A dark figure darted out of the smoke.
It was Son Wukong. Her outer layer—the orange Turtle Hermit School gi—had been shredded, revealing the black bodysuit underneath. Of course, there wasn't much to see on a girl in her early teens who hadn't yet hit her growth spurt. This was only worth mentioning to emphasize that Son Wukong hadn't been stripped down to her underwear.
She curled up and followed the path of the shockwave, reaching Zhang Wutian and punching him in the stomach.
But the blow hit nothing at all. Zhang Wutian, right in front of her, vanished like a mirage.
Son Wukong wasn't discouraged in the slightest. She seemed able to track Zhang Wutian's movements and kept launching one attack after another.
"Yeah! That's it, Wukong! Get him!" Krillin cheered from the sidelines.
"No wonder it's Wukong. Even after taking such a powerful hit, she still has the strength to fight back." Yamcha couldn't help smiling.
"Come on, girl! You can do it!" the spectators around them shouted. They all cheered for Son Wukong, who seemed to be at a disadvantage, and for a moment, it was as if she had the whole arena behind her.
"That way of moving really is a legacy of Master Korin," Mary Sue murmured, sounding like someone who'd seen it all.
Son Wukong fought valiantly, but it was all in vain. Zhang Wutian was right in front of her, yet somehow, none of her punches or kicks could land a single hit on his figure.
Like a slippery loach... No, that comparison was far too insulting to Master Korin's legacy. It was more like a cloud floating in the sky: visible, yet untouchable. He was right before her eyes, but also seemed to spread everywhere, like rising steam. Zhang Wutian dodged every attack, and Son Wukong couldn't land a single blow.
"What kind of man dodges like that? Fight Wukong head-on! Are you worse than a little girl?" Bulma yelled furiously from below the ring.
But Miss Bulma had no idea what was really going on.
"Wow, I'm getting stronger even while fighting him?"
It was as if she were unleashing all the potential she'd built up under Master Roshi in one go. Son Wukong was growing rapidly in the middle of the fight. With every punch that missed and every kick that was dodged, her fighting power rose at an unscientific rate.
As the battle went on, the intoxicating thrill of fighting began to surface. Perhaps only a fight against Son Wukong could make him feel this way. Zhang Wutian didn't know if she felt the same, but he was thoroughly enjoying himself.
"Oh! I recognize that kick. And that one's appeared in the manga, too. No wonder—she's been my old friend since childhood. Even at this age, she's already showing her potential. At this rate, she'll almost hit me soon."
But Bulma's voice jolted Zhang Wutian out of his fascination with the fight and reminded him of a certain scene from the original story.
"Crap, I can't drag this out any longer. The moon's going to come out soon."
See the moon, turn into a Great Ape, rampage through the Martial Arts Tournament, and make a complete mess of everything. Zhang Wutian didn't want any of that to happen. More deeply, he didn't want Little Wukong to expose her body in front of everyone—but of course, that thought was buried deep inside him and would never show.
Worried that the fight might drag on until the moon came out, Zhang Wutian knew it was time to end things, even though fighting Son Wukong was so much fun he didn't want it to stop.
"Time to finish this, Wukong. It's a shame, but this fight ends here."
The next moment, Zhang Wutian appeared behind Son Wukong and brought a heavy chop down on the back of her neck.
Son Wukong collapsed on the spot.
"Referee, start the count."
"Ah... right." The referee and announcer, whose eyes had been dazzled by the rapid exchange of attacks and defenses, had been unable to say a word. He blinked, then began counting.
"Impressive! Could I knock Wukong out with one hit at her current level?" Mary Sue wondered, then shook her head.
"These youngsters are all getting harder and harder to underestimate. Is this what they call a new era? Short hair may not be especially handsome, but it looks lively. That's the type I like..."
Mary Sue had started out looking serious, but who knew where her thoughts had wandered off to now.
"Wukong, get up!"
"Don't lose to him!"
"Wukong, it's time to eat!"
Even Miss Bulma had resorted to her secret weapon, but none of it could wake Son Wukong.
"9... 10! The winner is Zhang Wutian!"
Even after the referee finished counting, Son Wukong still couldn't get up.
"You've improved quickly, but you're still three days away from beating me!" Zhang Wutian declared.
"Did you mean three years?" Everyone who heard him thought he'd misspoken. Only Zhang Wutian knew he'd said exactly what he meant.
In the original story, Son Wukong had gone from being completely helpless to catching up with Master Korin and even surpassing him in just three days. Zhang Wutian didn't think a knockoff like him, with fighting power only on par with Master Korin's, could keep the little monkey down for much longer.
Applause erupted from every direction. The spectators were thrilled by the high-level martial arts match, completely captivated.
Amid the cheering, Zhang Wutian picked up Son Wukong, who was still unconscious, and left the ring.
"So little, still just a little monkey. I wonder what she'll be like when she grows up. A female Kakarot... I can't wait."
In Zhang Wutian's arms, Son Wukong suddenly stirred awake and punched him in the face.
"I hit you?!" Son Wukong exclaimed, delighted, as if she'd just achieved something incredible.
"Idiot! The match is over!" Zhang Wutian roared, a swollen bump rising on his face.
"Huh... huh?" Son Wukong poked her head out of his arms and looked around. Thinking she was still in the middle of the match, she asked, "Did I already lose?"
"What do you think?" Zhang Wutian gave her a sour look.
"So that's what happened. I lost." Son Wukong felt down for a few seconds, then quickly cheered up. "Can't be helped. But you're so strong, Zhang Wutian. When you get serious, I can't even land one punch."
"Actually, you were already getting close near the end. Anyway, keep training a little harder."
"Okay! Once I'm done training, we'll fight again. Next time, I'll definitely beat you!"
"You stupid monkey girl. I'll be training too, so I'll definitely win next time."
"No, I will. Definitely!"
The two bickered as they left the ring. Even so, Zhang Wutian never showed any intention of putting Son Wukong down. He seemed ready to carry the little monkey in his arms until the end of time.
Zhang Wutian himself didn't realize it, and Son Wukong was even less aware. The two stayed nestled together as if nothing were out of the ordinary, bickering away without a care for anyone around them.
"They're so wrapped up in each other, there's no way I can butt in..." Krillin awkwardly backed away, having wanted to talk to Son Wukong.
"They really do seem more like father and daughter. But what will happen when Wukong grows up a little more?" Mary Sue grinned gossipily as she imagined it.
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