Tien stood still, his eyes watching the dusty air. The battlefield was quiet but filled with tension. Little pieces of dirt floated in the wind. His feet were planted firmly, and his body was ready to move. His third eye blinked once, staying alert.
'He's fast. But I can't let him surprise me again.'
He didn't move. He waited.
Then—
Swish.
A quick movement passed through the dust.
Tien's eyes focused. A blur came through the haze—Goku, running forward like a fast bullet.
There was no time.
Goku's punch came down hard. Tien raised one arm, but the force was too strong.
Crack!
The punch hit his block and shook his bones. Pain shot through his left hand. He stumbled back, struggling to breathe.
'That felt like getting hit by a big hammer…'
His wrist hurt badly. His palm was numb. But he kept going.
"Dodon Ray!"
He snapped his fingers, and a sharp beam of light shot from his other hand. It cut through the smoke like lightning.
Goku's eyes got wide for a moment—then he smiled.
His energy flared as he hit the beam away. It flew far and blew up a big rock with a loud boom.
Tien's eyes twitched.
'He stopped it. Like it was nothing. That was one of my fastest moves…'
Goku looked at his hand, where a faint red mark burned.
"Tch. You blocked it," Tien said, lowering his hand.
Goku tilted his head, looking amused.
But Tien wasn't done.
He stepped forward quickly and threw a fast kick toward Goku's side.
Whoosh!
But Goku twisted just in time, dodging the attack easily.
'He's too fast… I need to use my big move.'
He slowly put his hands together, fingers making a triangle. His shoulders tightened. His muscles grew bigger. Blue veins showed on his skin. The air around him started to shake.
Goku's face changed. He stood wide and ready.
"That pose… you're going to use the Tri-Beam?"
Tien nodded.
"Yes. You're strong, Goku. I need to use my best move."
"That move's dangerous," Goku said seriously. "Are you sure you want to use it again?"
"This isn't the same as before," Tien said. "I'm working on something new. It's not perfect yet. But it's strong."
"Neo Tri-Beam."
The words left his mouth like a warning.
Goku could feel the difference. This wasn't finished—but it had power. Power strong enough to burn through a mountain.
The ground cracked under Tien as he pulled in more energy. His face showed pain, but he didn't stop.
'It's not ready yet… but it's all I have.'
"GOKU!"
"Neo Tri-Beam… HAAA!"
A huge rectangular beam shot from Tien's fingers. It lit the sky with yellow light and roared like a dragon. Everything it touched cracked and boiled.
Goku raised his arms as the beam hit him. His feet slid back, cutting lines in the dirt.
'I can handle this. Just need to stay steady. He's not using the full power… but it's still strong!'
Tien grunted and pushed more power into the beam. His body hurt badly. Sweat dripped down his face. His energy felt like it was boiling his blood.
'Hold it… just a little longer…'
Then—
Boom!
The blast exploded in a huge wave of light and smoke. Dust and pressure filled the battlefield.
Tien fell to one knee, gasping for air.
'That… should be enough…'
But a voice called out through the fog.
"That was great, Tien!"
Tien's head shot up.
Out of the smoke came Goku—his shirt half burned, pants torn—but he was smiling. He clapped dust off his arms.
"Man, that hurt a little!"
He looked down at his burned shirt and frowned.
"Aw, this was my special training shirt. Kami gave me this…"
He took it off and dropped it.
Boom.
The shirt hit the ground like a heavy stone, kicking up dirt and leaving a small hole.
Tien's face turned pale.
'That shirt was heavy?'
Goku took off his boots and wristbands too—each one hitting the ground loudly.
Tien's hands shook.
'He was holding back all along? Even now, I can't see his full power…'
Goku stretched and smiled happily.
"Sorry for the wait. Let's keep going."
Before Tien could react, Goku disappeared again.
"Wha—?!"
His third eye caught a quick movement below.
"Gah!"
Goku's fist hit Tien's stomach hard. His whole body jumped. His eyes went wide. He coughed and spit.
'My insides… moved… I can't breathe…'
But Goku didn't stop.
He spun and kicked Tien's head from the side.
Crack.
The hit shook Tien's skull. His vision went blurry. The world tilted.
Goku clenched his fist and punched Tien's chin one last time.
Snap.
Tien flew back and hit the ground hard. His eyes rolled up. He lay still, arms wide.
"Heheh."
Goku smiled down at him.
Then—
"GOKUUUU!"
A loud scream broke the silence.
Chi-Chi ran in, holding a fan, looking very worried. She dropped beside Tien and started fanning him fast.
"Tien! Wake up! Are you okay?!"
Goku blinked, confused.
"Wait, what? He's fine! It was just a friendly fight—"
"Friendly?!" Chi-Chi shouted. "You knocked him out! He's supposed to be your future boss! What if he won't work with us? How will we feed Goten?!"
"But I didn't mean to—"
"You never mean to! You never think, Goku! You just punch things and smile like an idiot!"
"Hey! That's not fair! I only got serious after he hit me with the Neo Tri-Beam!"
Chi-Chi glared at him. "A _Neo_ what?! That sounds deadly! You made him use a risky move and then knocked him out anyway!"
Goku scratched his head, looking awkward.
"I mean… yeah, but—"
"BUT NOTHING! You're apologising to Tien right now!"
Goku looked lost.
Behind Chi-Chi, Tien's face twitched slightly.
His third eye blinked open.
Then one side of his mouth curved up into a sly smile.
'Yeah… I may have lost the fight…'
His eye slowly closed again as he kept pretending to be unconscious.
'…but I totally won the war.'
Advanced chapters ahead on patréon
www.patréon.com/ImagineMaker