Panda 13: Chapter 13: Taira no Minamoto vs.
Panda “Panda, let’s just settle this with rock-paper-scissors.
Trading blows like this is just stupid.
I’m all for training, but Gojo-sensei making it a whole ‘Budokai’ is just plain embarrassing.” Taira no Minamoto stood in the center of the ring, rubbing his temples with a look of profound resignation.
Panda, however, was resolute.
He was already bouncing on the balls of his feet, his fighting spirit palpable.
“As much as I’d like to agree—since I never know what’s going on in Gojo-sensei’s head—I’ve actually been looking forward to crossing paths with you.
You exorcised that Semi-Grade 1 Curse like it was nothing, Minamoto.
Seeing the gap between us…
well, it lit a fire under me.
Let’s go!” Facing Minamoto was a Panda radiating pure battle intent.
Usually the most easygoing member of the group, Panda had been shaken by his own powerlessness during their previous mission when he couldn’t protect his comrades.
He was taking this seriously.
Minamoto dropped into a Bajiquan stance.
He didn’t even wait for Gojo to call the start—Panda lunged with speed that defied his bulky frame, throwing a straight punch aimed directly at Minamoto’s face.
As the cute, round panda-paw glove grew larger in his vision, Minamoto recognized the move: a “Panda-style Shoryuken” taught by Principal Yaga.
Minamoto parried the fist with an open palm, redirecting the momentum, and immediately countered with a punch to Panda’s solar plexus.
“Eat my Hadouken, Panda!” Panda didn’t bother defending.
He took the hit square on, his Cursed Corpse body barely registering the blunt force.
“Come on, Minamoto!
Give me everything you’ve got!
A man’s romance is defined by the impact of fist on flesh…
even if I am just a panda.” With that, blue Cursed Energy surged around Panda’s fists.
Every eye in the training ground was fixed on him as he closed the distance again.
The scene was both bizarre and hilarious: a massive panda charging like a wild bull, a heavy punch whistling through the air.
It was an earth-shattering strike.
Panda wasn’t holding back.
Even if he wasn’t human and didn’t fully grasp human emotions, he understood the gap between him and Minamoto.
He was willing to burn through his Cursed Energy reserves just to land one meaningful hit.
But Panda’s fist stopped dead.
Minamoto had caught the blow mid-air, his hand braced against the massive paw.
Panda stared in shock; Minamoto had neutralized a Cursed Energy-infused strike with nothing but raw, unreinforced physical strength.
Panda tried to throw a follow-up and jump back to regroup, but he found he couldn’t retract his arm.
Minamoto’s grip tightened like a vice, locking Panda’s wrist in place.
“My turn, Panda.” Minamoto blurred forward with ghost-like speed.
He seized Panda’s throat and slammed him toward the ground.
He drove Panda all the way to the edge of the training arena before unleashing a torrential barrage of heavy punches.
Minamoto had officially entered “Ora-Ora” mode.
Gojo watched from the sidelines, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
He hadn’t expected Minamoto to pivot to such a savage, unrefined style of brawling.
But Panda wasn’t the type to just take a beating.
A Cursed Corpse’s durability far exceeded that of a human.
Ignoring the storm of fists raining down on him, Panda forced himself to stand.
“You bastard!” Panda roared.
“Don’t look down on pandas!” The aesthetic of the fight shifted instantly.
The air was suddenly thick with “Araki-style” lines as the two began to trade blows with JoJo-esque intensity.
“ORA ORA ORA ORA!” Panda’s voice boomed as his fists tore through the air, leaving afterimages in their wake.
On the other side, Minamoto didn’t give an inch.
“MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!” Every single one of Minamoto’s strikes met Panda’s fists with pinpoint precision.
“Is that all you’ve got, Panda?
You’re almost out of Cursed Energy, aren’t you?
Just give up!” Minamoto shouted, the tension between them reaching its peak.
In the next heartbeat, the wind howled.
Capitalizing on Minamoto’s taunt, Panda caught a glimpse of an opening.
A massive fist loomed in Minamoto’s peripheral vision—the ultimate secret technique of the Hado-style: the Shoryuken.
Predictably, amidst the sharp pain in his jaw, Minamoto’s feet left the ground.
He traced a perfect arc through the air.
I can’t believe it, Minamoto thought as he floated through the sky.
That dorky-looking panda actually used a feint while I was talking?
Where’s the honor?!
I guess a follow-up combo is coming next…
Minamoto hit the ground with a thud, but the expected follow-up never came.
He decided to just lie there and play dead—after all, it wasn’t like he actually wanted those signed Gojo pin-ups.
After a few seconds, he peeked one eye open, only to lock gazes directly with Gojo Satoru.
Crap.
Plan ‘Slack Off’ is a failure.
He looked over at Panda, wondering why he hadn’t moved.
He realized the panda had poured every last drop of his current Cursed Energy into that last Shoryuken.
Minamoto sat up lazily.
“You ready to throw in the towel, Panda?
Or was that just the warm-up?” The dust settled, but the Cursed Energy didn’t dissipate.
Instead, it flared up again, more violent than before.
A pair of massive, rock-hard hands pushed through the haze.
Panda’s silhouette had changed.
His upper limbs were longer and more muscular; his fingers were thick and powerful.
His small, beady eyes had shifted into a predatory, glowing red.
Panda: Gorilla Mode — Officially On Stage!
Minamoto stared at the transformed Panda.
“Whoa.
We’re doing full transformations now?
Kamen Rider much?” Panda exhaled a cloud of hot breath from his fanged mouth.
“Normally, a Cursed Corpse has only one core—its heart.
But inside me, there are three.
By switching the primary core, my body changes to match.
‘Balanced Panda’ has left the building.
Now…
‘Power-Focused Big Brother’ takes the stage!” Panda let out a primal roar, beat his chest with both hands, and cleared the distance to Minamoto in a single leap.
He unleashed a Drumming Beat palm strike.
The impact sent Minamoto skidding back several paces.
Looking at his trembling hands, Minamoto sighed.
“You’re a sneaky one, Panda.
Casually ‘Disclosing your Hand’ like that for a power boost.” Panda played dumb.
“I’m a panda.
I don’t speak human.” Your Japanese is better than mine!
Minamoto thought.
“Fine then.
Let’s see it: Bajiquan vs.
Drumming Beat!” They both lunged at the same time.
The ground exploded into a cloud of dust the moment their feet left the dirt.
Drumming Beat met Pao Quan (Cannon Fist) head-on.
After several rounds, Minamoto found himself unable to gain an advantage.
Looking at his reddening palms, he finally dropped the playful act.
His face turned cold and focused as he looked at Panda.
“Here I come.” Panda tensed, falling into a defensive stance.
Suddenly, he felt a breeze.
No—not a natural wind.
The air smelled of Cursed Energy.
With his Cursed Corpse sensitivity, he realized the source of the pressure was Minamoto himself.
He saw it: Cursed Energy was cycling through Minamoto’s body, circulating with terrifying efficiency.
Minamoto’s muscles expanded visibly, and the Cursed Energy flowing around him began to coalesce into a localized field.
From the sidelines, Gojo watched with genuine intrigue.
This wasn’t the Simple Domain of the New Shadow Style, nor was it the Zen’in clan’s Falling Blossom Emotion.
Yet, the sheer volume of Cursed Energy being released was enough to fuel a genuine Domain Expansion.
This was Minamoto’s creation: a specialized “Simple Domain” based on the Qi Tun (Breath-Swallowing) technique of the legendary martial artist Li Shuwen.
Once an opponent entered the “Breath-Swallowing Domain,” their own Cursed Energy would be compressed, their senses would be clouded by Minamoto’s presence, and they would be forced into a state of high-stress vertigo.
Panda was swallowed by the expanding domain.
The wind howling around the training ground masked Minamoto’s position, and the chaotic flow of Cursed Energy made him impossible to track.
Then, Minamoto moved.
He appeared in front of Panda in a deep bow stance.
Three rapid-fire punches connected, sending Panda sailing backward.
All three of Panda’s cores were temporarily knocked offline.
Zen’in Maki recognized the move instantly.
It was the secret of the Bajiquan style—the ultimate technique: Mouko Kouhazhan (Ferocious Tiger Climbs the Mountain).
It was said to be a strike delivered in a state of oneness with heaven and earth.
A blow from the world itself.
At its peak, it didn’t just break bones—it could shatter walls, gates, and even the reinforced doors of a dojo with ease.
Winner: Taira no Minamoto.