In an instant they were trading blows.
Caulifla had only just broken through to Super Saiyan Two, yet she held her own against Goku. For a newcomer, that was impressive. Faster by miles than Cabba's pace in the same universe.
But mastery takes time. Her control frayed first.
"Damn... I am running dry..." Caulifla panted, guard slowing while Goku kept pressing with bright eyes and quicker hands.
"Ha!"
He did not pull a single punch. His fists fell like rain. Caulifla could only brace and backpedal, her stamina draining one tick at a time.
"You got careless."
Goku snapped, then drove a heavy shot toward her gut.
Gooseflesh prickled across Caulifla's arms. A clean hit at his level would fold her.
A flare popped above Goku's head. An energy blast burst and showered sparks.
Boom.
Goku frowned and cut a look that way. He was annoyed now.
Saved, Caulifla gulped air, but there was no joy in her face. She followed his gaze to the source and saw a familiar silhouette.
Kale.
"Hey. What are you doing," Goku barked.
"I... I cannot let you hurt big sis."
Kale ducked behind a boulder, voice tiny and shaking.
"Tch. Sneak shots are what Saiyans hate most in a fight."
Caulifla had her wind back and her edge with it. She shot her own savior a chilly look. "Scram. This is not a place for you."
Kale's heart caved in like glass. The last little hope inside her went to dust.
"Sis... what did you say?"
Her eyes swam. Her voice cracked to a scream. Caulifla did not hear a word over the roar of clashing ki.
Kale's pupils unfocused.
All she could feel was the blame burning like acid. And all of it pointed at one man.
"Son... Goku."
The name tore out of her in a ragged roar. Her body curled in on itself. Something inside snapped.
For a heartbeat the entire arena seemed to hold its breath. Energy from everywhere bent toward her like pilgrims to a shrine. A green vortex howled into being.
"You took... my sister. Son Goku, I will kill you."
Kale's last restraint shattered. Her frame swelled, muscles ballooning. The slight girl became a two-meter juggernaut. Black hair bled to a vicious green. Her eyes turned pure white.
She threw her head back and roared. A pillar of emerald power split the sky. Stray blasts peeled off from the surge and hammered the platform at random, friend and foe alike.
Kale was gone to the frenzy. Only one thought remained.
Kill.
She tamed the torrent just enough to move. The blank white eyes swept the stage, found Goku, and fixed.
"Son... Go... ku. Unforgivable."
She vanished with a crack of air and reappeared in his face.
"Die."
The fist filled his vision. Goku got his arms up on instinct.
Crack.
Even in Super Saiyan Two he could not hold the weight. He blew backward, skidding and rolling until the force bled off. His hands trembled from the numb shock.
"Strong. Good. Come on."
He dropped into a stance, right fist at his hip, grin stretching.
"Careful, Kakarot," Vegeta called from his own fight with Cabba. He had to pause and look. The sight of Kale rampaging tugged at something old and ugly in his bones. The Saiyan Prince felt the prickle of fear and hated it. "Do not take her lightly."
"Ever think this is what Saiyans were at the start," he muttered under his breath.
"What," Goku said, not taking his eyes off Kale.
"Son Goku."
Kale exploded forward again. Goku slipped and slid through the barrage. Each punch that missed him cratered the floor and sent stone fans spinning.
"What power. So this is the true original Saiyan," Cabba whispered, hearing Vegeta's words as if from far away.
Kale finally got a grip on Goku's gi and hauled him up like a rag.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
She slammed him into the ground over and over, each impact carving a new pit.
"Damn."
Goku grit his teeth and burst into Super Saiyan Three, shaking free in a flash. He snapped a kick at her face and poured on speed, only for Kale, unhurt, to catch him again and drive him down.
Boom.
Tiles shattered. Kale dragged him along, gouging a raw trench.
Boom.
The next blast came from Goku, detonating at Kale's abdomen. He wriggled out of her grasp, flared to dart away, and she snatched him by the arm like a child and flung him.
He smashed through a thicket of boulders and vanished in a roiling cloud.
Fighters all around paused in spite of themselves. The noise, the shock, the sheer ruin of it dragged every eye in.
Blue light cut the smoke. Goku stepped out in Super Saiyan Blue.
"Nice. Let us see how many of your hits this can take."
Kale charged.
"Kamehame... ha."
Blue power speared across the floor and crashed into her.
The gasp that swept the stands was almost a single voice.
Kale did not budge. She leaned into the wave and walked through it, step by step.
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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