The referee stepped forward to begin the count.
But before he took two steps, Goku slapped the ground and sprang back up, stance ready.
His footing was steady, his spirit blazing.
The referee cried happily, "He's up! Son Goku is back on his feet!"
"From the looks of it," he continued excitedly,
"Goku was briefly on the defensive, but he's young with incredible stamina. He's still full of energy!"
"Meanwhile Jackie Chun is starting to pant.
It seems Goku may take the lead soon!"
"Let's see what happens next!"
Jackie Chun heard that and cursed under his breath.
"What nonsense! Saying I'm running out of strength?!"
As he spoke, he switched to offense.
His fists multiplied into a storm of afterimages, hitting Goku with razor-fast attacks.
In the blink of an eye, Goku was back to defending and evading.
Their silhouettes flashed and collided across the ring.
The crowd roared.
In the shifting offense and defense, Goku tasted the pure joy of combat.
How to break the guard.
How to land the strike.
How to slip the counter.
As they fought, the pressure on him steadily eased.
One reason was Jackie Chun's stamina dropping.
The other reason was Goku improving—adapting to the rhythm and habits of his opponent.
Before this, Goku had mostly steamrolled weaker foes. He'd never had a real equal to sharpen him.
Roshi was truly different. Goku had gone all-out and still couldn't win—
which was exactly what let him temper himself.
His stamina was still abundant.
If the battle continued like this, victory would surely come.
This fight was giving him immense gains.
He realized: only by throwing yourself wholly into battle—
not fearing victory or loss—could you keep breaking through.
He didn't want to disappoint his teacher's intent…
so he was ready to stop and concede.
But then Jackie Chun suddenly turned serious.
"Regrettably, you're going to lose this match for sure.
"In the past, only one person has ever forced me to use this secret technique.
You're the second."
Goku's eyes sharpened.
The Thunder Shock Surprise, huh?
He suddenly remembered something.
He jerked his head up.
The sun was sinking, and a full moon hung high in the sky.
It's fine, he thought at first. My tail isn't back yet.
Goku looked away from the moon and focused on Jackie Chun.
With a shout of "Thunder Shock Surprise!" golden electricity wrapped around Goku's body.
Instantly, searing pain ripped through him.
His arms and legs went numb.
His ki was suppressed, leaving him too weak to resist.
Roshi spoke while holding the technique:
"While you can't move, I can't move either.
But this attack will cause you unbearable pain…"
"If it lasts too long, you could even die.
Yield now—or you'll lose your life!"
Goku had wanted to concede anyway.
But if he surrendered the instant he felt pain, it would look like he had no will.
Hold a little longer, then concede.
Right then, a cold tightness hit him below the waist.
His pants tore open.
His tail suddenly grew back.
Goku's heart sank.
Trapped in the electric paralysis, he couldn't control himself properly.
"I yi—"
Before he could finish "I yield,"
a violent pulse struck his heart.
His consciousness vanished.
Before the eyes of the stunned crowd,
Goku transformed into a giant ape.
Spectators and referee alike gasped.
"W-Whoa!"
"What an amazing transformation technique!"
The referee sweat-beaded, shouting in disbelief:
"What's happening?! Son Goku just grew a tail, and now he's turned into a massive ape!"
Jackie Chun also broke into a cold sweat.
"Damn it… he's too strong like this. Even my Thunder Shock Surprise can't hold him!"
The transformed Great Ape broke free and began rampaging wildly.
Krillin and Chi-Chi stepped forward screaming:
"Goku! Stop transforming—this is dangerous!"
"Yeah, Goku! Stop!"
Bulma revealed the truth:
"This isn't a technique. Whenever he sees a full moon, he loses control and turns into a giant ape that destroys everything."
The referee panicked. "Then I… I'm going to step away from my post for safety!"
Hearing Bulma, Jackie Chun looked up.
Sure enough, the moon was already up even before night fell.
Seeing the berserk Great Ape, Roshi made his decision.
"Then there's only one way to solve this."
In the next instant, Roshi tore off his shirt. Ki surged. His muscles swelled massively.
Bulma, already knowing what would happen, looked up at the moon and murmured as if saying goodbye:
"Moon… you shouldn't have come out."
A blinding light gathered between Jackie Chun's hands.
"Kame… hame… ha!"
He fired his maximum-power Kamehameha.
The gale of its force made everyone shield their eyes.
BOOOOM!
The Great Ape vanished in smoke.
Even the shabby house behind the arena collapsed under the blast.
Krillin and Chi-Chi rushed forward.
"Goku!"
"Goku—where are you?!"
Krillin scanned frantically, not seeing him.
A chill ran down his spine. "Did… did Goku die?"
Chi-Chi couldn't see him either. She broke down sobbing, pointing at Jackie Chun.
"You killed Goku! I'm going to take revenge on you!"
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