The stronger Goku got, the happier I felt. I admired him more and more.
Of course, I still had to keep working hard and catch up to him!!"
Krillin was watching the match too, but when he heard Chi-Chi say that, a sour feeling suddenly welled up inside him.
"Sure enough, girls all like the strongest guys."
Krillin clenched his fists and said earnestly, "I'll keep working hard at my training from now on.
I'll definitely catch up to Goku, too.
No! I'll work even, even, even harder. I'll surpass Goku,
and I want pretty girls to like me, too!"
Krillin's gaze grew more and more resolute.
Chi-Chi suddenly turned to look at Krillin, then encouraged him, "Krillin, you can do it too!"
Krillin froze for a moment, then asked a little shyly,
"Chi-Chi, if I became a better fighter than Goku, would you like me?"
Chi-Chi answered without hesitation, "Impossible! How could you ever surpass Goku?"
"I mean, if!"
"There's no 'if.' Goku is the strongest!" Chi-Chi declared firmly.
Krillin sighed. "All right!"
But just then, Chi-Chi looked at Krillin again,
and twisted the knife. "Even if you became a better fighter than Goku, I still wouldn't like you,
but I'm sure some other girl would!"
"Uh... Chi-Chi, you're so cruel. You just gave me the 'nice guy' card..."
Krillin was already pretty crushed, and Chi-Chi's last remark broke him completely.
Sure enough, lies don't hurt people. The truth is the sharpest blade!
The battle on the tournament platform grew more and more intense.
Both fighters were strong, and each gave it everything he had to win.
Jackie Chun used Snake Fist, Tiger Fist, Drunken Fist, and more,
while Little Goku used Mad Dog Fist,
even bringing his teeth into play along with his fists and feet.
The more intense it got, the more exciting the fight became.
This wasn't just a contest of strength; it was a battle of wits, too.
While the two fighters paused to catch their breath between exchanges, the announcer gave a brief commentary.
"What a breathtaking battle, continuing here in the final!
So far, the two fighters remain evenly matched.
Let's keep watching as they show us even more spectacular martial arts!"
Chapter 52: Martial Arts Spirit
The battle continued for a while, but neither fighter had gained the upper hand.
Son Goku had thought that if he gave it his all,
he could defeat Jackie Chun—in other words, Master Roshi.
Yet no matter how many techniques he tried, he still couldn't do a thing to Jackie Chun.
He hadn't lost to Jackie Chun, but even so, a sense of disappointment welled up inside him.
When he'd first left the mountains, he'd already been much stronger than the original Little Goku.
But after starting with a stronger foundation and training under Master Roshi for nearly a year,
had he only reached the same level as Little Goku in the original story?
If that was all he could manage, he didn't know whether he'd be able to turn the tide when Demon King Piccolo appeared.
But how could he get even stronger?
He'd already worked so, so hard!
Even setting aside his Saiyan bloodline,
he'd trained hard for so many years, yet still hadn't distinguished himself among the Earthlings.
He couldn't even defeat Master Roshi, an old man.
What was he supposed to do?
A trace of confusion crept into his mind,
and as he lost focus, Jackie Chun noticed that Little Goku was acting strangely
and suddenly launched an attack.
Seizing an opening,
"Pah-pah-pah-pah!"
He delivered a smooth, fluid combination that sent Son Goku stumbling backward.
Jackie Chun finished with a downward kick, and Little Goku fell to the ground.
At that moment, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.
"Way to go, old-timer!"
"No wonder he's one of the old generation of martial artists. He's incredible!"
"Jackie Chun's combo was so cool!!"
Amid the cheers and applause, Chi-Chi, Krillin, and Bulma shouted,
"Come on, Goku!"
"Get up, Goku!"
Judging by Son Goku's performance so far, that attack should only have put him at a disadvantage. It shouldn't have been enough to make him lose.
Jackie Chun frowned and walked over to Son Goku.
"An attack like that couldn't possibly take you down!"
"Get up! You're already amazing. You almost beat me,
so why did you suddenly lose focus?
Martial arts isn't just a contest of strength. It's a contest of will and spirit, too.
Get up!"
At the sound of Jackie Chun's voice, Son Goku sprang to his feet.
He looked at Jackie Chun—the man who was actually Master Roshi.
To teach his students that there would always be someone stronger,
to keep them from being satisfied with their current achievements,
to show them that the path of martial arts was never smooth,
Master Roshi had gone so far as to enter the tournament as Jackie Chun, despite his advanced age.
A teacher who would go to such lengths certainly deserved the title of God of Martial Arts.
What he'd just said was right.
Martial arts wasn't just a contest of strength. It was a contest of will and spirit, too!
Once one's spirit and will collapsed, defeat was already certain.
He thought of that Vegeta, the one known as Appetizer Vegeta.
His strength wasn't inferior to Son Goku's.
In fact, every time Goku broke through,
Vegeta could train and catch up to him in a very short time.
But what Vegeta lacked compared with Goku was mental fortitude.
Whenever he encountered a powerful enemy, he'd unleash a barrage of Prince Tactics.
That was fine if he could overwhelm them with strength.
But if he used up his big moves and realized he was weaker than his opponent, he'd wilt at once and let himself be slaughtered.
The original Goku was completely different when facing enemies. Even when he knew he was outmatched, his fighting spirit never wavered.
He still fought and held his own against his enemies in his own way,
either searching for an opening to turn defeat into victory,
or surpassing himself to claim the win.
In an instant, an insight that would shape his entire life surged through his mind.
At that moment, Son Goku felt much clearer.
All that thinking had taken only a brief lapse in concentration, just a few seconds.
Son Goku's spirits lifted, and he threw himself back into the fight.
This time, Son Goku took the initiative, unleashing a rapid barrage of punches at Jackie Chun.
"Ah! Hah-hah-hah-hah..."
Jackie Chun's lips curled into a slight smile,
and he began moving in a strange, nimble pattern,
retreating and dodging Son Goku's fierce assault again and again.
As Jackie Chun kept dodging, the force and momentum behind Son Goku's attacks steadily faded.
Somewhere in the middle of the fight, he seemed to realize something.
It was something profound.
That's right—the control of ki.
At first, his attacks had been so fierce that his opponent hadn't dared to meet them head-on.
But as Jackie Chun kept dodging or blocking,
the attacks that followed grew weaker,
and they'd already lost the unstoppable sharpness they'd had at the start.
Perhaps that was the weakness of Prince Tactics: they ran out of steam!
At the same time, as he watched Jackie Chun dodge, Son Goku felt something strange.
There wasn't a single unnecessary movement in his dodges,
and he moved just the right amount to evade each attack.
It was as if his body was moving on its own to dodge.
Though it was only the faintest hint, those dodging movements
looked just like Ultra Instinct.
Son Goku suddenly realized that Master Roshi had once climbed Korin Tower,
and at his peak, his strength had surpassed Goku's.