AN: This chapter is a test to see if you all enjoy this writing style instead. I want to say sorry for being two weeks late. I started another story that's a Self-Insert of Granolah over on Web/novel and I've been writing that fanfic solely in the style of this chapter. As such, I'm bumping the release dates to every 2 weeks.
I also want to point out a review I got while writing this chapter. It's about Celeon being a Gary Stu cause he "Knows about Frost being evil." Although I doubt the guy (StarBoundDisaster) will see this, I want to make it aware that I am not proud of the beginning of the story and that the people who favorite/follow this story are giving it a chance in hopes I bring a somewhat decent story, and with the recent wave of favs/follow it seems people are liking what I'm doing so far. I'm balancing out the characters for this arc as Dragon Ball Super and modern DB generally have messy power scaling. I'd rather people review other things that aren't just about "Gary Stu" and "Power Scaling," so please, if you're reading this and see something you dislike that ISN'T what I listed, please do so. Otherwise, I will move on to the next chapter. To the people who do ENJOY the story, I'm sorry for taking your time here. I wanted that off my chest.
(Caulifla's POV)
I felt myself entering Super Saiyan. The power I gained from it was magnified thanks to the training that's been happening for the past year. I was told that increasing the power of our base form would significantly increase the power of our Super Saiyan form.
And I gotta say, it felt pretty damn good!
This was the first time I had entered the form since we returned from the tournament. At first, I thought it was stupid, but this training method worked out well.
Of course, leave it to Celeon to develop something like this.
Still, I should missed this satisfying feeling. I let myself grin while seeing the faces of that bastard, King Sadala, Karela, and Kabu.
"So, you can transform too, huh? Haha! This will be fun."
I snorted. I forget that she's similar to me, which for some reason, pisses me off. I couldn't lose to someone like her, not now, especially after all the training I went through.
"Well, are you going to stand there?" I mocked, to which Karela rolled her shoulders. I could hear the small popping sounds from the bones.
"Fine, let's see what you got!"
No other words were said as we rushed at each other. Before a second even passed, our fists clashed, and a brutal shockwave reverberated throughout the desolate landscape.
The shockwave seemed to cause various ripples, igniting my instincts to the max as I used my right hand to strike Karela in the face, but it was stopped as she brought up her free arm to block with its forearm.
The smile on her face didn't seem to bother me, as I also had a smile on my face that seemed to be infectious. We simultaneously moved our arms. Karela went for a kick to my waist, but I sidestepped, only for her to continue spinning and landing another kick with her heel that struck me just below the armpit.
I momentarily felt myself stop breathing before I recovered. Karela's kicks were definitely dangerous. She wasn't randomly throwing them around; each strike was calculated, and the outcome was determined to connect.
Even blocking her kicks was akin to letting yourself be stabbed by a sharp blade without protection.
I didn't hesitate and began to punch the air rapidly. My fists were clenched tightly as I sent slight pressure through the air, and a moment later, ki blasts began fire.
Karela was surprised by this and began to avoid all the ki blasts she could, kicking whatever she could in a different direction. As the redirected ki blast struck the ground, dust clouded the area, blocking everyone's vision.
As I watched this, my smirk only intensified. I kicked the floor, sending a web of cracks in its wake. I lunged forward and cloaked my right hand in dense ki.
As I emerged from the dust cloud, my fists collided with an impenetrable force. My eyes blinked as I saw a boot, causing me to clench my teeth. Karela moved her leg back, sending me to her right, which led to her uppercutting me.
It felt as if she punched right through me like I was nothing but jello; I was thankful my chin didn't break from the impact. I landed on my back, and I couldn't help but feel humiliated.
My smirk, once full of confidence, flipped into one of helplessness.
"Is she still holding back?"
Damnit! I knew she was strong, but this was unbelievable. I needed to find and exploit her weakness, but Karela was experienced, and experienced fighters don't just reveal their weaknesses.
I needed to find it, fast!
I clenched my fists, and a whirlwind of ideas flowed through my head, something I found myself doing way too much.
As we began our next exchange, I stepped up my game. I saw Karela go low, her hands landing on the ground as she spun, and that's when I showed off my strategy.
When I let my muscles expand, including my leg muscles, my body grew, increasing my height. Karela's foot slammed against my ankle, but she struggled to complete her leg sweep due to my size and heaviness.
"That's the Grade Three version!" I hear Cabba say that with shock and awe.
Due to our training before the tournament, I learned about each Super Saiyan grade and its benefits and downsides. I was aware that this buffed form lacked speed, but it did increase my defense as a bonus.
The increased muscle mass meant attacks would take longer to damage me, but I didn't waste time. I grabbed Karela by the ankle and lifted her before slamming her on her back.
As I threw her up, I stretched out my other arm and delivered a lariat, which was enough to cause some visible pain and discomfort finally.
Karela's body rolled, but she kicked the ground to pick herself up. She still found herself skidding back, which is most likely due to the aftermath of the lariat.
I decided to stay in this Grade 3 version and did not attempt to chase after Karela. Her black eyes shook for a moment before she wiped the edges of her lips. I could tell she was upset, which made me feel accomplished.
"I didn't think there would be a reason to use that version of the form willingly. I heard Cabba say it was Grade Three. It seems you're not just a brainless gorilla!"
"Tch! Shut up and transform already! Let's skip all this dilly-dallying!" I shouted as I felt a bit vindictive at the moment. My urge to tear her apart was there.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Of course! I haven't used Super Saiyan in a year, and you surprisingly make a good practice partner!"
I watched Karela smirk. I could see her sharp teeth, which slightly unnerved me.
Karela tightened her fist and straightened into a solid posture, and her hair flickered like fireflies between black and gold. I couldn't help but suppress my anxiety. The amount of energy she was outputting was overwhelming. The ground shook with fright, and sweat began to roll down my face.
Despite that, I put on a brave face.
Karela's body was outlined with a gold, shimmering light before the wind began to roll around her like a miniature twister, transforming into a golden hue. After a few seconds, her eyes changed into the iconic teal shade, and her hair was completely a golden yellow.
A powerful gold aura surrounded her, and by her earlier statement, she most definitely mastered the form. All this time, I thought Cabba was the first of the Universe 6 Saiyans to achieve this form, but it looked like the king was hiding such crucial information.
I shrunk, transforming back into the mastered version of Super Saiyan. That form was useless, as I knew I needed to match Karela from here on out. I didn't know her Super Saiyan form's strength, but I needed to prepare for it.
We entered a tense, silent stare-off. Although I was calm on the outside, I couldn't help but feel worry in my heart. This feeling was extremely foreign, but I couldn't let that affect my battle.
And before I knew it, we launched at each other.