Satan and Krillin's Battle

Soon, everyone saw who their opponents were.

The matchups were posted on a stand that had been set up ahead of time, so everyone could clearly see who they would be facing.

"Let me see who I'm up against!"

"I wonder who drew that Bacterian. If I had to face him, I'd rather die than touch him!"

The speaker was a female contestant. It was none other than Ranfan, who had appeared in the original story. As a woman, she was naturally repulsed by Bacterian.

In fact, no normal person could stand him. If Goku hadn't reminded Krillin that he didn't have a nose in the original story, Krillin probably would have lost to Bacterian.

Bacterian wasn't very strong, but his way of attacking was downright unpleasant. In low-level fights, especially against opponents who couldn't attack from a distance, his style was a real headache.

Of course, if he faced a master, a single wave of the palm would probably send him flying off the ring. Nobody would want to get close to a contestant like that.

Just as the Turtle Hermit had defeated Yamcha with a wave of his palm, the only person in the arena with that kind of ability was probably Kid Goku.

As for the Martial Alliance members, they hadn't been training for long and couldn't even use ki blasts yet, so they naturally weren't strong enough. Jiang Yun had brought them along mainly to broaden their horizons and see how much Kid Goku had grown.

One of the Martial Alliance members saw that Bacterian was his opponent, and his face turned green on the spot!

He then made his way onto the ring, trembling. A few of the others couldn't help but breathe a quiet sigh of relief. At least they hadn't drawn that contestant.

When Bacterian stepped onto the ring, the spectators recoiled in disgust, shouting, "How can someone like that be allowed to compete? He should be disqualified!"

"Uh, Bacterian hasn't broken any rules, so we can't disqualify him without reason. And now, let the match begin!"

The dedicated Announcer from the original story was covering his nose, but he still dutifully explained Bacterian's background. When the crowd heard that Bacterian had never taken a bath, they recoiled even more. Watching a contestant like him was truly a torment.

"Referee! I forfeit!"

The Martial Alliance disciple quickly conceded. He couldn't bear to fight an opponent like that.

With that, he leaped off the ring without looking back.

In the shadows, Jiang Yun furrowed his brow and thought, Their resolve still needs more work. Otherwise, they'll never amount to much!

In Jiang Yun's view, the disciple could have held his breath and ended the fight in a very short time. It seemed the Martial Alliance disciples still needed to toughen up.

Without sufficient resolve, it was easy to go astray, just like Master Shen.

Several more matches soon took place. Unfortunately, two of the Martial Alliance members faced Goku and the others and were eliminated. Still, they admired how much skill Goku had developed at such a young age.

"Next match: Satan versus Krillin!"

Down below, Satan knew his opponent was the little bald kid. He also knew Krillin was Master Roshi's disciple. But he wasn't the same Satan he had once been—he had crammed on his knowledge of the martial arts world.

He knew what kind of figure Master Roshi was, so he couldn't afford to underestimate his disciple!

"My opponent is that spiky-haired guy? He came with the person Bulma and the others were talking about. He must be really strong!"

Seeing that Satan was his opponent, Krillin said uncertainly.

"Krillin, believe in yourself. That guy feels about as strong as you. You can do it!"

Goku spoke to Krillin earnestly. What he said was true: he could feel that Satan's strength was about the same as Krillin's.

Although Satan's talent was a little worse than Krillin's, training with the Martial Alliance's Gravity Training Room had brought him up to the same level. Of course, he had only been sent in there occasionally.

Satan wasn't strong enough to train in there regularly.

"Krillin, do your best!"

Goku encouraged him.

"Yeah, I will."

With Goku's encouragement, Krillin felt confident too.

"Please go easy on me."

Krillin bowed politely, then assumed an attacking stance when the referee announced the start of the match—a textbook Turtle School stance.

"I definitely won't lose!"

Satan answered in kind.

Then the two began testing each other. Krillin's quick straight punch was soon dodged by Satan.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The two exchanged blows at incredible speed. Their fists and feet flew, and even sonic booms rang through the air. Their attacks had reached the speed of sound.

Their fierce exchange left everyone else stunned. Even the Announcer exclaimed, "What an exciting match! The two contestants are moving so fast we can hardly see them. Since you're fellow disciples, could you explain what's happening for us?"

As he spoke, the referee also asked Goku to commentate.

"They threw twelve punches and fifteen kicks in one second. They're countering each other's moves. Krillin blocked all of Satan's attacks, then struck Satan in the chest in an instant. Satan turned and kicked Krillin away."

Goku described the exchange methodically.

"They really exchanged that many blows in just one second! Let's look forward to more of this incredible match!"

The blond Announcer couldn't help marveling at their fight.

On the ring, Satan and Krillin realized their probing attacks had gotten them nowhere, so they both began to show what they could really do.

Krillin suddenly drove an elbow into Satan's stomach. Caught off guard, Satan was sent flying, but he charged back a moment later. Taking advantage of his longer reach, he traded blows with Krillin.

Before long, both were panting from the back-and-forth, and they stopped to stare at each other.

If we keep fighting like this, I'll be the first to run out of strength and lose to Satan!

Krillin thought.

I need to end this quickly. If I let it drag on, I won't stand a chance either. This kid is slippery as an eel, and he's already avoiding trading blows with me. Master Roshi's disciple really is not to be underestimated.

Satan wanted to finish the fight quickly, and his attacks grew more aggressive. Krillin was secretly pleased. Just what I wanted!

Krillin kept baiting Satan into attacking, as if Satan's trading-blows strategy had driven him into a corner.

Satan noticed Krillin's impatience and was delighted, but he didn't realize that Krillin was putting it on.

Jiang Yun noticed Satan's mistake too. Krillin had clearly set a trap, and Satan had taken the bait so easily. He still lacked combat experience. His physical advantage had let him suppress Krillin for the moment, but he was far behind when it came to technique.

You should hold back a little strength when throwing a punch, so you can control it both ways. Otherwise, once you overcommit, you won't be able to pull it back. It seemed Master Roshi's teachings really were useful: the key was to win without relying on fixed moves and not to be bound by techniques. Or perhaps Jiang Yun could bring Master Roshi over to teach the Martial Alliance disciples some fighting skills.

Jiang Yun rubbed his chin and thought mischievously.

Disguised as Jackie Chan, the Turtle Hermit suddenly sneezed, completely unaware that a big bad wolf had set its sights on him.