Having been slapped four times in front of everyone was worse than death to someone as proud as Tien Shinhan.
His four clones instantly merged back into one. His face turned beet red, and the third eye on his forehead was bloodshot.
"Son! Go! Ku!"
"You've really made me angry!"
Tien Shinhan ground out each word through clenched teeth.
Goku stood with his hands on his hips, looking innocent.
"You're the one who split your power up. How's that my fault?"
Krillin had just gotten back from the restroom. Hearing that, he nearly burst out laughing.
Where had this monkey learned to be so savage?
In the Arena, Tien Shinhan suddenly closed his eyes and thrust both hands toward the sky.
"If you're so fast, then I'll make sure you can't see!"
"Solar Flare!!!"
A blinding white light burst from Tien Shinhan.
It was as bright as a supernova exploding in the Arena. The entire venue was instantly swallowed by a sea of white light.
"Ah! My eyes!"
"I'm blind! I'm blind!"
"What kind of crazy move is that?!"
The audience screamed in pain, clutching their eyes as they fell back into their seats.
Even the host, who was wearing sunglasses, was dazzled until tears streamed down his face. He clung to the table leg and wailed.
Goku, right at the center of the light, took the full brunt of it.
"That's bright!"
Goku instinctively shut his eyes and covered his face with both hands.
"Now!"
Seizing his chance, Tien Shinhan lunged forward like a leopard and drove a powerful knee into Goku's stomach.
Thud!
The blow landed squarely.
Goku doubled over like a shrimp, spitting saliva as he flew toward the edge of the Arena like a cannonball.
"This isn't over!"
Not letting up while he had the advantage, Tien Shinhan caught up with Goku in midair, clasped his hands together, and brought them crashing down on Goku's back.
"Volleyball Fist: Spike!"
Boom!
Goku slammed into the Arena. The hard stone floor caved in, leaving a crater as fragments flew everywhere.
The white light gradually faded.
The audience rubbed their tear-filled eyes and made out the scene on the Arena.
Goku lay motionless at the bottom of the crater.
Tien Shinhan hovered in midair, panting heavily, a triumphant grin on his face.
"D-did he win?"
Yamcha stood up nervously.
"Not yet. That kid's ki hasn't even wavered."
Krillin yawned, not even bothering to glance at the System Panel.
Sure enough, a cough came from the bottom of the crater.
"Cough, cough... That really hurt."
Rubbing his stomach, Goku got back up as if nothing had happened.
"That Solar Flare was amazing. I almost went blind for real."
"Y-you can still stand?!"
Tien Shinhan's eyes widened as if he'd seen a ghost.
He'd given that whole combination everything he had. Even a rock should have shattered!
Goku brushed the dust off himself, his expression turning serious.
"I let my guard down before. But you won't get me with the same move twice."
"Don't get cocky!"
Tien Shinhan roared and struck the Solar Flare pose again.
"Then I'll do it again! Solar Flare!"
White light burst forth once more.
But this time, Goku didn't close his eyes or cover his face.
He simply pulled a pair of sunglasses from his shirt and put them on faster than the eye could follow.
They were Master Roshi's sunglasses.
"Heh heh, I came prepared."
Wearing the sunglasses, Goku grinned at Tien Shinhan.
The whole venue fell silent.
Tien Shinhan froze in his glowing pose, like a giant lightbulb. He was so embarrassed he wanted the ground to swallow him up.
The light around Tien Shinhan went out.
His confidence nearly crumbled along with it.
"Cheap trick..."
Tien Shinhan trembled with rage and abruptly tore off his shirt, revealing his powerful muscles.
"If tricks won't work, then I'll win with sheer strength!"
He began furiously raising his ki.
The air around them started to tremble, and the rubble at his feet rose into the air.
"Kamehameha? No, that's not it."
Krillin narrowed his eyes.
"Is he planning to go head-to-head?"
Tien Shinhan wasn't using the Kamehameha, that forbidden technique that consumed one's life force.
Instead, he focused all his ki into his limbs, his whole body blazing like a flame.
"Son Goku! Take this!"
The two clashed again.
This time, there were no flashy techniques, just blow after blow, each one landing with a heavy thud.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Their figures darted across the Arena, and every clash triggered a violent burst of ki.
But gradually, anyone with eyes could see that Tien Shinhan was being overwhelmed.
Goku's movements grew faster and faster, his strength greater and greater.
He was like a bottomless pit.
You thought you'd seen his limit, only for him to unleash even greater strength the very next moment.
"How can this be..."
Tien Shinhan grew more and more alarmed as they fought.
His fists felt like they were striking a steel plate whenever they hit Goku, leaving his knuckles numb.
But every one of Goku's punches made Tien Shinhan's blood surge and his internal organs shake.
"Is this what you gained from training at Kami's Lookout?"
Grinding his teeth, Tien Shinhan swept out with a leg, forcing Goku back.
Goku flipped backward and landed steadily.
"That's not all."
"Mr. Popo had me run through lightning storms while carrying a hundred-kilogram boulder. Kami had me dodge bees while blindfolded..."
"Compared to that, your attacks are way too straightforward."
"Too straightforward..."
Tien Shinhan felt utterly humiliated.
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