Krillin lay on the ground, utterly stunned.
He looked up at Jackie Chun and muttered, "Y-Your fist was so fast…
I didn't even see it."
Backstage, both Goku and Chi-Chi were shocked.
That move—was really fast.
Goku did a quick calculation in his head. Even if he'd seen it clearly, he might not have been able to dodge it.
What's more, despite how fast and decisive that strike was,
it was clearly held back. Jackie Chun could have ended it—yet didn't.
He had gone easy on Krillin.
At first glance, the three students seemed strong,
but in truth, they were still a ways off from catching up to Master Roshi.
Just then, Chi-Chi called out from the sidelines:
"Krillin! Don't forget our goal—stay focused!"
Jackie Chun blinked.
'Goal?'
Then realization struck.
The other three finalists were all his students.
Could it be… these kids had figured out how strong he really was?
So now Krillin would try to wear him down,
Chi-Chi would surrender to let Goku rest,
and Goku—being the strongest—would fight him at full power?
Jackie Chun gave a faint smile.
'So the little brats are starting to use their heads. Teaming up now, are they?'
Still, this kind of tactic didn't work against someone with an overwhelming power gap.
And honestly, it violated a bit of the martial artist's spirit.
Perfect. This would give him the perfect opportunity to lecture them later.
He walked over to the still-seated Krillin.
"Better surrender now. Next time, I won't be so gentle."
Krillin shot to his feet and took a fighting stance.
"Bring it on!"
Jackie Chun's gaze sharpened. "Here I come!"
With that, he shifted into Serpent Style, coiling forward with a strike.
Krillin's eyes locked onto him,
and just as Jackie Chun launched the attack—
"I see it!"
He reacted in time, blocking the Serpent Fist.
The two clashed briefly and then split apart in a flash, neither gaining ground.
Jackie Chun raised a brow, impressed.
"Not bad. You were able to read my move. Not many can follow my speed."
Krillin took his stance again, determined.
"Well, now you've met one.
I'm a student of Master Roshi, not as weak as you think!"
With a shout, Krillin rushed forward, and Jackie Chun met him head-on.
Their bodies blurred—becoming afterimages that crisscrossed the ring.
In the next second, the two had switched positions,
now standing back to back.
Goku shouted, "Krillin!"
Thud!
Krillin collapsed.
Jackie Chun remained standing.
The referee ran over. "Ah! Contestant Krillin has gone down!"
Jackie Chun gestured. "Well? Start counting."
The referee began the count. "1… 2… 3… 4…"
Krillin looked down for the count—but at "8", he groaned and staggered back to his feet.
"Ow… that hurt."
The referee froze, then gasped.
"He's up!
Krillin is back on his feet!
But can anyone tell me what just happened?!"
Jackie Chun sighed. "Guess I'll just have to show you."
He and Krillin re-enacted the move in a slower, clearer form that both the audience and referee could follow,
explaining the technique step by step.
When they finished, the referee was awestruck.
"Incredible! I've never seen martial arts like this in my life.
The level of skill… it's unfathomable!"
The crowd roared with applause.
"YEAH!"
"That was amazing!!"
"Unreal!"
With the explanation complete, the referee called out,
"Alright! Thank you both for the demonstration.
Now—let the match continue!"
The two resumed their fierce duel.
But Jackie Chun, catching a glimpse of Goku and Chi-Chi watching from the sidelines, frowned.
'Not good. I need to wrap this up.'
He began unleashing more of his strength.
Even if Krillin could read his moves, dodging them was another matter entirely.
And this was just Roshi's basic melee style—he could chain techniques endlessly.
It didn't take long.
Jackie Chun landed a clean hit. Krillin collapsed, unconscious.
The referee began counting again.
"10… 9… 8… 1!"
"Krillin is unable to continue! Jackie Chun wins!"
The staff carried Krillin backstage, where he slowly regained consciousness.
Goku and Chi-Chi both congratulated him enthusiastically.
"You did great!" Chi-Chi said. "You really wore him down!"
"Totally," Goku added. "That was a tough fight!"
Krillin, who had been feeling a bit down, immediately perked up.
Just then, the referee's voice rang out once more.
"And now, we begin Match Six!
Will Contestants Son Goku and Chi-Chi please enter the ring!"
Chi-Chi turned to Goku. "It's our turn.
I'll forfeit as soon as we start.
That way, you'll save your energy for fighting Jackie Chun."
But Goku looked at her and shook his head.
"I've thought about it, and…
I don't think that's right."
Chi-Chi blinked. "Wait—are we changing the plan?"
"Yeah. Jackie Chun used a lot of stamina fighting Krillin.
If I beat you without even fighting and go against him at full strength,
then I'm just taking advantage of that.
Even if I win… it won't be honorable.
So I've decided—
I'm going to beat him fair and square."