Trunks blinked—then immediately scrambled forward, about to snatch the fragment before Naraka could change his mind.
But the Titan had different plans.
Just as Trunks reached out, Naraka yanked his claw back—holding the fragment just out of reach with a smug smirk. The audacity. The sheer tease. Trunks pouted like an offended puppy while Goten and Melody facepalmed in unison behind him.
Still holding the fragment high, Naraka brought his free hand back, and with quick, deadly force, thrust it straight toward Trunks' gut. Trunks barely had time to react.
Goten lunged forward instinctively, but it was too late—Naraka's strike landed with brutal force, sending Trunks crashing hard into the stone wall behind them.
Naraka: *He held up one massive, sausage-like finger, silently signaling them to wait.* If one of you weaklings can defeat me in combat... I'll gladly give you this fragment.
Goten, Melody, and Trunks all exchanged glances. This was a direct challenge. The Titan wanted one of them to beat him—and only then would he hand over the zircon fragment willingly. No tricks.
Trunks groaned from where he was slumped against the wall, thoroughly bruised but still conscious. The choice fell squarely on Goten and Melody now.
Goten flexed his muscles. Everything that had been broken was whole once more, all thanks to the Senzu bean. Every cut, scrape, and internal injury had completely vanished.
Goten: I feel amazing. I could take on an entire dimension right about now! *Goten said as he jumped up, bouncing light on the balls of his feet.*
Melody gave Goten an encouraging nod—she believed in him. If anyone could pull this off, it was her boyfriend.
Naraka watched, unimpressed, but... mildly intrigued. The kid had healed unnaturally fast. Maybe he wouldn't be completely effortless to crush after all.
Naraka: Fine, *The titan grunted—before suddenly charging at Goten like an unstoppable freight train.*
Goten dodged effortlessly, stepping around the massive charge and countering with a strike that hit its mark perfectly. Naraka barely had time to react—Goten's counter was fast, precise, and landed clean on the Titan's shoulder.
The impact sent a violent shockwave through Naraka. It wasn't painful enough to stagger him... but it was surprising. This monkey kid actually knew how to fight.
For the very first time, Naraka dropped his arrogant stance and truly focused on his opponent.