The collision split the air like thunder. Alaric's punch met Goku's mid-strike, fist against fist. A shockwave burst outward, tearing chunks from the ring and sending spectators in the front rows tumbling back from the force.
For a heartbeat, the two warriors were locked in that moment, energy surging between them like clashing storms.
CRACK!
The pressure snapped. Alaric's knees buckled. He staggered, eyes wide, and then fell flat on his back, the light of his aura flickering out like a dying star.
The arena went still.
A breath later, the announcer's voice boomed out, half in awe, half in excitement: "A-Amazing! Alaric is down! That's it, Goku wins!"
The crowd erupted in cheers. Goku lowered his fists slowly, chest heaving, sweat dripping from his chin. He walked over to Alaric and crouched beside him, grinning.
"You gave me a real fight," he said, voice warm. "If you'd lasted one more minute, I might've been the one on the ground."
Alaric managed a weak smirk, eyes barely open. "Tch… you're just saying that…"
Goku laughed. "Maybe. But I mean it."
Alaric gave a small smirk. "Yeah, I just didn't beat you." But to fight his childhood hero was already a huge win in itself. "You're truly incredible, Goku."
The second semifinal was a showdown between two Namekians, a fierce clash of the Makankōsappō against the Anti-Makankōsappō. Watching their battle opened Alaric's eyes to a new way of using ki, something he had never seen before, and he learned a great deal.
In the end, Shen was sealed away by the younger generation, swallowed whole by their combined strength. Then came the finals.
Goku and Piccolo faced off without their weighted clothes, their fight shaking the very earth and sky. Of course, the story had a happy ending: Goku smoothly took his first World Martial Arts Tournament championship. Piccolo muttered a few sharp words before leaving the island, but he would soon return as an ally, just like in the manga.
Afterwards, Alaric, Master Roshi, and the others celebrated loudly, preparing a wedding party for Goku with plenty of delicious food. When the festivities ended, it was time to say goodbye. But before leaving, Alaric had one last request.
"You want a device that can control gravity?" Bulma asked, sounding unsure.
"Yeah, something like the weighted clothing idea, but instead of just adding weight, it would actually change the gravity you feel, making training more balanced."
Bulma frowned thoughtfully. "I haven't worked much on gravity manipulation, but give me some time, I can build what you need."
"Thanks," Alaric replied. Not knowing how long it would take Bulma to develop the gravity system, he decided not to rely on just one plan.
Plan B was to head to Penguin Village and find that eccentric doctor. After saying goodbye to everyone, Alaric set off on his global journey, with his first stop being Penguin Village.
Although it was a remote place, it wasn't impossible to find. After spending a day mapping out the route, Alaric left, this time traveling on foot and using his Flight Technique whenever he wanted.
When he arrived, Alaric found himself in the strangest place he had ever seen, Penguin Village. The sky was blue, the birds were talking, and a traffic light on legs tried to give him a ticket for walking too fast. He passed by a group of Ultramen racing up trees, a gang of crying baby monsters chasing after a pig in a diaper, and the infamous Poop-Brothers, who waved at him cheerfully from their usual street corner.
Finding Dr. Senbei Norimaki's house wasn't hard. Everyone in town said, "Just follow the smell of weird inventions and screaming." The house looked like a giant toaster with arms.
As he walked up the path, a bright, energetic voice called out from behind the door, "Arah? Who's that?"
The door slammed open, and there stood Arale Norimaki, the robot girl with glasses and a permanent smile. She adjusted her hat, blinking at him. "Ncha! You're not from around here!" she said cheerfully, tilting her head.
Despite looking like a small girl, Arale was no ordinary kid. She was strong enough to punch the moon. Literally.
Alaric blinked. "Uh… I'm looking for Dr. Norimaki?"
She beamed. "Senbei's not home! Want to play instead?"
Alaric felt a little disappointed, but perked up when she added, "You can come in! He'll be back soon, unless he blew himself up again."
"Thanks," Alaric said, stepping inside, carefully avoiding a sentient shoe hopping across the floor.
Just as Arale said, before he could even sit down, the front door banged open and Senbei Norimaki stumbled in, munching on a rice cracker, a bit of soot on his face.
"Senbei! Someone came to see you!" Arale called out cheerfully, waving her arms like she was signaling a plane.
"Huh? Who?" Senbei blinked, clearly caught off guard. He glanced around the room, spotting the unfamiliar boy.
Alaric quickly stood. "Hello, doctor Senbei. I'm Alaric."
"Oh! You're that guy from the World Martial Arts Tournament, right? The one who lost to the spiky-haired champ?" Senbei said, jabbing a thumb toward the TV, which was currently showing a rerun of a cooking show with sumo wrestlers.
Alaric blinked. 'Even Penguin Village watches the tournament?' He gave a sheepish smile. "Yeah… that's me."
"So, whaddya want from me?" Senbei asked, casually digging in his nose and flicking something toward a passing robot vacuum.
Alaric straightened up. "I need a gravity control device, for training."
Senbei blinked. "Pfft. I could build that... but why would I?" he said, pulling a soda out of a drawer labeled "explosives."
"You're just saying that because you can't do it," Alaric challenged, folding his arms. "If I wanted a real scientist, I'd have gone to Dr. Brief, he made the Capsule Corp tech, y'know."
Senbei froze, a twitch forming under his eye. "That capsule geezer? All he makes are tiny cars in even tinier boxes!"
"Yeah, but at least his inventions work," Alaric muttered, smirking.
Senbei puffed up. "That's it! If I build this gravity thing and it works, you owe me big-time. You'll be my assistant-slash-handyman for the next three years! That includes cleaning Gatchan's drool!"
Alaric hesitated. "Wait, wh- "
"Deal's a deal!" Senbei shouted before Alaric could finish. He slapped a contract down with a big "BOING!" stamp.
And so began Alaric's toughest days.
That night, a shadow slipped quietly out of the Norimaki household. Alaric crept past a refrigerator with legs and a mop that saluted him.
'No one in this family is normal,' he thought, worn out from being zapped, poked, and nearly fed to a sentient toaster. He'd had enough of being a live-action crash test dummy. Time to escape.
Just as he reached the gate, a cheerful voice chirped, "Arah~ Alaric! You goin' to pee outside?"
Alaric froze mid-step. 'Oh no.'