Yamiru didn't stay to watch Goku's match with Chiaotzu. He went straight back to the waiting room and asked the Martial Arts Temple monk in charge for a hot towel.
He sat on a bench, rubbed his face with the hot towel, then placed it over his head and rested.
Meanwhile, at the tournament venue—
"Isn't Yamiru going to watch Son Goku's match?" Dr. Omori asked curiously.
"He's very tired," Tights said softly. "When he fought Tao Pai Pai, he was already exhausted, he didn't even have the energy to shower properly."
Tien Shinhan, sitting beside Master Roshi, maintained a deadpan expression, silently watching the match that had just begun on the ring.
With the blond referee's command, the match began!
Son Goku immediately adopted the Turtle School starting stance. With the change in posture, his entire spirit and energy were instantly immersed in the atmosphere of battle.
"Gulp." Chiaotzu swallowed and couldn't help but take a step back. "Such a terrifying aura, even more terrifying than Tien. It's like being stared at by a ferocious beast."
Master Roshi pondered, "What amazing recovery! Goku, after the fierce battle with Jaco, has actually recovered considerably in such a short time. I think Yamiru must have noticed this, which is why he didn't stay to watch the match and went straight to rest. He wants to be in better condition for the final with Goku. He wants to win!"
"Goku hasn't even entered the finals yet." Dr. Omori thought with a sweatdrop. The small figure with the pale face on the stage hadn't lost yet.
Jaco said with his arms crossed, "That's what Saiyans are like. It's as if every cell in their body is prepared for battle."
Everyone agreed. The title of "warrior race" wasn't given for nothing.
'Chiaotzu! His absolute strength far surpasses yours!" Tien Shinhan shouted loudly using telepathy with Chiaotzu. 'Don't give him even a single chance to attack! Use your superpowers directly! That's your only chance to win! Hurry! It'll be too late if you wait!'
Son Goku's foot moved.
Chiaotzu was startled. With Tien Shinhan's words, he immediately stretched out his hands towards Son Goku and activated his superpower: "Yah!!"
A blur flashed before his eyes. Son Goku, who had somehow suddenly appeared very close to Chiaotzu, hunched over, clutching his stomach. "Ugh… it hurts!!" Goku hadn't seen Chiaotzu's match with the werewolf in the waiting room because he was dozing off, so he didn't know Chiaotzu had such a superpower.
"How despicable…" Goku's face twisted in pain. A sudden, even more intense pain struck, causing the hair on Goku's entire body to stand on end. "Eeeegh!!!"
"This is bad. With superpowers, it seems like the difference in strength can be ignored…" Dr. Omori muttered.
"That's not true!" Jaco said. "When the difference in strength reaches a certain level, superpowers are completely ineffective. In more dangerous situations, they can even be reflected back and affect the user himself."
Bulma said, "But Son Goku clearly hasn't reached that level yet. He can't resist his opponent's superpower…"
Master Roshi also said, "Honestly, I haven't heard of anyone being able to break free from superpowers and various strange magic through pure strength. If what Jaco said is true, then the 'huge' difference in strength he's talking about has reached a terrifying level that I've never seen in my life."
"There are all kinds of monsters like that in the universe… and most of them are concentrated under the command of a certain frost demon clan…" Jaco said calmly.
"What should Goku do? Is he going to lose?" Tights worried. Yamiru probably wanted to meet Goku in the finals.
Tien Shinhan suddenly interjected, "Once someone is hit by Chiaotzu's superpower, even Tao Pai Pai and Master Shen can't resist its effects."
A light flashed across Master Roshi's sunglasses. He muttered to himself, "Your companion's superpower only causes abdominal pain, right?"
"Huh?" Tien Shinhan was puzzled, then understood something. Immediately, the surrounding audience let out waves of exclamations. Tien Shinhan abruptly looked at the ring and saw Son Goku, who was pointing at Chiaotzu with both hands and suffering from severe abdominal pain, actually enduring the unimaginable pain and staggering to his feet.
"Hehe…" Goku was clearly in so much pain that even his hair was standing on end, and the fur on his tail was sticking out as if hair gel had been applied. Veins bulged on his forehead, and the area around his eyes was a sickly red from enduring the pain. He trembled as he took a step towards Chiaotzu, his whole body shaking with pain as his foot landed.
"H-how is this possible…" Chiaotzu was frightened by Goku's ferocious appearance and couldn't help but step back.
'Chiaotzu! Don't be afraid! He's just forcibly enduring the pain!' Tien Shinhan shouted using telepathy.
But, but…
Chiaotzu was too young, his will not strong. He had mustered all his courage just to not lower the hands maintaining his superpower.
Goku moved forward through the immense pain. He recalled the strange, manic feeling that surged through his body when he transformed into a Great Ape before, combining it with the pain spreading from his abdomen to his whole body. His hair flew wildly, his eyes became wild, and his mouth became truly beast-like as he bared his teeth at Chiaotzu and roared loudly!
Goku's wild appearance truly terrified Chiaotzu. His hands recoiled as if electrocuted, instantly canceling the superpower. Chiaotzu's superpower required him to maintain a specific posture.
"Huh? The pain's gone?"
Goku recovered from the Mad Fist and immediately saw Chiaotzu across from him frantically trying to raise his hands again to aim at him! Unfortunately, even though Chiaotzu aimed his hands at Goku to activate his superpower, there was not the slightest change in Goku's expression.
"Agh, why isn't it working…" Chiaotzu was sweating profusely, pressing his hands repeatedly, but there was no effect.
"Son Goku" slowly dissipated…
"It's the Afterimage Technique!" Master Roshi exclaimed. "Where did that kid learn that?"
Fourteenth murmured, "Yamiru seemed to have used it in his match against King Chappa in the preliminaries; could Goku have seen it at that time and learned it?"
Tien Shinhan knew things were bad! Sure enough, when the afterimage in front of Chiaotzu disappeared, Goku's smiling figure appeared behind the panicked Chiaotzu. He raised both palms and aimed them at Chiaotzu's neck, poof, poof, delivering two hand chops to the left and right — Chiaotzu immediately rolled his eyes back, his little hat fell off, and a single black hair danced on his bald head as he collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.
"Hehe… I won!" Goku made a peace sign to the audience.
The referee passionately announced:
Master Roshi sweated a drop and said, "Goku's skills are even more agile than before. How terrifying, is he still improving in the middle of a fight?"
Jaco also sweated. "That's why they're a terrifying race."
Everyone nodded. At this moment, the referee asked Goku if he wanted to rest before starting the final. Goku swung his arms and said with a smile, "No need, no need! I feel like I'm in top form! Let's start right away. I can't wait to fight Yamiru! Hehe."
In the waiting room, a Martial Arts Temple monk hurried to find Yamiru, who was participating in the final. The person sitting on the bench tore off the hot towel and left the waiting room without looking back, heading towards the ring outside.
The finals of the 19th World Martial Arts Tournament began!
---
Sato Yamiru (Tired): 69
Son Goku: 78