Vegeta flew backward, his face changing several times before he managed to land. He hit the ground on his feet, but his breathing had turned rough, and the way he stared at Hit carried a trace of genuine alarm.
"What? How is that possible?"
Hit still had both hands in his pockets, his eyes calm and faintly mocking.
Goku watched from the side, one hand under his chin. Vegeta had called this guy a bird-head, but Goku could not figure out how he had attacked. It had not looked like Instant Transmission. Not exactly. One moment Hit had been standing there, and the next Vegeta had been knocked down, even in Super Saiyan 4.
With a furious roar, Vegeta turned into a streak of light and charged again.
Hit kicked once.
The blow landed in Vegeta's abdomen, folding him over as blood burst from his mouth. Pain tore through his stomach, and he nearly dropped onto his rear, only catching himself with one hand against the ground.
Vegeta sprang back up almost immediately. His expression was ugly enough to kill. He wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb and saw fresh red blood on his skin.
Goku's eyes widened further.
He still could not see it.
Not at all.
How was Hit attacking?
Vegeta roared again and rushed in, but this time Hit met him with a storm of punches and kicks. For the next thirty seconds, Vegeta could barely even defend. Every time he tried to move, Hit was already there, striking first, cutting him down, driving him lower.
By the end, Vegeta lay sprawled on the ground, his vision blurry as he stared up at the purple sky.
Hit looked down at him. "Now tell me. Why did you call me that?"
"Damn it…" Vegeta trembled with rage.
"Do you admit defeat?" Hit asked. "If not, stand up and continue."
"Hakai!"
Vegeta's anger finally boiled over. A sphere of destruction energy formed in his hand, and he hurled it straight at Hit.
"Vegeta, don't mess around!" Goku shouted, panic slipping into his voice.
If Vegeta erased Hit, Universe 6 would be short one fighter. What were they supposed to use against Universe 7 then?
Hit's pupils tightened as the destruction energy rushed toward him.
"Time-Skip."
He vanished from the attack path.
The sphere flew past and struck a towering tree behind him. The enormous trunk disappeared in an instant, erased into tiny specks of light that scattered and faded without leaving even dust behind.
Hit stared at the empty space where the tree had been, his face shifting at last. "You… are you a God of Destruction?"
"Hmph. Of course." Vegeta forced himself up from the ground, breathing hard, his face pale but his pride still intact. He pointed a thumb at himself and sneered. "Not an official one yet. But I will become a very powerful God of Destruction one day."
"Vegeta," Goku said quickly, "don't point at yourself with your thumb."
Vegeta turned his head. "What?"
"You'll go down faster that way."
Hit's tension eased a little. "So you're not official. That makes sense. A real God of Destruction wouldn't be this weak." He shifted forward, his tone cooling again. "Just as your friend said, I'll make you go down faster."
Hit rushed in and beat Vegeta down with another flurry of blows. Vegeta's face swelled, his body crashed back to the ground, and he lay there groaning through the pain.
In his head, ten thousand insults stampeded over Kakarot at once.
That bastard.
He had brought the worst possible teammate.
"My turn! My turn!" Goku hurried forward and waved at Hit. "Hold on a second. I think Vegeta can still be saved."
Hit said nothing.
"I'm here to spar with you," Goku added. "Not for a fight to the death."
Hit still did not answer.
"Give me a second."
Goku crouched beside Vegeta and used his healing technique. The damage healed quickly. Vegeta's energy had not fully recovered, but at least his injuries were gone.
"Vegeta, are you okay?" Goku asked.
"Get lost. I don't talk to useless teammates," Vegeta snapped.
Goku scratched his head. "Why am I useless?"
"Don't talk to me."
"Do you have any advice?"
"No."
Goku stared at him for a moment, then sighed. "Come on. You could at least say something."
Across from them, Hit watched in silence, but then he seemed to remember something important. He looked back at Vegeta. "You can answer me now. Why did you call me that?"
Vegeta clenched his teeth, then abruptly turned to Goku. "Kakarot, before you fight, don't you need to take a leak?"
"Oh, right. I did drink a lot earlier." Goku slapped his forehead and nodded as if this were a perfectly normal reminder.
He ran over to a nearby tree.
Vegeta pointed at him. "Go look, and you'll understand."
Hit frowned.
He walked over, still suspicious, and looked down.
"You want to go too?" Goku asked warmly.
Hit's face went blank.
Absolutely not.
Then he saw it.
For one unbearable second, Hit felt as if lightning had struck the inside of his skull.
Why did that thing look like his head?
Why?
How was that possible?
His face went green.
"Huh?" Goku glanced at him while still taking his leak. "Why did your face turn like Piccolo's?"
Hit's mind nearly broke.
So that was it.
More than thirty years ago, the pink fat one had called him that. Hit had wondered about it ever since. He had searched across planets, asking people what kind of bird he resembled, and no one had given him an answer.
Now he finally knew.
It was worse than not knowing.
"I won't forgive you," Hit said, his anger rising fast.
"What? Why are you suddenly mad?" Goku asked, genuinely lost.
"Hurry up," Hit said through clenched teeth. "When you're done, I'm going to beat you properly."
They had gone too far.
They had compared his head to that.
"Almost done, almost done." Goku shook himself off, took a deep breath, and stretched like he was getting ready for a workout.
Hit's expression looked ready to crack.
"All right," Goku said with a smile. "Let's begin. Please take care of me."
"You can still smile?"
"Are you mad because I took too long?"
"Transform," Hit snapped.
"No need to rush that. Transforming uses a lot of stamina."
"You think this will last long enough for stamina to matter?"
"I haven't figured out how to beat you yet," Goku said honestly, settling into a stance. "So I want to watch a little more first."
Hit's anger eased despite himself. He gave a faint, cold smile. "You really are young. You reveal your intentions far too easily."
"I look young, but I'm not that young anymore. I'm almost forty."
"I'm over a thousand years old," Hit said.
"A thousand?" Goku straightened at once, startled. "Wow, you're way older than me."
His attitude changed immediately. Since this was still a match to him, he stood properly and bowed to Hit. "Then please allow me to say it again. I look forward to our match."
Hit stared at him.
Somehow, his mood improved.
This opponent was not bad.
He did seem a little slow, but Hit found that simple-mindedness oddly likable. It reminded him of Broly from long ago, though Broly had spoken far less. Goku talked much more than Broly did.
"Then I'm starting," Goku said, rolling his shoulders and loosening his fists.
He rushed toward Hit.
Hit struck first, a sharp punch landing cleanly on Goku's nose. Goku dropped out of the air, landed on his feet, and skidded backward nearly ten steps before stopping. Tears sprang from the pain as he rubbed his nose, but he was still smiling.
"Ow, ow, ow. I really couldn't see anything. And getting hit in the nose hurts."
"What's your name?" Hit asked, interest finally entering his voice.
"Oh, I'm Goku. That's Vegeta over there."
Vegeta's face darkened. "Kakarot, no one asked you to introduce me!"
"Goku," Hit said, nodding slightly. "I'll remember that. You should surrender quickly and tell me why you came here."
"Our reason for coming?" Goku blinked, then suddenly looked embarrassed. "Oh, sorry. I completely forgot to say something that important. We came here because—"
"Tell me after we decide the match," Hit said, cutting him off with a small smile.
"Okay." Goku rubbed his sore nose again, then grinned. "Then I'm going to take this seriously now. I think I've found a way to deal with that attack."
"Have you?" Hit's mouth lifted slightly. "You're bluffing. You will never break my technique."
"Let's find out."
Goku rushed in again.
Hit struck him in the face and knocked him tumbling through the air, but Goku recovered mid-spin and came right back. This time, when Hit's right hand shifted, Goku's eyes narrowed. He feinted with one fist, then sent the other toward Hit's face.
Hit used Time-Skip, but the instant his body returned from the afterimage, Goku's fist was already waiting for him.
Hit tried to evade, but he was a fraction too late.
Goku's knuckles grazed his cheek.
Vegeta stared.
His mood turned sour at once.
Why?
Why could Kakarot touch that bastard's face?
Goku laughed. "Heh. I got you."
Hit straightened and rubbed the sore spot on his cheek. "A coincidence."
"Maybe. Let's try again."
Goku charged.
Hit did not hesitate this time. "Time-Skip."
Goku's kick cut through empty air, but he flowed straight into an uppercut that caught Hit under the chin.
Hit cried out and staggered back.
"See?" Goku said, shaking out his fist with a grin. "I hit you again."
Hit retreated several steps, his face growing darker. Vegeta's eyes widened beside them, furious and confused in equal measure.
Kakarot.
That damn Kakarot.
Why could he hit the bird-head when Vegeta could not?
"How did you do it?" Hit asked.
"I still don't know exactly how you move," Goku said. "It's not even like my Instant Transmission. But I noticed one thing."
"What?"
"Your hands." Goku looked at the hands Hit kept hidden in his pockets. "You keep them in your pockets, and your coat hides your legs too. That's so people can't read your movements, right? But the motion you make before disappearing doesn't change. If I predict what you're about to do, I can attack where you'll be."
A bead of cold sweat slid down Hit's face.
This man's observation was sharper than he looked.
"Kakarot, you idiot!" Vegeta snapped, trembling with anger. "Don't explain it to him!"
"It's fine," Goku said, completely unconcerned.
Golden light burst around him, and he transformed into a Super Saiyan.
Hit's expression turned solemn. "Super Saiyan."
More than thirty years ago, Broly had taken this form on the stage of the God of Destruction Selection Tournament and shocked everyone watching. No wonder Goku was powerful. He and Broly belonged to the same race.
"From here on, I'll use my real strength," Goku said with a smile. "Here I come."
Vegeta stared at him in disbelief.
Kakarot, you bastard.
You only turned into a regular Super Saiyan. You call that real strength?
Hit's gaze sharpened. "What is your relationship with Broly?"
"You know Broly?" Goku scratched his head, though he did not look too surprised.
"I do. We fought once."
"You fought Broly?" Goku's curiosity shot up. "Who won?"
Hit smiled faintly and said nothing.
Goku nodded. "I get it."
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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