Yo! Son Goku and friends! Saiyan Saga (Chapter 46)
Goku
"Welcome back everybody! Are you guys ready for the exhibition!?"
The crowd was the most hyped they had been that day, a deafening pop forcing the announcer to break out in a hearty grin.
"Alriiiiiight! Everyone raise your hands for our fighters! On the right we have our hero Goku from the 23rd tournament squaring off with his opponent on the left, the menacing MaJunior! The green demon destroyed not only the ring but the entire arena, something that the finalists in the 21st and 22nd could not do despite being pretty close!"
Goku was wearing the royal blue robes he had at the 23rd, white trim and everything. He also wore faded yellow parachute pants and he elected to take off his turtle hermit boots, throwing them onto the grass as the announcer hyped up their engagement. Piccolo stood solemnly as always, this time repping his father's colours with the deep blue, red signage marking the symbol in the middle, covered by his flowing white cape. A cold blue matching his outfit atop his turban. He wore the brown wizard shoes as per usual.
"Well folks, I'm going to break it down for you in case you're none the wiser! This exhibition match isn't just for show! As you all know the world martial arts tournament was blown into nothingness the last time these two fighters went at it and as such the director declared it uncountable! This year at the 24th… The winner of this exhibition... Will take the title of the 23rd's champion! This match is another title bout!"
The crowd roared in approval, cheers all around, Mic nodding his head with some bombast.
"I am too smooth sometimes." He smiled, thinking to himself, scratching at his patchy mustache.
Goku got it ready with his stretches, leaning low and cranking out anything left in his legs before he stood up in a huff, laughing all the while.
"Man! It's good to be back." He stated with pride, settling into his turtle style stance.
"Hmph." Piccolo laughed lowly and couldn't fight back the smile on his face. "We'll see if all that training on King Kai's actually amounted to anything."
"Well, Piccolo~" He grunted in response. "Me and you practiced under the same master so really your statement doesn't really prove anything. What you really should have said is: 'that training with Tien' since that's something you didn't do."
"I forget that you're not a total idiot sometimes."
"How sweet, thanks buddy." Goku giggled, finishing his shoulder and core stretches.
"Is everybody ready!?"
Goku looked to Piccolo with a smile and the pair turned their attention to the announcer, nodding with assuredness.
"Begin!"
Goku VS Piccolo
Objective: Let's finish it!
"What a Goku move to do!"
The pair stood in the middle of the ring, the younger brother's left fist in Piccolo's palm, a sonic boom wavering out into the crowd and brushing them lightly before Goku backhandsprung three times.
Fsh~Wsh~Swush!
He stanced up again into his turtle hermit style, Piccolo bared his fangs before chuckling and cracking his knuckles.
"I'm winning this one Son Goku, your tournament record is gonna stay pathetic as long as I'm here."
"Bring it on."
"Oh wow! Here comes the trash talk already!"
The crowd was bumping and jumping, much to Oolong's dismay as drinks and other items casually spilled all around him.
"Just my luck, I have to sit next to the degenerates."
Goku smiled brightly and dashed off the tile with exuberance. He threw a three piece, a right-left straight into an uppercut but all were expertly dodged by Piccolo's head movement. The Demon stepped to the outside but was caught lacking as Goku scorpion tailed his left leg up to catch his angle.
WHOPP!
Piccolo breathed out a tad through his nose as he barely caught the attempt in time. The younger brother spun in a step up enzuigiri off the air using his flight and flipping around to his left side. Piccolo had no response as he was clocked in the jaw by the Saiyan's foot.
"Oh! First blood!"
Goku landed and balanced on his right leg, hopping back and forth before sprinting full force to catch his opponent. Just in time, Piccolo charged his index and middle finger on his forehead, preparing for his adversary's plan of attack.
He struck nothing with his right claw as the apparition in front of him faded away. The Demon only nodded slowly as his opponent came from above. Piccolo closed his eyes and sent a pulse of Ki Sensing.
Piccolo has developed his own brand of Ki Sensing that differs from the Kai or Cat Hermit style. His version is dedicated and based around the wildlife he had meditated around for so long, the visual style making up a plain grassy meadow. After careful consideration and thoughtfulness Piccolo is able to fully see the entire being of what he is searching for, no silhouettes, scanlines, or rorschach blobs. This being the case made it very easy to tell which are fake and which aren't since Goku has not yet been fully committed to rounding out his After-Image technique. Honestly After-Images are really only worth it at God of Destruction levels because forming a robust After-Image that captures your level of energy takes far too much ki and ultimately accomplishes very little. After-Images are at their most potent when Ki Sensing isn't a factor.
The Demon turned on a dime as the After-Image faded into nothingness over top of him, sniping out Goku's attack angle from the back.
"Deweugh!" Goku cried out dumbly as he had been totally found out, slipping onto the tile and breaking out into some dance moves to attack from an odd position.
Goku attacked with a left roundhouse at the midsection while spinning and pivoting on his right hand with a capoeira-like flair. Piccolo caught it with a vice grip and looked to punish by launching the charged energy he hand in his left fingers but as it turns out, Goku's rigorous practice of Ki Blast Parrying would guide him through, he jumped off the air and levitated as his enemy had a firm hold over him, he bent over and coaxed the beam out of Piccolo with his right hand as it made contact with his leg. Piccolo's eyes widened considerably and Goku redirected the flow of the blast to his foe's turban. The Demon's head hung low for a moment as the turban turned into a heavy cylinder, taking shape over his face like a mask.
Goku laughed for a moment as Piccolo let go of him, stepping back to assess the best way to rid himself of the weighty apparatus. He flexed his left claw for a moment and impacted his face with a smashing palm strike, the broken minerals flinging themselves onto the grass. Piccolo looked back to see his adversary taking off his blue robes and throwing them to the wayside, not taking advantage of what he had just accomplished.
"I take back what I said, Son Goku. You are a fool. Giving me a second chance like that is what greedy idealists do."
"If I can't beat you with my own moves it doesn't count." Goku popped up his blue turtle hermit shirt like a fan, back and forth vigorously.
"Hmph." Is all Piccolo said as he took on an actual stance, throwing his cape behind him, the announcer had to run out of the way as the heavy cape crashed and upheaved the stone steps.
Piccolo's knuckles cracked and he stared down with Goku across the way as the Saiyan fixed his blue wristbands.
"Thanks for waiting, buddy."
"Hmph."
Goku showed his pearly whites, they shined brightly under the sun's rays and he spoke with that characteristic confidence.
"Do as I say, not as I do?" He pointed at the sky with a declarative pointer finger. "I learned that one from Krillin!"
"..."
Goku smiled once again and settled into the turtle hermit stance.
"These two seem to have a lot of respect for each other! That's twice now that they've just stared at each other after the gong! I wonder when these two grea-"
POKK! WHUMFffffff~
Goku and Piccolo clashed two more times, epic shockwaves rolling out into the audience, increasing the hype tremendously.
No other contestants really caused shockwaves from the clash, these were very exciting as the audience got to feel the impact from the attacks like Raditz' Shining Friday against Yamcha in the very first round.
"Nice one, Piccolo!"
Piccolo smiled a bit and they met in the middle with two more clashes, The Demon's long left leg checked Goku's right knee and then the younger brother's right forearm against Piccolo's left. The pair smiled at each other as they came in close before backing off with wicked backdashes.
"Wow! Another stalemate!"
Goku looked at his pants and straightened them, tying the loose white fabric around him tighter. Piccolo cracked his neck on both sides as they sidled around the arena at the ends, close to ring out.
"You're really smart Piccolo, so I gotta be careful."
"Didn't ask." He let out in a chuckle.
Goku stretched out his arms, his off hand cupped over his elbow as he checked each side for their kinks.
"Looks like we have another staredown, these two conten~"
Goku shot past Piccolo in a low slide from 0 to 100, clearing the whole ring in less than a second. Piccolo floated above the arena to dodge the attack and Goku kicked off the air above the grass to follow his target.
"I'll just let them do the talking." The announcer stated with a smile as Goku and Piccolo went at it in the air.
FshSwushSssushWashFishVshShSwashFshFashSwshSwassSwufFwufFshVsh~
Goku and Piccolo couldn't connect if their lives depended on it, each other's defence keeping up exactly with the offence presented as they rose up above the arena in their own little elevator of fighting space. Piccolo caught Goku's right hand as Goku caught Piccolo's and they tied each other up in a wrestling hold, bringing their arms in the middle. Goku tried to reign in his adversary to land a snap kick at the jaw with his left but Piccolo dodged just in time, catching the Saiyan's leg in the pocket of his shoulder and thick neck. Goku gasped goofily and Piccolo threw a boot at Goku's stomach. The kai student caught Piccolo's boot with his own and they blasted back far away from each other, Goku in a tailspin backflip maneuver while The Demon remained steady in his flight path backwards.
"These two just know how each other fight! Only one clean hit after all this fighting!"
Goku lobbed two ki blasts at Piccolo and he weaved out of the way with graceful flight, only to be struck at from above by a missile dropkick. Piccolo flexed his right forearm and caught the maneuver, bracing the impact pretty well. Goku dove backwards with his flight only to be caught by The Demon's extended claw, thrown back down to earth with the grace of god.
"Whoa!"
FOOSH! Tmp~Fwump!
Goku landed on the ground acrobatically, hand springing off the tile like it was his job. Piccolo flew down with intense and terrifying speed, clawing at the air once he came in striking range. Goku barely weaved the strikes in time before he went on his own offensive gameplan, close fisted punches with tight upper body movement to keep it limber for counters. Piccolo did not land, dancing off the air as he dodged Goku's flurry of fists.
"Heyagh!" Goku cried as he went all in for a right roundhouse.
Piccolo jumped off the air, hanging with some drama and air time with his legs tucked in tight as he floated, left arm extended and beaming with energy, he held onto his wrist tight with his off hand as if he were bracing for impact.
"Masenko!"
Goku prepared his right leg for a parry, charging the energy as he kept the momentum from his first roundhouse, spinning in a full rotation to deliver another right and kick the beam into the aether.
"He's just too much, ladies and gentlemen."
They were at each other's throats immediately as soon as the beam cleared, Goku landed a snappy backfist with his right hand and came in close. Piccolo grunted as his foe made contact, grappling the right arm that just attacked, pulling him in close and landing a brutal left knee to the midsection.
"Guokk~" Goku let out limply as Piccolo made contact. He smiled briefly during the exchange and sent out a pulse of Kiai with his left palm, smacking The Demon right in the face, breaking his hold.
THUMM~POKK! Skweeee~
"Maaan, you've really been working out, Piccolo."
"I'm not gonna let another alien run the show, you know. I've got my own claims as the strongest around here."
"Huh-Hah! We'll see."
"These two really seem to enjoy the brief moments between clashes! I thin-"
WHUMM! WHAMM! "WEAK!" THOKK!
After their strongman's exchange Piccolo sent Goku reeling across the tile with a thunderous right hand.
"Why do I even try?"
"Nice one!"
"Goku, we're fighting you numbskull!"
WHOKK! THMM! DMM!
"But it was a good hit! I can't tell you that you did good!?"
WOOSH!
"Dumbass!" A smile escaped Piccolo during their intense combat.
Goku hit a gainer from nothing, fully backflipping while going forward to dodge Piccolo's hazardous left claw lunge.
FWUOOSH!
"We've never known our hero to take things too seriously but… he's just laughing!"
Piccolo smiled as Goku giggled out like a schoolboy after his athletic display, dashing off the tile at an odd angle as he landed. Piccolo turned and blocked Goku's left back elbow. The kai student threw strange attacks and walked The Demon across the ring, his back turned to him the whole time.
"You're really full of yourself, huh Son?"
"You've gotta keep it loosey goosey."
Piccolo booted Goku in the back, causing him to catch the ground in a front handspring. Piccolo sprinted like mad to pressure his goofy adversary. Goku flipped in a ballerina twirl as he kipped off the tile with his hands, sending a ki blast to cover his back. Piccolo ducked under just in time and kept pursuing his target. Goku landed from the ballerina spin, launching a left snap kick at Piccolo's face to keep up his defensive offence. Piccolo once again showing his own excellence in defence, iron gripping Goku's ankle.
"Deyugh~eee~" Goku let out like a jester just before Piccolo slammed in a left roundhouse onto his pecks.
WHUMM!
"Duwoohh!"
Goku held in the pain and used his flight, cartwheeling off the air with intensity, flinging Piccolo into the sky above. The Demon flew quite a ways but stopped his trajectory skillfully, hovering just above the audience.
"Oh wow, The Demon King is hovering right in front of me. Should I be impressed or something?"
"Oolong!"
"Relax, Bulma, he doesn't care one bit. Do ya big guy?"
Piccolo's eyes were laser focused and he practically leveled the onlookers around him, blasting them all into their seats with his flight.
"Whoooooooo!" They all cheered in tandem at the display right in front of them.
WushWshFshVshSwushSwfFwufSwufFshVshWshSwuf~
Piccolo's eyes drew red tron lines as he threw something like a sixteen-piece of punches, Goku somehow managing to dodge them all with expert head movement. In a moment of fixation, Goku didn't realise that his foe's true target was the eye beams, not the punches. Goku's right arm bled in a steady stream as Piccolo singed and cut a long line starting from the shoulder and ending at the pinky.
SVYUU!
"Looks like I was lying!"
SwufFwufFoosh!
"The real first blood goes to Piccolo!"
Goku winced in sharp stinging pain, forced to shake it out before Piccolo once again made contact with a killer left boot, sending the Saiyan careening over onto the tile.
"It's your kicks!" Goku yelled cheerily as he lapped up the bloodstream with his tongue. "You've gotten so much better with your kicks!"
Tmp. Tp. Dmm. Tup. Tmp.
"You really don't know how to keep your mouth shut, do you?"
"I'm just having so much fun right now!"
Goku feinted a right roundhouse and Piccolo looked carefully for it, missing the timing and falling for the fake once he turned his back and landed a left hook kick from the rotation.
WHOKK!
"Grrr…"
"Huh-Hah!"
As Goku turned back around to stand face to face he weaved a strange left leg that could have been a number of kicks right in Piccolo's face. The Demon readied his hands to catch but nothing came and Goku turned his back to him once again, clocking Piccolo on the nose as he fell with a lazy but snappy and weighty left backfist.
"Grah~ what the..?" Piccolo mused, thoughts in disarray.
Goku jumped and tucked in his limbs like a frog and then kicked out in a superman pose, thrusting his feet right onto Piccolo's chest, sending him away with a deafening blow. Goku fell forward into a roll off the tile and turned around as Piccolo backpedaled from the weird attack.
The kai student dashed off the floor with reckless abandon as soon as he was finished, forcing Piccolo's hand. He chose defence again, waiting for Goku's move only to be snuffed out once more.
"What is he doing!?" The announcer cried as Goku halted his momentum on a dime, going from 100 to 0 as he slow walked towards Piccolo.
Piccolo's brow furrowed and Goku deliberately looked away and back at the crowd. He waved at them, much to Piccolo's distress and the audience's fervor.
"He ain't even lookin' at em'!"
"Kick his butt, Goku!"
"Fry his keister!"
Piccolo didn't throw, maintaining his stoic defence and Goku just backdashed.
"Maaan! I really thought you might fall for that one."
"You're a fool if you thought I would ever walk into something so obvious."
Goku smiled and hiked up his knees back to back to get the blood flowing.
"These two really like to take their time to think! What a cerebral matchup we have here today folks, it's mind blowing!"
"You ready?"
"It's a tournament, whether I'm ready or not is irrelevant once the match starts."
Goku just gave him wide eyes as he touched the tile in more stretches.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"... Mhph! Fine! I'm ready!"
"Good!"
"You're insufferable." Piccolo shook his head in awe of his stupidity, cheeks flushed with embarrassment, a sly smile creeping across his green face.
The kai student grinned with such shit-eating intent and settled back into his stance. There was a long pause and the audience finally settled down, only the droning of the sun and the birds could really be heard.
FWSH! TWOKK!
The pair met in the middle again, more clashes reverberating around the ring.
"Unbelievable." Krillin stated with mysticism. "They're not tired at all, and they look like they're gassing it."
"Yeah…" Yamcha stared on with a look of disbelief.
"By this point Raditz, Tien, and you had already scored a down, no one's even in the lead… far as I can tell."
The Wolf had no real answer, only nodding along with his friend's statement. Kami had the brightest and most genuine smile on his face as he watched the pair go at it.
"I do not know how to describe it but it is like... I am fighting down there. The nostalgia is hitting me in waves."
"Really?" The Wolf looked to the green god, brushing away the long locks out of his face and behind his ear.
"I know it is somewhat vain, but I want Piccolo to win."
"Nah, that's my boy down there. Sorry, Kami but my man is finna fade your other half."
"Whatever you say, young Yamcha."
Piccolo swung with a chopping left leg and Goku ducked it clean, dropping into his classic pushup position dodge. He readied his ki and flew off the tile in an impressive display, trying to headbutt Piccolo's nose in. Piccolo dipped down with immaculate timing, lowering down to the floor with an intense lean once his left leg met the tile. He almost looked like Yamcha with how low to the ground he was. Goku threw his hands up and charged a blue bolt of ki, sending it at Piccolo's back as he maintained his flight path.
The Demon dashed out of the way, turning around to face his foe head on, Goku pivoted as well, keeping his aerial presence above the grass. Goku furrowed his brow with a killer grin and zoomed along the air. Presenting anAfter-Image, Goku dipped around the back but was snuffed out immediately. Piccolo gripped Goku's leg tightly and slammed him into the tile, a sickening thud rang out, stunning the onlookers.
"Goku." Piccolo spoke plainly.
"He's down! One!"
Goku coughed up a lung trying to get on a knee.
"I only used Ki Sensing to determine the competency of your After-Images."
Piccolo hard-counters The After-Image Technique since you can't just install complex thoughts into something that has no brain.
"So I gotta try a new approach then..?"
"Two!"
"Nah, go ahead and lose, that's fine with me."
"You're lying." Goku laughed out with a smile.
"Thre~ He's up! Goku's raring to go! Fight!"
"You want this to last as long as I do."
Goku let it rock, dashing at Piccolo right after the gong, throwing strikes all around. After another flurry of dodges they tied up again, only this time with Piccolo having the full advantage, locked onto Goku's wrists tightly. The Kai student hit a can-can with his knees, bringing up his right knee to fake and scoring clean with the left knee at the bottom of Piccolo's chin. A yellow aura gathered in The Namekian's throat as Goku connected and Piccolo just smiled as he tanked the hit.
"Oh crap."
"GUWAAAGH!"
Goku flexed his parrying skills as hard as he could, the front of his blue shirt tearing under the pressure of the beam but the stream seemed to roll off his chest, shifting up and away.
"Nice one, Son Goku!"
"See, you do care!"
Goku manhandled Piccolo, drawing him into a right thrust kick even though he was the one supposed to be tied up, bending The Demon over from the blow.
DMM!
"Gu-Haw!"
The kai student tore away from Piccolo's clutches and spun around in a 360 to deliver a tornado roundhouse, actually complete with a tornado of ki that followed his ferocious strike. Piccolo flew at the wall with great speed but Goku didn't let up, looking to score a ringout. He came overtop with a right hand but was blasted up into the sky with a kick the moon backflip from his target.
"The acrobatics! These two like aerial combat it seems!"
Piccolo kicked off of the nothingness, the grass shimmering from his momentum.
DMM~BMM~THMM!
Three more blasts of shockwaves rolled off the pair as they soared high above the arena.
"You don't know how long it's been Son Goku!"
"Since what!?"
"Since I've felt so alive!"
Piccolo landed deep into Goku's diaphragm with his left hand, sending him packing with a karate chop straight down. Goku landed like a champion, hands on the ground in a runner's position, gritting his teeth to keep from letting it out. Even under the great pain all Goku could do was smile, the ring cracked with a weighty resolution upon the young Saiyan's landing.
"All these threats we've been facing, they don't mean anything. But you, you mean something." Piccolo imparted as he landed in front of him.
"You say you're…" Goku breathed out limply. "The~huh… Demon King and all but you're just a big sweetie pie you know that?"
"Be quiet and put up your hands.."
"You could attack me. But you won't. You really respect me."
Piccolo just looked out into the crowd.
"You know."
"What?"
"Looks like they're having another moment to themselves! Did the 23rd Budokai really mean that much to them!?"
"You would have probably beaten me by now if King Kai hadn't helped me to tune out my senses. The main reason I blew away the crowd is because they were so damn distracting. It didn't really have to do with the fact that I wanted to kill them or you~" Goku's pain fell away and he stood up at his rival's speech "I just didn't want them to interrupt all the fun."
"Do you regret it?" Goku's face turned deadly serious for a moment, causing Piccolo and Kami's antennae to jive instinctively.
"Yes. The most important thing was that it was unnecessary. It was my failing as a martial artist that I needed to clear the hurdles forcefully instead of rising above them through my own merits."
"I'm so proud of you, Piccolo." His smile returned.
"Shut up, mongrel." His face flushed out into a hot pink as they squared off in their stances.
"It's about that time! I can just feel it! This match is go~"
"Let's go all out Piccolo! I don't care if there's another match!"
"I was about to say the same thing."
The ensuing shockwave was tremendous, the sound of it was like thunder.
"Thought so." Krillin proclaimed with a smile.
"Beat his green ass!"
Goku spared a happy glance at his brother before returning to his pugilistic conflict. The kai student threw a left jab which Piccolo parried and shoved down just in time. Goku continued the pressure with a left knee lift, checked by the green man's own right knee, capitalising on the moment the younger brother flexed his arms in a dominating display and let out a howling shockwave of Kiai at his foe.
Ka-pwa~POKKKK!
The strange steely impact sent The Demon sliding across the ring, almost near the grass. Piccolo's ears slightly twinged as he heard Goku come from behind. He grabbed onto Goku's shirt collar with an iron grip and threw him onto the tile in front of him. Goku ate it but kept light on his toes weaving backwards as Piccolo piled on the pressure with jabs.
"Why didn't you ring me out?"
"You think I'm gonna let it end that way, Son Goku!?"
"Right on!"
Time slowed to a crawl as they deliberately met in the middle for a high speed fist bump instead of a clash.
Swufwuscuu~~~~~~tap~~~~~~~~Foosh! DMM! WHOKK!
The volume increased even more, both from the audience and the competitors.
"In all my years playing as the announcer for the world martial arts tournament I have not seen a more even and intense match! They DO NOT BUDGE!"
"You're gonna regret allowing my full power!" Piccolo chortled out as he sunk a weighty fist deep into Goku's gut.
DMM!
"Haw-Haw-Haw!"
Piccolo soccer kicked Goku straight forward at rocketing speeds.
A vision of King Piccolo and Goku when he was a child flashed through the younger brother's mind as Piccolo connected with that attack.
Piccolo pursued his target effective immediately, running right along the flight path, aiming downward with an overhand. The Saiyan reacted just in time, stalling himself with his own flight, grappling onto Piccolo's right arm and kicking the top of his dome with his left. Piccolo was rocked and Goku used that to his advantage, throwing him over the side and onto the tile with an arm drag. Piccolo laughed out heartily once again, locking arm in arm with his foe as he was thrown, throwing Goku instead as he planted his feet firmly on the ground.
Goku countered this immediately, sending an overwhelming burst of Kiai outwards to launch him right back, connecting with a lethal left elbow with his back turned.
DMM! Skweeeeeeee~
Piccolo grinned like a monster as Goku's elbow was jammed onto his teeth. He wrapped his arms around Goku several times over like a snake, the harsh bind forced a squealing air to hiss out of the man before he was brutally slammed onto the tile with a Namekian suplex.
"Oh my! A german! One! Doesn't get better than that! Goku's down! Two!"
Piccolo wiped the blood off his mouth, laughing like a goofball with his gravelly low toned voice. The Namekian didn't care at all, grabbing Goku by the shirt collar and standing him up.
"Thanks, buddy."
"WHAT!? He helped him up before the count finished! I've never seen such a strange match in my life!"
Goku cracked his neck on the right side and saw stars, almost falling over.
"Should I keep counting Goku!?"
Piccolo just raised a brow, wearing a suggestive look as he nodded his head towards the announcer.
"Sure, heh-heh."
"I'm speechless. I'll just chime in for the downs, this match is far too high IQ for me, that's for sure. Three!"
Goku blinked rapidly before he smacked himself on the face with his palms, seeming to hype himself up.
"Four!"
Piccolo scratched his neck and checked his nails as the announcer kept the count going.
"Five!"
"Okay! I'm ready!" Goku declared, giving a thumbs up to Mic.
"Excellent! Fight!"
Goku was put on the backfoot as Piccolo came in close with a left elbow, he ducked under and hit the same backflip kick he did on Vegeta, dropping to the tile and launching his legs up at Piccolo's chest.
WHUMM!
The strike was true and threw Piccolo up in the air. Goku smiled and squatted down low before blasting off. Goku spun around like a top as he made his way up, tornado kicking Piccolo's guard from the right side using his left leg. It cut in harsh and sent Piccolo packing. The Demon once again hovered above the audience and Goku giggled as he flew right over, the two of them duking it out next to cheery spectators.
The pair fought and scrambled in the air all around the arena. Raditz almost jumped into the conflict before being restricted by Krillin and Yamcha.
"Dumbass! That's why the last match didn't count! We jumped in before it finished!"
"You telling me what to do, Earthling!?"
"Bruh."
Goku connected with a drive-by right hand that absolutely smacked Piccolo into the next dimension, that being the tile of course. It upheaved the entire layer and blasted back winds right onto the announcer, popping the microphone loudly and knocking him on his ass.
"Wu~oah!"
Dwyeeeeeeeeeerrrrr~
Everyone plugged their ears at that.
"Wu~wa~whun!" He counted shakily as he stood up. "Two! I was too afraid to say this last time but... Piccolo's got two downs scored! He needs two more! Three! And I got the feeling that's how this match is gonna go! Four!"
"Come on." Goku squatted down, offering his hand.
Piccolo met it and stood up mostly by himself, aided by Goku's right hand in his. Goku bounced up and down in jubilant glee, letting go and backing off.
"Five! Six!"
Piccolo cracked his neck and looked to Goku for a moment.
"Seven! Eight!? Yes!? No!? Nine!"
"What the hell else do you think!?"
"He's good to go! Fight!"
Piccolo dashed up close and threw a right straight to force a block, Goku fell for it, lining up his guard before trying his own attempt back. Piccolo parried that punch drawing back his right forearm and pushing the strike to the side, finishing by slamming in a left chop at the neck. The Saiyan coughed harshly after The Demon connected and stepped forward from the blow. Piccolo came down low and tried for an upper but Goku was ready, weaving backwards just in time, the backs of PIccolo's knuckles grinding along his pectorals. Goku then punished the whiff with a left elbow, causing Piccolo to backpedal.
The Saiyan had enough, landing a brutal combination of fists and feet, ending with a left snapkick aimed at the jaw to set up his right back thrust kick.
Wsht. DMM!
"Gu-Haw!"
"Kamehame~"
Piccolo instinctively put his hands up to defend but Goku didn't commit, instead he slammed a monstrous gut punch that lifted him off the ground.
Piccolo remembered this attack, a flash of the image reverberated in his mind. The dusty sands of the 23rd Budokai's wasteland of an arena.
"Piccolo is down! One! And that's two for Goku!"
Piccolo fell to his knees, trying desperately to shake off the damage.
"Two! Three!"
Goku grabbed Piccolo by the arm and drug him to a standing position, patting off some of the damage to his blue demon uniform. The tile fixed itself in the characteristic magic glow from Kami.
"Whoever is doing that, thanks! Four!"
Piccolo sharpened his brow and cracked his knuckles before turning to the announcer, Piccolo coughed out some blood and laughed.
"Uhh~ Fight!"
The pair stanced up once again before Piccolo conjured a stationary orb and dashed at his foe. Goku raised a brow as the lone orb stayed in place while his rival came in close.
DMM!
Goku was forced to check the roundhouse with both his forearm and knee as it came crashing in.
"Whew~" He whistled out as Piccolo set another orb just above them like he were screwing in a light bulb. Goku raised his brow once more as Piccolo doubled down with another left roundhouse in the same spot.
Skweeeeee~ Fsh!
Goku just barely weaved a left straight and punished with a left upper. Piccolo fell onto his ass but rolled back to dodge Goku's follow up axe-kick, setting up another glowing orb during the evasive maneuvers. Piccolo sprung to his feet and caught Goku's onslaught of punches with well scouted defence, clocking The Saiyan with a right overhand. He set another orb just behind himself as he connected and followed through with a mean right boot to the middle of the ring. Goku slid along the tile, stopping himself with a burst of ki before he realised the strange orbs all around him.
"Hellzone Grenade!" Piccolo roared with a guttural screech, the four orbs culminating onto Goku's positioning.
Bvyu~Wuu~Syuu~Vwamp~Vwer
Goku kicked and palmed the orbs but they kept bouncing around and pursuing him as Piccolo mimed a spell-like dedication with his hands. Goku maintained focus but it just wasn't enough, he swatted away at them for a long time before turning his attention to the one who set them up.
"Oh!" He called out happily, dashing towards his new interest.
The orbs came in fast as Piccolo pulled his hands to his chest. Goku jumped over the orbs but Piccolo had planned ahead, snatching him out of the sky and jumping over his orbs as they careened into the aether. He spun around in a tight whirlwind, slamming him with the most intense elastic force his Namekian arms could conjure. His arm sounded out like a zipline as Goku came crashing into the tile, messing it up again so soon after the last mishap.
The Saiyan was hurting but got up in no time, kipping off the ground with his hands.
"No down!" The announcer claimed with a wave of his arm.
Goku rapid-fired three small ki blasts as he ran along the outside of the ring. Piccolo dodged to the left, then ducked under, completing his push with a hurdle jump over the last sphere of energy. Goku sent an after-image to pressure but Piccolo saw right through, smiling and sending out his right elbow to catch Goku slipping. He hit nothing and his eyebrows raised with great worry.
Goku's expert martial artistry and quick thinking made it so that he formed an After-Image just barely in front of himself to cover, overlapping his thought pattern. Piccolo was technically correct but Goku stood just out of range and absolutely just fractions behind his technique, mirroring it's posture perfectly so as not to alert the enemy. It's not that Goku cares all that much with his strategies but more so that he's really just that good without having to try all that hard. His primary fighting style inherently throws people off guard.
Piccolo was off-rhythm after missing by a hair.
"But I~" Piccolo was caught thinking.
Goku lifted his left heel high, parrying Piccolo's arm upward at the armpit, rearing it back and slamming in a left thrust kick at the ribs.
Swstt~DMM! THMM!
Goku floored Piccolo after connecting with a spinning right back thrust kick follow-up.
"You bastard…" The Demon grunted out as he skidded across the ring. "That thrust kick... it's your best damn move."
"Is it?"
Piccolo shook his head and scoffed as he stood up from his kneel.
"No down!"
The pair dashed in close and met in another wrestling tie up.
"These two don't know the meaning of the word surrender! They'll hold the line until they die!"
"Go Green Man!"
"Knock his block off, Goku!"
"You can do it guys!"
"This was actually worth the price of admission!"
"That green guy is a way better sport than last time!"
The two of them shut out the noise and it was just the two of them, trying to imprint their will onto the other in their face to face showdown. It was Piccolo's overall superior practical strength that won the tie-up.
"Grrr~AGHH!" Piccolo yelled throatily as he connected with a killer headbutt on Goku's forehead, whiting out his eyes.
Goku fell to his knees limply. Piccolo backed off, letting him get up on his own.
"Wow! No help this time! One!"
Piccolo cracked his neck on both sides.
"Nevermind, Green Man sucks!"
"Two!"
"Come on, Son Goku…"
"Three!"
Piccolo abandoned his wherewithal, lifting up Goku's face to check, still seeing lights out. He smacked his lips and put his rival's face back onto the tile.
"Four! I don't like the looks of this, folks! Five!"
Piccolo paced around the ring like an anxious mom, hands on his blue belt line.
"Six! Seven!"
"Get up, brother! Don't lose to Green Man!"
Goku's fingers twitched as the box at the top got rowdier and rowdier.
"Get up, Goku! Piccolo's not gonna have this tournament win over you!" Yamcha yelled aloud, his hands cupped around his mouth as he leaned over the railing.
"Come on!" Krillin wailed, jumping up and down on the rail himself.
"Eight!"
Goku twitched and started to stand, shaking like he had parkinsons.
"And Nine!" The announcer yelped like he couldn't believe it, himself shaking.
"Heh-heh~" Goku laughed out like a goofball as he stood.
"He's here! He's here ladies and gentlemen! Goku is here! Fight!" Mic flailed around dramatically like a concert director, pointing at the two contestants.
Goku simply closed his eyes as he hobbled around, relying on his Ki Sensing to guide him through. He waved around his arms slowly and methodically, keeping them close to his chest. Piccolo waited it out, prowling around the edge like a predator. Goku let out a laugh-breath and smiled.
"Masenko!"
Goku weaved to the left, dropping down and past the beam in a roll.
"He's out of there!"
He kept it moving, pushing his hands off the tile to stand upright in a sprint.
"What a brave spirit! He keeps going even now!"
Piccolo didn't let up, dashing right in to see what was up, standing right in front of his target, not moving a muscle. Goku tensed up and didn't throw as well, their chests almost touching with their arms at their sides.
"Unbelievable! They are this close and still refuse to commit!"
There was a long and unnerving pause before Goku caught Piccolo lacking with a left chop right on the adam's apple.
He had used Ki Sourcing to load up a special spring-action maneuver, much akin to how Dynamite Monday is performed.
"Piccolo's down!? One! What did he even get hit by!? Two!"
"Wheeeewww…" Goku breathed out harshly. "Maaan." He had a seriousness about him at this junction, eyes still closed.
"Three! Is this the end for MaJunior!? Four!"
Goku finally opened his eyes and looked down at the beaten Piccolo.
"Five!"
He tightened his lips inward and furrowed his brow in worry.
"Come on…"
"Six!"
Goku squatted down low, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Seven!"
Piccolo's antennae shook violently and Goku whistled.
"Thank goodness."
"Eight!"
The Saiyan bounced happily back upright as The Demon climbed to his knees.
"Nine!"
"Te~ What am I saying!? Of course he's not down! Fight!"
"One more, Son Goku, what do you say?"
"One more what?"
"Shot for shot."
"I'm game."
Piccolo smiled devilishly and Goku met his enthusiasm with equal intensity. The Saiyan connected with a fierce and loaded right hand. Piccolo winced and bled but socked him right back with a left leg at Goku's temple, causing his consciousness to slip. Goku laughed out goofily but was still standing.
"Ehh-heh-heee~" He got out as he lined up another right hand on Piccolo's temple, there was little power behind it.
DMM!
Piccolo doubled down with the left roundhouse and it floored Goku spectacularly. The Namekian breathed a sigh of relief as his foe came in contact with the tile for a little too long.
"I-CAN-NOT-BE-LEEVE-ITT! Piccolo has just won the world martial arts tournament." He sped past the final bit of his statement with a smirk, looking out into the crowd in a sweeping motion.
Namekian biology is incredibly durable. They might not have the capacity for the highest punching power but they have some of the highest innate durability of any race in the North Galaxy. A Namekian would make for a better God of Destruction than a Saiyan or Earthling would but a Saiyan would still make for an excellent choice due to their strong wills, convictions, and the ability to push through pain, but the fact of the matter is that Namekian's inherent pain tolerance is out of control.
The crowd exploded in an uproar, on their feet causing a riot to blare out in all directions.
"Wow. I'm not gonna lie, Bulma. It's weird to see Goku lose."
"I'll say."
The crowd got up and bounced, basking in the hype. Piccolo just stared on in bewilderment and then apathy. He sent out a pulse of Ki Sensing.
"Tcheh. Ol' Three Eyes isn't even here. There's no point in me staying then. Mongrel!"
"Shut it, Green Man. My brother lost today, no need to rub it in."
"He fought like hell, I don't need to disparage his efforts to feel good."
Raditz was taken aback as The Namekian flew over to the stone walkway, grabbing his cape and casting a new turban overtop his head.
Fwuomp.
"Aren't you going to stay for the final match!?"
"No. Tien's not even here."
"Huh!? He's not!?"
Piccolo neglected to follow up, much to Mic's dismay and he disappeared behind the clouds, Raditz flying his brother back to the booth they had at the top. Krillin looked on with intrigue.