Chi-Chi panicked. "But… we're on the same side…"
Goku cut her off gently.
"Victory doesn't really matter to us.
Fighting me seriously is for you.
Krillin already lost, but he gave it everything and has no regrets.
What about you?
Are you really going to throw away your chance to prove yourself
just so I can save stamina?
We all trained equally hard for eight months.
If you surrender for my sake,
without even showing what you can do—
are you okay with that?"
Goku thought she'd say "no."
Instead Chi-Chi's love-brain immediately switched on.
"I'm okay with it—of course I am!
Goku, if helping you is what you want,
I'll do anything!"
Goku: "…"
Krillin, watching from the side, almost choked.
He was already sore from Jackie Chun's beating—
and now he was getting blasted with sweetness, too.
His heart hurt more than his bruises.
The referee called again:
"Son Goku and Chi-Chi, please step up!"
Krillin hurried them. "You two, go already! You'll be late!"
Chi-Chi nodded.
"Come on, Goku. We're almost late.
I can't beat you anyway, I might as well surrender!"
Goku grabbed her hand.
Chi-Chi's face went bright red.
"Goku…"
He looked at her seriously.
"Chi-Chi, please.
Fight me with everything you've got."
Chi-Chi hesitated. "B-but…"
The crowd was starting to shout impatiently.
Time was running out.
So Goku said quickly,
"Chi-Chi… you like me, right?"
She froze.
Her already red face deepened even more—
like a ripe apple.
She loved Goku. That wasn't a secret.
Was he… confessing?
Her heart pounded so hard she felt she might suffocate.
Goku looked her in the eyes.
"Chi-Chi, everything you've done for me—
I haven't said it, but I've noticed it all.
If you win this fight against me,
then I promise you—
when I grow up, I'll marry you."
Chi-Chi shook all over.
Her eyes blazed. "Goku… am I dreaming? Is that true?!"
The referee shouted again:
"Son Goku and Chi-Chi, please begin!"
Goku nodded firmly.
"Of course it's true.
But only if you win."
Chi-Chi nodded hard.
"Okay!"
They headed toward the ring.
Halfway there, Chi-Chi suddenly thought,
What if I lose?
Will Goku never like me again?
But they were already on stage.
She wanted to ask,
but seeing Goku's battle-ready look, she couldn't bring herself to.
If he didn't say it, then even if she lost,
the worst case was they stayed like this—
and that was still pretty good.
She took a deep breath and steadied herself.
This fight—
to win Goku—
she would give her all.
Soon both finished warming up and raised their stances.
The crowd cheered.
"Great!"
"They're both Roshi's students—this will be amazing!"
"Even that girl is so strong. I can't wait!"
Jackie Chun blinked in surprise.
"These two are really going all out? Interesting."
Bulma watched too, a little dazed.
She knew Chi-Chi couldn't beat Goku—
yet she was still choosing to fight with everything.
That was real martial spirit.
The referee shouted, "Start!"
Chi-Chi charged Goku.
She kicked hard—
Goku lifted an arm to block.
She withdrew instantly and fired a straight punch at his face.
Blocked again.
While blocking, Goku kicked back.
Chi-Chi reacted fast, stomped, and leapt into the air—
dodging his kick—
then swung a heavy airborne sweep at him.
The force was too big to block.
Goku leaned back to dodge.
A big attack meant a big opening at the end.
Chi-Chi's kick missed, and she was still airborne—
a massive gap.
Goku didn't hold back.
He stomped forward and drove an elbow strike into her.
With no foothold to brace, Chi-Chi took it head-on.
Bang! She flew backward.
The spectators were stunned.
"This kid doesn't know how to treat a girl!"
"Fighting a girl and not holding back at all?!"
"She's cute and your junior—how can you hit her like that?!"
"Ugh! I'm furious!"
Someone beside him asked, "And then?"
"And then I was just furious for a second."
"…"
Watching their lightning-fast exchange, with neither giving an inch, Bulma clicked her tongue.
"Goku, you idiot… can't you go a little easy on her?"
Then she smiled helplessly.
"But that's Goku.
If he knew how to do that, he wouldn't be Goku."