"Are you two ready? Then let the match begin."
Seeing that the two had finished talking, the blond-haired referee asked them briefly, then immediately announced the start of the match.
The referee's words set off another wave of cheers from the crowd.
"That little guy may be something special, but Mr. Satan is stronger."
"Of course! Cell was so powerful, and Mr. Satan still beat him."
The spectators who believed Cell had been killed by Mr. Satan whispered among themselves.
"Thump, thump."
W-what should I do? Mr. Satan's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of his throat, and cold sweat ran down his forehead. Seeing Son Goten's unfriendly gaze, Mr. Satan felt like he might be carried home on his back this time. What was the number for the crematorium again? Could he make a reservation?
"Wuwu."
"Thinking quickly," Mr. Satan immediately resorted to his usual trick: pretending to be injured.
"Ah, what's wrong with Mr. Satan?" The referee called a halt and asked, "Are you all right, Mr. Satan?"
"Ow!"
Mr. Satan clutched his knee, "unable to bear the pain," and said with an "anguished" expression, "I injured my knee fighting Cell, and now, all of a sudden... wuwu."
(Cell: Damn it, when did I ever hurt your knee? I clearly just threw you out, okay?)
Cell, down in hell, declared that he wasn't taking the blame for this, and the lid on his coffin was already about to burst open.
Son Goten watched Mr. Satan's performance with a look of admiration. With acting skills like that, why bother with martial arts? Wouldn't it be better to become an actor? An Oscar was practically within his grasp.
"Um, was your knee injured when you fought Cell?" the referee asked, puzzled.
"Uh... I've kept it a secret all this time, but it's true!"
"I wanted to put on an exhibition match, but my knee... What a shame." Mr. Satan continued clutching his knee, "unable to bear the pain."
No need. You've already won this exhibition match. Son Goten admitted defeat.
"There's a doctor here. I'll go get him for you right away!" the referee said anxiously, immediately preparing to fetch the doctor backstage.
"Huh?!"
Mr. Satan was dumbfounded. Damn it, he was faking! How could the referee be so clueless?
"Heh heh, there's no need to trouble yourself." Mr. Satan awkwardly got up from the ground and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I can keep going. I'm the world champion, after all. A little injury like this is nothing!"
"Are you really all right?"
"If Mr. Satan is fine, then let's continue the match."
Mr. Satan's performance had to be called a success. Those foolish spectators still thought he was so amazing that he could keep competing even with an injured knee. Quite a few of them even shouted things like, "That's fantastic!"
I-it's about to start... What should I do? What should I do? If this kid beats me, my lifelong reputation will be ruined.
Mr. Satan swallowed, looking at Son Goten, whose golden aura blazed before him, while schemes began to form in his mind.
Right! As long as everyone thinks I let this kid beat me on purpose, I'll be fine. Hahaha... Perfect. That's what I'll do.
Having come up with what he thought was a brilliant idea, Mr. Satan immediately called for a pause, then hurried over to Son Goten and whispered in his ear, "I forgot to tell you: there's a special way to greet each other in this match."
"Greet each other?" Although Son Goten knew Mr. Satan was up to something, he pretended to ask innocently.
"That's right. Once the match starts, you have to touch my face with the lightest force possible. It's part of the rules..." Mr. Satan lightly tapped Son Goten's face to demonstrate, especially emphasizing that it was part of the rules.
"Just like this. When you greet someone, don't use any force, okay?"
"Sure, I will." Son Goten smiled faintly, but a glint of menace flashed in his eyes.
"All right, let's begin." Unaware of the murderous glint in Son Goten's eyes, Mr. Satan continued recklessly, "You little guy, you want my autograph."
"I see," the referee announced loudly into the microphone. "It looks like this is going to be a very interesting match! The match between junior division champion Son Goten and Mr. Satan will now begin!"
"All right—come on!"
Mr. Satan shouted, wearing a provocative grin as he thrust his face toward Son Goten.
"Oh my, Mr. Satan is putting his face right in front of his opponent, inviting him to throw a punch. He looks completely at ease," the referee commented.
"Go on, kid!"
"Hahaha! All right!"
The spectators watching from the stands shouted loudly. They seemed to think a little kid's punch couldn't be that strong, but they'd forgotten the fight between Son Goten and Trunks they'd just seen.
A mocking look flashed across Son Goten's eyes. He'd never seen such an idiot put his face forward and ask to be punched.
Son Goten suddenly threw a punch. With a "thwack," it landed squarely on Mr. Satan's sleazy face, and his cheek visibly contorted at an alarming speed.
"Boom!"
Son Goten's fist, packed with terrifying force, sent Mr. Satan flying out of the ring and crashing into the wall. He finally slumped to the ground, stars circling in his eyes.
"O-out of bounds! Mr. Satan has been knocked out of the ring by contestant Son Goten, so the winner is Son Goten!"
Seeing Mr. Satan knocked out of the ring, the referee hurriedly shouted the result.
Unlike in the original story, Trunks hadn't hit Mr. Satan hard when he knocked him out of the ring, so Mr. Satan had still been able to get up and show off. Son Goten's punch, on the other hand, was only weak enough to ensure Mr. Satan didn't die. There was no avoiding a knockout.
Goten, you idiot. You hit him too hard. Son Gohan grumbled inwardly, barely stopping himself from cursing out loud.
"Mr. Satan's acting is really convincing."
"Heh heh, yeah. Mr. Satan really went to a lot of trouble to go easy on that kid!"
Hearing those two voices, the spectators instinctively assumed Mr. Satan had deliberately let Son Goten beat him.
"That little guy is amazing!"
"You even beat Mr. Satan! That's incredible!"
Son Goten looked baffled at first. Damn it, wouldn't an ordinary person think Mr. Satan had lost? He narrowed his eyes and spotted the two who'd spoken first. They had Mr. Satan's insignia hidden on them, and he understood. They were Mr. Satan's idiots, just trying to save his face.
Whatever. After what happened with Broly, his own strength was what mattered most. There was no need to pay attention to these ignorant people. Besides, Mr. Satan had learned his lesson, and he was his big brother's father-in-law, after all.
Before you continue