Dragon Ball: Reborn as a Saiyan, They Covet Me Chapter 46

The stronger Son Goku became, the happier I felt, and the more I admired him.

"Of course, I must keep working hard to catch up to his pace!"

Krillin was also watching the match, but hearing Chi-Chi say this suddenly made him feel a twinge of bitterness in his heart.

"As expected, girls all like the strongest one."

Krillin clenched his fists and said earnestly, "From now on, I must continue to train hard. I must catch up to Son Goku's pace, too. No! I will work even, even, even harder. I want to surpass Son Goku, and I want a pretty girl to like me, too!"

Krillin's gaze grew increasingly resolute.

Chi-Chi suddenly turned her head to look at Krillin and encouraged him, "Krillin, you keep at it, too!"

Krillin was stunned for a moment, then asked somewhat shyly, "Chi-Chi, if my martial arts surpass Son Goku's, would you like me?"

Chi-Chi said bluntly, "Impossible! How could you ever surpass Son Goku?"

"I'm saying if!"

"There is no 'if,' Son Goku is the strongest!" Chi-Chi said with certainty.

Krillin sighed, "Alright then!"

However, at that very moment, Chi-Chi looked at Krillin again and continued to twist the knife, "Even if your martial arts surpassed Son Goku's, I still wouldn't like you. But, there would probably be other girls who would like you!"

"Uh... Chi-Chi, you're too heartless, you actually friend-zoned me..."

Krillin had already been quite discouraged, but this follow-up from Chi-Chi instantly broke his defenses.

Indeed, lies do not hurt people; the truth is the sharpest blade!

On the ring, the battle between Little Goku and Jackie Chun grew increasingly intense.

Both were very strong, and in order to win, they each pulled out all the stops.

Jackie Chun unleashed Snake Fist, Tiger Fist, Drunken Fist, and more, while Little Goku employed Mad Dog Fist.

Beyond just punches and kicks, they even resorted to using their teeth.

The more they fought, the more spectacular the battle became.

This was not merely a contest of strength, but a game of wits.

During a brief respite between rounds, the referee provided a quick commentary.

"A breathtaking, fierce battle continues into this final! Up to this point, the two remain evenly matched. Let us continue to watch and see the two display even more brilliant martial arts!"

The battle between the two lasted for some time, yet the outcome remained undecided.

Son Goku had originally thought that by going all out, he could defeat Jackie Chun—that is to say, Master Roshi.

However, no matter what tricks he pulled, he still could not do a thing to Jackie Chun.

Although he had not been defeated by Jackie Chun, a sense of loss welled up within him.

He had clearly been much stronger than the original Little Goku when he first left the mountains.

Yet, even with a deeper foundation and having trained under Master Roshi for nearly a year, had he only reached the same level as the Little Goku from the original story?

If this was all he could achieve, he did not know if he would be able to turn the tide when Demon King Piccolo appeared.

But how could he take the next step?

He had already worked so hard, so very hard!

Not to mention relying on his Saiyan bloodline, he had trained diligently for so many years, yet he still hadn't managed to stand out among the humans on Earth.

He couldn't even defeat an old man like Master Roshi.

What was he supposed to do?

A trace of confusion surged into his mind.

It was precisely during this moment of distraction that Jackie Chun sensed something was wrong with Little Goku's state.

He lunged forward to attack.

Seizing an opening, "Pa-pa-pa-pa!"

A fluid, seamless combo sent Son Goku reeling backward.

With a final downward axe kick from Jackie Chun, Little Goku collapsed to the ground.

At that very moment, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

"Old man, well done!"

"As expected of a veteran martial artist, he's incredible!"

"What a cool combo from contestant Jackie Chun!"

Amidst the cheers and applause, the voices of Chi-Chi, Krillin, and Bulma rang out.

"Goku, come on!"

"Get up, Goku!"

Based on Son Goku's previous performance, this attack should have only put him at a disadvantage; logically, it shouldn't have been enough to defeat him.

Jackie Chun frowned and walked over to Son Goku's side.

"An attack like this shouldn't be enough to take you down!"

"Get up already! You're already very strong; you were so close to beating me. Why did you suddenly lose focus?"

"Martial arts is not just a contest of strength, but a contest of will and spirit."

"Get up!"

Hearing Jackie Chun's voice, Son Goku performed a kip-up and stood back on his feet.

He looked at Jackie Chun, or rather, Master Roshi.

To show his disciples that there is always someone better, that there is always a higher mountain, To ensure his disciples would not be satisfied with their current achievements, To let his disciples know that the path of martial arts is never smooth, He had gone to the trouble of disguising himself as Jackie Chun at his age to enter the tournament.

To go to such lengths as a teacher, he was truly worthy of his title as the God of Martial Arts.

He was right just now.

Martial arts is not just a contest of strength, but a contest of will and spirit!

If one's spirit and will collapse, defeat becomes inevitable.

He thought of that Vegeta, the one known as Appetizer Vegeta.

His strength was no weaker than Son Goku's.

Or rather, every time Goku broke through, he was able to catch up to Son Goku's pace in a very short time through training.

However, what he lacked compared to Son Goku was mental fortitude.

Every time he encountered a strong enemy, he would unleash a barrage of Prince Tactics.

If he could crush them with raw power, fine.

But if he exhausted his ultimate moves only to realize he was still outmatched, he would immediately wilt and let himself be slaughtered.

The original Son Goku was completely different when facing enemies; even when he knew he was outmatched, his fighting spirit remained full.

He would still fight and maneuver against the enemy to the best of his ability in his own way.

Either by finding the enemy's weakness to turn defeat into victory, Or by transcending his own limits to secure a win.

In an instant, a realization that would influence his entire life pierced through his mind.

At this moment, Son Goku felt much clearer.

Thinking all of this had only taken a few seconds of mental wandering.

Son Goku's spirit jolted, and he threw himself back into the battle with his whole heart.

This time, Son Goku took the initiative, his swift fists raining down toward Jackie Chun.

"Ah, da-da-da-da..."

A smile curled the corners of Jackie Chun's mouth.

He then stepped into a strange rhythm, constantly retreating and dodging this fierce wave of attacks from Son Goku.

As his opponent continued to evade, the momentum and power of Son Goku's attacks began to steadily decline.

Immersed in the battle, he seemed to perceive something.

It was something very profound.

That's right, it was the control of ki.

At the very beginning, his attacks were so ferocious that his opponent dared not meet them head-on.

However, as his strikes were continuously dodged or parried, the subsequent series of attacks grew weaker, long since having lost the peerless edge they possessed when he first unleashed them.

Perhaps this was the weakness of the Prince Tactics—the lack of stamina in the follow-up!

Furthermore, Son Goku also developed an inexplicable feeling while watching Jackie Chun dodge.

His movements were devoid of a single wasted motion, and the range of Jackie Chun's evasion was neither too much nor too little, but just right, as if he were relying on his body to move of its own accord to avoid the attacks.

Although it was only a faint, embryonic form, his evasive movements

resembled Ultra Instinct.

Son Goku suddenly realized that Master Roshi had climbed Korin Tower in the past, and his peak strength was far greater than his own.