Appla and Olibu had begun their battle almost five minutes ago now and they were still just warming up. As the two arced through the sky, clashing on occasion, flashes of red and white lit up the stadium. The Sai-jin had powered up a twenty-six fold Kaio Ken just to stay even with Olibu who was stronger than even an untransformed Goku or Bardock. As Appla dodged around an energy blast and then countered with her own that hit her opponent square in the chest Bardock left out a cheer.
Appla heard his voice over the din of the crowd and smirked. If there was one thing about a battle that Sai-jins liked more than a challenge it was impressing their Mate with their power and skill. She charged in at him, slipped around his large fist, and came around behind him smashing her knee into his back. Then, spinning about, she snapped out her leg and smashed it into the side of his head.
His arm shot out and he backhanded her in the stomach but she shrugged it off and countered with a punch aimed at his face. The Human managed to slip it and then slam his knee into her chest driving her back. Holding his right arm out to his side he cupped his hand and blue-white energy gathered in it quickly. "Scatter Bolt!" he cried, thrusting his arm forward. The energy ball exploded sending nearly two dozen energy beams out on random paths, all of them arcing back in towards Appla.
She pulled to a stop and saw the energy coming towards her. As the energy reached her she moved quickly, dodging the blasts she could, deflecting others, and sending those she was able to back at Olibu. Of the twenty blasts that had converged on the Sai-jin the large Human only had to dodge four of them in his charge toward her. Reaching her he slammed an uppercut into her stomach doubling her over and then landed a double handed blow to her back driving her toward the edge of the ring.
Appla saw the stone tiles racing up toward her and quickly flipped around so that she was looking up at her opponent. As her feet touched the ring she pushed off and launched back up at him. "Kaio Ken times 30!" she cried, her red aura flaring in intensity as she poured on more speed. Olibu barely managed to slip around her first punch but her second caught him across the jaw.
"Wow!" Goku cheered as the two warriors turned into a blur of punches and kicks, bright flashes and thunderous cracks marking the connected blows. "I hadn't known she'd improved this much!"
"Neither did I." Bardock said, rather in awe himself. "She's not really trained with me in five years."
"She's been training with Olibu a lot." Sora said. "Understandably, though, since they're a lot closer in power than you and her."
Bardock nodded. "Yeah, you do get more out of the training when you're closer in power with your sparing partner. Still, she's made some big gains in power... even more than Goku and I have."
Sora glanced over toward Bardock and raised an eyebrow. Before she could say anything Goku spoke up. "Yeah. She's made a lot more improvement than us. More than double our own!"
Bardock nodded again. "Even considering that she's weaker than us, which makes it easier to gain in power, that's still impressive. I wonder if... the reduced capacity trait simply doesn't come into effect when dead..."
"Probably not." Sora said, turning from the two Sai-jins and back to the battle. The two warriors were still swinging and dodging rapidly, sending out thunderous cracks every few seconds as blows made contact. "I've noticed a lot of the rules of physical bodies are different here."
Back in the sky above the ring Olibu dodged around a kick from Appla and then saw his opening. He moved quickly, snapping out a kick that slammed into her side. And then he slipped behind her and slammed his open palms into back knocking her down toward the ring again. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the stone tiles racing up to meet her. "Kaio Ken... times 50!" she cried, and in a burst of red she vanished.
There was a flash of red and a loud crack in the sky a second later and Olibu rocketed backward. All those watching the battle saw was a quick burst of red where Olibu had been previously and then another flash and crack came that knocked the powerful Human skyward. Three more blows came in quick succession, the final one slamming the Human face first into the center of the ring smashing out a large hole in it.
In the sky Appla pulled to a stop and gazed down at him. Her bright and thick red aura pulsing about her body, the rushing energy making her hair wave about every which way as though in a fierce breeze. The mushroom shaped announcer blinked a few times and then started the count. As he reached five Olibu groaned and stirred. By seven the large Human was on his hands and knees and then back in a standing position.
"Right then." he said, brushing the dust created by the pulverized ring off his clothes. "Time to get serious. Double Kaio Ken!" A red aura flared up around him, his power quickly surging to just above Appla's, and he shot up at her. Appla slipped to the side around his punch deflecting it away from her head as she did and then thrust her knee up into his stomach with a loud crack.
Before she could move to hit him again his elbow slammed into the side of her head. Then one of his fists smashed into her stomach, a hard right pounded her across the jaw, she took three knees to the face, and then he did a front flip and smashed the back of his heels into the top of her head sending her careening toward the stands.
The audience below her cried out in shock and began to scatter as they realized she was coming their way. Only a few feet short of impacting the still crowded stands she changed directions in a burst of red that knocked over everyone around her. As she shot in toward Olibu again she pulled back both of her arms and began to gather energy around her fists. Bright pink energy around her left hand and neon green around the right.
Olibu frowned as he saw the energies forming. He'd witnessed the attack a few times and knew what it could do. And knew how unpleasant its effects were. A moment later Appla was only feet away and quickly thrust her arms forward and slammed the energies together. "Sonic Blast!"
The Human closed his eyes tight and thrust his arms toward her and sent out a burst of Ki. The energy impacted the sound wave from the Sonic Blast and the two exploded with a loud crack. Even through his eyelids the bright flash from the attack still had him seeing spots so he left his eyes closed and focused on Appla's Ki. He just managed to dodge a kick aimed for his chin but then her leg slammed into the side of his head.
The Sai-jin thrust out her arm aiming the punch for his face but his own hand caught it as he opened his eyes. Grinning his other arm shot out and his fist slammed into her stomach. Then, holding tightly to her hand, he began spinning and spinning. After about fifty rotations he let go of her pitching her down toward the ring and then sending a blast of blue-white Ki after her.
A moment later there was a loud crash and the entire stadium shook as she slammed into the ring. And then the Ki blast hit and exploded in a deafening explosion that temporarily blinded the spectators. As the glare faded chunks of the ring rained down on them. "Man, they keep this up and I wont have a ring for my match!" Goku cried brushing dust out of his hair.
He stopped as he felt the stadium begin to tremble and then heard a building cry coming from within the dust that obscured Appla... and whatever remained of the ring. Suddenly a burst of wind washed out, blasting away the falling dust and revealing the Sai-jin hunched over, fists clenched, and a look of intense concentration on her face as her bright blue aura danced around her wildly.
Her hair long spiky began to lift up into the air from the breeze, and then the loose debris around her followed suit. "Hey, no way..." Goku said softly. "Is she...?"
Suddenly she threw her arms and head back as her scream intensified and a blinding flash of gold filled the stadium. As the glare faded Goku and Bardock's eyes widened. Appla's hair now had three large tufts jutting off of it, one on the top of her head and in the middle of it that shot up at about a seventy degree angle for about half a foot. And then one on either side of it that came up at about a thirty degree angle.
Other than that the only differences to her hair was that it was now a little more unruly looking, and golden. A golden aura pulsed and swirled around her and her teal eyes gazed up at Olibu, a satisfied smirk on her face. In a flash of gold she surged up at her opponent and cocked back her fist to land a final blow to end the match.
"Sorry Appla!" Olibu called as she charged him. "Super Sai-jin or not, I have no intention of losing here! Kaio Ken times 10!" His bright red aura flared large and then he vanished. Appla barely had time to register that his power had increased before he vanished, and no time to register that he'd vanished before his fist smashed into her face and drove her back down into the ring.
She hit with a massive crash that obliterated what little had remained of the ring causing it to collapse completely. Her golden aura sputtered and then flashed and died as her power dropped. The mushroom shaped announcer blinked a few times and then began the count as the crowd cheered.
"She never mentioned she'd transformed..." Bardock said, still in shock.
"Yeah, she hadn't said anything to me either." Goku said, pouting a little.
Bardock smirked. "Oh well. Guess she wanted it to be a surprise. Based on that power I sensed from her she's been able to transform for a while, she's got full control over the form just like us."
Goku nodded. "Yeah, I felt it too. A hundred fold increase! But man, just a ten fold Kaio Ken and Olibu was more than twice as strong as her!" Suddenly Goku started to grin.
"I know that look Goku, what are you thinking?" Bardock asked.
"Oh, just a few training ideas." the Sai-jin replied, his grin widening.
Bardock chuckled and shook his head. "You'd better get down there, your match is starting soon." he said as Appla was lifted from the ruins of the ring.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Otherworld, Grand Kai's World, Otherworld Stadium
"So, we've got yet another Super Sai-jin." The Grand Kai said as Appla transformed. "One with complete balance and control as well. Impressive."
"It's been a while..." Mikomi began. She'd only gotten a quick glimpse of the form when the two mortals had transformed earlier but it had been thousands of years since she'd gotten a good look at the transformation. And she'd never been there in person to witness the power it granted, knowing only the strength of past Super Sai-jins by way of comparison with those who they'd managed to defeat in battle. "I had heard it was a powerful transformation but I had no idea it yielded this much of an increase."
"Only after proper training." King Kai said. "Goku and Bardock figured that out seven years ago, shortly before they died."
Mikomi glanced over toward the short North Kai, a thoughtful look her face. "You say there were two Super Sai-jins living just seven years ago?"
"Oh, more than that." King Kai said. "There were six of them then."
Kibito blinked. "Six Super Sai-jins!? At the same time?!"
King Kai nodded. "Yes. All transformed within a span of a few years. In fact, two of them transformed on the same day, at the exact same time. Even with two of them now dead and one of them back in his own time, there are still five living Super Sai-jins."
"Super Sai-jin has always been such a rare thing before." Mikomi said as the count below hit ten and Olibu was declared the winner. "Before now I don't think we ever had more than two at the same time."
"There were three, once." the Grand Kai said as the tournament ring began to glow white. "And I don't expect the Super Sai-jin count to decrease any time soon. In fact, it will only grow more. Unlike in previous generations there are Super Sai-jins around now that will be having children. Such as Gohan and the two young boys, Goten and Trunks. As you know the transformation is passed along to offspring...."
Mikomi nodded. "Well, I have been expecting it to happen eventually." she said.
"As was I." the Grand Kai said with a nod. "I just wasn't expecting the second level to be among the ones passed down."
"What?" Kibito asked, looking toward the Grand Kai as the tournament ring stopped glowing and revealed it was once again whole.
"Young Gohan has attained the second level. Assuming he ever has children of his own it will be passed on. Also, the current Sai-jin King has reached the level as well, and thus should he have another child they shall inherit the power as well."
/Two Sai-jins, both living, that have reached the second level.../ Mikomi thought, in shock. Then she turned to face the Grand Kai. "I see why you have such faith in the power of these mortals, Zenryou." Mikomi said, smiling lightly. "I seem to remember that the last to reach that level easily bested you in battle."
Zenryou frowned a little and tugged at his clothes. "I wouldn't quite say 'easily'...." he said after a moment.
Suddenly a loud crack sounded from below as Goku backhanded his opponent, the alien having tried to zip around behind him for a sneak attack. The dead warrior fell to the ground unconscious and ten counts later Goku was on his way back up into the stands.
"Well, at least Bardock and Pikkon's match should be a good one." the Grand Kai said.
"Hey, North Kai." the West Kai started. "How about we make a bet on Pikkon and Bardock's match? If Pikkon wins you have to mow the grass on my planet for a thousand years!"
King Kai scowled at the other Kai and then snorted. "Fine, but when Bardock wins you have to mow the grass on my world for the next thousand years. And you have to use your teeth!"
"Ha! Like anyone can beat Pikkon! You've got a deal!"