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Well, my Ultra Instinct was working like a Swiss watch. Every movement from Piccolo reached me like it was in slow motion. My body reacted on its own, flowing like water down a stone. But the bastard wasn't stupid - far from it.
"Think you've won?" - he snarled, wiping green blood trickling from his nose. His eyes gleamed with a rage that seemed to have a life of its own.
WHOMP!
Suddenly, he stopped attacking me. Just stopped. Stood there with his arms crossed, looking at me like someone who just figured out the secret recipe.
"What's wrong? Giving up?" - I taunted, keeping my guard up.
He laughed. A low, hoarse laugh that made my spine freeze. "Give up? Ah, kid... you haven't understood anything yet."
The air around him began to tremble. It wasn't the same vibration as before - it was something different. More sinister. As if space itself was afraid of what was coming.
"You know what the problem is with you honorable warriors?" - he continued, his voice taking on an almost philosophical tone. "You think there's only one way to win."
GRRROOOOWWWWL...
A strange sound came from inside him. From his belly. It was like something had woken up in there.
"Kami!" - I exclaimed, eyes widening. "You're hurting him!"
"Hurting?" - Piccolo cackled. "No, no, no. I'm doing something much worse."
He put his hand on his swollen belly. "I'm absorbing everything he is. Every piece of knowledge, every technique, every fragment of wisdom that the old guardian accumulated over centuries of existence."
GLUB GLUB GLUB...
The sound got louder. More desperate. Like Kami was fighting against something in there.
"STOP THAT!" - I yelled, charging at him.
But then something weird happened. My Ultra Instinct, which had been working perfectly until then, failed. For a split second, my body hesitated. And Piccolo took advantage.
CRACK!
His fist hit my jaw with the force of a pneumatic hammer. I flew about five meters back, spitting blood.
"Ahhhh, now I get it." - he smiled, savoring my confusion. "Your Ultra Instinct works by reacting to killing intent, right? But what if I don't want to kill you?"
He started walking toward me, slowly, like a predator playing with its prey.
"What if my goal is just to break you? Step by step, bone by bone, until you beg me to stop?"
THUMP THUMP THUMP.
My heart raced. That was it. My perfect technique had a flaw - it couldn't predict attacks that weren't aimed at my immediate death.
"Pretty damn clever," I muttered, getting up and wiping blood from my mouth.
"Learned from the best." - he patted his belly again. "Kami was always good at finding weak spots."
FWOOM!
He shot toward me, but this time it was different. These weren't killing strikes - they were calculated blows to hurt, to break, to cause pain.
BAM! A punch to the stomach that left me breathless.
CRACK! A knee to the ribs that I swear I heard at least two crack.
THWACK! A kick to the legs that almost brought me down.
"Stop... stop that!" - I managed to speak between the blows.
"Not a chance, kid." - he laughed, continuing that methodical beating. "I'm not done digesting my little snack yet."
That's when I felt it. A weak presence, almost imperceptible, trying to communicate with me. It was Kami! Somehow, he was managing to send a telepathic message even from inside that green hell.
"Ethan..." - his voice echoed in my mind like a distant whisper. "He... he's right about your technique. But... but there's another way."
"What way?" - I thought back, trying to dodge another blow from Piccolo.
"Stop fighting against your nature. Stop trying to be perfect. Just be... you."
WHAM!
Another punch hit my shoulder, sending waves of pain through my arm. But Kami's words echoed in my head. Just be me...
"You know what, Piccolo?" - I said, stopping my dodging and looking straight into his eyes.
He paused, curious. "What?"
"You're right. I've been too much of a goody-two-shoes."
I let my silver aura diminish. Ultra Instinct was still there, but now mixed with something else. Something more... wild.
"So what? Gonna cry?" - he mocked.
I smiled. But it wasn't a serene smile anymore. It was the smile of someone who had just let off the leash.
"No." - my voice came out different, deeper, more dangerous. "I'm gonna stop playing around."
KABOOOM!
An explosion of golden energy mixed with silver erupted from my body. It wasn't pure Ultra Instinct anymore - it was Ultra Instinct tempered with something I'd learned from the Saiyans. Genuine killer instinct.
Piccolo took a step back, finally showing a bit of uncertainty.
"Now we're talking," I growled, "let's see who's gonna get broken."
The rain suddenly stopped. The clouds pulled away as if they were afraid of what was about to happen. And in the absolute silence that followed, only one thing was certain:
Playtime was over.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
My knuckles popped as I clenched my fists. Piccolo swallowed hard.
"Ah, shit," he muttered.
And then, I exploded.