The 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament was being held on Papaya Island, a popular resort island located near the southern edge of the planet.
Alvin had visited the island before with his family.
Traveling there by car had taken roughly seventeen hours.
There was, however, a much faster option.
A high-speed passenger jet could cover the journey in about five hours.
Fortunately, Alvin was currently much closer to North City.
If they flew there first, it would take only about an hour.
“What’s wrong?”
Lazuli tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear and looked at Alvin.
“You’ve been staring at the TV ever since the news came on.”
“Is it because of the World Martial Arts Tournament?”
Alvin nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Bulma is friends with the tournament’s runner-up, Son Goku.”
“There’s a very good chance she’s still on Papaya Island.”
“She invented the Dragon Radar.”
“If we can borrow it, we can start searching for the Dragon Balls.”
“We also need to warn them about Demon King Piccolo.”
Lapis had just returned after paying the bill.
“What good will that do?”
“We’re practically next to North City.”
“Papaya Island is all the way in the south.”
“By the time we get there, they’ll probably have already left.”
Alvin smiled faintly.
“We don’t have a Dragon Ball.”
“So we can’t build our own Dragon Radar yet.”
“Our only realistic option is to borrow Bulma’s.”
“If she’s already left Papaya Island…”
“We’ll go to West City instead.”
“We can ask Dr.
Brief.”
“He’s Bulma’s father.”
Neither Lazuli nor Lapis objected.
They had nowhere else to go.
Compared to the two of them, Alvin was far more mature and level-headed.
For now, they were willing to follow his lead.
The three drove out to an open area beyond the city.
“We’ll fly to North City first.”
Alvin pressed the button on his Capsule Corp capsule, shrinking the car back into its capsule form.
Then he opened another capsule case.
Inside was an airplane capsule.
“Good thing I grabbed this box of capsules before leaving home.”
“Otherwise, it would’ve been destroyed along with everything else.”
A cloud of white smoke burst outward.
When it dispersed, a sleek jet aircraft stood before them.
Lazuli raised an eyebrow.
“Private jets aren’t cheap.”
“I didn’t expect your family to be so wealthy.”
The look she gave Alvin made him feel as though she had mistaken him for the spoiled son of a corrupt politician.
Alvin chuckled awkwardly.
“My family’s company manufactures them.”
“My father gave this one to me as a present.”
“It’s an older entry-level model.”
“It only costs around seventy million zeni.”
“It seats six people at most.”
“With a full tank, it can fly for about three hours.”
“Its cruising speed is around eight hundred kilometers per hour.”
“It’s mainly designed for short-distance travel.”
The moment Lapis saw the aircraft, his eyes sparkled.
Like many teenagers in their rebellious years, he loved anything that could be driven.
“Can you teach me how to fly?”
He flashed Alvin a mischievous grin.
“If you do, I’ll give you my sister.”
“You can be my brother-in-law.”
Smack!
Lazuli slapped him hard on the head.
“Brother-in-law?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Before he could protest further, she grabbed his ear and dragged him toward the plane.
Her cheeks had turned slightly red.
“Get on.”
“Oww!
Sis!”
“That hurts!”
He continued shouting while being dragged away.
“Brother-in-law!”
“You’ve got to teach me how to fly!”
Alvin could only smile helplessly as he followed them aboard.
After settling into the pilot’s seat, he started the engines.
The jet roared to life.
An hour later, they landed at a small airport in North City.
After parking, Alvin pressed another button, returning the aircraft to its capsule form before storing it away.
The three then headed toward North City’s main airport.
“We’re in luck.”
Alvin glanced at the departure board.
“There’s a supersonic flight to Papaya Island leaving in two hours.”
“It’ll get us there in just over four hours.”
During the hour-long flight to North City, Alvin hadn’t simply sat around.
He had already noticed that there was a martial arts dojo near the airport.
Naturally, he intended to challenge it.
“As expected of North City…”
Standing outside the building, Alvin couldn’t help but admire it.
“This dojo looks far more impressive.”
Meanwhile, inside the dojo…
“A challenger has arrived?”
In the general manager’s office, an attractive young secretary was reporting the arrival of Alvin and his companions.
Their dojo was located in a relatively remote district.
Even attracting regular students wasn’t easy.
As for challengers…
They hadn’t seen a single one in the past three years.
“Send in the Thunder Five.”
The general manager answered without much interest.
“They’re more than enough to handle this.”
After the secretary left, he sat silently for a moment.
Then, curiosity got the better of him.
He switched on the surveillance monitor and pulled up the live feed of the challenge arena.
“The two blond kids don’t look like they’ve trained.”
“That means the one leading them must be the challenger.”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“He wants to challenge the Thunder Five all by himself?”
“How overconfident.”
“Let’s see if he’s actually got the strength to back it up.”
The battle between Alvin and the Thunder Five began almost immediately.
Since he was eager to catch the flight to Papaya Island, Alvin had no intention of dragging things out.
“You can all come at me together.”
The moment the fight started, however, he realized something was terribly wrong.
“Don’t these people feel pain?”
After driving a heavy punch into one opponent’s chest hard enough to make the man cough up blood, Alvin frowned in confusion.
From the impact alone, he was certain at least two of the man’s ribs had been broken.
Yet the fighter acted as if nothing had happened.
Ignoring his injuries completely, he continued coordinating with the other four as they surrounded Alvin.
It was as though pain simply didn’t exist for them.
“What the hell are you people…
monsters?”
The five-man formation put Alvin under tremendous pressure.
Especially their leader.
Alvin estimated the man’s power level to be at least 30.
Watching from outside the arena, Lazuli and Lapis also sensed something was off.
No normal human could continue fighting like that.
“Come on, Alvin!”
“You can do it!”
The siblings shouted encouragement from the sidelines.
Inside the manager’s office, the dojo’s general manager watched the match through the surveillance monitors.
His eyes grew brighter with excitement.
“Thunder Five…”
“Stop holding back.”
“Life or death doesn’t matter.”
“Fight with everything you’ve got.”
The order was transmitted directly to the team’s implanted communication chips.
The last traces of restraint vanished.
The five fighters immediately began targeting Alvin’s vital points with every punch and kick.
“These guys aren’t ordinary humans.”
Alvin lowered his stance.
He no longer held back either.
Until now, he’d been worried about accidentally killing them.
With a power level of 35, he had deliberately restrained his strength.
But since his opponents had thrown caution aside…
He had no reason to continue showing mercy.
No matter how flawless their teamwork was, it couldn’t overcome an overwhelming difference in raw power.
Watching his men fall unconscious one after another, the general manager didn’t look disappointed.
On the contrary…
A look of exhilaration spread across his face.
He stared at Alvin as though he had just discovered an invaluable treasure.
Half an hour later, Alvin walked out of the dojo.
The battle had rewarded him with a total of 22 additional power levels.
His own power level had now reached 57.
“So this is what a big city’s dojo is like.”
He couldn’t help smiling.
“Four of them had power levels above twenty.”
“And their leader was over thirty.”
“Still…”
“They were definitely strange.”
The Thunder Five’s behavior continued to bother him.
Unknown to Alvin, the dojo was secretly owned by the Red Ribbon Army.
And someone had already set their sights on him.
“His physical abilities are exceptional.”
Inside the dojo, the general manager spoke over the phone.
“He defeated soldiers enhanced with strengthening drugs.”
“He should meet Dr.
Gero’s requirements.”
“We’ve confirmed he purchased a ticket.”
“His flight to Papaya Island leaves in an hour and a half.”
“We can’t wait any longer.”
“We’ll intercept him on the road to the airport.”
Meanwhile, Alvin’s car sped toward the airport.
Without warning, a powerful sense of danger washed over him.
It was as if invisible eyes were locked onto his back.
Ahead, a massive transport truck suddenly swerved sideways, blocking the entire road.
This was the only highway leading to the airport.
With the road sealed off, no vehicles could pass.
“Danger!”
His instincts screamed at him.
Without the slightest hesitation, Alvin grabbed Lazuli and Lapis and pulled them out of the vehicle.
Barely two seconds later—
BOOM!
A rocket slammed into the road beside the car.
The explosion hurled the vehicle into the air.
Acting purely on instinct, Alvin threw himself over Lazuli, using his own body as a shield to protect her from the blast.
“Terrorist attack!”
“Terrorist attack on Airport Highway!”
A police officer directing traffic nearby witnessed the explosion and immediately reported it to headquarters.
A large military truck bearing the unmistakable insignia of the Red Ribbon Army rolled to a stop before Alvin.
Several heavily armed soldiers jumped from the truck, carrying assault rifles and submachine guns.
Then…
An armored combat mech stepped down after them.
Alvin’s expression darkened.
“You two, go!”
“Their target is me.”
He glanced toward the siblings.
“Stay hidden.”
“If you’re in danger, call me immediately.”
Although worry was written all over their faces, Lazuli and Lapis didn’t hesitate.
They knew staying behind would only become a burden.
Send those stones my way—the more, the merrier.