Krillin moved first.
No one expected it, but he had not stopped training. In fact, he had sharpened up a lot.
He exploded forward.
In a blink he was in Gohan's face, fists hammering down like a rainstorm. Caught off guard, Gohan snapped his arms up to guard.
Thud thud thud.
They traded in close, every strike heavy enough to crack stone.
"Hah!"
Krillin barked and whipped a low roundhouse toward Gohan's ribs. Gohan blocked with a quick lift of his knee.
"Uncle Krillin, you are really strong."
In that instant Gohan understood why his father insisted Krillin join the team. Krillin was not the strongest, but his combat sense was razor sharp. In the opening flurry Gohan could only cover up, no room at all to counter.
"The best part is still coming."
Krillin's kick was checked, but that was never the point. He rode the rebound, vaulted high, and let his silhouette fuse with the blazing sun.
"Solar Flare times one hundred."
He shut his eyes, hands bracketing his face. With the sun amplifying it, his already infuriating technique detonated into a blinding white sea.
Gohan had no warning. Needles of light stabbed his eyes and tears streamed down his cheeks.
On the sidelines Warren Fox pulled a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and handed spares to Android 18 and Goku. The three of them watched Krillin through tinted lenses and nodded, impressed.
"That is Krillin for you. Not bad at all."
"Yeah," Goku agreed, eyes bright.
Krillin was long used to fighting blind. Gohan was not. Eyes squeezed shut, he had to rely on feel alone, extending his senses to track Krillin.
Krillin did not let him settle.
Boom.
A burst of ki detonated at Gohan's feet, snapping his focus. The next instant Krillin ghosted in behind him through the glare.
Crack.
A heavy cross slammed into Gohan's waist. Pain flared. He tried to spin and answer, but Krillin was already airborne, skipping over the counter and axe kicking the back of Gohan's neck.
Crack.
Another dull report. Then came a tidy, merciless combo, no wasted motion. Gohan staggered and sprang skyward, palms gathering a Kamehameha to reset the rhythm.
Krillin was there first.
His shin scythed across Gohan's back before the beam could fire.
Boom.
The wave went wide and plowed a trench through the beach, gravel and spray fountaining into the air. Gohan tumbled end over end and skidded out of bounds, only catching himself with Flight before he hit the sea.
Match over.
Breathing hard, Gohan hovered back to the shore. He did not doubt Krillin anymore, especially that supercharged Solar Flare. In a melee it was a cheat code.
"Uncle Krillin, you are really strong. Now I get why my dad and Warren came to you." He bowed an apology for doubting him and rejoined Goku.
Which was when Goku stepped forward.
"Whoa, Krillin, you are way stronger than you look. How about you and me have a go?"
"?"
"?"
Android 18 and Gohan stared. Goku against Krillin? One punch and Krillin might be paste.
Warren only smiled. This was exactly the sort of thing a battle maniac like Goku would say.
Krillin scratched his smooth head and glanced at 18, torn.
"Come on, come on. Just a friendly match between old training partners. Do not turn me down." Goku leaned in, pleading.
"Alright," Krillin sighed. There was no escaping that grin.
"Yes. I am coming then. Do not hold back."
Goku sprang onto the sand where the last bout had ended. Krillin's smile turned wry. As if he could afford to hold back. If he did not go full throttle, he would not survive a single exchange.
"Begin."
Warren raised a hand and called it.
"Hah."
Krillin opened with the Prince's favorite tactic. He carpeted the air with ki blasts, tossing them like he had an endless supply.
Boom boom boom.
Explosions chewed across Goku's outline. Like Gohan before him, even Goku needed a second to adjust to the sudden storm and had to turtle up.
"Multiform."
Krillin blurred and split into a crowd. They ringed Goku in an instant, palms lifting in eerie unison. Discs of light spun to life above every hand.
Destructo Discs snapped forward all at once, a dozen guillotines converging on Goku's corner of the sky.
Krillin was all in. He was not worried about hurting Goku. In fact he hoped to at least nick him. He knew their gap. He was not going to hand Goku a loss. But maybe he could make him work.
Goku's eyes shone. In the same breath he vaulted into Super Saiyan 2.
Boom.
Power roared. He slipped a hair's breadth through the lattice of spinning blades.
"That is Krillin for you. Still a monster at ring craft."
Goku exhaled, drew both hands to his hip, and his expression turned serious. Blue ki rose like a tide.
Hair and eyes flashed azure.
Super Saiyan Blue.
"So now what are you going to use to stop me, Krillin?"
Krillin could not feel Goku's pressure anymore, but the weight on his body doubled. He scratched his head and smiled ruefully.
"As expected of you, Goku. You are really something." His face hardened. "But I still want to try."
He cupped his hands at his right hip. Goku mirrored him across the sand.
"Kamehameha."
"Kamehameha. Here it comes."
Twin beams, one vast and one compact, lanced toward each other and met with a thunderclap that rattled the shore.
"This is bad," Android 18 hissed. She shot Goku a murderous look. Friendly match, huh. Tell it to the dog. Keep this up and he would blow Krillin away.
She pushed off the sand to intervene.
Then stopped.
Warren was already moving, faster than she was.
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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