As it turned out, the moment Little Goku, transformed into a Great Ape, swung his fist, Zhou Zilong immediately rushed forward and held out one finger to stop the fist, which was much larger than he was.
The move looked like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and everyone else thought Zhou Zilong definitely wouldn't be able to block it. But unexpectedly, Zhou Zilong was the chariot, and Little Goku, transformed into a Great Ape, was the mantis.
No matter how hard Little Goku pushed, Zhou Zilong didn't budge an inch.
Without thinking twice, Little Goku immediately threw another punch at Zhou Zilong.
Zhou Zilong promptly answered with a punch of his own.
A loud boom rang out.
The sound came from Little Goku again. The instant their fists met, Little Goku, transformed into a Great Ape, took the punch, which was far stronger than his own, and flew backward into a building. The structure couldn't withstand the impact and collapsed, making that familiar sound once more.
"Roar!" Little Goku, still in Great Ape form, got to his feet and roared several times, clearly unwilling to accept defeat.
Without another thought, Little Goku charged straight at Zhou Zilong.
But in the blink of an eye, Zhou Zilong had already appeared behind Little Goku and leaped high into the air.
"Does he want to break Goku's tail with his bare hands? Even if he's that strong, I don't think he can. I tried just now, and that tail's like steel. I doubt it can be broken!" Yamcha began speculating as he watched.
"If it's Zilong, I believe he can definitely do it," Bulma said confidently.
"That'd be best. Puar, get ready. If Zhou Zilong can't break the tail, wait until he and Goku are fighting and transform into a pair of scissors to cut it off," Yamcha added, coming up with a backup plan.
Puar nodded to show he understood.
Over on the battlefield, a blue, blade-shaped energy began to gather along Zhou Zilong's left hand, extending upward from his wrist.
Once it had extended about twenty centimeters beyond his fingers, Zhou Zilong came down hard, chopping at Little Goku's tail.
Little Goku sensed the danger and instinctively tried to dodge, but the instant he moved, Zhou Zilong had already swung his hand and struck his tail with a blade of energy.
In an instant, Little Goku's huge tail, grown during his Great Ape Transformation, was severed. He could feel the power inside him gradually draining away.
"That power is incredible. Just how did he train to become so strong?" Yamcha gazed at Zhou Zilong's unfathomable strength, feeling a little envious.
"Wonderful! I knew Zilong could do it!" Bulma cheered at the sight.
"Yes, yes, your Zilong's the best. In your eyes, he can do anything, can't he?" Iris teased.
"Of course he can," Bulma replied proudly.
Meanwhile, Little Goku, still out of his mind, visibly shrank in an instant and returned to his original, adorably innocent form.
After landing, Zhou Zilong produced a set of clothes, much like Little Goku's original outfit, as if by magic, and draped them over him to keep him warm (though Goku had no idea what being cold meant).
"Could you please take me as your disciple and teach me martial arts?" Yamcha immediately approached Zhou Zilong and asked sincerely.
"I'm not suited to be your master, and I'm not looking for disciples right now. You can go learn from my master, Master Mutian," Zhou Zilong declined.
"I see. I was too forward," Yamcha replied, a little disappointed.
"I recommend you ask my master, Master Mutian, to take you as his disciple. I'm sure he'd be the best person to guide you," Zhou Zilong said.
"All right, I understand. Thanks for the suggestion," Yamcha said, bowing.
"By the way, Zilong, how did you know Goku's tail was the weak point when he turned into a Great Ape?" Iris asked curiously after Zhou Zilong came over to Bulma.
"Because Goku and I are both from another planet. He and I belong to the same race from outer space. We're Saiyans. The Great Ape Transformation is a special ability of our race, and it comes from a particular kind of energy called Blutz Waves."
The moon reflects sunlight, and that reflected light produces a kind of wave called Blutz Waves. When the moon is full, the Blutz Waves can exceed eighteen million hertz. Saiyans can receive these waves through their eyes, which react with their tails and make them transform into Great Apes!" Zhou Zilong explained to everyone.
After he finished explaining, Zhou Zilong also showed them the tail wrapped around his waist.
Everyone except Bulma looked astonished when they heard him.
"Wait, I remember you also looked at the full moon just now. Why didn't you turn into a Great Ape like Goku?" Iris asked in confusion.
"Because my Saiyan bloodline is different from birth. After looking at the full moon, I can control whether I transform into a Great Ape," Zhou Zilong explained with a slight smile.
After chatting for a while, everyone drifted off to sleep.
After resting for about five hours, everyone woke up. Just as in the original story, Little Goku was unsteady on his feet for a moment after waking. Once he regained his balance, he felt around himself, puzzled about what had happened to his tail.
The others immediately made up a story to cover for him. Without thinking much of it, Little Goku promptly stumbled toward the collapsed building to look for his Power Pole.
"Zilong, I'm heading off now!" Little Goku said when he returned with his Power Pole.
"Goku, are you going to train under my master?" Zhou Zilong asked, catching on.
"Yeah. After coming out here, I realized how vast the world is, and there are even more strong people than I imagined. I still have a lot to learn. To get stronger, I'm going to train with Grandpa Turtle!" Little Goku said with a nod.
"You're right. I had the same realization when I went out to train. I'm really looking forward to fighting you again once you've gotten stronger!" Zhou Zilong said, holding out his fist toward Little Goku.
"Me too. I'm still a long way behind you, but I'm looking forward to fighting you again after I get stronger!" Little Goku said, bumping fists with him.
Before you continue