Dragon Ball: Paradise Lost

Photo Finish

"Count!" Tenshinhan turned to the announcer, having just recovered from his haze of battle. It was difficult to tell for sure what had caused his escalating breathing if it was his recently experienced warrior's madness or the physical strain that abusing the Afterimage technique in the way he had just used it left the user with.

"One! Two!" the announcer started the count. Dark clouds covered up the sun in the sky, obscuring the gleeful enjoyment that the universe itself has been absorbing from the match. These weren't storm clouds and not a drop of rain fell from them but, for a short moment, gloom took the ring over while the sun hid behind the cumuli.

"Three!" the announcer raised his finger up only to witness Goku peeling his face off the ring floor with a smirk and wiping a trace of blood off his lip with the back of his hand. A drop of blood, that was all the reward for Tenshinhan's efforts.

The cool façade that the three-eyed warrior donned most of the time had collapsed long ago, the bricks that comprised it laid barren and scattered all over the ring where Goku pushed him to his very limit while he was enjoying everything Tenshinhan threw at him thoroughly. This was the first time that Tenshinhan was in the ring with someone who enjoyed every bit of punishment he threw out just as much as he enjoyed his own response. Earthlings tended to not like taking as much as they enjoyed giving in a battle.

"Their breathing..." Chayote noted. It was a physical testament to what she sensed inside and read off of their Ki. Tenshinhan was breathing erratically, he was winded whereas Goku's chest was bloating and deflating in an irregular rhythm but a much subtler one – both fighters were tired but only one of them felt the sweet draw of collapse pulling them ever closer, caressing their cheeks and their chin while attracting them to lay down and take a breather.

"Tenshinhan has made a mistake in that last clash. He might just pay for it with this match now..." Muten Roshi observed, joining in on Chayote's assessment and agreeing with it.

Devil Man spiraled off into the sky, bouncing off of the roof of the Devil's Toilet and fell to the ground, coughing up blood and slobber onto the stone tongue. He straightened his back and took a fighting stance as a true demon would. A part of a demon's charm was always how they didn't buy nor sell any of the violence that the enemy was dishing out.

"I was wondering..." Chayote stared at her fist which she just used to fling her mentor away. "Kakarot has gained a great deal of power fighting his brother. He may just be stronger than me and there is a fair chance that even after these years of training I will not cover that gap. This isn't doing much for my overall power level anyway. How do I fight a stronger opponent?"

"You've learned from Muten Roshi and the God of the Korin Tower and you still don't know that? These are the fundamentals of martial arts!" Devil Man hissed.

"No, I get the whole use the enemy's strength against them schtick, it's just... What's the overall game plan here?" Chayote pouted.

"Wear them out. It will be the most difficult thing you've ever done. You are already on disadvantage against them – they have more energy, likely better stamina, they're faster and stronger than you. You would need to use every dirty trick in the book to make them waste that stamina. You do not close the gap, you let them waste it. Every fist you throw, every breath you draw in a battle is a debt paid. Even if the enemy starts with more resources than you, if you're wiser with your finances, if you take the hits you can afford to take if avoiding them would be more troublesome than taking them, you might just let the gap disappear." Devil Man explained.

"Heh, I might have gotten carried away there, Son Goku..." Tenshinhan smirked as well while breaking his stance and straightening out his back. The gloomy clouds went away, letting the sun out from their cage. "That can't be helped when one is fighting you, I suppose."