Vegeta sat on the sidelines, breathing deeply against the cracked wall, and Tarble brought him a water glass.
"No need." Vegeta pushed away the water glass, his chest heaving up and down quickly, his face frighteningly pale. Tarble didn't know what to do for a while and felt awkward holding the water glass.
He knew his brother's goal had always been Kakarot and Raditz, and he was unwilling about losing this time. But his elder brother with such strong pride wouldn't accept his comfort at all, so it was better to stay quiet than do anything unnecessary.
It's just that the two of them neither made eye contact nor spoke, and it was really embarrassing to stand and sit there.
Tarble finally couldn't bear it anymore and turned to leave with the water glass in hand. Suddenly, Vegeta's voice came from behind him.
"Tarble, do well."
Still in a stern tone, with a rough voice, encouraging like a lecture. But Tarble turned around in surprise and nodded bravely. "Yes, brother!"
Soon, the staff cleaned up the arena, and the ruins became flat ground. Someone drew white lines on the border, symbolizing the edge of the ring.
Yamcha kept trembling with nervousness and fear, but finally got on stage.
As a martial artist, the tenacious Yamcha still used all his strength to attack, pushing the Kaio-ken that Raditz taught him to the extreme. If he'd met someone other than a North Galaxy fighter, he might have been able to advance to the next level. Who told him to meet Raditz?
After several rounds of confrontation, Raditz knocked Yamcha into the air with one punch, sending him out of bounds.
Yamcha was only slightly injured by the controlled punch, but it wasn't serious. Although he lost, he benefited greatly from the battle with Raditz and made progress during the fight.
Raditz advanced.
Next, most of the other galaxies would suffer. Nearly half the remaining fighters would face North Galaxy opponents. Except for Pikkon, most weren't opponents for the North Galaxy fighters, and fierce battles were rare.
"Hahaha, it seems our North Galaxy will be the winner." Seeing the one-sided trend of the battle, King Kai was already overjoyed.
The other Kais bit their lips tightly, sweating profusely. The South Kai couldn't even speak because all their galaxy's fighters had been eliminated. The unlucky South Galaxy fighters either met a North Galaxy Saiyan or met Pikkon, and were eliminated in an instant.
The only chance for victory was against the injured Goku, but even a weakened Goku could beat the South Galaxy fighters.
In the end, the furious South Kai slumped down in his seat, shaking his head and sighing bitterly.
The East Kai wasn't much better, his complexion getting worse and worse, but he breathed a sigh of relief, hoping the North Galaxy would eliminate each other again so he could reach the top four.
The only one who had a chance was the West Kai. He confronted King Kai head-to-head, his voice not loud but full of spirit.
"Our galaxy's Pikkon isn't a pushover, and the result isn't certain yet."
"You're thinking too much." King Kai put his hands on his hips. "Besides Goku and Vegeta, there are even stronger Super Saiyans. You don't understand how powerful our North Galaxy is."
"Arrogant."
The other three Kais said contemptuously in unison.
Contempt aside, they were more envious, each resting their heads on their chins, looking at the ring resentfully.
This time, North Galaxy's Tarble faced Pikkon.
"Pikkon, come on!" The West Kai yelled loudly, cheering for Pikkon. It wasn't really necessary, but the West Galaxy had been silent too long—he had to create some momentum.
Sure enough, when he yelled, the auditorium seemed to ignite like gunpowder, and they began beating and shouting, pushing the atmosphere toward another climax. When the West Galaxy shouted, the North Galaxy couldn't lose momentum, and their 5,000-person cheering section roared again, voices rising and falling like waves.
"It's that guy—damn it." Vegeta gritted his teeth and stood up.
Suddenly, Goku appeared beside him. "Yeah, he met the most difficult opponent."
"Don't talk to me." Vegeta turned half his body sideways and squinted at Goku. "Hmph. Kakarot, I didn't lose to you this time."
"I know, I know. This time was actually a tie." Goku said, waving his hands.
"Tch, I'll beat you next time."
Vegeta was inexplicably satisfied when he heard Kakarot admit the two had tied—after all, he hadn't lost. But he couldn't show it, so he continued ignoring Kakarot with a straight face.
The two stood a short distance apart, staring at the ring.
Pikkon and Tarble stood opposite each other. One just clenched his fists at his waist, his posture loose and seemingly full of openings, while the other stood in a fighting stance with feet positioned and hands raised in a serious guard.
The atmosphere was completely different.
Although Pikkon appeared loose and relaxed, as if every part of his body could be attacked, Tarble simulated dozens of attack methods in his mind—none of which would work. He'd seen his opponent's previous battle, sweeping everything like a storm with incredible speed.
Can't get through! Tarble made his assessment.
"What's your relationship with that person? The one with long hair." Pikkon looked to one side and asked Tarble.
Tarble was stunned—he hadn't expected Pikkon to ask this question. "He's my master."
"Master..."
Seeing Tarble's posture and remembering Raditz's performance in the battle against Yamcha, Pikkon had asked casually, but didn't expect Tarble to be Raditz's student. His eyes changed slightly, showing a bit more seriousness.
The gong sounded and the match began!
Pikkon took the initiative to attack, his long sash fluttering behind him and white robes rippling up and down, making a flapping sound in the wind. Very fast, but you could still see and feel the flow of ki!
Tarble was overjoyed. Suddenly white flames erupted around him as he clenched his fists and rushed forward.
The white light was like a shooting star tearing across the sky, flashing through the air in an instant toward Pikkon. And Pikkon's bird-like form was getting closer and closer to Tarble in the air—the two were about to collide head-on for the first time.
"Hah!" Tarble charged with everything he had, white light floating around his hand, and the impact energy exploded in layers of ripples visible to the naked eye in the air.
Tarble's expression suddenly changed after his punch. Joy faded instantly, and fear crept across his brow.
He'd missed. The Pikkon in front of him was just an afterimage. At the moment he'd punched, Pikkon had avoided the blow with superhuman speed.
A cold voice came from behind. "You haven't learned much—you're far too inexperienced."
Immediately after, a moderate chop hit Tarble's neck, knocking him to the ground. Pikkon walked toward the sidelines with slight disappointment. "The result can be announced."
"Wait." Suddenly, Raditz stopped Pikkon.
Pikkon turned his head and looked at Raditz.
"It's not over yet. If you leave now, you'll be counted as forfeiting." Raditz pointed to Tarble.
Following his gaze, Pikkon was stunned. Tarble, who'd been knocked to the ground by him, was tenaciously supporting himself against the ground and slowly climbing up. His legs and feet trembled with difficulty, but he didn't give up his efforts!
Tarble was also eager to become stronger, abandoning all previous prejudices and cold looks. For his own dignity, to protect the people he wanted to protect—to become stronger!
"I won't fall down easily. Let's continue." Tarble knelt on one knee with one palm still on the ground, but he raised his head and gritted his teeth to spit out these words