
Goku scratched his head awkwardly.
“Sorry.”
“I got angry…”
“And completely forgot.”
Alvin laughed.
“Don’t worry.”
“I brought plenty of food.”
“Enough for all three of us.”
He took out a Capsule from his case.
With a puff of smoke—
A gigantic container, nearly the size of a three-story house, appeared on the ground.
Alvin pressed a button on its side.
The container unfolded layer by layer.
Inside were enormous quantities of prepared food.
Small service robots rolled out one after another, neatly arranging dishes before everyone.
“Wooow!”
Goku’s eyes sparkled.
“I was starving after all that fighting!”
The three of them sat down on the grass and began eating with incredible enthusiasm.
The little robots constantly delivered fresh plates as quickly as the food disappeared.
While they ate, Alvin looked toward Yajirobe.
“Yajirobe.”
“Could you lend us the Dragon Ball hanging around your neck?”
“We’ll return it after we’re done using it.”
Yajirobe barely looked up from his food.
“Sure.”
“Take it.”
“I don’t need it anyway.”
He pulled the Dragon Ball from around his neck and tossed it to Alvin.
“Consider it payment for this meal.”
Without waiting for a response, he immediately buried his face in another enormous plate of food.
To Yajirobe…
Nothing in the world was more important than eating.