Seeing the strength of his upcoming opponent, Krillin's face clouded with worry. His initial excitement at reaching the semifinals faded into disappointment.
John noticed Krillin's expression and understood his thoughts. He said to Krillin, "Krillin, what are you afraid of? Jackie Chun is much older and has been training for many years. But you, you're only 13 years old, like a rising morning sun."
"Even if you're not his match this year, as long as you keep training, you'll eventually surpass him one day."
"When we came to the World Martial Arts Tournament, Master Roshi told us that our goal was to experience various martial arts styles. The outcome of the matches isn't important; surpassing yourself is the most crucial thing."
Hearing John's words, Krillin, who had been feeling down, gradually calmed down and said, "Thank you, John. I understand."
Master Roshi, who had just left the platform, overheard the conversation between John and Krillin and nodded in satisfaction.
Soon, the third match was about to begin. It was John's turn to face Nam, a participant who wanted to win the prize money to buy water for his drought-stricken village.
As John and Nam stepped onto the platform, John received a warm and enthusiastic cheer from the audience, rivaling the applause Yamcha had received earlier.
Master Roshi, watching from the back of the venue, couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. He turned to Goku and Krillin and said, "When I was young, I was even more handsome and charming than him. I was pursued by many beautiful women."
Goku and Krillin gave Master Roshi a disdainful look, thinking he was boasting.
Master Roshi, noticing their skeptical expressions, became annoyed and shouted, "What are you looking at? Do you think I'm lying?"
Krillin, trying to defuse the situation, said, "Old man, we just think that being handsome or not when you were young doesn't matter. You're still very handsome now."
Master Roshi calmed down and refocused his attention on the platform.
The gong signaling the start of the third match sounded, and the third round officially began.
Nam clasped his hands together and bowed to John, who returned the gesture out of respect for his opponent's noble goal.
"Ha!" Nam shouted, attacking John with a sword-like strike.
John didn't need to dodge the attack. He blocked it with his hand and then kicked Nam, sending him flying off the platform.
Nam landed heavily on the platform and struggled to get up.
As he slowly rose, Nam firmly said, "I can't lose. I can't lose. My little brother and the villagers are waiting for me to bring water back to save them."
John didn't continue the attack but waited for Nam to get up.
Once Nam was back on his feet and in a fighting stance, he shouted, "I can't lose!" and lunged at John with a punch.
John responded, "I admire your spirit, but the gap in strength cannot be bridged by determination alone. It's over."
As he spoke, John quickly closed the distance and punched Nam in the abdomen.
Nam cried out in pain and collapsed onto the platform.
The referee began the countdown, "One... nine... ten. John Doe wins!" The surrounding audience erupted in cheers.
After a while, Nam regained consciousness and sobbed loudly.
Master Roshi approached him, whispered something, and gave him a capsule, which finally stopped Nam's tears, and he managed a smile.
The third round ended, and the fourth round was about to begin. Everyone eagerly awaited the conclusion of the fourth round to move on to the semifinals.
The fourth round featured Goku against Giran. Both contestants quickly took their places on the platform, while Krillin cheered for Goku from behind the wall.
Due to their previous encounter involving food, there was animosity between Goku and Giran. Both of them wore serious expressions, ready to teach the other a lesson.
Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and heavy rain began to pour. The spectators scattered to find shelter from the rain.
The fourth round of the martial arts tournament had to be temporarily halted.
Most of the contestants chose to eat and drink at the restaurant sponsored by the tournament organizers. However, John decided to stay in the venue's hall and continue his meditation.
Summer thunderstorms are fleeting, and before long, the dark clouds dispersed, and the rain stopped. The spectators gathered around the platform again, eager to watch the fourth round.
However, when the contestants were supposed to enter, they realized that only Giran was present. Goku was nowhere to be found.
The tournament organizers had no choice but to ask all the contestants to search for Goku.
John and Krillin naturally joined the search. Krillin anxiously said to John, "Where did Goku go? The match is about to start. If we don't find him soon, he might be disqualified!"
John reassured him, "Don't worry. Goku is probably sleeping somewhere. When we were training with Master Roshi, he would usually take a nap at this time."
"Let's search under the trees around the venue. During our training, Master Roshi often had us take a nap under the trees. Unless something unexpected happened, Goku should be sleeping under a tree nearby."
So, the two of them searched under the trees around the venue and eventually found Goku napping under a tree.
John and Krillin each grabbed one of Goku's arms and pulled him towards the platform, just in time for the host to announce Goku's disqualification.
Goku was still groggy from his nap and yawned repeatedly. However, the match couldn't wait, and it officially began.
Krillin shouted to Goku, "Goku, wake up! You're in the middle of a match!"
Giran, noticing that his opponent was still groggy and seemed a bit simple-minded, decided to play a trick on him.
Giran clenched his fist and said to Goku, "Come and see, I have something good for you!"
Goku's curiosity, similar to that of a monkey or a cat, was piqued. When he heard that Giran had something good, he leaned in to take a closer look. Giran took advantage of Goku's unguarded moment and punched him hard in the face.
Goku was sent flying and crashed into a wall before landing back on the platform.