Chapter 74: John Wins

After removing the weighted clothing that had been constraining him, Goku's movements became significantly lighter. Before officially resuming their match, he began to practice on the stage, familiarizing himself with his body now free of the weights.

About ten seconds later, Goku stood once again in front of John, and they resumed their battle.

As they exchanged blows, John immediately noticed Goku's transformation. In terms of both speed and power, Goku's strength was now on par with John's. Especially in terms of control, Goku no longer seemed as strained as before.

The two fighters no longer engaged in warm-ups; they dove straight into an intense confrontation, giving each other little room to breathe. Ultimately, their match turned into a battle of wills.

After another clash, they separated and stood facing each other.

Both fighters were bruised and battered, but fortunately, they each had Senzu Beans on hand, so they weren't overly concerned about the damage inflicted during the match.

John asked Goku, "You mentioned that you learned many ultimate moves over the past two years. Where are your techniques? Use them! Otherwise, we might end up in a draw."

Goku understood the situation and replied immediately: "In that case, let me show you my new ultimate move."

With that, Goku shouted on the stage, "Kaioken!" Instantly, a red aura surrounded him, and under the Kaioken's influence, his power surged dramatically.

John was taken aback by this development; he hadn't expected Goku to learn Kaioken so many years earlier than when Raditz arrived.

Goku called out: "John, Kaioken is still a heavy burden on my body. I don't know how long I can maintain it, so let's finish this quickly!"

Realizing he could no longer hold back either, John responded: "Well then, do you see what I'm about to use?"

Upon hearing John's words, Goku looked up and was shocked to see John adopting a familiar stance. Just as he was pondering what technique John was using, John shouted as well: "Kaioken!"

A similar red aura erupted from John's body.

Seeing John use an identical Kaioken shocked Goku: "You—you can use Kaioken too?!"

Not only Goku but even King Kai on North Kai's planet was astonished. He pulled at his own beard in disbelief and yelped in pain.

However, he quickly forgot about his beard as he urged Goku: "You need to ask your friend how he learned this technique!"

Goku immediately turned to John and asked: "John, King Kai told me that he created Kaioken himself. There shouldn't be anyone else who knows it!"

John replied straightforwardly: "Wasn't it you who just taught it to me?"

"I?" Goku blinked in confusion but soon recalled how Tien's Four-Way Fist had been learned by John right before his eyes. Suddenly realizing what John meant, Goku exclaimed: "You mean you activated it right after I used it?!"

John nodded and assumed his stance again.

King Kai could not believe that a technique he had spent years creating could be learned so easily by someone else.

Of course, King Kai was not entirely wrong; John's version of Kaioken was indeed obtained through a wish.

After both had activated their Kaiokens, they prepared for an even fiercer battle.

With both using Kaioken now, they clashed again but remained evenly matched; although they were bleeding from their injuries, neither could claim victory.

John suggested to Goku: "If we continue like this, we might just end up mutually injured. Why don't we change our competition format?"

Goku asked: "What kind of format do you want to switch to?"

John replied: "Right now we're both using double Kaioken. But we know that Kaioken can be multiplied beyond just two times. Are you willing to increase the multiplier with me?"

"Whoever can achieve a higher multiplier wins."

Goku immediately agreed with John's idea and shouted: "Four times Kaioken!"

Instantly, Goku's aura surged even higher like a blazing red flame.

Seeing Goku activate four times Kaioken prompted John to shout as well: "Eight times Kaioken!" His aura exploded even higher than Goku's.

Despite having activated eight times Kaioken, John's injuries were still bleeding from earlier battles.

Goku watched John's eight times Kaioken with some difficulty in breathing; he hadn't expected John's power to reach such heights. Even during his training on King Kai's planet, he had only managed to reach eight times at most.

However, Goku knew he couldn't stop at eight times; otherwise, it would end in a draw again. So he decided to attempt ten times Kaioken.

Using ten times Kaioken was risky—it could lead to broken bones or muscle strains—but for victory's sake, he had no choice but to push through.

Goku carefully adjusted his breathing and focused on controlling the raging energy within him.

After John shouted eight times Kaioken, all eyes turned toward Goku. From their expressions on stage, everyone could sense that the outcome of the match was imminent.

Moments later, veins bulged on Goku's forehead as he yelled: "Ten times Kaioken!"

Instantly, his red aura shot skyward and quickly surpassed John's. Just when everyone thought Goku had successfully activated ten times Kaioken, suddenly his bones and muscles creaked under the pressure—the overwhelming energy dissipated instantly.

He had failed; Goku's body still couldn't withstand the strain of ten times Kaioken. The pressure had caused his muscles and bones to misalign.

Without hesitation, John retracted his own Kaioken and quickly fed a Senzu Bean to Goku. In no time at all, Goku's body returned to its optimal state.

Looking at John with a smile, Goku said: "I wanted to use ten times Kaioken to defeat you outright! I didn't expect my body wouldn't hold up—so this time you won."

"But next time we fight, I will definitely beat you."

John replied: "No; actually we are evenly matched. If I had tried using ten times myself, my body might not have held up either."

Thus concluded the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament. Due to the incredibly fast-paced finale between the two fighters and their subsequent display of techniques that left spectators bewildered—many complained to the tournament organizers for refunds—leading to chaos across Papaya Island.

However, this didn't concern John or the others as they boarded planes heading toward Ox-King's castle for Goku and Chi-Chi's wedding celebration.