Few people from any universe can claim to have a life as exciting as Son Goku. After all, it seems ever since he found a young girl in the forest, his entire life has been an adventure. An epic that has brought him against the world's greatest armies, deadly mercenaries, and even the universe's greatest monsters; yet this one man, out of all others, has reignited an excitement that was dormant for years.
His newly revived body felt genuinely alive, nerves racing across his frame like fireworks. Nevertheless, Goku managed to calm his nerves, doing basic stretches to get out the nervous energy. With that, the Z fighter finally put on his signature gi, collecting himself properly for what may be the most formidable challenge he could get.
"Welp, I guess it's time to go. I would hate to keep him waiting," Goku said playfully.
Goku exited his waiting area, rallying behind the massive crowd gathered in the Other World Stadium. The Sayain never attended to have such a crowd, but I guess this event did serve as a good reunion for all the great rivals he's made these past seven years. Either way, it gave him a massive amount of comfortable nostalgia as he finally faced the man responsible for this event.
He arrived at Goku's house three days ago, covered in bloody scars and wounds from what looked like a beast. At first, Goku thought he was simply a regular guy that got lost in the forest. But all it took was looking at his yellow eyes shining with predatory hunger to realize the man was far from ordinary. The fact he was in walking shape by day one proved it.
This meant that the second one was spent bonding, eventually learning the story of Mori Jin, the Monkey King. His past as a malicious mythical monarch, the teenager that fought against the villainous Nox, and the current remnant with only vengeance to claim. A remnant sent to this universe to seek greater strength had one request for the "Legendary Super Sayain."
"Please, Goku, fight against me with everything you've got. Give me strength to stand against Mubong!"
Despite the seriousness of Mori's pleas, Goku accepted his request. After all, it's not like the Sayian needed a reason to fight before. Especially against an opponent that was already strong. After his battles with Majin Buu and Hirdugan, he had feared he saw all this universe had to offer.
However, Mori's very essence disproved that. Behind his triumphant smiles and genuine camaraderie laid a torrential stream constricted from a massive ocean. A stream that could overwhelm him if he let it. Similar to Goku, Mori Jin, now clad in a robe and iconic clothes, looked toward his opponent. Displaying complete confidence while still trapped in his shorter, blue-haired Mori Dan persona.
Still, that never did stop the martial artists from exchanging pleasantries. A respectable bow took place between the two before morphing towards their Turtle School and Retawkendo stances. As their immense auras reached their peak, last words got shared.
"Let's make this a good clean fight, Mori," Goku said respectfully.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Mori said while gearing up.
Instantly the crowd's voices grew silent, centering the fighter's focus as their fists met in an almighty clash! The sheer power caused a massive gust, cracking the arena slightly. However, in this battle of strength, Goku won out, as his punch forced Mori back. The Z fighter consecutively winded up another punch with double the power, straight towards Mori's head. Automatically Mori's mind got peppered by various alarms, his many weapons begging to defend their master despite his refusal.
"No, if I can't handle this much, I've got no chance against Mubong or anyone else. So instead of relying on power," Mori thought through slowed perceptions, "I'll bet on technique."
Pinpoint grace followed Mori's next action, leaning back enough to look like the punch had fallen him. Only to spring himself up to unleash a backspin kick to Goku's head! A lesser opponent would've crumpled, but Mori didn't come to face one. Meaning Goku's other hand blocked the attack just in time.
"Getting the first hit won't be that easy," Goku said competitively.
Mori grew more determined, seamlessly moving towards a low sweep that grinds itself into the stadium. Goku jumped up to avoid it, which created valuable distance as Mori unleashed a small hellfire of air bullets from his fists. Instinctively Goku deflected them in mid-air, which was the plan as Mori rushed in with a flying knee! A timely block prevented the blow from landing. Still, the attempted counterattack after is what sealed Goku's fate as before execution Mori twisted into a leg lock that left him vulnerable.
Tendons harder than titanium cable flexed preparing for a full salvo worth of punches. Not wanting to be outdone, Goku "gave up," relying on his ki. Goku immediately spun Mori off using flight, forcing him to back away before getting body-slammed into the arena. He kept his offense up, though, closing in for a jump backspin kick. It never connected, though, as the Sayain vanished in an afterimage. Realizing the trick, Goku appeared right behind him in the iconic pose of the solar flare. Answering his bluff, Mori decided to ramp things up.
"Recoilless Kick."
Unparalleled talent, insurmountable technique, and tempered experience combined for the peak of martial arts. Mori bent the space around him without a single wasted motion with a kick, sending out a rippling distortion of space across the entire stadium. Instantly the posed Goku vanished, leaving Mori with this to say.
"Tricks aren't going to work on me," Mori said as he looked behind him to see the real Goku, now too shaken to move.
"Sorry, I can't help it. You remind me so much of my years with Master Roshi. So if you don't mind indulging me," he said as his hair turned golden, "can you deal with my tricks just a little longer?"
Mori made his answer known with a fighting pose. It did nothing, though, as before he knew it, Mori got a Super Saiyan roundhouse to the face! Another deadening shockwave blindsided Jin with blood trickled from his mouth. This didn't dare down his resolve, though, instead, the former god moved ever forward. Noticing his footwork, Mori tried to use the momentum of Goku's attack to unleash a spin kick of his own.
Yet this didn't matter to the speed of a Saiyan, which is exactly what Jin counted on. Jin shifted the trajectory like a rubberband towards Goku's left foot at the last possible second. With his body now parallel in mid-air, Jin revved up another recoilless attack through a palm strike. Unfortunately for him, Goku's adaptability was second only to himself, blocking the attack with a golden energy ball.
A huge explosion forced both fighters back desperately as they held onto the broken stage. The sheer hype from the bleachers made it seem like it was anyone's guess, but as Mori looked at his searing right hand, he realized he had lost this "round."
"He used the distortion caused by recoilless to set off his energy ball like a bomb. No one's ever done that before. Looks like Mori Dan is done for," Mori thought as Goky flew straight towards him.
Collecting himself, Dan unleashed an axe kick towards the arena, annihilating it while sending a thunderous wave of stone towards Goku. The debris got vaporized amid Goku's aura. Though it did cover his line of sight, leaving him defenseless against three words that have shivered enemies' souls. Feeling a chill, Goku, in nanoseconds, transformed into Super Saiyan 2 before saying.
"Renewal Taekwondo: Hwechook."
Goku instantaneously got struck by a nearby asteroid like a bolt of lighting, almost shattering on impact. The Z fighter's eyes glazed over, only refocusing on a boot in his face. The crater beneath them started to deepen further, all while his head rang like a bell. Before another attack could go off, Goku immediately used Instant Transmission, teleporting away to greet his new opponent. Dramatically Mori's height, hair, composure, and power had changed. Still, it felt "right," like this was once natural for him. Goku steadied himself while saying.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who can transform. What do you call this?"
"Let's call it my true power for now. And your defeat," Mori said resolutely.
"Hmph, we'll see."
Goku immediately morphed towards the solar flare, this time being successful in blinding all that surrounded him—leading to a sharp elbow towards Mori's gut. Upon contact, he realized he didn't hit the skin, though, instead striking Jecheondaeseong's greatest defense: the dragon armor suits. The suits morphed across Mori's body like a blanket, responding to his will as he gave them new orders.
"Speed mode."
The combatants' entire surroundings started to warp around them as Goku got sent hurtling into multiple asteroids, exploding them like fireworks. Mori blitzed past him upon crashing through his tenth one, unleashing enough split-second hits to tear into Goku's gi. He didn't finish, though, for if Goku had the flying nimbus, then Mori Jin had.
"Gendowun: Thunderbolt."
A continent-size storm unleashed heavenly lighting on the warrior in the middle of space, lighting him up like dynamite. Briefly, Mori collected himself, wondering if he'd won the day. Quickly those thoughts got put to rest, as he soon realized that the surrounding lightning was his own.
Like a generator, the sheer power of the surrounding area circled a well of golden light. And instead of the roar of thunder, he only heard an almighty scream. One that got revealed to see Goku's peak: Super Saiyan 3. The mood switched widely, darkening the battle's mood. Without prompting, Goku decided to unleash his signature technique. Through his cupped hands, the entire area lit up as if watching the birth of a sapphire star.
"KKKAAAAAMMMMMEEEEHHHAAAMMEEEHAAAAA!!!"
The Monkey King braved a blast that tore through the entire Other World, shaking it to its core. However, he stayed undeterred. After all, Mori was never alone. Legend says that Sun Wukong held a staff that could peek through the heavens, but Mori needed an edge to raze them. So he decided to repeat his legend 19 times over.
With his signature Yeoui at the center, eighteen other mystical staffs of numerous shapes and sizes supported it, morphing them into a shield that braved through the attack. But not without evident distress, through sizzling smoke, lied an exhausted Mori, minutes away from transforming back. Noticing his opponent's weariness, the two decided to take a short retreat on a small rocky platform. Both breathed heavily, mere minutes away from losing steam, yet still never losing their politeness through huffed breaths.
"Why aren't you attacking," Mori said while collecting himself.
"Because I only want to fight an opponent at its best. It's no fun if you're weakened or hurt," he said.
It was such an offhanded statement, but it resonated heavily with Mori. Millenia's worth of memories came flooding in, desperately scrounging the depths of his consciousness to answer a question.
"When was the last time I was truly happy? When was the last time I had fun without worry? Or even felt strong enough to do whatever I pleased? It feels so long ago," he said bittersweetly.
At that moment, Jin started to tremble uncontrollably, now having time to truly accept that the fight after this may be his last. He might not make it in time. He may not be able to save Earth. He may not ever regain what he's lost. He may not even win. So in this space, where no one else could truly understand or see him, he didn't have to worry about anything. Mori gave a genuine, entirely carefree smile, deciding to soak up this very moment with ease. He raised himself with his staff Yeoui.
"Well, that's good because I'm about to have far more fun!"
Goku gave a compassionate smile as he raised his fist once again. The crowds could be heard loud and clear this time as the battle reached its final point. Goku and Mori engaged in CQC beyond light speeds, each dodging their respective blows in dozens of split-second afterimages. This dance of flickering bodies lasted for nearly a full minute, keeping the audience on their toes before both unleashed a definitive slug on each other's heads. However, the blinding pain of such attacks got eclipsed by their massive respect.
"Calloused hands and dynamic movements," Mori thought.
"Countless scars and perfect equilibrium," Goku thought.
"I wonder, what did it take for him to reach this level?" they thought while preparing their next attack.
As the two fighters recovere, they flashed back towards their lives. morphing through different stages, with their most important opponents there to match them. From greedy gods, alien conquerors and peaked rivals, every experience they had brought them here. Still, they advanced, separating themselves through a mirrored kick.
The rising distance forced them into their long-range attacks, decorating the sky in speeding dragon staffs and ki blasts respectfully. Both opponents dodged them all expertly, upping their techniques respectfully. A flick of the wrist was all it took to send five rampant Destructo discs gunning straight for Mori's body.
Which forced Mori to take more desperate measures, calling upon the mystical powers of several staffs. Mori called upon elemental mayhem as an extension of his body, calling upon numerous tornadoes of fire, ice, and lightning. The two attacks violently met, caking the space-like area into a one-of-a-kind light show that destroyed the platform completely.
Goku surveyed the area, wondering where his opponents had departed in the carnage—only for Mori Jin, sailing on his last Yeoui, readying his last kick. The image of a dragon charging behind him with his devilish grin. Knowing this was the end, Goku answered the call. His golden aura starting to condense in his right hand.
"Mori Jin Original: Rail gun plus Kick of The Blue Dragon!"
"Dragon Fist!"
Awe peppered itself through the audience as the image of two humongous astral dragons soared towards each other. They clawed, headbutted, and even bit into each other, transcending in height and power. Eventually ending in a single stroke. An amazed crowd at that point remained speechless as in the distance. They saw the dual icons fall shooting stars. Everything before this would've already made this a battle worth recording for ages, but the beaming smirk from an exhausted Goku as he congratulated his new fully prepared friend and rival; made the fight priceless.