However, Son Mirai's attacks were all deftly dodged by Jackie Chun with his flashy movements.
Son Mirai couldn't help shaking his head. "I've already been extra cautious, but I still can't land a hit. No wonder this martial art has been passed down through the generations..."
Seeing that he couldn't figure out how to counter Drunken Fist, Son Mirai stopped trying to force a breakthrough. He stopped attacking, and before long, Jackie Chun took the initiative.
When Son Mirai traded blows with him, Jackie Chun usually managed to sneak in a punch or a kick. They didn't hurt much, but they were still uncomfortable.
Son Mirai could only do his best to dodge, circling around Jackie Chun as he thought about how to counter him.
Drunken Fist's greatest strength lay in its erratic, unpredictable movements.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to Son Mirai.
His body was tough, anyway. He could take a few punches without getting hurt. He wasn't aiming for a flawless victory, so why worry about all that?
If Jackie Chun could use Drunken Fist, why couldn't Son Mirai just throw wild punches and beat the old master at his own game?
With that thought, Son Mirai suddenly charged in.
Jackie Chun used his unpredictable Drunken Fist to dodge Son Mirai's punch again, then struck Son Mirai in the face with his elbow.
But this time, things were different.
Son Mirai took the elbow to the face. His facial muscles only twitched, and he stubbornly refused to step back.
Almost at the same moment, Son Mirai swung his hand around and slapped Jackie Chun across the head.
Jackie Chun staggered back and clutched his head.
"Ow, ow, that hurts..."
Son Mirai pressed his advantage and kicked at him again.
Jackie Chun leaned back at the waist to dodge the full force of the kick, then seized the chance to grab one of Son Mirai's legs and punch him in the stomach.
Son Mirai only grunted in pain before immediately grabbing Jackie Chun by the head.
Then he used the Iron Head Technique and slammed his head into Jackie Chun's.
"Bam!"
Son Mirai felt only a slight ache in his forehead, but a huge lump had appeared on Jackie Chun's head.
"Ugh, ah, that hurts so much..."
Jackie Chun quickly backed away from him, sucking in air to ease the pain.
Son Mirai had won that exchange with the Iron Head Technique, and a smug look appeared on his face.
The spectators cheered and applauded at the spectacular fight.
"That was amazing!"
"Now this is a World Martial Arts Tournament! This is what a fight should look like!"
"Keep it up!"
"Don't give him a chance! Keep fighting!"
Even the referee joined in with an enthusiastic commentary.
"Son Mirai's strategy of enduring the damage has countered Jackie Chun's Drunken Fist. What a thrilling match!"
Seeing that Son Mirai remained composed while Jackie Chun was already looking a little battered, the referee continued:
"My goodness, the battle at the World Martial Arts Tournament is getting more and more intense. It's almost hard to catch your breath.
"Son Mirai currently has the upper hand, while Jackie Chun is fighting a tough battle!"
Jackie Chun frowned.
"Are you kidding me?"
"You say I'm fighting a tough battle?"
Jackie Chun roared, "Thunder Shock Surprise!"
In an instant, a bolt of golden lightning shot from his hands and enveloped Son Mirai.
Son Mirai felt his whole body go numb. For a moment, he couldn't control his body at all.
Then a wave of excruciating pain swept through him, and Son Mirai couldn't help screaming.
"AAAAAH..."
Jackie Chun immediately urged him, "Hurry up and give up! If you keep taking this attack for too long, you'll die..."
Son Mirai hadn't thought much of the technique at first, but now that he was trapped by Thunder Shock Surprise, he understood how powerful it was.
He tried desperately to struggle, but his whole body was numb, and he couldn't summon any strength.
Jackie Chun continued to urge him. "I admit, you've got incredible endurance, but there's no point in holding on. Hurry up and give up!"
Seeing what was happening, and hearing Son Mirai's screams, the spectators began urging him too.
"Handsome, give up! You've already done great!"
"Yeah, let it go! You've tried your best!"
Bulma shouted at the top of her lungs, "Son Mirai, give up! Getting this far is already amazing!"
Krillin yelled, "Son Mirai, stop struggling! Don't get yourself killed!"
But as the two men were locked in a stalemate, Son Goku noticed something unusual.
Son Mirai was in agony, but old man Jackie Chun had already started panting.
It was obvious that maintaining the technique was taking a lot of stamina.
Son Goku had grown up with Son Mirai, so he knew just how much endurance Son Mirai had.
At least Goku had weaknesses, like being afraid of shots. But Son Mirai feared nothing; even when getting a shot, he insisted on the thickest needle.
The main reason Son Goku had lost to him several times was probably that Son Mirai could take so much punishment.
Son Goku immediately shouted, "Son Mirai, keep going! Jackie Chun's running out of stamina! I know you can take it!"
Jackie Chun's face darkened.
What a blabbermouth!
Son Mirai had thought he really couldn't fight back and was about to give up.
But when he heard Goku, his fighting spirit suddenly returned.
He glared, eyes wide, and shouted, "I'm a Saiyan! There's no way I'll give up because of a mere Thunder Shock Surprise!"
The instant Son Mirai's fighting spirit returned, Jackie Chun felt that keeping him under control had suddenly become much harder, and the technique was draining even more of his energy.
"This is bad. My Thunder Shock Surprise is about to collapse..."
The next moment, Jackie Chun's Thunder Shock Surprise was repelled.
Son Mirai broke free and panted heavily, giving Goku a grateful look.
Son Mirai hadn't cared much about winning this fight.
If Goku hadn't reminded him, he might have given up.
Son Mirai suddenly realized that sometimes, when it seemed like there was no hope, he really had to keep going a little longer.
Jackie Chun raised his hands into a new stance and muttered, "You'll lose to me in just a moment..."
The referee cried out in alarm, "Oh! Jackie Chun has declared victory! Is he about to unleash some powerful move?"
Son Mirai focused again and took up a stance of his own, waiting for Jackie Chun to make his move.
But when Son Mirai focused, he fell right into Jackie Chun's trap.
From Son Mirai's perspective, Jackie Chun's hands swept back and forth, leaving layers of afterimages, while the space around him began to distort.
"Sleep, my little darling. Time for bed..."
Jackie Chun began singing a hypnotic song.
Son Mirai immediately felt his eyelids growing heavy, as if he would fall asleep the very next second.
The referee exclaimed, "Wait, that's not martial arts. Isn't that hypnosis?"
Jackie Chun snorted. "What are you talking about? This is a great martial art. Start counting..."
The referee hesitated. "The match is so intense, yet you're using such a despicable trick to win. Isn't that shameless?"
Jackie Chun said, "Hmph. What's shame? That's something only children care about..."
The referee was speechless.
Shamelessness really was unbeatable!
But just as Son Mirai was about to fall, he suddenly bit the tip of his tongue.
The sharp pain instantly brought him back to his senses.
Jackie Chun was still using hypnosis, but Son Mirai spat out a mouthful of bloodied saliva.
"Stop singing. It's not working anymore..."
Jackie Chun saw the bloodied saliva on the ground and jumped in fright.
"This guy's got a hard head. He actually bit through his tongue just to wake himself up..."
Before you continue