A wave of energy burst outward from the center of the ring.
Zhang Wutian and Son Wukong clashed, and they seemed evenly matched.
Neither of them gave an inch as they locked into a stalemate.
"You're strong! Much stronger than you were a year ago. Is this the result of training under Master Roshi?"
"Zhang Wutian, you're the one who's changed! Compared to back then, you're like a completely different person. How did you train?"
As they struggled against each other, they chatted. Though they were fighting, neither showed the slightest hostility.
For the two of them, who often sparred, a "fight" was nothing more than everyday fun.
"Me?" Zhang Wutian replied to Son Wukong's question. "I've spent the past year training under Master Korin."
"Master Korin?" Son Wukong wondered if all the strong guys were immortals.
"Master Korin?!" At ringside, Mary Sue couldn't remain calm after hearing Zhang Wutian. She had clearly heard of Master Korin.
As the force of their collision gradually faded, they remained locked in their stalemate. Zhang Wutian suggested, "Shall we keep this up? We don't often get a chance to fight. Why not move around a little more?"
"Sounds good." Son Wukong readily agreed.
They both leaped backward, then launched into a dizzying flurry of attacks and counters.
Son Wukong punched at Zhang Wutian, but he vanished from in front of her at blinding speed.
"Behind me!!"
Before Son Wukong could turn around, she thrust a piercing kick backward. But Zhang Wutian seemed to have read her move in advance. He ducked out of the way, spun around, and swept her legs out from under her.
Though Son Wukong fell, she didn't give up. Bracing herself against the ground with her hands, she sprang into the air.
"Too naïve!"
Zhang Wutian had been waiting for her. He appeared above her, clasped his hands together, and hammered them down.
"I'm not naïve!!"
Son Wukong changed her move, turning defense into offense as she kicked at Zhang Wutian, whose hands were clasped together.
Zhang Wutian's fists clashed with her flying kick. His momentum unbroken, he hammered Son Wukong back down to the ground.
Son Wukong crashed into the ring, cracking it. The fissures spread in every direction like a spiderweb. She braced her hands against the ground and pushed herself upright, while Zhang Wutian didn't press his advantage. He absorbed the force of her flying kick, landed calmly, and watched as his opponent got back to her feet.
"Come on, Wukong! Don't let him keep you down!" Krillin shouted from the sidelines.
Son Wukong wasn't discouraged. She got up, dusted herself off, and said cheerfully, "You're amazing, Zhang Wutian! I thought I'd improved a lot this year, but you've improved even more. At least I haven't waited in vain."
"If you don't have any other moves, I'm going to win," Zhang Wutian said.
"Not a chance! Watch this!" With that, Son Wukong struck the Kamehameha pose.
"Just as I thought." Most people who had read the Dragon Ball manga had imagined themselves using the Kamehameha. Almost every child had imitated the move at some point. Zhang Wutian was no exception. Since he'd come to the Dragon Ball World, it would have been a waste not to learn this technique.
So Zhang Wutian struck the Kamehameha pose too.
"Of course, Zhang Wutian was only copying the pose; the way he circulated his energy was completely different. After all, he hadn't trained under Master Roshi and didn't understand the Turtle Hermit School's method of controlling energy. But once you understood one principle, you could understand many. Under Master Korin, Zhang Wutian had learned how to move his ki, so he could strike a pose and unleash a move like a Shockwave. Naturally, his Shockwave wouldn't use ki as efficiently as the original Kamehameha. The original technique's movements were designed to work with the Turtle Hermit School's method of controlling energy, and every step had its own unique principles. But Zhang Wutian still struck the pose. That was what you called nostalgia.
"That brat's such a rascal, copying his opponent's move right in front of her. What happened to the move he developed himself?" Up on Korin Tower, Master Korin watched the live broadcast on the television Zhang Wutian had left behind and laughed as he scolded him.
"A Kamehameha against a Kamehameha? How interesting!" Mary Sue watched with keen interest, stroking her chin.
"Kamehame..."
Son Wukong wasn't distracted in the slightest. Her mind was clear and free of stray thoughts as she silently gathered the ki within her body into her palms.
"Ha!!" The next moment, an orange-yellow beam burst from her hands.
"Shockwave!!" At the same time, Zhang Wutian's knockoff Kamehameha surged forward. The beam looked every bit as powerful as Son Wukong's.
The two beams met in the center of the ring and crashed head-on, neither giving way.
There was no deafening explosion. Zhang Wutian's Shockwave collided with Son Wukong's Kamehameha in midair, then pressed against it in a stalemate.
This was a different kind of contest, more dangerous than hand-to-hand combat. The loser would suffer a double blow: not only would the opponent's energy blast strike them, but their own would be forced back against them as well.
"Is that all you've got?" Zhang Wutian still had enough breath to speak as they clashed. His knockoff Kamehameha couldn't use ki as efficiently as the real thing, but his battle power was greater. His 80/100 overwhelmed Son Wukong's 50/50, giving him the advantage.
As for why Zhang Wutian was stronger than Son Wukong, it was because he often sparred with Master Korin, whose battle power was higher. Naturally, he'd grown stronger.
"..." Son Wukong's face flushed red, but she said nothing as she poured out all her strength. Just maintaining the blast took everything she had.
The point where the two blasts met slowly pushed toward Son Wukong. She was clearly at a disadvantage.
"Come on, Wukong! Don't lose to him!" Krillin shouted from the sidelines.
"Wukong, you can do it!" Bulma and the others shouted from the stands.
"Is she going to lose?" Yamcha watched anxiously from the sidelines.
"Ugh!!" Son Wukong strained with all her might to push the blast back, but the point where the two beams met kept inching steadily toward her.
But the next moment, Zhang Wutian suddenly felt the resistance vanish.
His blast shot straight ahead.
A tremendous explosion blew half the ring into a deep crater. Flames, the blast, and the clouds of dust that rose with it engulfed Son Wukong.
"Damn, I got too caught up in it..." Zhang Wutian realized he'd misjudged things.
"Wukong! You killed Wukong!!"
Krillin burst into tears.
"Wukong!!" Bulma and the others shrieked.
"Damn, why did Wukong's blast suddenly disappear? Did she run out of strength?" Yamcha exclaimed in surprise.
Zhang Wutian wasn't too worried about Son Wukong's safety. That was Son Wukong, after all. Even if she was a female version from another world, she was still descended from the Saiyans, a warrior race. She wouldn't die that easily.
Besides, Zhang Wutian's instincts told him that the final moment hadn't been caused by exhaustion. Son Wukong had chosen to give up the energy struggle.
Son Wukong's Kamehameha had vanished, leaving only Zhang Wutian's Shockwave to hit her. She had avoided the combined impact by giving up the contest, in exchange for being struck by only one blast.
And because she'd been the first to give up the Kamehameha struggle, she'd had enough time to put up a limited defense in the instant before the blast hit.
Mary Sue, watching from beside the ring, smiled faintly.
"Knowing when to let go—that's well done, girl. Now, start your counterattack!"
The next moment, a small figure burst from the smoke, shooting toward her opponent like an arrow.
Lately, I've been going out more often, so I can't devote myself to writing as much as I used to.
Before you continue