"Yes," Hit said.
He kicked Uub out of the ring.
Poor Uub had looked completely suppressed from the start. Against Hit, he could not stir up even the smallest wave.
"The second match goes to Universe 6's Hit," Ken announced. "Universe 6 now has two points."
Cheers erupted from Bulma's side of the stands again.
"We lost again!" Beerus clutched his head, his face turning uglier by the second.
"Wahahaha!" Champa's laughter grew even more obnoxious. "Beerus, if you lose one more match, your universe loses the tournament!"
Beerus glared at him, tempted to go over and beat the smugness out of his face.
GT Goku turned to Goku. "You can tell me now, right?"
"Hit uses Time-Skip," Goku explained. "He can stop time for a very short moment."
"He stops time?" GT Goku stared. "No wonder Uub couldn't land a hit. So that was time control."
"When I sparred with Hit, it gave me a lot of trouble too," Goku said with a laugh.
"Then let's move on to the next match," Ken announced. "The third match will be Universe 6's Vegeta against Universe 7's Goku."
"Huh? I'm up?" GT Goku pointed at himself.
"Good luck, other me." Goku patted his shoulder.
"Thanks." GT Goku nodded, his expression turning serious.
"Vegeta, you too," Goku added.
"Shut up," Vegeta snapped, glaring at him.
Vegeta and GT Goku stepped onto the arena one after the other.
"Heh. Fighting you is exactly what I wanted," Vegeta said, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"Then I'll have to give it my best." GT Goku stretched his arms and legs, loosening up before the fight.
The stands fell quiet as everyone focused on the two fighters in the ring.
Different timelines or not, these two were still eternal rivals.
"Why is the Goku from the other timeline a kid?" Krillin asked.
"I heard Shenron shrank him," Gohan said.
"So who are we supposed to cheer for this time?"
"Probably Vegeta," Gohan said, sweating a little.
"Right." Krillin scratched his bald head. "Cheering for Vegeta feels weird."
"Begin!"
Both fighters settled into their stances.
"Come on, Kakarot," Vegeta said, excitement burning in his eyes. "Show me what the other timeline's you can do."
GT Goku nodded, then vanished.
He appeared behind Vegeta in a flash.
Vegeta stayed calm, his eyes shifting back.
GT Goku threw a punch straight at Vegeta's backside. It was not exactly on purpose; with his current height, that was simply where his fist reached.
Vegeta dodged and kicked backward. GT Goku flipped away, rolling smoothly across the ring before springing forward again.
Their fists collided, forcing both of them back several steps.
In the next instant, they charged at each other again. Punches and kicks cracked across the arena as they blurred from one position to another. After several exchanges, GT Goku shot upward, and Vegeta followed close behind.
GT Goku brought two fingers to his forehead.
Instant Transmission.
He appeared behind Vegeta in an instant, but Vegeta reacted fast enough to kick backward, nearly catching him in the face.
GT Goku broke into a cold sweat and pulled away.
Vegeta snorted and accelerated. He caught GT Goku by the collar and slammed his forehead into his face.
GT Goku cried out in pain.
Vegeta followed with an uppercut to the stomach, then clasped both hands together and hammered him down from above.
GT Goku fell toward the arena, but just before hitting the ground, he twisted his body and landed steadily on both feet.
The moment he touched down, he vanished again and reappeared above Vegeta.
"Hmph. Kakarot, that trick won't work on me," Vegeta said, his face full of disdain.
"Tien, I'm borrowing your move." GT Goku laughed and placed his hands beside his face.
"Taiyoken!"
Blinding light burst from him.
Vegeta's vision went white, and for a moment his whole body felt wrong.
GT Goku used that opening to appear above him and kick him hard in the shoulder.
Vegeta dropped like a stone. As he neared the ring, golden light flashed around him, and he stopped in midair. By then, his vision had recovered.
"Not bad, Vegeta. Your reaction speed is really something." GT Goku did not press the attack. He slowly landed opposite him.
"Hmph." Vegeta rubbed his eyes, teeth clenched in irritation.
In the stands, the spectators were clearly impressed by the exchange.
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Tien in a long time," Krillin said, looking around and finding no sign of him.
"Yeah," Yamcha said. "He did say we probably wouldn't see much of him anymore."
"Good. Not bad." Beerus finally let out a small breath.
From the look of that exchange, GT Goku held a slight edge. Hopefully, this match would be Universe 7's first win.
"They're both doing quite well," Vados said with a smile.
"They are," Ken agreed.
Back in the ring, Vegeta and GT Goku stared at each other, both burning with fighting spirit.
"Kakarot, warm-up is over," Vegeta said.
"I was thinking the same thing."
"Use your real power," Vegeta said with a grin. "Transform. I want to see what the other version of you can become."
"All right. I'll show you a level you might never reach."
GT Goku smiled proudly, and his small body changed at once, growing taller and stronger. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into Super Saiyan 4.
Vegeta's eyes widened.
"Well?" GT Goku grinned, his voice now mature instead of childlike. "Never seen this transformation before, have you?"
Vegeta said nothing.
"Hahaha, Vegeta, what's that look?" GT Goku asked. "Did I scare you?"
Vegeta still stayed silent.
"This is Super Saiyan 4," GT Goku said. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do."
"See, Vegeta?" Goku called from below the ring, suddenly interested. "I told you that name was right."
"Shut up!" Vegeta barked.
"What do you mean, other me?" GT Goku asked, turning toward Goku.
Before Goku could explain, Vegeta transformed as well. Red fur spread across him, his tail swept behind him, and he entered Super Saiyan 4.
GT Goku stared at him, stunned into silence.
"Hmph. I can use this form too," Vegeta said. "Now do you understand why I kept my tail?"
"Tch." GT Vegeta looked annoyed. "Why can you transform like that too?"
Vegeta glanced at the other version of himself and did not bother answering.
"I really didn't expect this, Vegeta." GT Goku laughed and scratched his head. "I thought I'd be able to win this match pretty easily."
"Come on, Kakarot. We may both be Super Saiyan 4, but I'm stronger than you."
"I wanted to settle this quickly, but now this might get difficult."
Both Super Saiyan 4s took their stances.
"Oh my. The Goku from the other timeline transforms exactly like Vegeta," Vados said.
Ken said nothing. He had known from the start. Those fighters were from the GT timeline, and in that timeline, Super Saiyan 4 was the natural endpoint. In fact, the Vegeta he had been training all this time had taken inspiration from that very path.
"Still, Vegeta, you're impressive," GT Goku said. "In our timeline, Vegeta needs—"
"Kakarot," GT Vegeta cut in with a dark face, "leave unnecessary details out."
GT Goku nodded and stopped there.
Vegeta did not seem especially interested in what GT Goku had almost said. He knew Kakarot too well. Whatever that idiot was about to say, it was definitely nothing good.
"Ken, who do you think will win?" Vados asked.
"Didn't I say it before the tournament?" Ken looked at her.
"Say what?"
"Every match must be won," Ken said, his expression serious. "Anyone who loses will be erased by Broly personally."
Broly immediately cracked his knuckles nearby, looking almost excited as he nodded hard.
Vados fell silent.
"These are people I trained myself," Ken said calmly. "If they lose, they're making me lose face."
Vegeta had clearly heard him from the ring. Cold sweat slid down the side of his face.
If he lost, Broly would erase him personally.
That was brutal.
"Come on, Kakarot," Vegeta said, beckoning him forward.
"Right."
GT Goku rushed in without hesitation.
The two collided again. Fists and kicks tore through the air as they fought across the ring, trading thousands of exchanges in the span of moments. They battled from the ground into the air, then slammed back down to the arena, their auras surging outward in waves.
About five minutes later, their fists crashed together, and they finally separated.
Both had wounds on their faces. Blood ran from the corners of their mouths, yet both were smiling, their eyes filled with even more fighting spirit.
"Not bad, Vegeta," GT Goku said, exhaling slowly.
"Kakarot, no matter which timeline you come from, I will not lose to you."
"If we keep fighting like this, it might take hours to decide a winner," GT Goku said thoughtfully.
"Hmph. What are you trying to say?"
"After I went to the Dragon Realm, I trained seriously too," GT Goku said, his expression growing solemn.
"So you haven't been using your full power. Is that it?" Vegeta said, unsurprised.
"Hahaha. You really do understand me, Vegeta."
GT Vegeta's face shifted slightly.
Kakarot still had more?
That damn bastard. He had surpassed him again without even saying anything.
"All right," GT Goku said. "I'll end this as quickly as I can."
A greater surge of power erupted from his body.
In an instant, his hair turned red.
The gods watching from the sidelines stiffened, staring at him in disbelief.
"Oh my," Vados said, genuinely surprised. "That's god ki."
"It is," Ken said.
"To think Goku from another timeline developed god ki without an Angel teaching him," Vados murmured. "That is quite remarkable."
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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