Taking the Air

Refusing to Stay Down

The chapter opens with Goku stirring awake just as Nam drives into him with the full weight of the Cross Arm Dive. Certain the fight is over, Nam calmly asks the announcer to begin the ten count, explaining aloud that the technique will not kill the boy but will keep him unconscious for about ten days. The crowd holds its breath as the numbers climb, and just before the final call Goku forces himself back upright, leaving spectators and fighters alike staring in disbelief at the small figure still standing in the ring.

A Desert Warrior Reset

Nam refuses to accept that the strike failed. Convinced a cleaner launch will settle things, he leaps skyward a second time and commits to another dive toward his opponent. Goku chases him into the air, misjudges the jump, and rockets past his target entirely, then swings around and drops back down to match altitude while still in freefall, showing off an ability to adjust his trajectory that no one in the stands expected.

The Finishing Kick

Fed up with the chaos of tracking a target that keeps moving, Nam commits to a third Cross Arm Dive to end the madness once and for all. Goku beats him to the floor of the ring by a hair, plants himself firmly, and drives a clean kick into the center of the desert warrior's chest. The force carries Nam clear over the boundary line and slams him into the tiles well outside of the ring.

Reactions from the Stands

The announcer declares Goku the winner of the quarterfinal. Yamcha and Krillin cheer wildly for their friend, relieved that he survived what looked like certain defeat only moments earlier. Jackie Chun watches with a slightly troubled expression, recognizing that this small fighter is growing faster than anyone in the bracket expected and that the final match will not be the simple demonstration he had planned on giving.