The air trembled.
The arena shook beneath their feet as Goku and Mori clashed again, their movements too quick for most eyes to follow. The sound of their limbs striking was like the crack of whips, sharp and unrelenting.
"Th-they're already going again!" the announcer shouted, holding his hat to keep it from flying away. "These two boys are only ten and twelve, folks! But this fight… this is something else entirely!"
Goku shot forward like a bullet, his feet barely touching the ground. Mori met him head-on, their fists slamming into each other at full force. The echo of the impact cracked through the air like thunder, sending a gust of wind across the arena that made the crowd gasp and shield their eyes.
"DID YOU SEE THAT?!" Bulma shouted from the stands, bouncing on the edge of her seat. "THAT WAS AWESOME!"
Their limbs blurred into a whirlwind of strikes—knees, elbows, punches, and kicks. Mori ducked low and swept Goku's legs, but Goku flipped midair and retaliated with a spinning heel kick. Mori blocked it, skidding back slightly on his heels before launching off the ground again.
"No wasted motion," Jackie Chun muttered from his spot near the ring. "They're not just talented… They're tuned to each other."
Mori spun in close, ducked a jab, and jabbed his own palm against Goku's stomach, sending the boy back several feet. But Goku landed and rebounded like a spring, flipping forward and smashing his heel downward toward Mori's shoulder. Mori raised both arms and blocked it with a grunt, the impact forming a shallow crater beneath his feet.
Then, as if by mutual agreement, they exploded apart again—only to dash right back in.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I can barely keep up! We're seeing some of the fastest combat in tournament history!" the announcer called, practically breathless. "And they're just *kids!*"
Goku vanished in a blur, reappearing above Mori. He slammed a fist down toward Mori's head. Mori raised his arm, stopping the punch with one hand, the tiles beneath him cracking from the force. But Goku twisted his body midair, using the blocked strike as leverage, and aimed a kick at Mori's ribs.
Mori leaned away, narrowly avoiding it, and jabbed at Goku's chest. Goku bent backward unnaturally midair, feet not even touching the ground, and swung his tail at Mori's leg.
Mori hopped up—just high enough to avoid it—but Goku followed up instantly, launching himself like a missile, shoulder-first. Mori crossed his arms in front of him as the blow connected, and the two went skidding across the arena in a tangled blur of motion.
They separated once again—only to immediately clash in the center with another blast of force.
Jackie Chun narrowed his eyes as dust burst outward from the contact. "Their instincts are growing with every exchange… and Mori—he's adapting too fast for it to be training alone."
From the dust cloud, a spinning leg came shooting out—Goku. Mori ducked it and retaliated with a flurry of palm strikes, each one met by Goku's forearms or knees. The air between them shimmered with the speed of their movements.
The crowd was silent now. Completely entranced.
Goku ducked and then thrust upward with a double-palm strike aimed for Mori's chest. Mori twirled mid-air, redirecting the force, flipping around, and launching a spinning kick that Goku narrowly blocked. But the power behind it sent Goku tumbling across the arena—he hit the ground, rolled three times, and popped back to his feet like it was nothing.
"OH, MY KAMI!" the announcer exclaimed. "How are they still standing after that?! This fight is unlike anything we've seen before at the World Martial Arts Tournament!"
Bulma threw her hands up. "THAT'S MY LITTLE BROTHER!! You're doing amazing, Mori!!"
Mori's eyes flicked toward her voice, but only for a split second. Goku was already there.
The Saiyan child appeared in front of him, launching a barrage of rapid-fire punches—each one blocked by Mori, who now leaned into the storm, matching strike for strike. Mori parried high, then low, spun around and ducked under a roundhouse, and countered with a palm strike to Goku's chest.
The blow sent Goku flying back—but he twisted midair, landed on all fours like a cat, and snarled in a strange mix of excitement and competitiveness.
He lunged again, this time flipping into the air, his tail swinging to feint. Mori bought it for a moment—only for Goku to slam into him with a shoulder charge. Mori skidded across the ring, but didn't fall.
He smiled.
Goku grinned back.
They charged again.
This time, there was no sound. Only the ripples in the air, the sharp hissing of displaced wind, and the flash of their movements. Their fists clashed so hard, sparks danced around them. A sonic boom cracked the silence as Mori spun under Goku's punch and jabbed forward—Goku caught his wrist, yanked him forward, and kneed toward Mori's chin.
But Mori caught the knee—barely.
The crowd couldn't even process what they were watching anymore.
"They've entered a rhythm beyond normal fighting…" Jackie Chun said under his breath, his face grim. "It's instinctual now… Like two opposing stars orbiting a shared fate."
Suddenly, Mori's foot slipped—only slightly, but enough.
Goku capitalized, slamming his palm into Mori's shoulder and sending him off balance. Goku followed through with a low kick, sweeping Mori into the air, and leapt up after him.
Midair combat.
Goku rotated, trying to smash Mori down with an axe kick. Mori twisted and blocked with both forearms, the force driving him toward the arena floor—but Mori didn't fall. He bent backward, flipped again, and used the momentum to launch a midair strike that caught Goku clean in the side.
Goku gasped, tumbling—but caught himself and flared his energy to slow his descent.
Both landed hard, cracking the tiles, panting now.
But still smiling.
Still ready.
Still wanting more.
The crowd finally erupted again, a wave of shocked applause and cheering overtaking the silence.
"Folks, I've never seen anything like this!" the announcer shouted. "Ten years old! Twelve! And they're fighting like legends!"
Bulma was on her feet. "DON'T LET HIM BEAT YOU, MORI! YOU'VE GOT THIS!"
Jackie Chun's brows were furrowed tightly now. He could feel it. Something stirring. Something old. The auras hadn't faded—they had only grown wilder.
"Something ancient's moving inside that boy," he whispered, eyes focused on Mori. "And the other… he's waking it up."
The crowd, the mountains, the tournament grounds—all seemed to tremble beneath the weight of two lives colliding.
Mori wiped a bit of dust from his cheek. Goku rolled his shoulder, tail flicking behind him. Neither said a word.
They didn't need to.
They just ran at each other again—no thoughts. No hesitation.
Only instinct.
Only battle.
Only fate.