"Looks like he's attacking with air pressure," Jaco said, watching Goku's punches strike Moro from a distance. "He's moving his fists fast enough to create powerful shockwaves."
Piccolo glanced at him, surprised that Jaco had managed to follow something the rest of them could barely see.
"Jaco's eyes are supposed to be similar to a fly's compound eyes," Gohan explained. "He can pick up details that are difficult for us to see."
"A bee!" Jaco snapped. "They're like a bee's eyes, not a fly's!"
Gohan scratched his head. "Aren't they both compound eyes?"
"Don't compare me to those disgusting things!"
Piccolo decided the distinction could wait. Goku was still driving Moro backward, and the ancient wizard's feet had begun carving two long trenches through the ground as he struggled against the pressure of the attacks.
"Enough of these little tricks!"
Moro raised one hand, and a wave of fire erupted from deep beneath the earth. Goku immediately took to the air, avoiding the flames as they swept across his previous position, but Moro tracked him and fired several ki blasts after him.
Goku slipped between the blasts and dove back down, driving a punch into Moro's crossed arms. Before Moro could counter, Goku shifted around him and landed a kick to his chest, then pressed the advantage with a series of increasingly fast attacks.
Moro was beginning to have trouble keeping up.
"So speed is the secret to this technique?"
Magic flashed around his hand, and invisible restraints suddenly locked around Goku's wrists and ankles.
"Let's see how you move now."
Moro kicked him away before he could break free. Goku was sent flying backward, but divine power surged through his body and shattered the restraints. He vanished just before hitting the ground and reappeared behind Moro.
"That was magic, wasn't it?" Goku asked.
"Only one of my many abilities."
Moro swept his hand through the air, sending a bolt of golden lightning toward him. Goku dodged, but rather than immediately continue the attack, he moved back toward the others.
"You guys should get farther away," he said. "I'll be able to fight without worrying about you getting caught in it."
Gohan nodded. "Okay, Dad. And don't worry too much about damaging Earth. We've already gathered all the Dragon Balls, and Dende's keeping them safe. We can use them to restore everything afterward."
"Good to know."
Goku gave him an appreciative smile, and Gohan, Piccolo, Kale, and the others withdrew to a safer distance.
Once they were clear, Goku turned back toward Moro.
The lightning came again, but he slipped through it and appeared directly in front of the wizard, gathering ki between his hands.
"Kamehameha!"
Moro barely managed to raise his hand in time to catch the blast. The energy swelled between them, forcing him to brace himself as Goku continued pouring power into it.
The next exchange carried them high into the air. Goku pressed Moro with a rapid combination, then caught him with a kick to the back that sent him plunging toward the ground. Moro retaliated while falling, using magic to seize Goku and drag him down with him.
Goku's divine power flared, breaking the hold before Moro could pull him into the earth. He immediately resumed attacking, sending a succession of powerful shockwaves into Moro's body as he closed the distance.
Moro gritted his teeth and tried to endure them, but Goku was already in front of him. A heavy punch drove into Moro's stomach.
Moro answered with an uppercut of his own.
Both fighters recoiled, clutching their stomachs as they separated and landed on opposite sides of the battlefield. Neither stayed down for long. They looked at each other, then rushed forward and collided again.
From a distance, Gohan watched the exchange with growing excitement.
"Dad and Moro seem pretty evenly matched, don't they?"
"Not quite," Piccolo said. "Goku has the advantage in speed."
Android 17 folded his arms. "Think he can win?"
"Maybe. But Moro still hasn't used his energy absorption."
That was the part Piccolo couldn't afford to forget. Goku might be winning the exchanges, but Moro had already demonstrated that a single opening could turn an opponent's own power into his next meal.
The danger became immediate when Goku knocked Moro down again and dove after him.
Moro raised his hand.
"He's going to absorb Goku's energy!" Jaco shouted.
Goku vanished before the technique could take hold. The small amount of energy Moro had begun drawing in dissipated, and Goku reappeared behind him with a punch to the head.
Moro caught his arm and threw him away, then spread his fingers and tried again.
Goku disappeared once more.
Moro's expression tightened.
"So that's what you're doing."
Gohan understood it at almost the same moment. "Dad's using his speed to keep Moro from getting a hold of his energy!"
"If Moro can't absorb him, then Goku has a much better chance," Kale said.
Piccolo remained cautious. "It might work. But we still don't know everything Moro can do."
Jaco, however, was beginning to look hopeful. "At least he's not letting Moro feed on him. That's already a huge improvement!"
Gohan smiled as he watched Goku press the attack again. "If Dad can keep that up, I think he can win."
Piccolo gave a small nod. "Maybe he can."
Goku continued driving Moro backward, his movements growing smoother as Ultra Instinct Sign carried him through the wizard's defenses. Moro struggled to answer the speed of the attacks, and two heavy blows finally knocked him to the ground.
Goku drew a deep breath, the silver-white aura around him shining more intensely.
He rushed in again and kicked Moro back down just as the wizard tried to rise.
Moro sprang to his feet, fury now plain on his face, but Goku was already closing in.
This time, Moro raised his hand before Goku could reach him.
Fire burst from beneath the ground, rising into a wall directly across Goku's path.
Goku stopped in midair, the flames roaring between them.
[End of chapter]