Hotaru came to a stop and turned to face Vegeta. A span of about twenty yards separated the two of them as they readied for the fight. The Tanarian took a slightly sidewise stance, slid her right foot back, held her left arm out toward Vegeta, and put her right arm back and to her side right level with her head.
Across the way Vegeta mirrored her efforts taking his own fighting stance. He turned to his side as she had, slid back his own right foot, and held out his left arm toward her. His knees bent and he bent at his waist slightly as he leaned forward. His right arm moved back and he held it straight out behind him. Those watching could see the similarities in their styles through their stances.
The match was called to start but neither fighter moved. Both stood, sizing up the other and gauging how this battle would go. They looked to see if the other was out just for the win or up for the battle. As their eyes met they both smirked, reading in the other's eyes the same thoughts going through their own head. There was a crack and a flash of purple as Vegeta launched and another of orange came as Hotaru transformed and surged in as well.
The Sai-jin's eyes widened and he just barely slipped around Hotaru's punch. As he did he brought his knee up and smashed it into her stomach. It didn't have as much effect as he'd hoped and she slammed her elbow into the side of his head knocking him into the ground. He rebounded out of the way as she loosed an energy blast obliterating the spot where he'd landed.
He landed with a soft tap, only his right foot touching the ground, and then shoved off again. Hotaru pulled back and to the right dodging his punch and then went the other way around a second fist. Her eyes widened and she went to move back as she realized, but it was too late, his knee shot up and cracked into her jaw snapping her head back. The blow launched her into the air ten feet before she started to come back down.
Vegeta was ready and his fist snapped out as she passed, the punch slamming into her chest with a crack and knocking her back and down. She slid nearly twenty yards before coming to a stop. She grimaced as she rolled over and climbed back to her feet. She hadn't expected those blows to hurt so much. As things stood she was stronger than Vegeta. Enough to tip the scales in her favor. But, despite all of her skill, he was more skilled.
Turning she looked toward him again and saw him smiling and back in his fighting stance. Reaching up with one arm she brushed a trickle of blood off her chin and then resumed her own stance. She could hear the roar of the crowd all around her. Chants of her name and of Vegeta's mixed in with hoots and hollers, calls and cries, thumping feet and clapping hands. The battle hadn't even truly started yet and the audience was loving every minute of it.
But then, why wouldn't they? It was a clash not of just two fighters but of two royals. Two races. Two warrior races that both claimed the title of greatest warrior race. For the Sai-jins and Tanarians in the crowd, and there were plenty of both, this was a chance for them to show the rest of the galaxy just what their people were capable of, just what kind of fighters they all were.
Hotaru let out a long sigh and then, once it was gone, shot in toward the Sai-jin royal. She swerved around a punch and came up behind him. Spinning around she snapped out a kick and slammed a foot into his back knocking him forward. In a burst of orange she shot after him. As she reached him he turned around and just managed to block her punch. She threw another and he barely slipped it and countered with his own.
Hotaru deflected the incoming fist and then fired off kick which was blocked. Dodged a punch, threw a blocked punch of her own, dodged a kick, dodged an elbow, blocked a knee, and then slammed an open palm into Vegeta's chest knocking him into the barrier around the stadium. As he bounced off of it she shot in, dove down, and then came up with a rising kick into his jaw knocking him higher.
Shooting up after him she grabbed his foot, moved back away from the barrier, and then started spinning. After building up decent speed she let go of him tossing him up into the air. As he flew up she pulled her fists back to her sides and the air around them shimmered slightly, like heat waves drifting up in the distance and distorting the horizon. Then she watched as Vegeta slowed and started to get control again.
The Sai-jin was just about to come to a stop when Hotaru thrust one arm up and out like a punch and called out. "Inryoku Chikara Rendan!" Suddenly Vegeta's eyes snapped open and he doubled over like someone had punched him in the stomach. Hotaru punched with the other fist and Vegeta's head snapped to the side like he'd been hit with a left hook. Quickly her arms became a blur of motion as she fired off punch after punch and Vegeta jerked about in the sky from the blows, despite the sixty yards that separated the two fighters.
After the hundredth attack she finally stopped and lowered her arms again, panting slightly. It hadn't worn her out that much, but using the attack so long was a bit tiring. She watched as Vegeta fell from the sky and spent the time catching her breath. He finally hit the ground fifteen seconds later with a dull thud and the count started. As it reached five she started to smirk but by seven he was moving and the count stopped at eight as he started to stand.
"You had me worried there." Hotaru called. "I thought you might not get back up."
The Sai-jin King turned to face her again, a scowl on his face. His eyes told her differently, though. He was enjoying this immensely. And she had to admit, so was she. The strongest person she had to train with was Yamcha and, while he was powerful, she couldn't even transform without outclassing him. Letting out a long breath she took her fighting stance again.
"It feels good, getting back to my people's roots." she said. "I think it's time to find out which warrior race is the better fighter." To this Vegeta replied with a smirk and the two shot in at each other once more. As they flew gold light exploded around the Sai-jin and the Tanarian's orange aura flared up brighter as she transformed to the second level. Almost instantly the orange vanished as silver burst out around her in tune with her voice. "Sanjuu Kinryoku!"
Orange lightning like energy crackled around the silver Kinryoku aura as the two warriors met, their fists crashing into each other in a thunderous explosion that shook the stadium and sent dust blowing out from the ground forty yards below. The two of them floated there, grinning at each other. And then her solid pink eyes flashed and the Sai-jin was flung backwards.
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Galactic Games Arena, V.I.P. Box
The V.I.P. Box was now rather crowded as many of those who had competed in this round were currently there. "This should be a good match." Bulma said as Hotaru and Vegeta turned to face each other. "I doubt Vegeta will just go straight for the win. He and Hotaru have traded small taunts more than once at Sennari meetings."
"Makes sense." Videl said. "Both are royalty, leaders of their people, and both claim their race is the greatest warrior race to ever live."
"Yeah, and both have egos the size of the galaxy when it comes their race." Yamcha laughed. "But I'll bet anyone here a thousand Zennie that Hotaru wins."
"I'll take that bet." Raditz said, glancing over to the Human. "She's good, but there's no way she's stronger than King Vegeta."
"Dad knows something." Sakura said, leaning in toward the other kids. "He knows something and he's not telling."
"What do you mean?" Cheri asked.
"Well, it was shortly after the plague hit." Sakura said, thinking back. "Mom was still sad because grandma died and she was training all the time. And then, one day... I don't know. It was weird. The whole palace shook and the gravity room mom had been using was destroyed. They just said she'd over done it but, I don't think that was it."
"I remember!" Akemi cried, eyes wide. "Barely, but I remember. It was scary. She was sleeping for two whole weeks after that, and I couldn't touch her without getting a shock."
Sakura nodded. "Yeah. Something definitely happened that they didn't want to tell us about."
"You think it's why your dad is so sure your mom will win?" asked Goten.
"It doesn't matter what happened." Trunks said. "No one can beat my dad."
Sakura frowned and looked back at him. "Don't be so sure about that. Tanarian's are a warrior race too. My future self was stronger than your dad. Stronger than your future counterpart too, at the Cell Games, don't forget."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. That was then." Trunks said waving it off.
"I don't know, Trunks..." Goten said, watching the fight. Hotaru had just started her Inryoku Chikara Rendan. "Her mom's doing pretty good out there."
"Dad's not even transformed yet..." the boy started but his protest was cut short as Vegeta fell to the ground and the count started.
Krillin whistled. "Man, she's really laying into him out there."
"Has to." Vadora said. "Once he transforms it's all over, she needs to try and beat him now."
"I don't think she is." Piccolo started. By now Vegeta was back on his feet. "She's being serious but she's not going straight for the win. If she was she'd have gone straight to her full power..." Just as he finished both of the warriors transformed and resumed the battle.
Nova stared at the power readings for the two of them in complete shock. The Tanarian's power had climbed up to 168 million while the Sai-jin's power had leapt to 178 million. "A-amazing. Their power..."
"Vegeta's holding back." Piccolo said, narrowing his eyes a little. "He was stronger at the Cell Games, there's no way he'd have left his Super Sai-jin power decline over the last seven years."
"Probably thinks he can win." Yamcha said with a shrug. "Even holding back. What he doesn't know is that Hotaru's still warming up."
/Warming up? Holding back?/ Nova wondered, looking over the others in the room with her. /Surely they can't be that much stronger than this?/
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Otherworld, Grand Kai's Planet
"That's... wow." the South Kai said slowly.
"Oh, this is nothing." King Kai said. "Vegeta's not at full power yet, he can't be."
"What do you mean?" The West Kai demanded. "How come he can't be at full power yet?"
"Because." King Kai explained. "He's been training for the last seven years and he was stronger than this seven years ago. I expect Hotaru's holding back as well, as much as she's trained since the end of the Cell Games."
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Galactic Games Arena, Battle Pit
Hotaru shot after her opponent quickly. "I see being King hasn't given you much time to train." she said as he deflected her kick. "You were stronger at the Cell Games."
"I'm holding back." Vegeta smirked as he threw a punch at her head but she slipped around it, grabbed his arm, and flung him down toward the ground. She sent a barrage of silver energy blasts surging down after him. They impacted the ground and exploded showering dust and debris into the air. The dust cloud was blasted apart a second later as a stream of golden energy surged up into the sky.
Hotaru let out a cry and slammed a fist into it with a crack. The energy stream bent and diverted away from her speeding harmlessly off into space. The Sai-jin surged up at her in a flash of gold and she placed her fingers to her temples. "Kuro Omoi Seichuu!" she cried, eyes flashing. Suddenly Vegeta froze mid flight and Hotaru smirked. "Super Sai-jin is super susceptible to that." she said, charging down at him and landing a hard right hook across his jaw.
The blow knocked him down into the ground hard smashing out a large crater. Hotaru looked up from the impact point and around at the sky about her judging the room she had. She was a good mile from the barrier now, definitely enough room. In a blast of silver she surged up higher into the sky until she was a good six hundred feet up. Stopping she looked down again, the dust only now settling, and pointed her palms down toward where Vegeta had hit.
Her aura flared up around her and then vanished, the sky around her growing brighter than normal. Suddenly she flashed bright white and then the sky went dark for a second. The darkness shrank away as light spread out from Hotaru's hands and the Tanarian grinned. "Taiyou Inmetsu Hirameki!" she cried.
Suddenly the air between her and the ground, for nearly two hundred yards around her body, flashed blindingly bright. And then the ground in that area exploded, dust and rocks flying up into the sky, passed even where Hotaru floated. "Got him." she said, still grinning.
There was silence for nearly a minute as the crowd watched on to see if the match was over. And then a loud crack and flash of silver came from inside the dust cloud. Another came a moment later from another point. Then a third one of gold, a fourth of silver, and a fifth and sixth of gold. The sixth crack and flash was accompanied by a burst of force that blew the dust away and revealed the two warriors exchanging blows close range once more.
"It's been a while," Hotaru began, smiling. "Since I've been able to get this serious."
Vegeta smirked. "Too bad it's not enough to beat me."
"I didn't say I was completely serious." she replied, smirking back.
Vegeta raised an eyebrow but stayed focused on the fighting. As he slipped around another punch he saw an opening in her defenses and took advantage of it smashing his fist into her stomach. She doubled over his arm, eyes and mouth wide in pain. The Sai-jin then drifted back a little before slamming his fist into her face. The blow sent her flying away at high velocity until her decent slammed her head first into the ground.
The ground around her impact point exploded in a flash of silver and she floated back up onto her feet. As she landed she spat blood down into the grass and then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She stared at the blood on her hand for a moment before looking up at Vegeta and then shifting her stance, cupping her hands at her side.
"Kaaaaaaaaaaaaa..." Her silver aura flared up around her swirling madly like a tornado. "Meeeeeeeeeeeee..." Blue energy flared to life between her palms. "Ryoooooooooooo..." The blue energy flashed and shifted to silver as it grew larger. "Kuuuuuuuuuu... Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" She thrust her arms up into the sky, the ground under her feet shattered and exploded as the silver stream of energy tore free and surged at Vegeta.
The Sai-jin had been expecting a strong attack but not one this powerful. He thrust his arms down quickly and fired off a stream of golden energy to counter. However, it was soon evident he didn't have the power needed to hold off the attack, let alone deflect it. With a cry his golden aura flared up brighter and his power began to climb. As his strength increased the effects of his counter grew until the two beams stale-mated. And then he began to push her attack back at her.
Suddenly the Kameryokuha ended and Vegeta's attack surged down at the ground. It impacted where Hotaru had been standing a moment later and exploded showering dirt and rock into the sky. The Sai-jin tensed a bit. He wasn't sure how well Hotaru could have taken a hit like that and he was worried she could be dead. Suddenly the dust cloud was blasted apart by a rush of energy and a flash of orange. Hotaru's cries echoed through the stadium as her aura swelled and pulsed rapidly.
Her eyes started to glow as the ground began to shake. Her screams grew louder as a flash of blue lightning sparked around her aura. And then the aura flared out into a dome shape, orange and blue lightning sparking across its surface. Hotaru's cries faded away into the roar of her energy and then the dome shrank down and down and down until it vanished. And with it so had Hotaru.
"What the!?" Vegeta cried. Before he could start to look for her, though, a blinding flash of orange came from where she'd been standing. A ball of energy appeared and grew, slowly taking shape and creating the form of a person. Once the full body was formed the energy flashed and Hotaru stood there once more, orange aura licking across her body, orange and blue lightning dancing about it.
The added blue lightning wasn't the only difference. Her physical appearance had changed some as well. The previously orange tiger like stripes had changed color to red and had grown more numerous. They were on her face, her arms, her legs, and hidden under clothes across her entire body. Her sky blue hair had darkened several shades and was now a deep blue streaked with silver. And her previously solid pink eyes now had whites to them again, amid which floated pink irises.
Hotaru looked up at Vegeta and smiled as she took a deep breath. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I've only done that five times before." she said. "Still haven't completely gotten the hang of it." She raised a hand and clenched it into a fist, her smile growing as she looked at it. "Pretty impressive though, don't you think? I'm only one step away now. One more transformation and I'll be back to my origins, I'll be back to my true form."
She lowered her arm again and looked back up at Vegeta. "This is proof, Vegeta. We Tanarians were and are the greatest warrior race. My true power is double what I'm at now. That's without transformations, without power boosting skills, without any aid at all. My true form is stronger than you are as a Super Sai-jin."
Vegeta was silent for a moment as a breeze blew through the arena. He was contemplating what she'd said and what he felt. She was just about half of his power. He couldn't tell how close exactly, but close enough that he knew her words could hold some truth to them. Still, her natural form may be exceedingly powerful compared to other races but the Sai-jin ability to transform into Super Sai-jins compensated more than enough for that.
"Perhaps." Vegeta said. "But you can not ignore transformations in such a debate either. Super Sai-jin, and even more so the second level of it, compensates for any deficiencies and counters them."
"If you wish to include transformations..." Hotaru began. "Then you must also include power boosting techniques, in which I would then be your superior by an even greater amount. Even were you at the second level." Her smile widened more. "Though luckily for you the Kinryoku doesn't function at high levels in this form, perhaps due to the magic binding it. But... that doesn't mean it doesn't work at all. Nibai Kinryoku!"
Her orange aura vanished in a rush of silver as her muscles expanded slightly. Orange and blue lightning continued to crackle around her as she stood there, silver aura pulsing. In the sky Vegeta frowned slightly. She was, just barely, stronger than him. No matter, it simply made things more interesting. "Well then, round two I suppose?" he asked.
"Ready whenever you are." she replied.