The battle dragged on, still without a winner.
Goku had thought that if he fought with everything he had,
he could defeat Jackie Chun—Master Roshi in disguise.
But no matter what he tried, he couldn't gain a true advantage.
He wasn't losing, yet a faint disappointment rose in his chest.
When he'd left Grandpa Gohan's home, he'd been far stronger than the original child Goku in the canon story.
And after nearly a year training under Roshi…
was he only equal to the canon Goku's level?
If that was all, then when King Piccolo appeared later,
would he even be able to turn the tide?
So how could he push further?
He'd already worked so hard. So hard.
Forget standing out among Earthlings—
he couldn't even beat Roshi, an old man.
What was he missing?
A sliver of uncertainty crept into his mind.
And the moment he wavered, Jackie Chun sensed it and surged in.
He caught a gap—
Smack smack smack smack!
A flowing combo hammered Goku back again and again.
Jackie Chun finished with a chopping sweep.
Goku hit the ground.
At once, thunderous applause erupted.
"Old man, that was awesome!"
"That's the power of a true veteran martial artist!"
"Jackie Chun's combo was incredible!"
Amid the cheers were Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Krillin shouting too:
"Goku, get up!"
"Come on, Goku!"
With Goku's toughness, that sequence shouldn't have knocked him out—it should only have put him at a disadvantage.
Jackie Chun frowned and walked over.
"That kind of attack shouldn't be able to take you down."
"Get up. You were this close to beating me.
Why did you space out?"
"Martial arts aren't just about strength.
They're about will and spirit too."
"Stand up!"
Hearing that, Goku snapped into motion and sprang to his feet.
He looked at Jackie Chun—Master Roshi.
Roshi had entered this tournament in disguise so his students would learn that there was always someone stronger; that they couldn't be satisfied after a little success; that the path of martial arts was never smooth.
For a teacher to go that far…
no wonder he was called a god of martial arts.
And Roshi was right.
Martial arts weren't only a clash of power—
they were a clash of will.
If your spirit broke, defeat was already decided.
Goku thought of Vegeta—the so-called "Prince of All Entrées."
Vegeta's strength wasn't weaker than Goku's.
Every time Goku broke through, Vegeta could grind hard and catch up quickly.
But what Vegeta lacked was spirit.
Against strong enemies, he'd blast away with brute force.
If he overwhelmed them, fine.
But if he fired his ultimate attack and still couldn't win, his will collapsed instantly, and he'd let himself be slaughtered.
Canon Goku was different.
Even when he knew an enemy was beyond him, his fighting spirit never dimmed.
He'd keep battling, keep circling, keep searching for a crack to reverse the game—
or push past his limits mid-fight and win anyway.
In that instant, a realization that would shape his whole life shot through him.
His mind became clear.
All of those thoughts had taken only a few seconds in real time.
Goku steadied himself and plunged back into the fight.
This time, Goku attacked first again—his fists roaring toward Jackie Chun like a storm.
"Ha—da-da-da-da!"
Jackie Chun smiled slightly, then stepped into a strange rhythm, retreating again and again, dodging the barrage.
As Goku's attacks were repeatedly evaded or deflected, their sharpness dulled. The power and momentum that had seemed unstoppable at the start began to fade.
Goku sensed it.
This was something deep.
Yes—ki control.
At the beginning, his attacks were fierce enough that Jackie Chun refused to meet them head-on.
But as the assault continued and was neutralized again and again, the follow-up blows weakened.
Maybe that was the weakness of Vegeta's "prince-style" burst tactics—great at first, but fading quickly.
At the same time, Goku felt something else in Jackie Chun's dodges.
There were no wasted movements.
Every shift was minimal, perfectly measured—like he was letting his body drift just enough to avoid the strike.
It was only a hint, a shadow of a shape…
but it resembled the way Ultra Instinct moved.
Goku suddenly remembered: Roshi had once climbed Korin Tower.
At his peak, he was far stronger than Goku was now.
And he'd lived more than three hundred years—
tempered by time in life and in martial arts.
Goku had trained hard for over ten years, but compared to Roshi's accumulation…
even if their raw power was similar, from other angles Goku was still just a fierce beast, a reckless brawler.
A flash lit his inner path like lightning.
He was thrilled—he wanted to shout, I get it now!
So this was the true heart of martial arts.
This was the foundation that let canon Goku keep growing without end.
Right then—
Jackie Chun's foot slammed into Goku's face.
Smack!
Goku's vision spun and he dropped straight to the floor.
Jackie Chun withdrew his leg and snapped at the referee:
"Ref! Start counting already!"
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