HUM—
Zeltron stood in midair, hands folded over his chest as he slowly rose.
As he ascended, the suppressed ki within him began to leak out bit by bit.
Above Captain Ginyu's scouter, the displayed power level number climbed steadily:
15,000...
20,000...
30,000...
...
60,000.
Ginyu, knowing Zeltron's mastery over power control, removed his scouter and tossed it aside casually once it hit 60,000.
He understood the device was useless against someone like Zeltron.
At that moment, Zeltron's figure reached and hovered level with Ginyu's.
"UHHHHH..."
Ginyu sized him up from head to toe, a sly grin spreading across his face as a burst of coarse laughter escaped.
"Could it be...?"
"Is Captain Ginyu pulling out his usual trick?"
Hearing Ginyu's laughter, Jeice and Recoome glared upward from the ground, their faces twisted with glee.
To Jeice and Recoome, once Ginyu performed that trick, it meant the farce was over.
"I want your body!"
No sooner had Jeice and Recoome exchanged words than Ginyu's laughter stopped abruptly.
He suddenly fixed his grin on Zeltron and stretched his arms wide.
"EXCHANGE..."
Just as Ginyu's body radiated a strange light and he started to utter the word "Exchange", Zeltron's shadow blurred and disappeared from sight.
He reappeared behind Ginyu in the next instant.
Before Ginyu could react, Zeltron delivered a thunderous punch to his back, cutting off the swap.
"Exchange? Not on my watch."
BOOM—
Though Zeltron didn't unleash his full power, even at partial strength, his 43.16 million power level outclassed Ginyu's 120,000.
A muffled grunt escaped Ginyu, followed by a spray of blood as he rocketed like a cannonball in a diagonal arc, crashing into a lake below.
"What...?"
Jeice and Recoome watched from below, stunned to see Zeltron interrupt Ginyu's Exchange Body technique.
Vegeta and Son Gohan may not have fully understood Ginyu's intent, but Jeice and Recoome did.
As core members of the Ginyu Force, they had rarely seen Ginyu's Exchange Body technique fail.
But now, Zeltron's preemptive strike had neutralized the skill before activation.
Jeice and Recoome could only exchange startled looks—dumbfounded by the sheer speed and cunning.
"It's unbelievable that such a powerful foe can be sent flying with one punch!"
At that moment, Krillin, looking up, was filled with joy and amazement.
"Amazing!"
Krillin's excited praise drew a disgruntled grunt from Vegeta.
He was the Saiyan Prince, yet here was another Saiyan stealing the spotlight.
The humiliation stung deeply, and his unwillingness was obvious.
HUM—
No sooner had Krillin's words faded than a burst of light illuminated beneath the lake's surface.
Water surged upward in a perfect arc as Ginyu exploded from the depths in a blinding white flash.
He immediately lunged at Zeltron with rapid strikes.
BANG BANG BANG—
SHH SHH SHH—
"So fast, completely invisible!"
"What incredible speed!"
Krillin and Son Gohan, eyes wide, watched the lightning-fast aerial duel above them—only hearing the sounds of combat, unable to see the fighters' movements.
This perplexed not only them but also Rapp and Toss nearby.
Vegeta, standing at the edge, could barely perceive dark, flickering shadows jumping across the sky.
BOOM—
Zeltron and Ginyu clashed at blistering speed. Suddenly, Ginyu appeared to be struck hard, his form blasted backward.
This time, luck didn't favor Ginyu; he plummeted crashing toward the ground.
BOOM!
When Ginyu slammed into the earth, a titanic explosion shook the battlefield.
A shockwave of force rushed outward, buffeting the spectators.
Burter and Guldo, lying nearby, were lifted off the ground by the blast.
The weakest, Toss, struggled against the force, his figure jerking as if about to be thrown backward.
Just as Toss staggered, Rapp rushed to his side, hands firmly pressed on Toss's back, stabilizing him.
"What a terrifying battle..."
"If we stay here much longer, we'll suffer the effects too!"
Krillin planted his arms forward, bracing himself.
"Gohan, retreat!"
As the shockwave faded, Krillin took to the air first and called to Son Gohan.
They flew swiftly, putting distance between themselves and the violent scene.
Though Vegeta's pride gnawed at him, he too realized he had no room to intervene.
"Prince Vegeta, want to run now?"
"Have we not finished our fight yet?"
Vegeta, Son Gohan, and Krillin took a step forward together. Recoome was quick to pursue, moving behind them in hot pursuit.
HISSS—
In less than a blink, Recoome appeared directly before Krillin and Son Gohan, blocking their path.
"Damn it!"
"We can only fight!"
Krillin and Son Gohan put some space between them and Recoome, bracing for battle.
Vegeta also joined the fray, turning the fight into a fierce three-on-one.
After the dust settled, a massive crater marred the ground—a crater large enough to resemble a Universe ship smashed from the sky above.
"Captain Ginyu!"
Jeice's voice rang out urgently, eyeing Ginyu who lay in the crater, heavily scarred and battered.
No longer the imposing captain who first arrived, Ginyu now seemed broken and embarrassed, his body covered in wounds.