"Piccolo, I didn't know you could transform too!" GT Goku said, amazed.
"Of course," Piccolo replied with a faint smile.
"Hmph. Nothing impressive," GT Vegeta said.
Vegeta gave the other version of himself a deep look.
He could say that after seeing Orange Piccolo?
Had this version of him already surpassed that level?
"Oh? Namekian, that form of yours is rather unique." Frieza sounded a little surprised.
Beerus's eyes widened too. He stared at Piccolo for a moment, then immediately turned to Whis.
Whis remained calm and said nothing.
"Whis," Beerus said, unease creeping into his voice, "that Namekian's ki is not low."
"Oh my. It certainly is not."
"That Namekian's ki is even above Son Goku's Super Saiyan God form," Beerus said grimly.
"Yes."
Beerus's face darkened. "Damn it. I actually thought that Goku fellow was the strongest one on their team."
Whis wisely offered no comment.
"Piccolo, you look kind of evil like that," GT Goku said with a laugh.
Piccolo had no response to that either.
"Oh my. Piccolo's power is higher right now," Vados said beside Ken, covering her mouth with a smile.
"Frieza only just achieved Golden form and hasn't stabilized it yet," Ken said. "He can't maintain it for long. So yes, unless something unexpected happens, Piccolo should win the first match."
"I thought so too," Vados said with a small nod.
Champa immediately grinned at Beerus. "Hear that? Even Ken says so. This match is ours!"
Beerus's expression grew heavier.
As a God of Destruction, he could naturally tell that Frieza's Golden form was unstable. Piccolo, meanwhile, seemed to have been using that Orange form for quite some time. The odds were not in Frieza's favor.
"Come on, Frieza," Piccolo said. "I'll end this quickly."
"That's my line!" Frieza snapped, rushing toward him.
Frieza's fist slammed into Piccolo's face. Piccolo's head only tilted slightly before he slapped Frieza hard across the cheek.
Frieza spun once in place, briefly dizzy.
Piccolo stepped in, grabbed the back of Frieza's head, and drove his knee upward.
Blood burst from Frieza's mouth as his face twisted in pain. Piccolo did not let go. He forced Frieza's head down and smashed it into the arena, leaving a dent in the ring.
Then he planted one foot on the back of Frieza's head and ground him against the floor.
Frieza screamed in pain, his rage boiling over.
His aura exploded. His tail lashed out and struck Piccolo's lower leg, and Frieza immediately tried to ram his head into Piccolo's stomach. Piccolo avoided it and chopped down with one hand, knocking Frieza back to the ground.
Frieza lay there, his entire body burning with humiliation.
Was he really unable to beat even a Namekian?
He was a genius.
How had this happened?
"Frieza, surrender," Piccolo said coldly from above. "Your old glory is gone. That gap must hurt, doesn't it?"
Frieza clenched his teeth.
Now Piccolo was attacking his pride too.
"I refuse!"
Frieza roared and sprang up.
The next instant, Piccolo slapped him across the face again.
Frieza crashed onto his back and stared dazedly at the empty sky above the ring, his eyes blank.
He was Frieza.
The former emperor of the universe.
How could he lose to a Namekian?
The golden light around him collapsed, and he returned to his final form. Strictly speaking, this was his true natural form, but at that moment Frieza felt nothing except despair.
For some reason, he suddenly thought of Vegeta.
Had Vegeta once felt this same hopelessness?
Frieza slowly turned his head and looked toward him.
Vegeta's brows pulled tight.
What was that supposed to mean?
Why was Frieza looking at him?
"Are you still going to continue?" Piccolo asked.
Frieza said nothing.
"Then I'll eliminate you."
Piccolo kicked him cleanly out of the ring. Frieza's body traced an arc through the air and landed outside the arena.
"The first match goes to Universe 6's," Ken announced from above the stands. "Universe 6 gains one point."
Piccolo bowed toward Ken.
Frieza rolled to a stop near Beerus, who was shaking with rage.
"Frieza, what did you promise me?" Beerus demanded. "You couldn't even beat a Namekian?"
Frieza did not answer. He simply lay there, staring at the sky with hollow eyes.
"You bastard. I was counting on you to win, and this is what you give me?" Beerus grabbed him off the ground, killing intent rising in his gaze. "Maybe I should just erase you."
Frieza hung limp in his grip, as if even destruction no longer mattered. His face held only endless despair.
"Don't, Beerus-sama," Goku said, stepping forward with a smile. "Frieza did his best."
Beerus glanced at Goku, snorted, and kicked Frieza away instead.
Frieza rolled across the planet several times before finally stopping. He remained on his back, staring blankly upward. After three seconds of silence, tears slid from the corners of his eyes.
Losing to a Saiyan would not have hurt this much.
The problem was that Namekians had never been a warrior race in Frieza's eyes. Once, to him, they were barely worth noticing.
And now one of them had beaten him half to death.
"Piccolo, nice work. That was just like you," Goku said with a smile.
Piccolo returned the smile faintly.
"But if Frieza stabilizes that form, you'll have a tough fight next time," Goku added.
"You're right," Piccolo admitted.
Goku turned toward Hit. "Hit, you're up next, right? Good luck."
Hit nodded without expression.
That Son Goku really was shameless.
What did he mean, Frieza didn't have a Hit?
What did he think Hit was?
On Universe 6's side, Bulma and the others cheered loudly, celebrating the first win.
"Beerus, your universe isn't looking too good," Champa said, grinning at him with the most annoying expression possible.
Beerus's face went black. "You bastard. What are you laughing at? That Namekian was originally from Universe 7!"
"He belongs to Universe 6 now. Gahahaha!"
Champa's laughter was so grating that even Ken felt the urge to punch him.
He held back.
They were on the same side for the moment. He would give Champa some face.
"Quiet," Ken said.
Champa slapped both hands over his mouth and did not dare make another sound.
"Now we move to the second match," Ken announced. "Universe 6's Hit versus Universe 7's Uub."
Hit and Uub walked toward the arena and stepped onto the ring side by side.
"Hey, kid," Beerus called to Uub. "Fight properly."
Uub looked over at him, unsure how to respond.
"If you win this match, I'll grant you any wish you want," Beerus said.
"My greatest wish was for Goku to come back," Uub replied seriously. "That's already happened, so I don't have any wishes left."
Beerus looked as if the universe had personally offended him.
"But I'll still do my best," Uub added with a smile. "I'll try to win."
"I hope you don't disappoint me," Beerus said.
"Hit, you're a native of Universe 6," Champa shouted from the side, glancing at Beerus first. "Don't embarrass us!"
Hit said nothing. His eyes remained cold.
"Uub, your opponent is strong," GT Goku called. "Don't get careless."
Uub nodded, his expression tightening.
"Begin!"
Uub immediately erupted with power, a bright aura flaring around him. Hit simply stood with his hands in his pockets, watching him without a trace of emotion.
That look alone pressed down on Uub like a physical weight.
His fists clenched, and his body trembled despite himself.
Who was this man?
Why did one look from him feel so terrifying?
Uub's heart tightened. For a moment, he could not bring himself to attack. He only stared at Hit, sweat forming across his face.
Hit still did not move.
At last, Uub gritted his teeth and charged with a shout, driving his fist toward Hit's face.
"Time-Skip."
Hit used his technique without hesitation and froze Uub in midair.
Then he kicked him hard in the stomach.
By the time Uub understood what had happened, the pain had already hit. He spat a mouthful of bitter fluid and flew backward, landing on both feet.
His face turned ugly as he steadied himself.
What was that?
He had not seen the attack at all.
Even GT Goku was stunned. He had not seen how Hit moved either.
"Vegeta, did you see that?" GT Goku asked.
"Hmph. No," GT Vegeta admitted.
GT Goku immediately ran to this timeline's Goku. "Other me, can you see how your universe's Hit attacks? Is it Instant Transmission?"
"I can't see it either. That's…" Goku started to explain, then caught himself. "I'll tell you after their match."
"Oh. Sure."
Beerus gritted his teeth, veins rising on his forehead. "I have a bad feeling."
Whis glanced at him and stayed silent.
"This match is probably lost too," Beerus said grimly.
"Oh my. I'm afraid so," Whis agreed.
Beerus glared at him. "Whis, at least say something to comfort me!"
Whis covered his mouth with a smile. "Beerus-sama, don't worry. Universe 7 will surely win in the end."
"Really?" Beerus brightened at once.
"That was the comfort Beerus-sama requested."
Beerus's face darkened again.
Back in the ring, Uub pushed himself up and charged Hit once more.
Hit punched straight forward, striking Uub square in the face. Blood burst from Uub's mouth as he fell back, his feet skidding across the arena before he managed to stop.
Fear filled his eyes when he looked at Hit again.
Hit flashed forward and appeared right in front of him so quickly that Uub could not react.
Three punches landed in a row, lifting Uub into the air.
Uub clenched his teeth through the pain and tried to counterattack, but there was no opening.
Hit appeared above him and drove a knee into the back of his head.
Uub cried out and slammed into the ring, unconscious before he could move again.
"Killing is against the rules," Hit said, looking toward Ken. "He's already unconscious. Does this count as my win?"
Ken smiled. "You can throw him out of the ring."
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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