Late that night, Alvin and the siblings arrived at Dimsum Town.
The entire town was in an uproar.
Emergency vehicles rushed through the streets, while rescue teams gathered one after another before setting off toward Radish Town.
News of Radish Town’s destruction had already spread.
Most people believed it had been struck by a devastating natural disaster, and countless volunteers were heading there to assist with the rescue efforts.
“We should find a place to sleep first,” Alvin said.
“Tomorrow, we’ll start challenging martial arts dojos.”
Lazuli and Lapis had no objections.
The three of them had experienced far too much in a single day, and exhaustion weighed heavily on all of them.
After a night’s rest, they arrived at a martial arts dojo at nine o’clock the next morning.
Alvin knew that a local dojo like this was unlikely to house any truly powerful martial artists.
With his current power level of 19, he was confident he could handle whoever they sent.
Walking inside, he approached the receptionist.
“Who’s in charge of accepting challengers?”
“I’m here to challenge your dojo.”
Challenge matches weren’t uncommon.
Every month, martial artists came seeking to test themselves, so the staff handled the procedure with practiced efficiency.
After registering him, an attendant led Alvin to the arena before quietly leaving.
A few moments later, five heavily built men climbed onto the platform.
Every one of them was covered in well-trained muscle.
One of them stepped forward with a grin.
“We’ve competed in taekwondo and sanda tournaments.”
“We’ve placed in the top eight of regional competitions.”
“We’ve even fought in the World Martial Arts Tournament.”
He looked Alvin up and down before chuckling.
“We’re not here to bully a kid.”
“My weakest junior brother will take your challenge.”
Although he called him the weakest, the man was still far more muscular than Alvin.
Alvin’s physique was lean and well-proportioned.
His muscles were defined, but he looked athletic rather than intimidating.
Alvin cupped his fists respectfully.
“Please teach me.”
His eyes never left his opponent.
Without another word, the martial artist charged.
His fist shot forward with explosive force, intending to knock this overconfident challenger unconscious in a single blow.
For an ordinary person, the punch was both incredibly fast and devastatingly powerful.
A direct hit would leave bruises at best.
A strike to the head could easily knock someone out.
But to Alvin…
It wasn’t nearly enough.
“Too slow.”
As he casually raised his left hand to block the incoming punch, Alvin spoke calmly.
“If this is the level of your dojo…”
“…then all five of you should come at me together.”
His opponent possessed respectable strength.
If Alvin’s power level were still only 10, he would almost certainly lose.
Judging by the exchange, Alvin estimated the man’s power level to be somewhere between 12 and 16.
Ever since his own power level had risen from 10 to 19, his body had undergone a complete transformation.
He was stronger.
Faster.
More durable.
Even his eyesight had evolved, allowing him to clearly track movements that would once have been little more than blurs.
Before this, when his power level had been only ten, he couldn’t even defeat classmates from his own martial arts school.
Now…
He felt like he could take on five versions of his former self without breaking a sweat.
This wasn’t the future era of Dragon Ball, where power levels reached into the hundreds of millions.
The Earth of today was still dominated by ordinary humans.
Here, even a difference of just a few power level points represented a tremendous gap in strength, speed, endurance, and reflexes.
Bang!
The gap in power between Alvin and his opponent wasn’t enormous.
But in a world where power levels mattered, even a small difference could become an insurmountable gulf.
After blocking another punch with ease, Alvin countered with a single straight right.
Bang!
The martial artist collapsed to the floor, completely defeated.
At the same time, another notification appeared in Alvin’s mind.
[Power Level +3]
With that victory, his power level rose to 22, officially breaking past the twenty-point threshold.
What surprised Alvin even more was that, after such an intense fight, he didn’t feel exhausted.
Instead, the increase in his power level made him feel even stronger than before.
Lapis watched from below the arena, his eyes widening.
“He’s gotten stronger…”
He turned toward his sister.
“Alvin’s definitely stronger than he was yesterday when we fought those convicts.”
Lazuli nodded, her beautiful eyes fixed on the ring.
“I noticed it too.”
After a brief pause, she added thoughtfully,
“Maybe…
we can become stronger as well.”
“If we learn the martial arts he’s talking about…
maybe we can become martial artists too.”
Alvin, meanwhile, had no idea what the siblings were discussing.
His only thought was to challenge more opponents.
To become stronger.
He looked toward the remaining four instructors.
“Who’s next?”
He smiled confidently.
“Or better yet…”
“You can all come at me together.”
One of the remaining dojo instructors snorted.
“Arrogant brat.”
He strode confidently onto the platform, convinced he’d teach Alvin a lesson.
Instead…
He couldn’t even last five exchanges.
Barely thirty seconds later, Alvin knocked him unconscious.
[Power Level +3]
His power level climbed to 25.
Another surge of strength coursed through his body.
The expressions of the three remaining instructors immediately darkened.
“You don’t need to come up here.”
Alvin grinned.
“I’ll come to you.”
He leaped off the ring and charged straight at the remaining three.
The battle erupted instantly.
[Power Level +4]
The strongest among the dojo’s instructors was also the first to fall.
Alvin’s kick sent him flying several meters before he crashed to the ground, completely unable to continue.
Another notification appeared.
[Power Level +3]
Then another.
[Power Level +3]
When the dust settled, every expert in the dojo had been defeated.
Alvin’s power level had climbed all the way to 35.
He swept his gaze across the remaining students.
There were still plenty of them, but judging from their physiques and movements, very few had power levels exceeding 5.
His own power level was now 35.
Since Power Inheritance only worked against opponents whose strength wasn’t less than one-fifth of his own, anyone below a power level of 7 could no longer contribute to his growth.
There was no point wasting time here.
There was another martial arts dojo elsewhere in town.
He would challenge that one next.
A power level of 35 wasn’t especially impressive in the grand scheme of Dragon Ball.
Compared to the monsters who would later shake the universe, it was insignificant.
But among ordinary humans in this era, it already placed him comfortably above average—a genuine martial arts expert.
And in a nameless town like this, there simply weren’t any stronger fighters.
“Let’s go.”
Alvin stretched his shoulders.
“After all that exercise, I’m starving.”
The three of them left the dojo and headed to a nearby restaurant.
While they were eating, Lazuli suddenly spoke.
“Alvin.”
“Lapis and I want to train with you.”
Alvin shook his head.
“We’ll worry about martial arts later.”
Then he remembered something she had mentioned the previous day.
“You said your family worked in scientific research and engineering, right?”
He looked toward Lapis.
“How good are your engineering skills?”
Lapis answered honestly.
“My sister’s…
decent.”
“I’m better when it comes to building things.”
Before he could finish, Lazuli elbowed him sharply in the ribs.
Alvin smiled helplessly.
Originally, he had planned to travel to West City and borrow Bulma’s Dragon Radar.
The problem was…
He wasn’t sure Bulma would actually lend it to him.
He wasn’t even certain she’d still be in West City.
Since Lazuli had mentioned her family’s scientific background, another idea had occurred to him.
Perhaps they could simply build a Dragon Radar themselves.
If that failed, then he could always seek out Bulma afterward.
“Lapis,” Alvin asked seriously, “do you think you could build a Dragon Radar?”
“There are seven Dragon Balls.”
“When all seven are gathered, they summon the Eternal Dragon, who grants one wish.”
“I want to use them to revive everyone Demon King Piccolo killed.”
“Our families can all come back.”
The siblings stared at him in stunned silence.
“Dragon Balls…
really exist?”
Lazuli’s voice trembled.
“Does that mean…”
“We can really see our family again?”
Seeing the hope in their eyes, Alvin nodded gently.
“They’re real.”
“But there’s a problem.”
“The Dragon Balls can only grant one wish each year.”
“I’m worried Demon King Piccolo has already learned about them.”
“If he gathers them first, we’ll lose our chance.”
“As far as I remember, the records say the Dragon Balls can only revive people who died unnaturally within the previous year.”
“After that…
it’s impossible.”
To be honest, Alvin wasn’t completely certain whether that restriction truly existed.
The later Dragon Ball stories had resurrected Earth’s population so many times that the exact rules had become difficult to remember.
The only thing he clearly recalled was that the Dragon Balls became inactive for a full year after a wish was granted.
Lapis thought for a moment before speaking.
“If I had an actual Dragon Ball to study…”
“I should be able to analyze the radiation waves it emits.”
“Once I understand that, building a Dragon Radar shouldn’t be impossible.”
Alvin sighed.
“I don’t have one.”
He shook his head.
“Looks like we’ll have to go to West City after all.”
“Bulma already invented the Dragon Radar.”
“We’ll ask to borrow it.”
Just then, the television mounted inside the restaurant interrupted its regular programming with a news report.
“Breaking news!”
“The World Martial Arts Tournament has concluded.”
“Contestant Tien Shinhan has claimed the championship, while Son Goku finishes as this year’s runner-up.”
Alvin’s eyes immediately snapped toward the television.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
“Perfect…”
“Bulma is definitely at the World Martial Arts Tournament.”
“Looks like the Dragon Radar is as good as ours.”