The Fist of the Sun

Afterimages on the Tiles

Goku and Tenshinhan tear into each other in flurries so quick the announcer admits the audience cannot follow the exchanges. When Tenshinhan lashes out with a kick, Goku backflips clear and surrounds his opponent with a ring of Zanzoken duplicates. Tenshinhan is stunned that his rival would deploy an afterimage trick at a moment like this. One Goku descends from above, drawing a kick that passes through empty air, while another strikes from behind and is chopped cleanly in two by a sudden strike of Tenshinhan's own. Every copy dissolves until, from a completely unexpected angle, the real Goku cracks a heavy kick squarely into the three-eyed warrior's face.

The Solar Fist, Deflected

Both Kame-Sen'nin and Kuririn gape at the exchange, as do Tsuru-Sen'nin and Chiaotzu up in the stands. Tenshinhan hauls himself back upright with fury in his eyes and brings his hands to his face, shouting "Taiyo-Ken!" A searing flash floods the arena. He rushes at what he assumes is a blinded Goku, but the boy catches his incoming fist in his left palm and buries his right fist into Tenshinhan's stomach. As Tenshinhan slumps, wondering how any of this was possible, he looks up to find Goku wearing the old master's dark glasses.

A Frozen Finish

With his opponent down, Goku strolls over to return the borrowed shades to Kame-Sen'nin, only for Tenshinhan to spring back up at the count of seven and slam a knee straight into his face. Goku rebounds off the wall and skitters behind him, eyes watering from the sudden blow, while the old master wails over his cracked glasses. Tenshinhan insists he was only grounded because Goku had caught him unprepared. A moment later, Kuririn mutters that the hermit looks suddenly familiar without his signature frames, and Kame-Sen'nin hisses at him to stay focused. Goku and Tenshinhan charge once more. Just as Goku springs into the air to attack from above, his entire body jerks to an unnatural stop. Tenshinhan smashes him back to the tiles, and Goku sits up snarling about something being "dirty." Tsuru-Sen'nin, up in the stands, chuckles to himself as the true cause goes unspoken.