Is Goku really Goku?
Of course he is.
But… he was very different from the "Goku" Chi-Chi had fallen for.
"What are you talking about? Of course I'm Goku!" Goku said, scratching his head in confusion.
"No… not like this." Chi-Chi looked at the man in front of her. His physique had grown tall and imposing, yet his appearance hadn't changed much from four years ago. Still, why did he feel so unfamiliar now?
Oh… right. He seemed to have turned back into that idol she used to see on the television screen.
Chi-Chi forced a smile and said softly, "We've met before, Goku. Don't you remember?"
Goku studied the girl in front of him carefully and asked, puzzled, "I don't think so?"
He dropped his fighting stance and rubbed his chin in thought.
Chi-Chi's heart skipped a beat.
"Four years ago, I was kidnapped by the Red Ribbon Army. It was you who showed up and rescued me. You… you don't remember that?"
"That happened?" Goku was even more confused. Then something clicked. Four years ago? Wasn't he circling the Earth with Krillin and the others back then? He tilted his head back and shouted, "Hey, Jarvis! Do you know what she's talking about?"
Chi-Chi was startled.
A refined, middle-aged man's voice echoed from the space above them: "The one who rescued this young lady back then was Kakarot."
"Oh, so he did it!" Goku said with sudden understanding.
"The Dragon Ball he brought back that day was the one this young lady was holding," Jarvis added.
"Ah, that incident!" Goku suddenly remembered everything.
Back then, he and Krillin had entered the Virtual Earth Network to train in Muken. Kakarot had taken over his body, wandered off somewhere, and mysteriously brought back a Dragon Ball.
Kakarot? Chi-Chi repeated the name in her heart.
"Thanks for the Dragon Ball four years ago!" Goku turned back to Chi-Chi and gave her a bright smile. "But the person you met back then wasn't me! It was another guy living in my body!"
He tapped his temple with a grin.
"Wha… what?" Chi-Chi was stunned.
"How should I explain this…? Man, this is a headache…" Goku folded his arms, visibly troubled. Then he simply called out in his mind: Hey, you know what's going on now, right? You know this girl? Whatever, you take over and 'guide' her this time!
Kakarot was indeed paying attention, but replied dismissively: I don't know her. Who cares about some Earth woman…
Don't be like that…
Shut up already. I'm trying to sleep. Don't bother me!
Chi-Chi watched as Goku's expression suddenly shifted, flickering through a range of emotions—as if he were lost in his own little world. What a strange man… Then, all at once, his whole presence changed dramatically!
When he opened his eyes again, Chi-Chi felt her heart tremble.
Kakarot narrowed his eyes, his expression dark and unfriendly. He raised a hand. "Enough wasting time. Come at me already!"
He's back!
This is the "Goku" I remember!
Chi-Chi cried out in joy, "You remember me now?"
"You're not coming? Fine, I will!" Kakarot snapped. He did remember this woman, but couldn't be bothered to chat. Seeing her dithering and dragging things out, he moved in a blur, charging forward and slamming his palm toward the top of Chi-Chi's head.
In the Virtual Earth Network, it was impossible to kill an opponent. Even fatal blows would be restored by Jarvis. So Kakarot always fought without restraint here—every move aimed to kill.
Chi-Chi was shocked. "Goku's" attack was brutally fierce!
Double Muken!
She instinctively activated it, her whole body vanishing like a ghost to evade Kakarot's strike.
"Oh? So even a woman knows Muken?" Kakarot raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. He had assumed she was a pushover, but clearly she had some skill.
Right now, due to Goku's request, Jarvis had adjusted his data body to be equal in power to any challenger. So in terms of base strength, he wasn't stronger than Chi-Chi. After she used Double Muken, she naturally gained the upper hand.
But Kakarot quickly sneered. "Still nowhere near enough!"
With a blur, he threw another, even fiercer punch!
---
Up above the data stream, Taro glanced down, observing the battle within Goku's training space.
He watched for a while. When Kakarot used High Multiplication Muken and seemed ready to finish Chi-Chi in one strike, he suddenly said, "Jarvis, cut his base power to one-third."
"Understood, Master Taro."
A stream of data shot instantly into the space where Kakarot had already launched his attack.
---
Is he really so heartless? He won't even say a single word to me?
Chi-Chi looked at the oncoming punch, her heart filled with despair. It was a brutal, unrelenting strike. In the instant it was thrown, its power surged severalfold. She knew—this "Son Goku" had used the Muken. But how many times the multiplier was, she had no way of telling.
Just as she was about to give up resisting... huh?
She suddenly felt something odd.
Kakarot felt it even more acutely!
Midway through his punch, a jolt of alarm struck him: What the hell? Why is so much of my power suddenly gone?!
Smack!
Chi-Chi raised her hand in a desperate attempt—and to her surprise, she actually managed to block the punch! When it first came at her, it was terrifying in strength, overwhelming in intent—but halfway through, its force seemed to deflate like a popped balloon. It still looked ferocious, but much of its substance was gone.
He... he really does remember me after all, doesn't he?
A wave of warmth blossomed in Chi-Chi's heart. Joy and hope welled up from within. This "Son Goku" really hasn't changed. Just like that day... Back then, he'd insisted he didn't want to save her, but in the end, when it truly mattered, he had.
...What the hell is this girl imagining??
Kakarot stared at the dazed, blushing Chi-Chi in front of him, completely stunned. Sure, he was ruthless and cruel by nature, but he wasn't an idiot. His intelligence was perfectly normal. He just couldn't stand dealing with Earthlings and had no interest in human drama.
He really wanted to tell this woman, Don't overthink it. I didn't hold back—I was trying to kill you!
Damn it... this was Jarvis' doing, wasn't it?
Kakarot instantly thought of that, because it was Jarvis who had intervened at the last second and forced him to save Chi-Chi's life before. Now, with his strength suddenly cut down so drastically, who else could be behind it?
This was the virtual Earth network. If someone could instantly nerf his power like that, it had to be Jarvis.
But leaving Kakarot's thoughts aside, Chi-Chi, now believing she understood Kakarot's "true feelings," felt as though a burden had been lifted from her heart. She smiled and said:
"My combat power is 81 now. I recently awakened my ki during the East City tournament, and now I can use the Muken in the real world... I'm not that good at it yet, only reached the second stage, third level..."
"Spare me the chatter. Who cares what you've achieved?"
Kakarot cut her off with a cold sneer. "Think that means I can't deal with you? Hmph! Perfect timing. I've been stuck at fivefold Muken for a while—it's about time I broke through in battle!"
With that, he stopped holding back and attacked with full force.
However, Jarvis had indeed reduced his base strength by threefold. Even using fivefold Muken now, he actually ended up weaker than Chi-Chi's double Muken. Still, while their power differed, intent to kill and methods were another matter entirely!
Kakarot sneered inwardly, utterly dismissive of Jarvis' petty tricks.
Think this is enough to stop me from killing this woman?
Fools!
And sure enough, under Kakarot's brutal and relentless assault, Chi-Chi struggled desperately to hold on. She was a tough and determined girl, but still just an ordinary one. Compared to Kakarot, she was clearly inexperienced.
Kakarot's techniques were savage and merciless. Every move, every strike, dripped with bloodlust and death—it was brutal!
My god... what has he been through to develop skills like these? Chi-Chi cried out in her heart. She had read the writings of the Muten Roshi and knew that a martial artist's state of mind deeply influenced their ki and techniques. From Kakarot's every move, she could feel the coldness and loneliness within him.
Suddenly, her heart ached—ached unbearably.
Because she finally understood something:
In this world, Son Goku was completely alone.
There was not a single soul who truly loved him.