Author's Notes:

So, I wrote this a few years back when I was still into the whole fanboy versus stuff. I'm not anymore. I don't care about who would win in a fight anymore, but the characters of Ryu and Goku, I wanted to right something. They are so similar to each other, both from abilities, but also outlooks on combat. And they have their differences too. To me, versus debating shouldn't be much of a thing anymore. I feel people should write more about characters interacting. Sure, this story is mostly a fight, but that makes sense for the characters. Anyways, enough rambling.


Ryu vs Goku

The mountains of China were always a peaceful place. Far from any forms of civilization and industry, allowing nature to present its best qualities; clean air, clean water, and animals minding their own business. This was the ideal environment for the wandering warrior, Ryu. Unlike all of his comrades like Ken, Sakura, Chun-Li, or Guile, Ryu didn't feel comfortable training in gyms. Not that they weren't useful, but Ryu needed a less crowded environment to train and especially to meditate. That's why he always traveled with only the bare essentials in a small pull-tie bag; a change of clothes (all of which are copies of his signature white Gi), padded gloves, and some cleaning supplies. No phone, no watches, not even a pair of shoes.

While Ryu had been to China several times during his travels, he never been to this specific area of the Chinese mountains. In fact, it would be hard to say they were truly mountains. At their highest, they were simply hills, but everything else were just flat plains with thousands of mile high trees. An odd sight, but Ryu soon shifted his attention towards a waterfall a few yards to the side. Ryu smiled to himself as he approached the waterfall, its running water blocking off any other sound in the wild. As he reached the small pound surrounding the waterfall, Ryu dropped his bag and tightened his red headband, ready to begin his training.

Ryu put his right foot behind him and moved his hands to his side. In between his hands was enough room for a ball of blue chi to form. As the seconds passed and Ryu's muscles tightened, this ball grew in size. As soon as it got to the size of a basketball, Ryu threw it with both of his hands. "Hadoken!" is what he shouted as the ball of chi raced across the body of water and up towards the waterfall. The hadoken cut right through the water, revealing the rocky structure underneath before covering itself back up. As for the hadoken, it traveled high above the gigantic treetops before fading away.

Ryu looked down at his hands, "It's gotten better, but still could use some work." Ryu got into his fighting stance, ready to begin his training.


Deep within the woods of China is a small domed house on a hill connected to a more traditional Chinese home with a pointed and tiled roof. This home was the home of the Son family; the patriarch Son Goku, his sometimes-strict wife, Chi Chi, his studious son, Gohan, and his youngest son, Goten.

Chi Chi was in the kitchen, finishing up the meal her family was having that night, although a dinner for the Son family would be around the size of eight different thanksgiving meals. Chi Chi had the unfortunate luck for all her sons to gain their father's appetite. Chi Chi sighed and wiped the sweat off her forehead with her arm, "That should be good enough." Chi Chi took a step back and gazed at her hard work, "Five bowls of noodles, ten different plates of steak, four bowls of soup, and several servings of carrots and broccoli."

Chi Chi turned around and leaned her head out of the hallway, "Goku, Gohan, Goten! It's time for dinner!" Chi Chi had a slight smile on her face, but soon frowned when none of her family came.

"Goku!" Chi Chi shrilled as she stormed down the hallway, "I've called you and your sons, so you better get your butts into the kitchen!"

Chi Chi stopped shouting as she stepped in front of her sons' room. With a twitch in her eye she kicked the door open and stormed in. "I said dinner is ready!" she shouted once again.

Her sons, Gohan and Goten, had been distracted for the past few minutes. Gohan had headphones on as he had been doing some homework. The sight of her oldest son doing his work actually calmed her down. It was nice that her strict teaching got him to focus on schoolwork. Goten on the other hand wasn't working, but instead playing on a portable device. This made Chi Chi's eye twitch again. She let out another scream as she yanked out Gohan's headphones and tore the device away from Goten.

"Mom!" Goten whined, "I was still playing with that! If anything happens to it Trunks will yell at me!"

Chi Chi huffed, "Bulma can just buy Trunks another one."

"Is everything okay, mom?" Gohan turned in his seat to face his mother, unphased by his mother's forceful actions.

"As I was saying, dinner is ready," Chi Chi had calmed down as she finally had their full attention, "I want everyone at the table now."

"Oh boy!" Goten gleefully cheered as if he had just forgotten that he was upset just a second ago. He leapt from his bed and rushed out of the room. Gohan simply stood up from his desk and walked out of the room.

Chi Chi smiled to herself. That was two out of three dealt with. Unfortunately for Chi Chi, the last man of her family was the most difficult to deal with. Chi Chi's smile faded away as stormed out the boy's room and headed towards the end of the hallway.

Chi Chi could already hear her husband grunting. It was the downside of keeping her husband home; if Goku couldn't train outside, he would train inside and cause a racket. Still, it wasn't like Chi Chi hated all the results. Something Chi Chi kept in mind for a brief moment.

In that moment, Chi Chi chose to just crack the door open and look in at her husband. Goku had his back turned to the door as he was doing some of his inhumanly intense training like doing push-ups with just his thumb. Goku actually had his shirt off so Chi Chi could see his muscular body sweat a bit. Chi Chi giggled to herself. There were some benefits to marrying the strongest man in the world.

Chi Chi shook her head. She needed to focus. She burst into the room, "Goku, I've yelled for you several times by now."

Goku looked over his shoulder, "Oh. Hi, Chi Chi" Goku turned around and sat on the floor with a smile on his face, "Sorry I didn't hear you. I guess I was just too focused on my training."

Goku laughed while Chi Chi sighed. She could swear she had this exact exchange with her husband thousands of times before. "Well, you better get dressed. You shouldn't be shirtless at the dinner table."

"Dinner?!" Goku's eyes widened and his mouth drooled. He stood up as the smell of fresh meat hit his nose. He made his way to the door, but was stopped by Chi Chi pressing her hand against his chest.

"Shirt first. Dinner second," Chi Chi ordered her husband.

"Oh, ok," Goku pouted before making his way to the dresser.

Chi Chi turned around and stepped out of the room. Once she closed the door behind her, she let out a huge sigh and let her face turn red. She couldn't believe she did that so casually. She shook her head before making her way to the kitchen.

Once Chi Chi entered the kitchen, she sat down in between her two sons. Goten was playing with his fork a bit while Gohan tapped his foot. Chi Chi turned to her oldest son, "So, how has your work been going?"

Gohan smiled softly, "It's been going well. It's nothing I can't handle."

"Good. It's nice that you don't have any more distractions getting in the way of your work," Chi Chi said before making a slight glance at Goten. She looked back at Gohan and smiled "You do need to set a good example for your baby brother."

Goten dropped his fork on his plate, "Can't we eat now?"

"Not until your father gets here," Chi Chi said, "You can be patient for just a minute, Goten."

"I'm coming, don't worry!" shouted Goku as he ran down the hallway, dressed in his standard orange Gi. He slid a bit as he stopped at the doorway, his mouth dropped as he saw the beautiful sight before him; his family at the kitchen table with so much food that it looks like it could either fall off the edge or just break the table entirely. Goku leapt into the air and flipped over the entire table before safely landing at the head of the table.

"Wow, that was awesome, dad!" Goten cheered.

Goku simply smiled at his youngest son while Chi Chi folded her arms. "And dangerous too!" she said. "You shouldn't do such crazy martial arts maneuvers in the house, Goku! You could get hurt."

"Don't worry so much, Chi Chi," Goku kept up his smile, "I've been way worse stuff than falling out of a chair."

"Yeah," Gohan said. "We've all have. I mean, we've all either died or nearly died already, right?"

"Don't encourage him," Chi Chi snapped, "Next thing I'll know is Goten will be flying through the roof all the time and your father will shooting Kamahamehas through the walls."

Goku rubbed the back of his head, "Gee. Sorry to make you so upset, Chi Chi. I wasn't trying to do anything wrong."

"I know, I know," Chi Chi huffed. She hung her head down a bit while frowning, "Is it just too much to ask that we all just be a normal family for once? No fighting, no evil aliens or creatures, no ruining the house?"

"Chi Chi," Goku said, not smiling or anything the first time this whole night. Instead, Goku reached out and held his wife's hand. "Don't be sad. Hey, why don't we all go camping this weekend?"

Chi Chi looked up into her husband's eyes, tears almost coming out of her own, "Goku." She wiped away her tears and smiled, "That sounds wonderful." She then turned to both of her sons, "What do you two think?"

"Yeah," Gohan and Goten said in unison.

Goku smiled and let go of his wife's hand, "Then it's settled. We'll all camp as a family this weekend." Goku moved his gaze down at the feast before him, "But now, let's eat!"

"Yeah!"

The Son family, finally calmed down, began their feast. Chi Chi was the moderate eater of the family. She knew her husband's love of food was great (so great he originally though their marriage would just be a feast), but she couldn't keep up with him. Gohan was like his dad in some ways when it came to eating. He loved all the meats his father did, but even he couldn't keep up with how much Goku was scarf down his food. Only Goten could keep up with his old man, but that may just be because of how kids seem to eat a lot. Given some time, he could be left in the dust too.

Just as Goku was going to take a bite of his third piece of ham, a blue light caught his attention. He turned towards the window the see a ball of blue energy fly up from the trees. Goku dropped his ham on his dish and narrowed his eyebrows.

The rest of the family took notice after Goku. Goten stood up in his seat just to get a better look, "What was that?"

"It looked like Ki," Gohan said.

Chi Chi slammed her hands onto the table, gaining the attention of both her sons. Chi Chi cleared her throat a bit, "It was probably just aurora borealis! Why don't we just ignore it?" Sweat rolled down her forehead. She knew this lie wouldn't work, but maybe if she could just distract Goku a bit she could keep him home.

"No," Goku spoke up, shattering Chi Chi's hopes, "It was a Ki blast." Goku unnarrowed his brow and grinned wildly, "And from what I sense, it's from a pretty strong fighter too!" Goku rose from the table, "I just gotta check this out."

"No!" Chi Chi jumped up to her feet and slammed her hands onto the table, "What did we just talk about, Goku?!"

"That we're going camping this weekend," Goku said with a smile.

Chi Chi opened her mouth but soon shut it. There was no point in trying to stop Goku when he has his mind set on something. "Fine," she huffed.

"What?"

"You can go," Chi Chi said. "But this better not be dangerous!"

Goku hugged his wife tightly, "Thanks, Chi Chi!" Chi Chi blushed a bit as she hugged her husband back. Goku let go of his wife and rushed outside.

Goku stepped out onto his lawn, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Nimbus!" and on que, the small yellow cloud flew down before Goku. Goku smiled and hopped onto the cloud, his pure heart allowing him to stay seated on it.

Chi Chi stepped up next to her husband, "Please don't take too long."

Goku smiled at her, "Are you kidding? I don't think I could forgive myself if I missed out on any of that meal." Goku faced towards where he sensed the strong fighter was, the excitement was hard for him to contain. "Let's go, Nimbus!" Goku ordered the cloud, which launched off over the hills.

Chi Chi watched her husband fly off, his figure shrinking in size until she lost sight of him. She sighed a bit to herself. It was difficult to love Goku, but she couldn't help but have her heart melt when she saw his smile. Still, she couldn't stand her family running off to fight.

"Where do you think you two are going?" Chi Chi asked out loud.

Her sons were tip toeing behind her, but stopped dead in their tracks once their mother spoke up. Goten slowly turned towards his mother, "We just wanted to watch the fight."

"And I don't want all of the food I prepared to go to waste," Chi Chi turned around to face her sons, "Get back inside."

"But mom," Gohan complained.

"No buts. Get back inside."

Gohan and Goten hung their heads down before returning inside. Chi Chi huffed as she followed them before shutting the door.


Ryu was practicing his strikes on a tree. While a normal person or even some strong fighters would be hurt by punching and kicking thick trees repeatedly, Ryu's history of intense training and more intense fights had made this an average workout routine. In fact, Ryu was even capable of knocking down a tree with a signal strike much like the five trees Ryu had knocked down earlier.

After one swift uppercut cut through several inches of another tree, Ryu chose to take a break. He rested his head against the rough bark of the tree before heading towards his bag. Despite how light Ryu travels, he would make sure to bring a water bottle with him. Just as he took a big swig from the bottle Ryu felt something off. He looked up into the sky to see a strange yellow cloud dash across the sky. Despite not being an expert on weather patterns, he knew this was unnatural. His eyebrow raised once it came to a sudden stop. He instinctively put up his guard.

"Hey!" a voice came from the cloud.

Ryu lowered his guard just a bit, "You speak?" Even for someone that had fought animal men and androids, this was unusual.

"Of course I do," the voice responded.

Ryu tilted his head a bit, "I sense a strong amount of Chi from you. Are you a fighter?"

"Yep! And I sense a lot of ki in you."

"Ki?" Ryu repeated, "What do you mean? Who are you?"

Goku leapt off of Nimbus, which ended up flying off, and landed on the ground before the wandering fighter. Ryu's confusion was slightly lifted since he wasn't actually talking to a cloud.

"My name is Son Goku!" Goku said with a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Son Goku," Ryu repeated, "I've heard of you. You won the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, correct?"

"I sure did!"

Ryu hummed while eyeing Goku's Gi, "Strange. The kanji on your Gi isn't for the Kame school."

Goku tilted his head for a second before he gasped, "Oh right! Yeah, I've moved on from Master Roshi's school. I've trained under so many different teachers, but now I'm finally my own now. That's why it's a Go kanji now."

"Interesting," Ryu spoke to himself, nodding along to Goku's explanation, "It seems we're both on the path of self-improvement."

Goku chuckled and nodded, "Yep. I sure am." Goku stopped his chuckling. "Oh wait," Goku pointed to Ryu, "I didn't even ask your name."

"My name is Ryu."

"Well then, Ryu," Goku smirked, "Why don't we fight?"

Ryu smirked as well, "Sure thing. I've been wanting to test myself against your style."

The two fights backed away from each other, giving each other space to prepare themselves. Ryu tightened his headband and adjusted his gloves while Goku stretched his legs.

"I'm so excited," Goku laughed.

Ryu balled up his fists, tightened his muscles, and stood as still as a statue. "Ready?" he asked his opponent.

Goku leaned forward in his fighting stance, his feet and body found its rhythm of stay on his toes, "Yeah!"

Ryu glared at Goku. Ryu was sure that Goku would make the first move. His stance reminded him of his fights with Ken or Sakura; their constant need to move around and remain on their toes was a sign of high energy and aggression. Ryu raised his arms up ever so slightly to prepare a block or parry.

What Ryu didn't expect was how Goku would close the distance. Goku didn't just dash over to him, but flew at such a speed a merge blink could cause one to miss it. Goku threw the first punch but luckily Ryu reflexes allowed him to at least block the attack. However, it didn't truly matter. The force of Goku's first attack pushed Ryu back at least a foot backwards. Ryu was almost horrified by what Goku was capable of.

"That was a good block," Goku said with a smile, "but don't let your guard down just yet!"

Before Ryu could even process what Goku had said, Goku was instantly crouched under Ryu's arms. Goku's leg swept Ryu off his feet and, in another act of blinding speed, elbowed Ryu in the gut all before he could land. Ryu flew back and few feet and bounced across the ground.

"What speed," Ryu muttered to himself as he got up onto his knee, "Not even Chun Li's kicks are that fast."

Just as Ryu got back up to his feet, Goku charged at him once again and throwing a barrage of punches. This barrage forced Ryu to stay defensive, only blocking these attacks while being pushed back against one of the thousands of trees in the area. An opening was what Ryu needed, but the pressure he was under made it hard to concentrate. Just as Ryu blinked Goku had hopped up in the air, swinging his right leg towards Ryu's head. Ryu threw up his left arm to block this kick as a part of his instinct, but then gritted his teeth. This was a chance. Ryu grabbed Goku's ankle and swung him away.

This throw wasn't much of an issue for Goku. He placed his hand down on the ground and used this position and momentum to flip up to his feet. Goku saw Ryu run towards him and instantly parried Ryu's kick. Goku grabbed Ryu's ankle with both of his hands and suddenly spun around in the air. Ryu was helpless. He couldn't reach Goku with his fist and his other leg was caught up by the momentum of Goku's Dragon Throw. Goku let go and Ryu was sent flying into a tree. Ryu yelled in pain as his back arched around the shape of the tree. Ryu fell face first onto the ground.

Ryu groaned and balled his fists up. He could hear Goku walk towards him. Closer. Ryu lifted his body up with his arms. Closer. Ryu got onto one knee and let his right arm hang on his side. And closer. Goku and Ryu locked eyes. Ryu finally got a shot. He leapt up and threw his fist under Goku's chin, upper cutting him away.

"Shoryuken!" Ryu shouted as he performed the move. The two fighters landed; Ryu on his feet and Goku on his rear.

Goku rubbed his chin a bit, "Ouch! That was a good hit." Goku got back up to his feet, "Keep it up, Ryu."

Ryu nodded and ran at Goku. Goku threw his arms up to block, but Ryu didn't throw another kick. Seeing his chance, Ryu grabbed onto Goku's shoulder and waist. Ryu dropped onto his back, dragging Goku down with him. Just as Ryu landed, he placed his foot onto Goku's chest allowing him to fling Goku up. Goku yelped as he landed on his back right next to Ryu. Ryu rolled up to his feet and turned around to face his opponent.

Goku jumped up to his feet and faced Ryu. Goku parried the next three attacks, shoving Ryu's fists and feet out of the way, but Goku was surprised by Ryu's burst of speed. Ryu was able to keep up with him.

Just as Goku was threw away one of Ryu's other attacks, Ryu took a chance. He stomped down on Goku's foot. Goku's eyes widened and he let out another yelp and, while his guard was down, Ryu kicked Goku right in the gut with his Joudan Sokutogeri. Goku gasped and moved back, holding his stomach in pain.

Ryu hopped up and spin kicked Goku across the face. "Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku!" Ryu shouted as he continued to spin in the air, kicking Goku three more times across the jaw. Ryu smirked as he landed on the ground.

Goku rubbed his cheek and chuckled a bit, "Not bad. You've got some good strikes, but why don't you use your Ki?"

"You mean my Chi?" Ryu responded.

"Yeah! That!"

"Very well. As long as I finally get to see the legendary Kamehameha."

"Oh really?" Goku's eyes lit up, "Sounds fair to me!"

Ryu and Goku backed away from each other. Ryu understood he was having a hard time against Goku. He wasn't as fast or as strong as him and only his more specialized attacks could harm him even if it was only minor damage. Still, Ryu needed to see this fight to the end. As did Goku. Goku was actually impressed with how well Ryu managed to keep up despite not having the amount of power Goku does. Speaking of power, Goku couldn't help but notice that Ryu had a large amount of untapped energy within him. Goku wondered if Ryu was holding back too.

Ryu turned to the side, still looking at Goku, and moved his hands towards his hip. Goku tilted his head a bit by this movement. It looked similar to what he would do for his Kamehameha.

Ryu thrusted his hands forward, shooting out a ball of blue fire. "Hadoken!" Ryu shouted.

Goku's eyes widened as it already covered around two thirds of the distance between him and Ryu. Goku instinctively crossed his arms in front of his body to block the blast. Blocking the Hadoken wasn't successful though. The moment the blast hit Goku's arms, it sent him flying back and only stopped once Goku's back slammed into a tree. Goku let out a quiet groan.

Ryu rushed towards his downed opponent, glad to have seen one of his moves finally land a major blow. As Ryu rushed towards Goku, he balled his fist up once again. Goku lifted his head up to see Ryu running towards him. Goku planned on returning the favor.

As Ryu was only a few feet away, ready to do another Shoryuken, Goku thrusted his palms upward. "Kamehameha!" As if all the light in the world was sucked out, a pillar sized beam of blue light blasted out of Goku's palms. Ryu was able to dodge this beam by falling onto his back.

As Ryu laid on his back, he was forced to watch the legendary ki blast fly past the treetops and pierce the sky. Ryu took note of how similar to his Hadoken, but also its main difference. It was a sign of how Ryu was out of his league.

The beam soon faded away and Goku looked down at Ryu, "Well, what do you think of my Kamehameha?"

"Amazing," Ryu said, unable to move from his spot.

"Yeah. Your Hadoken is pretty strong too," Goku showed a friendly smile off before shifting towards a stern face, "But I know I can beat you now."

Ryu rolled back away from Goku and rose to his feet. "I'm still not backing down," Ryu said.

Goku smirked a bit, "I'll admit, I like your spirit, Ryu. I guess that means I should stop holding back."

Ryu was puzzled by Goku's statement, even more so when Goku dropped his fighting stance. Instead of a fighting stance, Goku flexed his arms and balled up his hands. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. The only sounds that could be heard were the soft winds passing through the grass and trees. Things became strange once the winds grew louder and stronger. As if to match the sound of the wind, Goku yelled at the top of his lungs. Ryu did his best to keep his feet planted on the ground, but a gust of wind pushed Ryu onto his back. A golden aura surrounded Goku as he continued to scream. His hair rose up, his eyes turned from a black to a light green. With one final shout, a flash of blinding light surrounded Goku. Ryu covered his eyes.

Ryu peaked over to see Goku. However, Goku was different from before. The same golden aura was constantly surrounding him, his eyes were green, and his hair was the same shade of gold as the aura.

"What in the world is this?" Ryu asked.

"This?" Goku smirked, "This is a Super Saiyan."

"A Super Saiyan?"

"Yep," Goku nodded. "Now, let's get serious."

All it took was for Ryu to blink to immediately lose sight of Goku. Ryu tried to scan the area around him, but Goku elbowed from behind. Ryu let out a gasp, but Goku wasn't finished. He swept Ryu's legs and punched Ryu in the gut with such force it sent Ryu flying into the air.

Ryu was unable to even think, only witness Goku's power.

A red aura soon surrounded Goku's golden aura, "Kaioken!"

"Kai…what?" was all Ryu could say before Goku flew up into the air and kneed Ryu's gut. Goku then slammed both of his fists into Ryu's back, sending him flying down to the ground.

Ryu faceplanted into the dirt. Goku landed gracefully behind him as his Kaioken aura disappeared. Ryu groaned his got up to his knees, his face had bruises scattered across it.

Ryu stood up on his wabbly feet and hobbled as quickly as he could towards Goku. Goku simply opened his hands and placed them on both sides of his face. "Solar Flare," Goku shouted as a flash of light covered the woods. Ryu's eyes couldn't handle the light and he shut them to avoid damaging them any further. It was a foolish move to close your eyes while in combat and Ryu paid the price for it. Goku swung his leg around, smashing it against Ryu's cheek. As Ryu spun around from the fallout of the attack, Goku followed up by flying towards Ryu and tackling him in the back. Goku didn't let up, carrying Ryu across the forest and crashing through several trees. Goku then tossed Ryu aside and landed on the ground.

Ryu spat out some blood and groaned. He slammed his fist into the ground and rose up to his feet.

"Still willing to fight?" Goku asked.

Ryu wiped the blood off his face with his arm, "I'll face this to the very end." Just then, Ryu put his hands to his hip, gathering some Chi before thrusting his palms out at Goku. "Hadoken!" Ryu shouted as he fired another ball of energy at Goku.

Goku was unphased by this attempt, instead swatting away the Hadoken like it was a bug.

Ryu just stood there. Dumbfounded by what he saw. The ultimate technique of Anasatsuken was treated like it was nothing.

Ryu yelled and rushed towards Goku. Ryu was finally able to swing a punch at Goku, but it didn't land. At least not where he wanted his punch to land. Goku actually blocked Ryu's fist with his bare palm. Ryu grit his teeth and threw a series of punches at Goku only for each punch to be blocked with Goku's palms. Ryu even swung his leg at Goku only for his leg to be caught. Goku thrusted his fist into Ryu's chest, sending him flying backward.

Ryu rolled across the ground before stopping himself with his feet. Nothing worked against Goku. Ryu wouldn't give up, but all of his basic moves proved useless. That's when Ryu realized something. He needed to move past the basics.

Ryu moved his hands towards his hip. Goku sighed, disappointed in Ryu's lack of variety. Still, Goku couldn't help but like Ryu's refusal to quit. Goku decided to retaliate and dashed towards Ryu.

Ryu thrusted his palms forward, shooting Hadoken that was different from before. This was a Shankunetsu Hadoken, a chi blast completely engulfed in flames. Goku, surprised by this change in technique, threw his arms up to block the attack. However, the blast managed to move past Goku's arms and lit his orange shirt on fire.

Only with the slightest form of irritation, Goku tore off his flaming shirt and returned to approach Ryu.

Ryu was already preparing another attack and thrusted his palms out again to fire an electrified Hadoken; a Denjin Hadoken.

Goku decided to take a risk and try to swat away the Denjin Hadoken. A poor decision since the moment Goku smacked the Denjin Hadoken electricity coursed through Goku's body. Goku let out a howl of agony.

Ryu took advantage of Goku's stunned state, charging another Hadoken while running towards Goku. Just as Goku was no longer in pain, Ryu fired five smaller Hadokens at Goku; these were a part of the Ren Hadoken.

Goku threw his arms up to block the oncoming attacks and luckily was unharmed by the smaller Hadokens. However, Ryu managed to close the gap between them and, just as the final Hadoken disappeared, Ryu uppercut Goku's chin. "Shoryuken!" Ryu shouted as Goku fell back away from him.

Ryu landed on his knees and took several deep breathes. His arms could barely hold him up and his chest felt like it was broken. Ryu froze once he heard a giggle coming from Goku.

"Those were some impressive moves," Goku said, standing tall.

Ryu's eyes widened. It was as if his Shoryuken did nothing. There wasn't even a mark on Goku's chin.

"But looks like this is the finale," Goku said as he balled up his fist. "I hope to fight you again someday, Ryu." And with those words, Goku charged at Ryu.

Ryu balled up his fist.

SMASH!

Goku had missed his punch. He gasped for air as Ryu's fist dug deep into his stomach. Ryu growled as a dark red aura surrounded him.

"Sho!" Ryu shouted into Goku's face. Ryu switched arms and used his other fist to punch the bottom of Goku's chin. "Ryu!" Ryu shouted again as the red aura wrapped around his fist. "Ken!" Ryu shouted one last time as he launched himself and Goku into the air. Goku's eyes were wide as he fell down to the ground. As he looked up at Ryu, he knew something was off.

Ryu landed on his feet. He didn't seem to be exhausted like he was before, but he was still breathing quite heavily. Ryu hung his head down, hiding his eyes from Goku.

"Ow!" Goku rubbed his chin. "That really hurt! You could've taken my head off!"

Ryu's growling stopped Goku's whining. The dark aura surrounding Ryu started to take affect on the fighter. His skin slowly turned into a dark red. His hair began to stand up and turned red as well. His white gi, somehow, was dyed black by the dark aura. Ryu lifted his head up to show his sharpened teeth and his glowing red eyes.

"What happened to you?" Goku said, concerned for Ryu's wellbeing.

"This," Ryu looked down at his fist, "is the Satsui no Hado!"

"The what?"

Ryu stomped on the ground and got into his fighting stance, this time it's a stance that's less composed but looks like an animal ready to tear its prey apart, "Now the real battle begins!"

"Ryu, wait," Goku spoke up, but was interrupted by Ryu punching Goku's cheek. Goku was actually sent back a few feet.

Goku didn't have time to recompose himself as Ryu delivered another spinning kick to Goku's head. The moment Goku landed on the ground, Ryu stomped onto his gut. Goku gasped for air.

Ryu knelt down beside Goku, grabbed a hold of his hair, and smashed his fist into Goku's face repeatedly. Again, again, and again. Ryu's fist had small bits of Goku's blood on it.

Ryu, as if he became bored of the relentless beating, dragged Goku off the ground by his hair. Ryu grinned at his battered opponent who could do nothing but dangle his limbs lifelessly. Ryu balled up his fist, allowing for the Dark Hado to surround it, and then gave an uppercut to Goku's chin. "Shoryuken!" Ryu growled.

Goku was sent flying and crashing into the ground. Goku couldn't understand how Ryu could change like this. 'What was the Satsui no Hado,' Goku thought to himself. It was clearly the dark energy that surrounded Ryu, but how could it change someone so much? The fact it was overpowering Super Saiyan was also horrifying to Goku. However, Goku wasn't out of options just yet.

Goku rolled out of the way of another stomp from Ryu. Ryu was keeping up with Goku's speed, only just missing Goku with his stomps. Goku needed to level the playing field. Goku placed his index and middle fingers onto his forehead. Ryu howled and swung his fist down at Goku.

But he vanished.

Goku had used instant transmission to disappear from Ryu's line of attack. Ryu growled and swung his head all over the place, "Where are you, coward?!"

Goku teleported several yards behind Ryu. This gave him some time to charge the Kamehameha. Ryu noticed the blue light shining from behind him. Ryu turned to face Goku.

"Kame!" Goku shouted as the energy ball grew. Ryu didn't move though. He instead stood still.

"Hame!" Goku continued as the ball of Ki grew even bigger. Ryu started to froth from his mouth.

"Ha!" Goku thrusted his palms forward, firing off a larger version of the legendary blue beam at Ryu. What Ryu did was quite odd to Goku. He lifted up his front leg while standing solely on his back leg. Somehow, this allowed Ryu to glide across the battlefield, fazing through the Super Kamehameha. Goku ended the blast as fast as he could and threw his arms up to protect himself. Ryu pounded his fist against Goku's arms, pushing him back. Ryu kept slamming his fists against Goku, who could only block the attacks.

All of a sudden, Ryu grabbed Goku's ears and yanked them down onto his knee. Again, again, and again Ryu kneed Goku in the face. Again, again, and again. Goku's lip was busted. His nose was bleeding. His frustration grew to the point of snapping. Goku shot a Ki blast into Ryu's stomach. Ryu was forced to let go of his grip and was sent back several feet.

Ryu grinned, showing off his sharp teeth, "So you do still have some fight left in you."

"I don't know what has happened to you," Goku frowned, "but I know I have to snap you out of this."

"Come now, Goku," Ryu flinched his fist, "This is was fighting truly is! Using all of your power to prove yourself superior to your enemies!"

"That's wrong and I think you know that too!" Goku furrowed his brows, "But if you want me to go all out then I'll gladly do it to snap you out of this!"

Goku bent his knees and flexed his arms. His golden aura exploded in size. Lightning sparked around the Saiyan warrior. Strands of his hair lifted up. Then his hair grew. And grew. And grew. His hair became long golden locks and his eyebrows disappeared. Goku no longer emitted positive joy, but instead cold anger. Goku stood tall at the face of Ryu.

Ryu scoffed, "What is this?"

"You wanted me to go all out," Goku spoke sternly, "and I am. This is a Super Saiyan 3."

"No need for the second step?" Ryu leaned forward, still frothing from the mouth.

"No. I plan on finishing this now."

"I'd like to see you try!" Ryu shouted before fading away. Goku wasn't surprised this time. In fact, Goku was able to block Ryu's elbow strike as he teleported above him. Ryu seemed intrigued by Goku's new attitude. Goku gut punched Ryu before sending him flying with a spinning kick.

Ryu bounced and rolled across the ground before stopping himself by digging his feet into the dirt. Goku immediately dashed at Ryu. Ryu thrusted his palm forward to fire a purple Hadoken, but Goku countered by firing a simple Ki blast back at it. Both shots disappeared upon contact.

Ryu threw out another Metsu Hadoken at Goku. He grinned when the attack appeared to hit him, but his grin quickly faded as did Goku's figure. It took Goku kicking Ryu from behind for Ryu to gather that he had hit Goku's afterimage.

Ryu once again stopped himself from rolling by digging his feet into the dirt, but Goku was quick to act. He kneed Ryu in the face. Ryu was sent flying into the air but was pulled back by his ankle and slammed into the ground. Goku pointed his hands down and fired twin Kamehameha blasts. Ryu wasn't able to move out of the way in time and the two beams drilled into him. Ryu howled as the final explosion tossed him away like a doll in a bomb blast. Ryu crashed through a tree before laying face down in the dirt.

Goku looked down at Ryu, "Give up now or else you'll end up getting hurt more."

Ryu growled as he tore out a chunk of the dirt. He chuckled as he rose up to his feet. "Quit?" Ryu continued to chuckle, "Why would I possibly quit when this is the very thing I've sought?! The perfect battle to the death! The chance to prove I am the strongest!"

"That's not what fighting is all about," Goku shouted. "Fighting is supposed to be to improve yourself. To protect people. Not to hurt others for your own self gain. From the way you spoke and acted earlier, you seemed to have understood that."

"Shut up!" Ryu shouted before gliding over to Goku. As Ryu reached his target, he threw a series of punches all of which Goku blocked all of them.

Ryu then leapt up and did a spin kick, "Stop blocking, Goku! I want to face you like a warrior!"

Goku grabbed Ryu by the leg once again, "I do too, but this is too far!" Goku then spun around and flung Ryu into another tree and breaking it in half.

Ryu growled and picked up a chunk of the tree and threw it at Goku. Goku wasn't fazed by this. He simply held out his hand and shot a normal Ki blast to vaporize it. He narrowed his brow and charged straight at Ryu.

Ryu was ready. He balled up his fist, glowing red cracks appearing across his arm, and struck Goku with a Shoryuken. Goku was sent into the air, but quickly vanished from sight. Ryu grit his teeth and moved his head franticly to find Goku.

"Up here," Goku shouted. Ryu turned around to see Goku floating in the sky. Ryu howled at his enemy and shot a Hadoken at Goku. Goku casually smacked the blast to the side. Goku then put his hands to the side, "Kame!"

Ryu howled and shot two more Hadokens at Goku, but Goku's immense aura seemed to stop them. Ryu's eyes widened, "Impossible."

"Hame!" Goku continued.

Ryu howled and smashed his hands together, "Messatsu!" Ryu then thrusted his hands up towards Goku and a spiraling beam of purple and black Chi bursts out in an explosive state, "Gohado!"

The size and power of the beam covered the forest and sky in a purple light. All the treetops that were caught the beams path were destroyed instantly and the ground beneath Ryu cracked and broke beneath his feet eventually making a crater right where he stood. Ryu's attack must have lasted for minutes of unrelenting pressure. If Ryu were to make a guess, his attack could have reached the moon within the time. But eventually, Ryu had to stop. He dropped his arms and the blast faded away. He looked down at his chest which had the same glowing red cracks as his arms, but it seemed as if his heart could actually burst out of his chest. He fell to his knee and grabbed onto his chest, panting and sweating.

"Damn bastard," Ryu hissed under his breath. "I knew I was stronger and I proved it."

Just then a blue light shined behind Ryu's shoulder. He spun around to see Goku, unharmed and still holding the energy ball in his hand. Ryu howled and throw a fist at Goku.

"HA!" With that shout, Goku fired another Kamehameha at Ryu face. Ryu's howls of rage turned into howls of pain as he was unable to block the blast. Soon, Ryu's feet were lifted off the ground and he was carried by the blast. It took him several dozen feet up into the air until Goku relented and let his attack end.

Goku sighed and exited his Super Saiyan 3 state. His eyes were full of sorrow as he watched Ryu fall back to the ground. A fighter with such a calm state of mind and potential gave into his anger so easily. The only hope he had was that Ryu still had some energy in him, a sign of him surviving the attack. Goku noticed that the glowing cracks in Ryu's body had disappeared. Goku turned around, "Nimbus!" Goku's trusty cloud dashed right in front of him and he placed a foot onto it.

Ryu coughed.

Goku turned around to see Ryu sitting up and grabbing his chest. "I gave into my desire for victory too quickly," Ryu said as he got to his knees.

"You turned into a monster," Goku said.

"I know. The Satsui no Hado took control of me. It gave me strength, but for the sake of only victory and death."

"Well, it's good to see you're under control now, Ryu," Goku smiled once again. "I hope our next fight will be better for the both of us." Goku turned around to sit down on Nimbus.

"Wait!" Ryu got up to his feet, still panting, "I can still fight, Goku."

"Ryu, you're too injured to keep this up. The Satsui thing you used had destroyed your body."

"No. I have something to fix this," Ryu looked at his hand, "I have a power that is to counter to the Satsui no Hado."

Goku shook his head, "It won't be any help if you can't stand up."

"Please, Goku! I won't let our battle end on this note. My fall to darkness shall not be what we leave off on! On my honor as a warrior, defeat me while I'm at my best!"

Goku narrowed his brow and nodded, stepping off Nimbus to face Ryu, "Fine. I will respect your wish. And I'll show you my best as well."

Ryu raised an eyebrow, "Another form?"

Goku smiled and nodded, "Yep! A super Saiyan form with the Chi of the gods." Goku flexed his body and a blue aura surrounded him. His hair stood up once more, but turned blue instead of gold.

Ryu stood in awe of what he was witnessing, "What is this?"

"This," Goku looked straight at Ryu, "is a Super Saiyan Blue. Or Super Saiyan god Super Saiyan, but that's just a mouthful, isn't it?"

"The power of gods?"

"Yep! My travels had led me to some pretty tough opponents."

"I see," Ryu finally stood tall on his feet, "I've traveled and faced many skilled opponents as well, Goku. But the one thing I've been told is not to simply grow in strength, but in mind and soul as well."

"Is that where is other power comes from?" Goku asked.

Ryu nodded, "Let me show you." Ryu closed his eyes and relaxed his body.

Goku tilted his head, not seeing much of a difference, but soon jolted his whole body straight up. Goku couldn't see anything, but he felt something in the air. It was moving past him and swirled around Ryu almost like a tornado. The trees and grass flowed in the wind, not violently, but pointing at Ryu. Soon, a blue aura grew around Ryu. It was soft and moved slowly unlike the frantic and rough aura of the Satsui no Hado.

Ryu opened his eyes to show they were glowing. "This," Ryu spoke up, "is the power of nothingness."

"Nothingness?"

"Now, Goku!" Ryu moved his hands to his hip to charge up another Hadoken, "Let me show you the power of mankind!"

Goku smiled, "Alright, Ryu" Goku dashed back and moved his hands to the side to charge a Kamehameha, "Don't hold anything back! Kame!"

"Shinku," Ryu whispered to himself as the blue aura moved to his hands.

"Hame!" Goku shouted as blue aura moved to his hands as well.

A moment passed as each man charged up their attacks, their eyes locked onto each other. The air was not filled with anger or hate, but with respect and strength.

Finally, both men thrusted their hands forward.

"HA!" Goku shouted.

"HADOKEN!" Ryu shouted.

Out of their hands came two large energy blasts, just as large as each other. The blasts dashed at each other and collided with each other. They were now in a beam struggle.

Goku laughed, "I got to admit, his Chi sure is strong."

"The power of the gods," Ryu narrowed his brow, "I can only just match it right now. If this goes on for much longer, I may wear down easily."

Goku's beam moved closer to Ryu.

"No," Ryu said, "If I am to lose, I will lose on my own two feet!"

Ryu shouted as more of his Chi powered his blast. It moved closer to Goku.

Goku smiled, "The power of mankind. It's always been full of potential. Still, it will take a lot more training to fully surpass Super Saiyan Blue." Goku tensed up his muscles, "No more holding back. Kaioken!"

Ryu's eyes widened, "What?!"

"Times four!" Goku shouted as the red aura burst into Goku's attack, making it bigger and pushing it towards Ryu.

Ryu grit his teeth, still willing to fight back as the blast came closer. But soon, Ryu sighed. He smiled to himself, "You've won, Goku."

The blast overtook the whole forest, destroying many more trees and tearing up the ground. All of this noise and destruction, and yet Ryu didn't hear it. He didn't see it. Within the blast, Ryu was at peace.


When Ryu opened his eyes, he saw the clear blue sky and the soft white clouds. The sun wasn't blinding his sight, but it was there to keep him warm. Ryu sat up and looked around. Goku was no longer there, but the proof of their battle was. The forest…was a mess. The ground was covered in brown dirt and rubble from the ground, hardly any grass was left and the trees were mostly gone. Yet, Ryu smiled.

Ryu took off his headband and looked down at it in his hand. Another strong rival has been added to Ryu's journey. So similar, yet very different.

"Sorry, Ken," Ryu thought to himself, "I'm not sure I'll ever be able to return this." Ryu stood up and put the headband back on, "I walk a path with no end, but I'm ok with that. It only means, I must always improve." Ryu held his stomach. It was strange. He didn't get the chance to eat yet, but he felt full. And upon notice, he wasn't hurt either. Perhaps it was another of Goku's abilities.

Ryu sighed to himself. He grabbed his bag and headed off, ready to continue his journey.


"What the hell's the matter with you?!" Chi Chi shouted into Goku's face.

Goku no longer had the face of a stern and confident fighter, but the face of a child that had been caught breaking a rule, "I mean it was just a fight, Chi Chi. We didn't kill each other."

"You just destroyed half of the forest, you idiot!"

"Well, I mean," Goku turned to Gohan, "The soil became more fertile for new plants, right?"

Gohan raised an eyebrow as a bead of sweat dropped down his forehead, "Actually, dad, the soil-"

"Don't encourage him," Chi Chi shot a glare at her older son. Gohan quickly took a step back. Chi Chi turned back to her husband, "Also, you just told me he tried to kill you!"

"It was just a misunderstanding," Goku put his hand on her shoulder, "He was just controlled by a dark energy inside him that made him lose control."

"That's not helping your case!"

Goten dashed into the room, "Did you win though, dad?"

Goku looked down at his youngest son and smiled, "Yeah, but he was pretty tough. And I think the next time we meet he'll be even stronger."

"Well, next time you two meet DON'T DESTROY THE FOREST!" Chi Chi became shrill. "I swear, you better win next World Tournament so you can use the money to fix this!"

Goku smiled, "Sure thing, Chi Chi. I hope I meet him there too."