Pikkon was very surprised that Tarble, who'd been hit by him, still hadn't fainted. His eyes became more determined, even a little fierce.
"How did you do that?"
"I'm a Saiyan too!" Tarble raised his body abruptly, finally standing up completely, and resumed his fighting stance.
His face was covered with sweat and his complexion didn't look good, but the aura around his body became stronger and stronger. The energy around him turned red as it soared, as if it was painted with a layer of crimson.
Krillin suddenly exclaimed, "That is..."
"That's right! Has he learned it too?"
"Kaio-ken!" Tien stepped forward involuntarily.
Raditz said nothing. He'd only taught the Kaio-ken to a few people on Earth half a month ago, but he hadn't taught it to Tarble. Could it be that Tarble had learned it in secret? It wasn't easy for this kid to learn the Kaio-ken on his own.
Looking at the flaming light around his body, it had reached three times Kaio-ken strength and was still improving!
"Pikkon, finish it now!" The West Kai shouted anxiously, waving his fists, impatient for victory.
The audience also shouted, banging on various noise-makers, cheering for Pikkon. The boiling crowd was as huge as a tsunami.
Pikkon didn't launch an attack, quietly watching Tarble improve his strength. He knew that no matter how much Tarble strengthened himself, he wouldn't be his opponent, but he still wanted to see how far the Saiyans could push their power.
Intense red light wrapped around Tarble's body. Kaio-ken was activated tenfold, and his strength was also ten times greater.
"Hah!" With the huge burden of Kaio-ken on his body, he had to fight quickly. Tarble rushed to launch a surprise attack! "I'm not weak—!"
His figure charged forward as he threw out his leg like a long whip, kicking toward Pikkon's head.
Pikkon actually reached out to block it!
BANG—
Arms and legs collided in a strong cyclone, and the venue shook again. In a very short time, Tarble withdrew his leg and spun around, launching another attack. Pikkon continued to block. The powerful impacts left deep holes in the ground.
Red light flowed as Tarble attacked frantically, flickering and jumping around Pikkon's body, attacking from all angles. Hundreds of punches and kicks flew, bombarding wildly and domineeringly. Majestic power was released, the air twisted in the collision, and the ground sank deeper and deeper.
The fluttering red light was like a devil's shadow, coming from all directions to engulf Pikkon.
"Ah, hah, hah—"
The audience was filled with flashes of red shadows and yells from Tarble. A series of blows sounded like beating war drums. Pikkon could only defend passively.
"What's wrong? Will Pikkon be beaten so badly by this kid that he can't fight back?!" The West Kai panicked, his expression changing drastically.
Were the so-called Saiyans really that powerful? He couldn't help feeling a chill in his heart.
The cheering audience was even more excited, letting out heaven-shaking cries that pierced clouds and cracked stones. Some cheered for Pikkon, and some cheered for Tarble's courage.
Gure stood up from the spectator seats, hands clenched with worry on her face.
"Don't worry, it's fine. Look, isn't Tarble winning right now?" Bulma put her arm around Gure and winked at her.
"Mm..." Gure nodded lightly, but a trace of uneasiness arose in her heart.
It seemed like Tarble had the advantage, but was it real?
Looking at the almost one-sided oppressive situation on the field, Raditz sighed with both relief and regret. "It's over."
"Uncle Tarble... is he at his limit?" Gohan also kept his eyes on the battle, seeing that the red flame of Kaio-ken was weakening while Pikkon's aura remained the same.
The explosive power of Kaio-ken was undoubted, but its shortcomings were also obvious. The user's physical strength would be consumed greatly, and the physical burden would suddenly increase. A series of crazy attacks was Tarble's way to prove himself, but also a desperate move. If he didn't attack, he'd have no chance at all.
"No way! It's obvious that Tarble's been attacking, and that green guy can only defend!" Zucara frowned, her face flushed with excitement.
Raditz shook his head. "It looks like Pikkon's being crushed and beaten, but he hasn't even moved his feet. He just wants to see how far Tarble's strength can go."
His footing? Pepara quickly turned her eyes to look, and her gaze froze.
Sure enough, Pikkon stood firmly in place during the turbulent attack, his body remaining motionless despite his robe flying and headband fluttering. Red light flew around his body, waves of fists and feet drowned him, and countless energy blasts poured down like a rainstorm, but he could block all the attacks with a wave of his hand!
It wasn't that Tarble was suppressing Pikkon, but that Pikkon was toying with Tarble. Just because Tarble's attack was too fast and powerful, most people couldn't see the truth of it.
No matter how violent the attack, there would always be exhaustion, and the Kaio-ken couldn't hold on much longer!
Finally, the red light around Tarble, who'd reached his limit, dissipated, and his body returned to its original state.
The attack stopped abruptly.
"Hah... hah..."
The air was filled with the sound of his panting. His arms were sore, his legs and feet were numb, his heart was beating fast, his brain felt hot, and his body was so weak he could barely stand.
But Pikkon was still very calm, walking slowly toward Tarble without having moved his feet throughout the fight.
"You are very powerful, and your strength rose to an unbelievable level in an instant, but you're still not my opponent." Pikkon extended his palm and released a ki blast.
The ball of light hit Tarble's body and sent him flying toward the edge of the field.
"It's not... not over yet! Kaio-ken times 20!" Tarble was pushed by the energy ball and flew out, but flames were still swirling in his eyes. Squeezing power from his very bones, he roared so hard his throat nearly broke.
Red light enveloped his body again—twenty times!!!
Even Raditz was taken aback.
The explosive Tarble deflected Pikkon's ki blast with his aura and recoiled at superhigh speed. Along the way, the air rubbed against his body violently, and the resulting heat flow slightly distorted space.
The moment he crossed the low sky, the planet trembled.
"BOOM!"
One blow—the ultimate blow made a thunderous noise!
The dazzling light made people miss the most exciting moment in the blink of an eye, but the result was obvious. Tarble still fell outside the ring and collapsed to the ground, unable to stand up again this time.
The winner was Pikkon. He stood still and seemed to have settled the battle with ease.
"Saiyan, I admire your tenacity." Pikkon turned his back to Tarble and said, "I take back what I said earlier. Your master taught you very well, and one day you will reach his level."
After finishing speaking, Pikkon turned and left from the side. The white robe behind him was "torn" and broken in half, with sparks flickering.
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