Invincible Goku

Chapter 7

The sky above the island was gray and low.

Goku sat alone near the cliff's edge, legs crossed, arms resting on his knees. His GI was patched and cleaned, but the fabric still bore faint bloodstains from the night before. A small roll of bandage sat beside him, half-unraveled.

He was wrapping his wrists slowly. Methodically.

The air felt different this morning. Still, but dense — like the wind didn't want to move. Down in the arena, monks swept the stone tiles. Staff adjusted the glowing bracket board.

Kaiden leaned against a nearby pillar, arms crossed, eyes on the ring. He hadn't spoken in ten minutes.

Behind them, Johnny munched on something.

"They say no one's ever touched Udon — not once."

Goku didn't answer. He pulled the bandage tighter.

Johnny snorted. "I mean, seriously. Who even is this guy? Looks like a statue. How're you supposed to fight someone who doesn't blink?"

Kaiden didn't look away from the arena. "You feel it, right?"

"Feel what?"

Kaiden's jaw tensed. "Pressure."

Goku swallowed. He did. It wasn't coming from the arena. Not yet. It was coming from inside—a weight in his chest. Whispering, Don't mess this up.

He clenched his fists, flexed his wrapped hands. "I'm not scared," he said aloud, not to them, but to himself.

Kaiden looked over. "It's okay if you are."

Goku didn't answer. Not because he disagreed. But because the fear wasn't about Udon.

It was about himself.

That feeling — the one that woke him at night since the full moon. The one that whispered, maybe he didn't belong here. Perhaps the power in him wasn't strength — it was destruction.

Was this fight going to prove he was strong?

Or remind everyone how dangerous he was?

A bell rang once from below. It was clear, sharp, and final.

First match. The arena was ready.

Kaiden stood and adjusted his coat. "It's time."

Goku looked at his hands one last time.

Then he stood.

The arena doors opened with a low grind of ancient stone, echoing through the courtyard.

Goku stepped forward.

His sandals scraped against the path as he walked, slow and steady. His orange gi shifted lightly in the breeze. Every step echoed like it mattered more than the last.

The fighters watched.

Kaiden stood off to the side, arms crossed. He didn't speak — just nodded once.

Johnny leaned forward, chewing slower than usual. "He's doing it," he muttered. "Goku's going first."

Zuki tilted her head faintly. Her eyes followed Goku's steps as if she were measuring something.

Gyro idly flicked one of his yo-yos. A small spark popped at the end. His face was unreadable.

Moro didn't speak. Just watched like the rest.

Iroh sipped tea as always.

Only Udon moved as Goku entered the arena.

He was already waiting at the center, barefoot on stone. Eyes closed. Arms folded behind his back like a monk before a storm.

He opened his eyes when Goku reached him. No smirk. No tension. Just quiet focus.

The pressure hit all at once.

Like gravity doubling in a blink.

Goku exhaled hard through his nose. His legs felt heavier, and his breathing was shorter.

Ki pressure.

Udon wasn't showing power. He was applying it.

He thought of the bear again — the one that had nearly torn him in half in the forest. Back then, he hadn't considered. He'd just moved. It was pure instinct, pure fear. And when it was over, he'd been shaking but alive.

This fight was different.

Udon was trained, calm, and focused.

The monks standing on the outer edge of the arena raised a hand in silent acknowledgment. One of them stepped forward and called, calm and clear.

"First match. Goku versus Udon."

A soft hum filled the air — the bracket glowing behind them. Above, the screen flickered. King Kai appeared, leaning forward like he already knew something the rest didn't.

"Match rules are simple: no killing, ring-outs count, and surrender ends the fight. Got it? Good."

He leaned back. "Let's see what you've got, kid," he said to himself.

The monk dropped his arm.

"Begin."

Udon didn't move.

Goku lowered his stance — hands loose, eyes sharp, heart pounding.

The silence stretched thin.

Then Goku lunged.

Goku's feet slammed against the stone as he closed the distance.

His first strike came fast — a straight jab aimed for Udon's center.

But Udon leaned just an inch to the left. The punch grazed air.

Goku pivoted, spinning into a roundhouse — but Udon caught the kick with one hand. Effortless. Like seeing a falling leaf.

Goku's eyes widened.

Udon didn't counter. Didn't retaliate. He just let go, letting Goku stumble slightly off balance before taking one step forward.

That step carried weight.

It made the stone underfoot crack.

Goku barely had time to block before Udon's palm strike hammered into his forearms, sending him skidding backward.

He caught himself, sliding low into a crouch, sandals grinding sparks against the stone. His arms throbbed.

What was that?

He looked up.

Udon stood exactly where he had been. One hand still raised. Eyes calm.

The pressure hadn't lifted.

Goku shook out his arms and came again, faster now. He feinted high, ducked low, tried a sweep.

Udon stepped over it and moved quickly. One elbow, one knee, a twist of his hips — each movement drilled, brutal.

Goku blocked the elbow, took the knee to the ribs, and wheezed.

Udon didn't press. He gave space.

Testing.

He's not showing off; he's just measuring Goku.

Goku's breathing quickened. His ribs ached. His mind raced.

He was faster than this. Stronger than this.

So why couldn't he touch him?

He stepped back, adjusted his stance, and remembered Roshi's voice.

"Don't rush the technique. Find the rhythm. Let your body breathe."

Goku exhaled slowly. His fingers relaxed. His feet found better footing.

He came in again, but he was not chasing Udon this time. He moved purposefully: one, two, wait, react, flow.

Their strikes met mid-air. Palm to palm. Knee to forearm. Foot to heel.

The rhythm changed.

Goku wasn't winning.

But he wasn't losing.

Udon's eyes narrowed just slightly—the first visible shift in expression.

Then he moved faster.

A blur. A clean strike to Goku's stomach — short, sharp, and silent. Goku folded and stumbled, coughing hard.

Udon didn't follow.

He stepped back again. Calm. Respectful.

Like a teacher watching a student figure it out.

Goku fell to one knee, gasping.

Kaiden frowned from the sidelines.

Johnny leaned forward, lips tight.

Even Zuki's arms lowered slightly from their folded stance.

Gyro just whispered something under his breath—a single word.

"Interesting."

Goku wiped blood from his lip. Stood up again.

His stance changed. Lower, balanced. His eyes sharpened.

He wasn't trying to win anymore.

He was trying to learn.

Udon's eyes opened fully.

No smile. No warning.

He stepped forward, and the ground cracked beneath him.

Goku's body locked up.

Not from pain.

From pressure.

An invisible weight dropped over the arena like a curtain of gravity. It pressed on Goku's spine, his knees, and his lungs. Even breathing felt heavier.

Udon wasn't moving fast now.

He didn't have to.

Goku tried to shift his stance, but his muscles resisted, like wading through syrup.

Udon advanced slowly, like a stone rolling downhill. There was no speed, just certainty.

Kaiden's brow furrowed. His arms dropped from their crossed position.

"He's using it now," he muttered.

"What is that?" Johnny asked.

"Ki pressure," Kaiden said. "Pure force of will. It crushes your body."

Johnny's jaw tightened. "That's not a technique. That's bullying."

Goku's sandals scraped the stone as he forced himself upright.

"I can't move," he muttered.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

His fear amplified like Udon's aura.

The night of the moon. The crater. His grandpa's eyes.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone…"

Udon stepped again.

Goku flinched.

The crowd was silent.

Even King Kai, still watching from the screen, leaned forward, his expression more serious now.

"Come on, kid…" he whispered.

Udon launched a single blow.

Not flashy. Not fast.

A palm strike — slow, deliberate.

But with the weight behind it, Goku knew it'd end the match.

He closed his eyes.

He saw the crater. The blood. His grandpa's face.

Then.

A voice.

"Don't fight the force. Flow with it."

Master Roshi. Sitting by the fire. Calm.

"And remember — this isn't just about fighting. It's about growing. You've got strength. Learn to use it the right way."

Goku's fists loosened. His stance shifted. Not to attack — but to *listen*.

Goku grinned.

Then.

Inhale.

Exhale.

His chest expanded.

He remembered the forest.

The monster.

"Breathe before you move. Don't fight the force. Flow with it."

He let the weight in.

Then shifted under it.

The strike came, and Goku twisted, absorbing the impact along his ribs and spinning with it.

He didn't block it.

He accepted it and turned it.

He landed hard, tumbling, sliding — but not broken.

He stood again.

The pressure hadn't lifted.

But it no longer restrained him.

Kaiden's eyes widened just a fraction. "He escaped."

Johnny whispered, "Goku is getting better."

Zuki tilted her head slightly. Gyro's yo-yos hummed faintly, but didn't move.

Goku exhaled, a thin trail of blood running down his cheek.

He rolled his shoulders.

And smiled.

"Okay," he said. "Let's try that again."

Udon's brow dipped — only slightly.

For the first time, he adjusted his stance.

Goku cracked his neck, dragging his wrist across his mouth to wipe the blood away. His voice was quiet, steady.

"I get it now. You're not trying to hurt me. You're trying to stop me from moving."

Udon didn't respond. He shifted again, palm raised, ready to press him back down.

But Goku didn't wait.

He moved.

Not with speed. With timing.

He slipped past Udon's shoulder and dropped low, sweeping his leg. Udon stumbled, only slightly — but enough.

Goku followed up with a rising elbow, clipping the side of Udon's jaw. It landed. Clean.

Udon spun, fist sweeping like a sledgehammer — but Goku ducked under, planting both feet and launching a kick to the ribs.

It echoed.

The crowd shifted. Something changed.

The pressure was still there, but now it moved with Goku, not against him.

"He's doing it," Kaiden said softly.

Johnny's eyes were wide. "This is awesome!"

Udon reset, stepping back. His eyes narrowed.

Goku was breathing hard now, but focused.

The weight still bore down. But Goku was no longer drowning.

He was swimming.

Udon came again, but Goku wasn't flinching anymore.

He wasn't reacting.

He was learning.

Udon threw a sharp elbow — Goku caught it against his forearm and countered with a spinning backfist.

The blow snapped Udon's head to the side.

Silence.

Even Zuki leaned forward, just slightly.

Udon stepped back once, cracked his knuckles, and — for the first time — powered up.

His body shimmered with red-tinged, subtle but profound energy, like magma under the skin.

The stone beneath them cracked outward in a slow pulse.

Udon's full strength now pressed against the arena.

And Goku didn't back down.

He squared his shoulders and stepped forward.

His hair clung to his face, sweat dripping. His orange gi was ripped and stained.

But he grinned.

"Let's go."

Udon's foot pressed into the stone, and in a flash, he was gone.

Goku barely raised his guard before Udon's elbow crashed into his stomach. The impact lifted him off his feet.

WHAM.

He hit the ground hard. Rolled. Bounced.

The crowd flinched.

Kaiden's jaw tensed. Johnny stopped chewing.

"Stay down," Udon said flatly, already turning away.

But Goku groaned — and rose.

"I can't."

One hand clutched his ribs. Blood streaked his lip. His knee wobbled. His whole body shook under the weight of Udon's ki.

But he stood.

Goku stood.

Udon turned back, silent. His face gave nothing away. But his energy surged again, doubling the pressure.

Goku staggered, gasping out of his lungs.

He staggered forward a step.

Then another.

The world around him blurred.

His ears rang.

He saw himself, not standing, but that night. Screaming. Claws, teeth, fur. The crater. The broken moonlight.

Goku's hands were dripping with destruction.

He clenched his fists.

I'm not that monster. I'm not that kid anymore.

He exhaled.

Then he moved.

The next blow didn't miss. It landed hard — a punch straight into Udon's chest.

The older fighter slid back two feet.

Eyes widened — not in pain, but in recognition.

Goku's hands trembled. His aura flickered.

Then steadied.

Zuki whispered, "…he's pushing through it."

Udon's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Goku's voice was hoarse. But clear.

"Because I have to."

He rushed forward.

The two collided again, faster now. Harder.

Goku's strikes were wild, but tighter. Less guessing. More understanding. Every hit felt earned. Every dodge was from memory, not instinct.

He was getting better, mid-fight.

Udon blocked, countered, and struck — but Goku kept coming.

Every attack felt heavier than the last, but somehow, so did Goku's will.

It wasn't just pressure anymore.

It was resistance.

Their fists clashed again — shockwaves rippling across the arena floor. Stone cracked beneath their feet. Goku slid back, panting, blood in his mouth.

Udon stood tall, breathing steadily.

"You're not strong enough," he said. Not cruel — just honest.

Goku wiped his chin. His body screamed to stop. But his eyes were focused.

He remembered Master Roshis' words.

"You've got strength, kid. Learn to use it the right way."

"I don't need to be stronger," he said.

Udon blinked.

That pause was all Goku needed.

He exploded forward, ducked low, and didn't strike. He waited.

Udon's elbow came — sharp, fast — but Goku moved with it this time, not against.

Redirected.

Like water.

His foot found the angle — one Roshi drilled into him repeatedly.

"I just need to move forward."

The opening.

Goku's palm struck Udon's chest — not hard, but deep. Controlled. The impact wasn't power but precision—a clean, direct hit to the diaphragm.

Udon gasped. Just once. His body froze — only for a second.

But that second was everything.

Goku spun, his heel arcing through the air.

WHAM.

The kick landed across Udon's temple.

He stumbled. And for the first time in the match, a thought surfaced.

"I lost."

Then dropped.

Silence.

Even the wind seemed to pause.

Goku stood, swaying, barely conscious. Blood ran from his temple. His eyes blinked slowly.

But he didn't fall.

The bell rang.

Fighters stood.

Kaiden didn't move — arms still crossed — but his fingers tightened around his sleeves.

Johnny's jaw hung open. "No way…"

Gyro tilted his head, unreadable.

Zuki blinked once. Her lips twitched. Almost a smirk. Almost.

King Kai's voice boomed overhead.

"And the winner is… GOKU!"

A second passed.

Then three.

Goku exhaled. And collapsed.