Of course, the Demon Mouth Cannon had been Robet's last resort. In his Great Ape form, he had incredible control and could wield his immense strength with ease. But the Great Ape Transformation made him so huge that hitting the tiny Clark wasn't easy, especially with punches and kicks.
On top of that, charging up attacks like the Kamehameha Wave and Dodon Ray took far too long in Great Ape form, while the energy blasts he could fire casually weren't powerful enough. After thinking it over, he'd decided the Demon Mouth Cannon was still the best fit for this kind of fight!
That was why Vegeta had abandoned the Prince's Combat Method after transforming into a Great Ape and started using attacks like these. They were more suitable—and more powerful.
With a sharp hiss, Great Ape Robet unleashed the Demon Mouth Cannon. Clark, who had just dodged, was locked onto and couldn't evade again. Instinctively, a red beam of Heat Vision shot from his eyes and collided with the cannon.
This time, the Demon Mouth Cannon didn't simply vanish like the first clash between the Kamehameha Wave and Heat Vision. Instead, it struggled against the beam.
"Zzzzz!"
The two radically different energies clashed. The ground around them began to tremble, and the earth along the boundary between Heat Vision and the Demon Mouth Cannon started to crack.
Two small craters formed beneath Clark's feet from the recoil of the clash. Things were even worse for Great Ape Robet: his massive body had stamped several deep footprints into the ground.
Even from this brief beam struggle, it was clear that although Robet had transformed into a Great Ape and gained a tenfold boost, he was still far behind Clark, who had spent twenty-seven years basking in the sun!
"Waaah!" After a prolonged struggle, Great Ape Robet let out a strange cry. He could no longer withstand the energy of the Heat Vision, so he quickly turned his head aside, dodging the Demon Mouth Cannon that had been forced back toward him.
The Heat Vision and Demon Mouth Cannon shot into the air and gradually dissipated.
Great Ape Robet took a deep breath and roared at Clark, "Come on! One last punch!"
"Sure!" Clark was fired up too. He stared at the enormous fist hurtling toward him and threw a punch of his own.
With a boom, their fists collided even more violently than their beams had. Great Ape Robet's massive body flew backward and crashed into the ground in the distance, slamming deep into the earth.
Clark, for his part, was knocked back for the first time. He landed on the ground, covered in dust, though he wasn't hurt. His clothes, however, were completely torn...
"Hahahahaha! That was great!" Great Ape Robet let out a delighted cry. Lying on the ground, Clark smiled faintly. He was looking forward to seeing Robet grow stronger. He wanted to find out whether, once Robet had grown up, he could finally unleash his own power freely instead of suppressing it as he had all these years.
"I really look a mess..." After a while, Clark got to his feet and brushed the dust off himself. Looking at his clothes, which were beyond repair, he suddenly realized he'd been tricked.
Robet had taken his clothes off beforehand, so he'd avoided the risk of tearing them. He'd be able to get dressed and carry on as if nothing had happened, while Clark would have to run home at the risk of exposing himself.
Fortunately, it was the dead of night, and there was no one around to see Clark in such a sorry state.
"Once the power in my cells drops low enough, I should be able to slowly return to normal from Great Ape form if I stop looking at the moon..." Lying in the crater, Great Ape Robet silently considered how the power inside him was changing.
"Also, I should be able to use my willpower to control my body and forcibly suppress the effect of Blutz Waves on my cells, letting me revert from Great Ape form to normal!"
As the thought crossed Robet's mind, his body began to shrink, until he had returned to his previous form. His right arm hung limp at his side, apparently injured in the collision with Clark.
"Robet?" Clark noticed the injury on Robet's arm and felt a pang of guilt. He thought he'd gotten carried away and accidentally hurt Robet. If only he hadn't used so much force. "Are you okay?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine. This is a good chance to test how strong my recovery is. A bone injury like this will heal after a couple of days' rest!" Robet waved dismissively and spoke softly. "Now that you've seen how fast I recover, you can fight me without worrying next time, right? So, what did you think? It wasn't a very long fight, but did you enjoy it?"
"I did. To be honest, I haven't dared to enjoy myself like that in over twenty years." After carefully watching Robet's arm heal, Clark relaxed and spoke with some emotion.
Robet had said that plenty of people must envy Clark's talent for growing stronger every day. But Clark had never liked having that talent. He grew so quickly that he could never stop feeling how frail the world and its people were.
Sometimes, Clark didn't even dare to breathe deeply, afraid he'd unleash a powerful gale or freeze everything with his cold breath...
For Clark, simply being alive was exhausting. But his family ties and Robet's arrival had helped him persevere. This brief fight had been the first time he'd let even a little of his power out.
It felt like the relief of someone who'd been holding everything in for ages, climbing a mountain, and shouting at the distant sky!
As Clark was lost in thought, he realized Robet didn't share his feelings at all. Instead, he picked up his clothes and sunglasses from the distance, got dressed, and then looked at Clark with a teasing smile. "Looks like I came out on top this time! My arm's a little hurt, but at least my clothes are intact..."
Robet: <)︿(＞ hands on hips
Clark: (#￣︿￣)
"Whoosh!" When Clark heard Robet's words, he was so annoyed that he laughed. He shot Robet an exasperated look, then took a deep breath and gently blew out.
In an instant, his breath became a fierce gust of wind, sweeping Robet off his feet and tearing his clothes to shreds. Robet ended up in an even worse state than Clark before the wind finally died down.
"Hey! I'm telling Martha you ruined my clothes!" Robet shouted angrily at Clark, barely managing to protect his sunglasses.
"I'll treat you to a good meal," Clark replied calmly.
"A good meal?" Robet's eyes lit up. With no scruples whatsoever, he immediately nodded, afraid Clark might change his mind. "Deal!"
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