Namek.
On an island.
Ron and Son Goku stood facing each other, and the atmosphere gradually grew heavier.
If Ron knew that Cooler was already on his way to Namek, and that King Cold was confirming the intelligence and preparing to come after receiving the report, he would be incredibly excited.
After all, the sooner they arrived, the better. It would satisfy his recent appetite for battle.
He had crossed over into the world of Dragon Ball, become a Super Saiyan, and slaughtered Frieza.
Now, all he lacked was a powerful opponent to fight.
To be honest, his strength would keep growing. His only worry was that Cooler and King Cold might arrive too late, by which time he would be strong enough to kill them with a single thought.
Frankly, at his current strength, he had at least 750 million in battle power as a Super Saiyan. That was more than enough to crush King Cold and Cooler.
"If you're ready, you can give it everything you've got, Kakarot!"
Ron looked at Son Goku and spoke.
At his words, Son Goku's expression turned solemn. He was no longer as frivolous and carefree as before.
He nodded, clenched both fists, and pushed his aura to its absolute limit.
"Don't worry! I know the difference between us, so I won't hold back. I'll go all out from the start!!!" Son Goku said.
The instant the words left his mouth, he let out a mighty shout.
In a flash, a fierce aura erupted. White flames swirled up from his feet and enveloped his entire body.
"So this is your full power now? You're definitely much stronger than when you fought Frieza, and you've improved quite a bit since you unlocked your potential three days ago." Ron's lips curled into a smile as he clearly sensed Son Goku's current strength.
He couldn't determine the exact battle power, but it was probably close to six million.
Barely, he had probably surpassed a third of Ron's strength.
"Heh! Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the nerve to ask you to fight me," Son Goku said, his expression suddenly changing.
In an instant, he drove off the ground, his body shooting forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
They were only a couple hundred meters apart. Before Ron could even blink, Son Goku was already in front of him.
He didn't attack. Instead, he stood face-to-face with Ron at close range.
Ron didn't mind his behavior.
Son Goku wanted to prove himself to Ron and show him how far he had come.
"Trying to pull a stunt like that on me? Aren't you worried I'll knock you flat with one punch?" Ron narrowed his eyes and released his aura imperceptibly, giving Son Goku a powerful sense of danger.
Of course, Son Goku had his reasons for being confident.
He dared to challenge Ron head-on because Ron had promised not to turn into a Super Saiyan.
Without transforming, Son Goku could fight him on equal terms if he used Kaioken.
Even though Ron's Blood Burning Technique was also powerful and could greatly boost his strength, it was still unclear which one would prove stronger at their limits.
"You won't. You're confident in your own strength, and although I released my aura as I moved, I didn't give off any sign that I was about to attack. You know I wouldn't just attack you out of nowhere." Son Goku grinned, sounding utterly confident.
"Is that so? If you put it like that, I'll have to do something to test your theory." As he spoke, Ron's aura shifted ever so slightly.
Almost instantly, Son Goku seemed to realize something. He leaped back more than ten meters, putting distance between them.
The sudden sense of danger made him instinctively retreat. Cold sweat broke out across his forehead and back.
"Looks like you really are no slouch. I only had the slightest thought of attacking, and you sensed it. Your body's still got good instincts." Ron walked toward Son Goku, amusement practically spilling from his face.
He had done it on purpose. Son Goku had gotten a little stronger and was already getting carried away, so Ron had scared him to show him that too much confidence wasn't a good thing.
Realizing Ron's intent, Son Goku let out a breath, wiped the sweat from his face, and stopped fooling around. He became completely serious.
"I knew you were something else. Just the thought of attacking gives you that kind of presence. But I'm not that easy to scare, either! Now, get a real taste of my strength!" Son Goku took a deep breath and held it. Then he became a blur once more and swung a punch at Ron.
This time, it wasn't a feint. He was truly attacking.
There was no denying that Son Goku's speed was impressive.
But in Ron's eyes, it was still nothing special.
Too slow!
Thud!!!
Ron easily caught Son Goku's full-power blow.
He completely dissipated the force, leaving nothing damaged.
Ron had already mastered combat technique and the art of redirecting force to a profound level.
The 9 Refinement Body Technique contained clear training methods for wielding the strength of the body.
Often, even a simple, unremarkable movement could unleash tremendous power or neutralize the force of an opponent's blow.
Feeling his punch sink into an endless void, Son Goku's heart tightened. The next moment, he stopped hesitating and unleashed the Turtle Hermit School's fighting style, attacking with a relentless barrage of powerful punches and kicks.
In Ron's eyes, Son Goku had improved tremendously since his fight with Frieza.
It wasn't just his battle power and overall strength that had increased. His combat skills had improved, too.
The insights he'd gained from fighting Frieza must have been considerable.
Otherwise, his skill wouldn't have improved so much.
"Not bad. You're still lacking a little power, and your explosive strength could use some work, but your speed is definitely good. Unfortunately, your fighting style is still too rigid, and your attacks are too easy to read. That's holding you back," Ron said as he continued to block Son Goku's attacks.
At this stage, Son Goku really was at a turning point in his growth.
Just like in the original story, if he hadn't broken through to become a Super Saiyan and surpassed Frieza completely, he might not have been able to overpower Frieza so easily.
This was also the stage when Son Goku truly began to grow powerful.
It was especially after he went to Planet Yardrat and trained in Spirit Control under Pybara, the Grand Elder there, that Son Goku underwent a fundamental transformation. He learned more advanced combat techniques, along with a more profound way to train his ki.
Son Goku was somewhat discouraged when Ron saw through all his attacks and he couldn't gain even the slightest advantage.
He had thought that even if he couldn't beat Ron, at least Ron would have to take him seriously.
He hadn't expected Ron to be this strong.
He had still underestimated Ron.
He'd thought that after unlocking his potential and improving for three days, he'd narrowed the gap.
In reality, the gap hadn't narrowed at all.
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