The invisible man realized he was losing.
His opponent couldn't even see him, yet he was losing!
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The invisible man, hidden in the air, panicked as Goku's relentless punches pursued him with increasing precision.
Each punch followed another, growing fiercer and more accurate.
"Doesn't he ever hesitate?" the invisible man thought furiously as he dodged one punch and endured another. "How can he throw punches with such confidence?"
Suddenly, he noticed something strange — Goku's eyes lacked focus. Instead, they held a hollow excitement, and his mouth had unknowingly curled into a grin during the heated exchange.
"Heh!"
Through his fists, Goku sensed the invisible man's hesitation and pressed his attack with no mercy.
But his strike hit nothing but air.
"…?"
Goku tried punching and kicking the air a few more times, but he couldn't connect with anything tangible. It seemed the invisible man had reverted to his original strategy of avoiding combat altogether.
Sweating lightly, Goku sighed. "Why won't you fight me anymore?"
He had been having so much fun!
But there was no response from the ring.
"Where is he?" Tights whispered from the sidelines.
"…" Yamiru replied, "Crouched on the ground, holding his breath, carefully inching toward the edge of the ring."
"So shameless?!" Tights exclaimed, then turned to Fortuneteller Baba with a raised hand. "Baba! If your invisible fighter refuses to engage, can't you disqualify him for stalling?"
Fortuneteller Baba replied nonchalantly, "If your fighter can't find him, shouldn't I disqualify him for lack of skill and throw him out of the ring?"
Tights protested, "That's not fair!"
Baba shrugged. "Then wait. This match will come down to patience — or whichever side comes up with a solution first."
Tights stuck out her tongue at her in mock defiance.
Back in the ring, Goku had an idea. Moving at lightning speed, he began darting around the arena in seemingly random directions.
To ensure his movements were unpredictable, Goku cleared his mind of conscious thought, focusing only on one rule: stay inside the ring. Everything else was instinctual, like chasing prey on Mount Paozu. Ah, those were such happy times — running with Grandpa, with Yamiru, or after a delicious meal.
As Goku sprinted, his afterimages filled the ring, and the rapid footsteps sounded like a torrential downpour. To the spectators, it felt as if a machine gun was firing across the arena floor.
In Yamiru's eyes, the invisible man looked like a desperate bullfighter, twisting into bizarre poses to avoid Goku's charges.
"Hey, Goku! If you don't finish this soon, we'll never get to dinner!" Yamiru shouted from the sidelines.
Screech — Goku abruptly skidded to a stop.
"That won't do!" Goku said, frowning. He wagged his tail thoughtfully, then suddenly felt it brush against something hard on his back. Inspiration struck. "Oh, right! I still have my Power Pole!"
He pulled the Power Pole from his back.
"Ah," Goku said, lifting the pole and looking at Baba. "Can I use this?"
"There are martial artists who specialize in staff techniques… However," Baba said slyly, "if I say no, what will you do then?"
Goku scratched his head. "Then I'll call my Flying Nimbus and see if that works?"
Baba scolded him angrily, "That's the same thing!"
"Flying Nimbus?" Tights asked from below. "How would that help?"
Goku grinned mischievously.
Bulma suddenly spoke up, "I wonder if the Flying Nimbus could cover the entire arena. If it can spread out, then any gap in the Nimbus would reveal where the invisible man is."
"…" Tights clapped her hands in approval. "That's right! Only pure-hearted people can ride the Flying Nimbus. This is such a good idea — hard to believe Goku came up with it."
"Hmph… Kid," Fortuneteller Baba smiled slyly, "that staff of yours and the Flying Nimbus… it was Master Roshi who sent you here, wasn't it? Well, as for the Power Pole, fine. Use it if you want."
The invisible man broke into a cold sweat. "How can she just agree like that? Baba!"
Goku grinned, gripping the Power Pole. "Thanks! Power Pole — extend!"
Whoosh! The slender pole in his hand emitted a red glow, instantly extending to cover the entire diameter of the ring.
Holding the midsection of the pole, Goku began spinning it like the blades of a helicopter.
Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh!
The Power Pole swept across the entire arena. Within moments, the invisible man, unable to dodge any longer, was flung out of the ring. All the spectators could see was a white column of water erupting from the nearby lake with a loud splash as someone hit the water.
"Hehe…" Goku retracted the Power Pole and flashed a victory sign to the crowd.
"Don't get cocky, kid," Baba said as her crystal ball floated beside her. "The next two opponents will be even stronger. Let me give you some advice: it'd be a shame if someone as talented as you died here. If you're smart, you'll quit now."
"It's fine! If I can't do it, Yamiru will step in — he's even stronger than me!" Goku replied cheerfully.
"Then follow me. The next opponents are waiting in the next arena."
Baba floated away on her crystal ball.
"Nice work, Goku!" Tights ran over and ruffled Goku's hair enthusiastically. "Bulma, what are you staring at? Let's go!"
"…" Bulma stared at the calm surface of the lake. "Do you think the invisible guy got out of the water already?"
"Probably not. I didn't see it, after all, he's invisible," Tights muttered, exchanging a glance with Yamiru, who added:
"I didn't notice either."
With that, the group followed Baba.
The next arena looked like something straight out of a Saint Seiya episode, as if they were about to challenge the Twelve Temples.
They entered and began ascending a spiraling staircase.
Tights marveled at the structure. "What a strange place. What is this room supposed to be?"
Baba turned her head, grinning mischievously. "This is the Demon's Restroom!"
"…" Yamiru was speechless. This is so Toriyama. Seriously?
He didn't even remember the anime from his childhood having Baba's last few fighters show up in such bizarre settings.
Sure enough, they arrived at the "Demon's Restroom" and looked through its eerie windows. Inside, two enormous demon statues sat on giant stone toilets, their tongues extended to form a narrow pathway.
Goku had already entered through the "back of the demon's head" and walked out of its "mouth," stepping onto the long tongue.
Looking down, he saw the Demon's Restroom lived up to its name. Steam rose in clouds from below, mingling with eerie red and green lights. It definitely wasn't normal lava.
Before long, Baba called for the next fighter.
A towering, muscular mummy emerged.
"Hehehe. A little runt like this?" The mummy cracked his knuckles as he approached Goku, towering over him. "Baba, if I accidentally kill him, is that okay?"
"Be my guest," Baba replied nonchalantly. "Now, let the match begin!"
Goku instantly grew serious.
Instinct told him this towering man wasn't bluffing.
He's strong!
In the next moment, the hulking mummy displayed shocking speed. His fist left only an afterimage in Goku's vision before slamming into his soft belly with a resounding impact.
"Wahhh!" Goku spat out a mouthful of bile.
"He's so fast!" Yamiru clenched his fists tightly as he watched from the restroom window.
Master Roshi and Baba's warnings weren't just empty words. This mummy, reeking of decay, was the strongest opponent Goku and Yamiru had faced since leaving their mountain home!
Goku was completely outmatched, barely able to defend himself.
"Ahh!"
"Oof!"
The mummy grabbed Goku and pummeled him mercilessly, slamming him into the ground repeatedly like the Hulk smashing Loki.
---
Goku: 66
Mummy: 110