Fortunately, young Goku was ready to act.
"Extend, Power Pole!"
In a fluid blur of motion, he vaulted out of the rear window and landed firmly on the roof of the speeding limousine. He swung the Power Pole forward, timing the extension perfectly. The red staff shot out like a thunderbolt, intercepting the rocket mid-flight.
*BOOM!*
A violent explosion rocked the air. Before the rocket could even get near the luxury limo, Goku had neutralized it. Without giving the mercenary time to reload a second round, Goku followed through with the momentum. He swung the staff in a massive overhead arc, the weapon moving so fast it became a crimson blur.
*CRASH!*
The staff slammed down on the pickup truck with the force of a falling mountain, splitting the vehicle clean in two. The wreckage skidded across the dirt, out of the commission instantly.
Inside the trailing command truck, Donald Pierce watched the pickup disintegrate and felt a chill crawl down his spine. This wild mutant child was far more terrifying than any briefing could have prepared him for.
"Gunners! All units, open fire!"
From another pickup, a mounted heavy machine gun swiveled toward the limo. The deafening roar of the weapon filled the desert air as a stream of high-caliber rounds tore through the sky like messengers of death.
Goku didn't flinch. He retracted the Power Pole slightly and began to twirl it with both hands. His arms moved with such blistering velocity that the staff formed a solid, shimmering red disc of defense, shielding the entire back of the limousine.
The relentless hail of bullets struck the rotating staff and pinged off harmlessly in every direction. Not a single round could pierce the shadow of the pole to hit the car.
"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat...!"
The mercenary behind the trigger watched his belt run dry, staring in utter shock as the "disc" slowed down to reveal a boy who wasn't even breathing hard.
"Fuck... this... this kid is a freak!"
A second later, the machine-gun truck met the same fate as the first, sliced in half by a single downward strike from the Power Pole.
"Coordinated fire! Everyone, hit them now!"
Pierce barked orders into the comms, then grabbed a high-powered sniper rifle himself. He took aim, but not at the boy on the roof. He knew better. He aimed for the limo's rear tires. Stopping the car was the only priority; once they were stationary, he could unleash his true ace, X-24.
The remaining SUVs fanned out in a pincer maneuver, pulling alongside the limo. Mercenaries leaned out of the windows, spraying submachine gun fire at Goku.
Seeing that the bullets were aimed solely at him and not the car, Goku decided to have some fun. He gripped his staff in one hand and used his free hand to "catch" the incoming fire.
His arm became a series of afterimages, plucking the lead projectiles out of the air with casual ease. Simultaneously, he used the Power Pole in his other hand to methodically swat the surrounding SUVs, sending them tumbling into the dust like broken toys.
However, as he demolished the last of the smaller vehicles, a single sniper round from Pierce—hidden by the bulk of the command truck—pierced the front tire. The limousine jerked violently, the rubber shredding as Logan was forced to bring the vehicle to a grinding halt.
The large command truck accelerated, pulling horizontally across the road to block their path.
"Doctor, it's time to let him off the leash," Pierce said, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. The pressure that boy exerted was suffocating; he wasn't fighting a mutant, he was fighting a force of nature. In all his years of hunting, he had never encountered anything this overwhelming.
"Don't worry," Dr. Rice said, his voice cold and certain. "My 24 will dismantle him."
The boy was strong—stronger than X-24 in raw power—but Rice believed that power wasn't everything. X-24 had indestructible Adamantium claws, a healing factor that bordered on true immortality, and the primal combat instincts of a peak Wolverine. He could outlast any opponent. The boy might catch bullets, but he wouldn't be able to catch Adamantium blades.
A button was pressed. The rear doors of the command truck hissed open. Out stepped X-24, a younger, feral clone of Logan. He unsheathed his claws with a metallic *shing*, his eyes burning with a mindless, bloodthirsty rage. He let out a gutteral snarl and lunged toward Goku like a starved wolf.
Logan climbed out of the driver's side, his own claws sliding out with a rasping sound. Laura mirrored him, her twin blades extending from her knuckles and a single spike from each foot. They prepared to stand with Goku.
"Careful, Son! This is the one Gabriela warned us about—X-24!"
"Please, stay back!" Goku shouted, his face splitting into a wide, joyful grin. "Let me fight him in a fair duel!"
Hearing that this was the "most terrifying master in the world," Goku felt his blood boil with excitement. He gave Logan a quick, polite bow of thanks and then charged straight at X-24.
To Goku, the previous skirmish had been a game, barely more taxing than dealing with the Red Ribbon Army. When the Red Ribbon had hunted him, they brought planes, tanks, and even the legendary assassin Tao Pai Pai, who had nearly killed him. He was craving that level of intensity.
Logan hesitated, then pulled Laura back. He wasn't a martial artist and didn't care for "fair play" or "warrior's honor." His philosophy was to kill the enemy as efficiently as possible. But he saw Pierce and several mercenaries emerging from the truck with rifles.
"Fine," Logan growled. "We'll hold off the shooters. Watch your back!"
He and Laura positioned themselves to protect the Professor and Gabriela. X-24 was Goku's for now.
...
In the center of the road, Goku and X-24 collided. Or rather, X-24 attacked, and Goku danced.
'Is this guy really a master?' Goku wondered, a look of confusion crossing his face. 'His stance is full of holes.'
Goku didn't go on the offensive immediately. Instead, he used his superior speed to weave through X-24's wild slashes, testing the "master's" rhythm. After a few exchanges, he felt a wave of disappointment. The clone's attacks were predictable, driven by raw anger rather than skill. His power and speed were... average.
If he had to compare, this "master" felt about as strong as the people Goku had met when he first started his journey with Bulma. The only dangerous things were the claws.
Logan had warned him to avoid them at all costs, and Goku obeyed—but it was easy. At X-24's speed, hitting Goku was like trying to catch the wind.
"I guess I'll get serious, then!"
Goku blurred. He performed an Afterimage Technique, leaving a shimmering phantom of himself in front of the clone. As X-24 buried his claws into the image's chest, the real Goku appeared in the air directly behind him.
Goku brought his elbow down with the weight of a falling star, driving it straight into the base of X-24's neck.
The impact was cataclysmic. X-24's eyes turned bloodshot, nearly bulging out of their sockets as he was slammed face-first into the dirt with such force that the ground cracked beneath him.
"What a weak master..." Goku muttered, landing softly.