I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.
Chapter 84: Dark Tourney 7: Icy Maiden
"And now, the third match of the semifinal, D versus Selffur. Ready, set, go!" Juri announced. Verto didn't budge an inch from his standing position as Selffur dared to inch closer.
"I hope you don't actually think that I will be as easy to defeat as Dorit and Frit. They're young and foolish, allowing their weaknesses to overcome them so easily. I have many seasons of training and battle to draw from," Selffur claimed.
Verto snorted lightly, "You'd be surprised then how many times I've seen the words old and fool go together. Probably close to a thousand times or so, guess I'll count you as a thousand and one."
"Clever, but words won't win this fight!" Selffur's aura exploded to life, shooting out random bursts of gold and blue as Juri was sent flying from the ring once again. Verto sensed both ki and Psi being emitted at the same time, though there was no indication of any transformation on the way.
His energy is unbalanced, there's an uneven amount and it's not in sync, so he most likely won't be combining it or anything. Still, he has enough of both to give me some trouble. The question is what kind of special abilities does he have? He's the other one that I haven't figured out yet, so it could literally be anything. Verto remained steady as his slightly calmer blue aura made itself known again.
"Wow! Both of these fighters are emitting so much spirit energy all at once! I can't wait for the mayhem to start!" Koto declared.
Selffur grinned at this, "You heard the lady."
Verto nodded, "Your move." The ring under Selffur's feet scattered in nearly all directions as he blazed a path towards Verto. He pulled back during the charge, punching forward at the last moment. A bright shockwave blinded all momentarily, clearing up long enough for the crowd to see that Verto had blocked Selffur's punch with his bare hand. They locked eyes, staring each other down with utter seriousness. Another flash went off and stuck around as both fighters engaged in a flurry of melee combat. The action was a blur to most of the audience, save for a few of the stronger ones. Dozens upon dozens of smaller shockwaves shook the arena, causing some of the spectators to duck for cover due to falling debris. Piccolo remained steady as his eyes shifted in turn with their movements.
That's it kid, make him come to you. Don't take the offensive until you've dissected his movements. He's obviously a more complete type of fighter, but your level of defensive skill can overcome his attacks.
"It's incredible people! Selffur and D are fighting at such an intense pace that none of us can keep up! This is definitely one fight that we'll all remember!" Koto shouted. Only gasps and quiet sounds of jaws dropping could be heard under the louder impact waves of power coming from the arena floor. Kurama was the only member of Team Urameshi watching and he was left at a complete loss for words. The other members of Team Toguro seemed amazed as well, though with the large man Bui, one couldn't tell. In the erratic white ball of energy, Selffur attacked with relentless punches and kicks, all of which were being deflected, blocked or dodged by Verto with apparent ease.
It went on for easily five minutes and Selffur threw all kinds of feints, misdirection and spinning movements into his attack. None of this even made Verto falter. Selffur began to grow impatient, and Verto started seeing sloppy openings in his fighting style. He waited until Selffur put far too much force into one of his punches before he made a move. Verto narrowly ducked under his fist by hair lengths before charging into Selffur's momentum and burying his own fist into the torso. Selffur came to a complete and sudden stop as his stomach tried to go one way while his body went the other. Verto pulled back and phased out, smashing the back of Selffur's head with his fist. Selffur tumbled out of the ring and dropped face first into the ground. Massive groans and crowd noise followed once the demons realized what had happened.
"After several minutes of pulse pounding action, D has floored Selffur with two brutal hits. This fight looks over to me, I don't think Juri even needs to count!" Koto announced. Verto floated over to the ring's edge and carefully watched Selffur's motionless body for any signs of movement. There were none, but he still sensed plenty of energy present.
Juri reached the count of six when Verto held up his hand, "Don't bother."
"I still have to do my job, and my job is to count him out since he doesn't appear to be dead," Juri claimed.
"Hold that thought, he isn't done yet," Verto replied.
Juri scowled, "He's not moving and he's out of the ring. Seven…eight…" Verto grimaced and continued his mile-long stare, knowing that something wasn't right.
"Nine…Ten!" A fist suddenly plowed into Verto's face uncontested, sending him tumbling to arena floor. He was up to one knee quickly as he held his dented face, glaring back at whoever had done the deed. Selffur was standing where he had been, grinning like he had won the lottery.
Verto's glare narrowed, How? He couldn't be that fast. Not after I just got done avoiding all of his offensive patterns, unless he was holding back.
"What the? At the count of nine, Selffur moved so fast that no one saw him until he had already counterattacked. What a recovery!" Koto said.
Selffur laughed aloud, "I suppose you're all wondering what happened."
Verto spat blood from his mouth, "Something like that."
"I'll give you a hint, you won't be able to block the next hit, no matter how fast you are," Selffur declared.
Verto's eyebrow shot up, "And just how is that?" Selffur didn't answer and stepped closer. Verto watched him closely for any signs of his movement, sensing a slight build up of energy coming. All of a sudden, Selffur was gone in an instant, and Verto completely lost track of him. He glanced around the entire area, but saw no sign of him despite the energy he sensed. Just as Verto jumped back into the ring, Selffur appeared in the same place he had been before.
Teleportation technique? It might be, but he never left and his energy remained in place. Selffur faced towards Verto, and he was suddenly in the younger fighters' face. Verto backpedaled to counter, and Selffur was gone again. Verto was nailed by a kick to his back from behind, and he hit the ring surface hard. Damn it, I can't even see his blows coming, and his energy signal never moves either until he's already hit me.
"Do you get it yet?" Selffur asked.
Verto rubbed his back slightly as he got back up, "Can't say I have. Maybe a few more will do it."
Selffur chuckled, "Ask and you shall receive." Verto watched carefully as he felt a distinct buildup in energy, and then he was hit in the face by another punch. This time it had come from the front, and again, Verto could do nothing to counter it. He fell backwards and lay on his back for a moment as he slowly recovered from the blow.
Selffur stood over him with his arms crossed, "Give up." Verto didn't move while Juri began the count.
Alright, that isn't speed. I can sense that his energy has dropped off now that he's used whatever this is. Verto aimed a kick at the lower regions, and hit air when Selffur vanished again. Verto's eyes narrowed when he couldn't see the movement at all. He got back up and wiped his bloodied lip as he glared daggers at Selffur, who was standing by on the other side of the ring.
"Alright people, we're going to get to the bottom of this. Here's an instant video replay of Selffur's last ring out when Juri was about to finish her count," Koto declared. The action stopped long enough for Verto to observe it, though Selffur seemed confident to let this happen anyway. The video slowed at the count of eight seconds and focused on Selffur's prone body. At exactly nine point seven seconds, Selffur vanished completely. It was rewound back to nine point six nine to show Selffur was still there, and then he was suddenly gone. A different angle showed Verto watching intently at nine point six nine seconds, and his face being smashed at nine point seven. Verto's fist cinched up tightly as he turned and glared sharply while the crowd gasped. So that's what this is, just like that green slime ball from the Ginyu Force.
"Even our extra slow replay couldn't catch Selffur's movement. Insane!" Koto shouted.
"It's a time disruption technique. You can stop an instant in time and move independently from everyone else," Verto said.
"Very good my friend, I was wondering when you'd figure it out. Now you know why you can't beat me," Selffur claimed.
"I wouldn't say that just yet. All you did was punch me a few times, you'll have to hit me harder than that. But I am surprised that you tried to fight me straight up if you had something like this to rely on," Verto admitted.
"A trick like that takes a lot of energy. Besides, it only works until I disrupt the environment in any way. Knocking your head off for example," Selffur pointed out.
Verto smirked, "You shouldn't have told me that. Because now I know that there won't be any surprise energy blasts coming my way that I can't dodge. As for your time trick, I think I know a way around that."
"Even if you can dodge a surprise blast, catching you off guard enough times will cause enough physical damage to wear you down. After that, it's only a matter of time," Selffur said.
"Assuming you can cause enough physical damage. Because these weak ass punches of yours won't do it. I can take those all day, and I think you'll run out of energy long before that," Verto challenged. Selffur scowled and fired a quick golden ki blast. Verto's Psi shield appeared and reflected it back at Selffur. Just as the blast would have hit, Selffur vanished again. When he did, Verto's blue shield lit up from contact behind his head.
Verto turned to see Selffur pulling back in surprise, "Look at that, I found a counter." Verto held out his palm and fired a blast through the shield at Selffur. He vanished again, but this time reappeared on the other side of the ring. He was panting slightly now, and Verto sensed that his Psi energy had dropped quite a bit. His ki hadn't changed much yet, so he still had plenty to give. Alright, that technique eats up his Psi energy fairly quickly. I'll have to carefully tempt him into using the rest of it up, but he's unlikely to if he thinks my shield will be up at all times.
"That shield of yours is troublesome. It appears that I'll have to force the issue. Prepare yourself boy, for I do not like having to resort to this next technique. It will destroy you if you take it head on!" Selffur declared. Verto remained steady as his shield grew brighter in anticipation. Selffur held his hands out in a blasting pose and began charging his attack. Verto sensed a generous spike in both his ki and Psi energy, and they were coming together in his palms. His eyes widened as the green energy sparked with unstable lightning.
Aw crap, so much for no Chi-based attacks. This guy knows what he's doing. Selffur's arms shook as the blast grew in size before he released it. The blast shot towards Verto's shield, smashing into it and struggling for control as it pushed forward. Verto held his hands up, feeding energy into his spinning shield as Selffur's Chi blast ripped into it. Despite this, his shield started to waver quickly, prompting Selffur to suggest action.
"Give it up kid, you won't withstand this! Surrender while I can still stop it!" Selffur shouted. Verto's glowing hands sparked as a large blue sword emerged and his shield faded completely. Verto openly blocked the blast with his thick blade, struggling as the sword tried to bend back into its owner. Verto cringed as his feet skidded along the rocky ring surface and he reached the edge. His eyes went down and he saw the chance suddenly as the green blast was starting to overwhelm him.
"Kaio-ken!" he shouted. Darker hues of vivid blue poured off him as he jumped down to the ground and swung his blade upwards. Selffur's Chi blast arced into the high ceiling and broke straight through, exploding outside and shaking the entire island. Once the coast was clear, Verto sighed and climbed back into the ring, staring a hole through Selffur's shocked form. He gazed at his hands for a moment before staring back at Selffur, who was at a loss for words.
Wow, I barely felt the increased strain. Looks like reducing the amount of energy I can put out here allows me to use Kaio-ken more than I should be able to, add to that the lack of ki to use. I might be able to handle a triple if I have to resort to it.
"H-How did you do that? Your power just exploded out of nowhere. And you countered something that very few of us can even attempt!" Selffur stuttered and sweated nervously.
"I have my secret techniques just like you do. And I'm very familiar with what you tried to do, too bad you suck at it. You're the one who should be giving up now, because your Psi energy is almost gone," Verto said sternly as he allowed his sword to vanish.
Selffur's expression changed to that of anger, "You really think that was my last shot? I'll show you how it's done you little brat!" His eyes flashed with red fury as his energy shifted again.
Verto cautiously backed into his stance, Here we go again, I pissed another one off. Selffur remained in a power-up pose as his energy skyrocketed and his red aura started ripping up the grounds. His body shook painfully as bursts of lightning arced off him in long bolts. They randomly struck single demons in the audience, causing them to literally flame out.
"Get a hold of yourself moron!" Verto shouted at him.
Selffur stopped momentarily, "That was just for show, now I'll take this to a new level!" Another aura shot up around Selffur, a golden one made of ki.
"No Selffur, you know you can't withstand that!" Laysh screamed at him.
"Stop you fool!" Frit added.
Verto's eyes shot open in realization, Don't tell me he can transform? The grounds shook violently as Selffur's body fluctuated and his hair started to change color. To Verto's surprise, Selffur's energy was converting to Chi, but it felt incredibly unstable compared to his. The amount of Psi in comparison to his ki was nearly triple, but Verto could still feel the changeover happening. Selffur's hair shifted colors to a bright red and spiked up wildly as his eyes became fully black as night and he grinned evilly.
What kind of form is this? Maybe it's an early stage of a demon transformation or something. It feels eerily similar to what happened with Lenz.
"Now, little boy, let's see if you can stand up to me," Selffur declared in a darker toned voice.
Koto blinked sharply, "What is this people? Selffur is emitting such strong demon energy that I have to wonder just what he is? Whatever it is, it can't be good for D!" Reddened Chi swirled around Selffur and strayed into the stands, evaporating demons left and right upon touching them.
Unstable Chi, it's torching souls just from exposure. And he can control it, that is not a good combination. Selffur's wicked grin remained as he charged at Verto, his hand lit with red hot energy. Verto powered up and glided to his side, away from Selffur as he rushed in. Selffur stopped momentarily, long enough to fire a large, deadly blast. Verto prepared his own blast and fired with both hands, leading to a collision of red and blue energy at the ring's center. What was left of the cracked ring quickly began to disintegrate in the struggle for domination. Selffur's red blast started to overwhelm Verto's quickly, pushing the blue energy back into Verto's face. Alright, I can't hold back on this one. One level of Kaio-ken isn't going to do it either, time to get up the ante!
"Kaio-ken times two!" Verto's power exploded, sending wave after wave of blue energy surging back towards Selffur, who couldn't get out of it's way. The blast tore through nearly an eighth of the stadium, though that part was already empty due to the fights earlier. A sizable hole of daylight changed the lightning of the arena once the blast cleared, and it revealed that Selffur was down.
"Wow, such raw power! I love it!" Koto clamored. Juri started the count while Verto caught his breath uneasily while watching for signs of life from Selffur. Those signs came at the count of five, and he got up quickly. His energy had taken a dive and he looked furious to say the least. He launched back into the rubble filled ring, looking as if he were a wild beast on a rampage.
"You, little bastard! Who do you think you're trying to toy with? You think I can't get stronger too? Quit holding back and show me what you've got!" Selffur ordered.
Verto shook his head slightly, "I'm not holding back you damned fool. I can't do that for very long."
"Fine, I'll make you!" Selffur's red Chi erupted again and his power shot up, blasting more random demons with its deadly bursts. The temperature also rose violently, and Selffur's skin started to glow red hot. Aw hell, now what? Verto sensed a dangerous amount of energy building up, as if Selffur was trying to power-up well beyond his limits. He screamed painfully as his skin appeared to catch fire.
"Stop!" Laysh shouted as she tried to step forward before Chal held her back. Verto watched in horror as Selffur's hands and feet began to flake away as red hot cherries. A thin line of red-orange proceeded this, enveloping his forearms and calves quickly before they too flaked away.
He's overloading. His own energy is consuming him. The fire crawled up his arms and legs, reaching his torso quickly as he slowly but surely burned up. His energy remained high until this incineration reached his head, and he stopped long enough to gasp for breath despite the lack of lungs. Just as the rest of Selffur's body burned up, the energy detonated in a potent but calmer shockwave that was enough to knock Verto down, along with everyone else in the stadium. Once it cleared, Selffur's energy completely faded and a hush fell over the arena. Verto stepped over to what remained of Selffur, which was a pile of ashes scattered about the rubble. Juri picked herself off the ground and came over to examine this as well.
"Is he…" Juri started to ask.
Verto nodded grimly, "Yeah, he's gone."
"The winner by death is D," Juri said into the microphone before backing away. Only a cracked perimeter of the ring remained, the rest resembled a donut hole. I see why they wanted me so bad, so they wouldn't blow themselves up attempting a transformation. Although, this seemed more like he was trying to use his rage to pull up as much power as possible and it snowballed on him. Chal approached the ring edge with a deep frown, as if he felt responsible for what happened. Verto eyed him carefully, wondering if he was going to take charge of the fight yet.
"Such a waste, Selffur was one of our oldest and most talented fighters. Just a step behind you I suspect," Chal admitted.
"Not even close, he torched himself with his own power. He had no control once he got lost in his own rage," Verto replied.
"Yes, he was a fool to think he could take things as far as you. He has always had the most control over his power, perhaps that led to overconfidence in his own abilities. This is why we need your help, to prevent things like this," Chal reminded.
"And I'm not saying I won't help you. But you've got to stop being so reckless. Invading other worlds to get what you want isn't right," Verto scolded.
Chal shrugged, "If it gets things done. I guess we can agree or disagree on that front. But one way or another, you will join us when this is over, I can see it in your heart and mind." Verto sensed a strong energy spiking from Laysh, whose tail was lashing at the air violently as she straightened her gloves.
"Looks like you've angered her, I wouldn't suggest that normally. My mate can be a bit overbearing," Chal claimed.
"She's your wife?" Verto asked in surprise.
"It's not official yet. But you should know that Selffur was her teacher, and she can be quite vengeful. You will not have an easy time," Chal warned.
"So far, so good for Team Toguro in this gauntlet challenge. Contestant D has defeated three members of the exceptional Team Gorenja. Can he keep this winning streak going? It's time to find out as he faces the only woman among the group. Don't let her good looks fool you guys, that's one chilly fish to thaw!" Koto announced. Laysh threw a menacing glare at Koto, who gasped and shut off her microphone before she said anything else.
"I'll give you the same courtesy that I gave the others. Quit the match now before you get hurt. I don't like to go after women, but you're in my way and I won't hesitate," Verto warned.
Laysh smirked, "Oh, a gentleman. Well not to worry, I'll make it quick, but it won't be painless."
Juri cleared her throat, "Ahem! Laysh from Team Gorenja versus D from Team Toguro, let the match begin!" Laysh's blue hair waved around in the air as her blue-white aura pushed it around. Bright blue sparkles came up around her as her aura died off, creating a stunning visual effect that seemed to make her shine with beauty.
"Any time little boy, I'm ready," Laysh challenged. Verto was tempted to charge in for a head-on attack, but thought better of it and remained still. He didn't know what the purpose of the sparkling blue energy was, as it felt very strange.
She's got more energy to use than the last one did before he lost control, and I doubt she's going to burn it up as quickly. I have to be careful, who knows what kind of ice techniques she's going to throw at me, assuming that's all she uses. Verto elected to fire off a simple energy bolt, one that Laysh didn't attempt to dodge. It turned out that she didn't need to. Verto's blast stopped short just past her sparkly, swirling aura, and it froze into a thick icicle. Laysh then allowed it to drop to the ground, where it shattered and slowly melted off. The energy Verto had used for the attack remained however, and was pulled up into the sparkling swirl, making it more defined.
Verto stood up straight and grimaced, It's some sort of invisible cold barrier that freezes anything that comes through it. And to top it off, she's able to steal the energy I used in that blast. This is not going to be easy.
"I take it by the expression on your face that you're impressed by my Zotto-Koutetsutechnique, and since you probably don't know that that means, you can just call it Shivering Armor. Yes, I find it quite useful. Your attacks may or may not get through, but even if they do, they will slow down and freeze, no matter how much power you put behind them," Laysh explained.
"I don't use moon-speak or whatever language you use to communicate, so I really don't care what you call your moves. And you're not the first one I've met that uses freezing techniques, so it isn't anything I haven't seen," Verto replied.
"If you're comparing me to that weak little imp from one of those earlier teams, I assure you that he doesn't compare," Laysh said with a deep grin. Verto smirked back as he prepared a slowly spinning blue ball of energy.
"Go ahead, see if that wimpy blast does any good," Laysh dared.
"Actually, I just figured I'd give you a taste of your own medicine. Psi Freeze!" Verto shouted. Laysh frowned slightly as his blast hit her nearly invisible barrier and popped like a balloon. A quickly spreading swath of ice appeared and surrounded her with a thin but well defined wall of frozen blue.
Verto didn't waste a moment and charged in with his fist glowing brightly, "Galic Fist!" He punched through the ice wall easily, but found that Laysh had something else in mind as his fist went right to her outstretched hands.
"Koori-Kometoo!" A broad swirl of energy formed before shooting out and becoming a large ball of ice just as Verto's fist smashed into it. The resulting flash of energy produced an incredibly chilly wind that brought with it a cold, blurry fog. When it faded, a wide area of frozen ground was left behind, spanning nearly twenty feet in a semi-circle. The only spot left unaffected was behind where Verto was standing. He pulled back, taking note of the fact that his forearm and hand was covered in a light coating of frost.
"Lucky! If you hadn't released your attack's energy, that would have completely frozen your body over! Koori-Kometoo, or the Ice Comet, is one of my favorites!" Laysh claimed. Verto brushed off the melting moisture and considered his next move.
Alright, that wasn't such a good start. She was able to counter me after I negated her barrier, not good. And she's probably got another ace technique or two in the hole. I doubt she's going to attack directly though, not when she can use her freezing techniques to slow me down or worse at range. I'll have to be careful here and counter her move for move. She probably uses those weird attack names to throw opponents off, I wouldn't be surprised if she started switching them around.
"Not sure what to do? I'll give you a hint, it's called give up. You know, what you told me to do," Laysh suggested.
"I'll pass thanks," Verto said.
"Tsk, tsk. I guess I'll have to turn this up a notch," Laysh declared. She crossed her arms in front of her as if she were trying to defend against an attack that wasn't coming. Verto sensed her energy building up quickly, and the air temperature dropped like a rock. Verto backed up a step in slight caution, unsure what was coming at first.
Laysh smiled lightly as she threw her arms out wide and released her attack, "Shinsei Toukan!" Verto didn't recognize the name of the attack, but he certainly knew what its effect was going to be when a circular burst of cold energy came at him fast. The pit they were standing in glazed over in a hurry, followed by the ring perimeter. Laysh's eyes narrowed upon seeing a nearly perfect sphere of ice around where Verto had been standing.
"Oh my, Contestant D has been frozen solid in a block of ice! We saw this in the previous round and it certainly didn't bode well for Team Gokai Six! Is the fight over?" Koto asked the crowd. Laysh eyed the icy sphere for a brief moment before holding her hands outward, aiming for it. Another broad swirl of energy gathered, darkening a bit as her icy comet technique took full form. She jumped backwards while holding onto her attack, landing on the ring edge as she prepared to fire. The sphere around Verto began to crack just as the inside started to glow bright.
"I have you now, Koori-Kometoo!" Laysh shouted, firing her technique. It came out of her hands at high speed, leaving a cold energy tail behind it. Just as she launched the attack, the sphere broke apart, sending ice chunks into the air.
Beneath the sizable chunks, Verto was holding a charged beam in his hands, "Kamehame…HA!" Verto fired the beam straight at the icy comet, and braced for what might be the deciding clash of the battle. The two attacks did clash for about half a second before detonation. The resulting explosion wasn't as big as one might have thought given the energy output. The crater it left behind was a dazzled mixture of charred and frozen streaks. Verto stood slightly stunned at the effect that their brief collision had.
That technique can stop a Kamehameha with that much power? That's a problem. Laysh scowled slightly at the result, giving Verto the impression that she might have been just as surprised as he was.
"You're a pain in the ass kid. No wonder Chal has such a high opinion of you, since he's a huge pain too," Laysh claimed.
Verto snorted lightly, "Yeah, I'm sure you're just all kinds of fun in bed. I can't imagine how cold you would be when it's that time of the month. What does he do, hit you with a few dozen lightning bolts just to thaw you out?"
Laysh smirked, "Something like that. Stick with us and maybe you'll find out."
"I'll consider it, guess we'll call that a possible perk. Then again, maybe I'd rather freeze to death first. You know what they say about cold days in hell," Verto said smugly.
Laysh's smirk faded, "Too bad, you could stand to learn a few more 'adult maneuvers'. For now, we'll settle with something special."
"Leave your clothes on, I'd rather this didn't turn into a weird porno film that involves thick rounded off icicles," Verto said.
Laysh chuckled, "That isn't exactly what I meant. Here, this should give you a better idea." Laysh pulled both her arms up over her head in an attack pose. A bright white and blue sparkling ball of energy formed above her hairline. It grew into a larger ball that spanned about five to six feet in diameter before she stopped feeding it. Great, what is this going to be?
"This is my best attack move, something I usually don't use unless I deem my opponent to be worthy of it. I've perfected it over the years, making it the most beautiful and the most deadly attack a person could ever see. I call it Kyuutai Tougetsu or in basic, the Frozen Orb. Although, that attack name is a little misleading. You see, you won't have to worry about this technique freezing you or anyone else. Care to try it out?" Laysh asked.
Verto nodded, "Bring it on."
"You're a brave one, but stupid since you don't know what will happen. Well, I won't keep you waiting, Kyuutai Tougetsu!" she shouted. She launched the orb at Verto, which began to spin almost immediately as it hovered along the ground while bearing down on him. Verto elected to glide sideways to avoid it, and to his surprise, the orb did not follow him. Instead, a barrage of fast moving energy shards shot out at him, striking the ground with precision accuracy of where he had just been. The orb continued firing shots, though in a random pattern all around the stadium. One shot was close enough to clip Verto's leg, sending a cold shiver through him just before his blood ran hot with pain. He quickly sped up, outrunning the fired shards until they were no longer a problem due to distance. The orb finally spun out completely and unleashed a torrent of smaller needle-like energy shards that shot into the stands like a hailstorm. Demons fell by the masses, most of them taking lethal hits from the attack. Verto's eyes remained slightly wide with surprise at the devastation of the technique.
Well, she didn't lie, I don't have to worry about that technique freezing anyone. Good god though, the amount of focused energy in that attack was absurd. I don't think my energy shield would even slow any of those down. Verto checked his leg, which was leaking out a fair amount of blood considering he had only been clipped.
Laysh chuckled slightly as she lifted her arms again, "Ready for the second round? I'll actually try to aim for you this time." Verto readied himself until she had charged up her attack, and then he phased out. Laysh froze in surprise for a brief moment, but then concentrated as her blue sparkling energy barrier came alive again. Just as it did, Verto's fist shimmered into view as he aimed for her midsection. His whole body slowed down quickly as it and his whole arm became covered with ice upon contact. Laysh was able to jump up and out of the way as Verto came to a complete stop, his whole body except for his head glazed over. Laysh hovered over him with her bright orb charged and ready, and Verto realized he was in a very bad spot.
"Kyuutai Tougetsu!" she shouted again as she literally dropped the orb straight down at him. Verto struggled to move as his aura came back to life, quickly sending the ice off of his body.
He charged up one palm with an answering blast and aimed skyward, "Final Shine!" Verto's bright blue blast smashed into Laysh's Frozen Orb and struggled momentarily. Verto put forth more effort into the beam, and the orb was pushed straight up and into the ceiling. When it collided, dozens of energy shards scattered out of it and dropped down as Verto's beam pushed the rest into the skies above. Verto formed his Psi sword and deflected the few that came close enough to him to be considered a threat. Demons in the crowd bulled over each other as they tried to escape the shower of death coming in. Piccolo had to move swiftly to avoid a few of them as well, electing to jump into the air and wait until the chaos subsided. Once the threat ended, the video screen panned the audience, revealing dozens of slain demons that had been hit in the head or upper body. Laysh landed with her arms crossed, scowling slightly as her tail continued to lash at the air with agitation.
"Give up kid, don't make me kill you. Just one of those shots would be enough if it hits you in a vital place, surely you understand that don't you?" Laysh asked. Verto calmly remained steady, though he was busily trying to figure a way out of this fight.
I can't let this fight drag on, I need to save my energy for Chal. But she's strong and talented enough to make this last. On top of that, I haven't been able to get near her. Guess I'll try some misdirection, but I need to find a decisive advantage somewhere. Verto charged up his fist again, and Laysh shook her head as her Shivering Armor technique sparkled with the air around her.
"That isn't going to work and you know it," she reminded him. Verto charged in anyway, pulling back to punch as hard as he could. Laysh suddenly phased out just as Verto arrived, reappearing behind him. She bent down and locked in a full nelson hold, surprising him to say the least. He struggled to get out of the hold, but didn't have much success.
"Didn't expect that did you? You should never assume that you can always win a fight based on what you've seen so far. Surely your teachers have told you to never let your guard down," Laysh whispered in his ear.
"D-Damn it!" Verto grumbled aloud. His aura came to life as he tried to power out of it, and his body suddenly froze in place due to a large buildup of ice around his legs and torso. Laysh pressured the back of his head and neck at the same time, cutting off blood supply to the brain.
"You might be able to get out of this against someone else, but with my ice in place, you lose power. By the time you're able to channel enough energy, you will pass out. Whether you go to sleep now or give up, same result. I win," Laysh declared. Verto's vision became blurry as he started to slump a bit, and Laysh deliberately lay on his shoulders to continue the pressure. Verto's arms dropped all the way down and hung loosely by his frozen hips.
"Wow, what a great maneuver by Laysh. She's locked on what appears to be a type of strangle hold on D, and she's literally putting him to sleep! It's a boring way to win, but it's effective!" Koto said over the airwaves. Laysh grinned slightly until a sudden painful shock caused her to shudder. Her grip loosened and she fell sideways off of Verto's shoulders and onto the ground. The entire crowd erupted in chaotic noise, trying to figure out what had happened. The ice around Verto cracked apart as he dropped to one knee and breathed heavily before he glanced over at her. The remaining Saiyans looked on in surprise as well as they saw Laysh's tail being squeezed in Verto's left hand.
"Dirty play by D, grabbing onto Laysh's tail! But this appears to be even more effective than one would think. She's down and not moving!" Koto shouted in surprise. Verto stood up uneasily, keeping a firm grip on Laysh's tail as she instinctively tried to get away.
"Let go!" she growled fiercely at him.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who shouldn't have let their guard down. I really didn't think any of you would have had this weakness still, but count me as surprised. Hey ref, time to count!" Verto barked at Juri. Juri ran over and began counting Laysh out, though nervously stepped away every time Laysh tried to claw her way out of the hold. Verto didn't let go until Juri said ten.
"And the winner is D!" Juri said. The remaining demons were unsure about the ending of the match, considering how many of their kind had been slaughtered during it. Verto finally let go of Laysh's tail and backed into his stance once she recovered. She was incredibly angry over the incident and looked very intent on continuing where she left off.
"You little bastard, I'm going to rip you apart for that!" she growled in an animalistic rage as her eyes briefly flashed with red. A hand clamped down on her shoulder and she stopped as Chal stood behind her.
"Take it easy, you lost the match fairly. He let his guard down, and then you did. You have no one to blame but yourself," Chal reminded her in a stern tone. Laysh blinked sharply as her eyes returned to the icy blue they normally were. She sighed heavily and appeared to calm down, though she was still clearly angry.
"Listen up you little brat. No matter how this turns out, I'm going to teach you some manners someday. Grabbing a lady's tail, what nerve!" Laysh grumbled.
"Maybe I'll pet it next time, would that be better?" Verto offered with a smug grin.
Laysh paused and turned her head slyly, "Oh you don't want to go there either, believe me! But you just gave me a few ideas for the ride home."
Verto's eyebrow shot into the air as Laysh left the ring, "I'm not sure if I should be threatened by that or not."
Chal watched her leave the ring as well, "Let's just say that she is a free spirit. The last time I tried to be the jealous one, I ended up on ice for three weeks while she played with whomever she wanted for awhile."
Verto turned his head slightly and changed the subject, "You seem awfully relaxed, considering what's about to go down."
Chal closed his eyes and smiled, "Appearances are quite deceiving today. For example, you think you have this won already, but I know that you can't use your ki here. I can barely sense any of it within you, therefore you won't be transforming to your higher form. You needed that last time to beat me if I recall, and now you're running low on power."
"As I recall, you gave up when you saw it. Even if getting captured was part of your plan, and you were kind of obvious about it, you still didn't know what to do when I transformed. The only reason I allowed that to happen is because I wasn't sure what you were going to do. I know better now," Verto retorted.
"Maybe, but that was then and this is now. I hope you're ready to join us per our agreement. Then again, I suppose it doesn't matter. Even if I lose, the result is the same," Chal claimed.
"Then why have this fight if it's meaningless? Give up and we can talk this out. Maybe form your alliance against Frost like you've suggested in the past. You're not wrong, I can help you guys, if you're willing," Verto offered.
"Oh this fight has plenty of meaning to it my friend, it bothers me that I can't tell you why just yet. After it's over, you will see," Chal said. His aura erupted with bright blue as his eyes developed the purple hue that Verto had seen before. Random lightning sparks bounced around the crater's perimeter, prompting Juri to jump out and onto the ground outside the ring's edge. Verto cautiously held his stance as his aura appeared. He's going to go all out for this.
Verto's blue aura matched the intensity of Chal's, "Alright, if it's going to be that way, then I won't hold anything back either. Let's do it!"
Power levels
Verto: 312,000; Kaio-ken: 468,000; Double: 624,000
Selffur: 225,000; Berserker (full form): 530,000
Laysh: 250,000
A/n: It's all been building up to this. I'll try not to disappoint, though if it's just the one person that I 'disappointed', I'll just pretend he's not there. Oh, before we continue, I'll review some of the attack names that Laysh used in her fight with Verto. Shinsei Toukan (Frost Nova), Koori Kometoo (Ice Comet), Zotto Koutetsu (Shivering Armor), Kyuutai Tougetsu (Frozen Orb). Yes, I went against my own code of slightly mixing languages again, and I did that for a few reasons. Next chapter is going to be very, very violent.