The Three Legendary Saiyans
Chapter 60: Two Universe's Remain.
Teams Universe 7 and 11.
A soft breeze flew through the arena was the sound of fighting came to an abrupt halt; silence eerily permeated not only the remaining fighters but those in the now nearly empty stands where only The Angels of the Fallen Universes along with The Kai's and Gods of Destruction for the Universe 1, 5, 8 and 12 for they were not competing, the eliminated fighters of Team's 7 and 11 along with their own deities but a wide space separated the remaining beings.
The silent calm before the preverbal storm hung over the fighters stood in unison in the arena's few remaining solid floor surfaces; stones cracked off from the whole before floating in the atmosphere as suspended platforms before eventually falling through the murky clouds and vanishing from sight.
The two teams stood staring each other down; Universe 11 staring down from a raised platform of broken tiles and debris from the ruined floors with Jiren and Toppo both emotionlessly staring at their foes while Dyspo cackled with laughter as he considered the three remaining members of his own team far more than necessary to defeat a group of half-beaten fighters.
Team Universe 7 stood as a group; each showing the signs of furious battle and overcome them all only to be met with their final and most imposing threat yet: Jiren.
"We need a plan if we're going to survive; we acted too rashly in the beginning but now we should stick together" Raijin began by stating a fact too obvious to his teammates, Goku and Vegeta both nodding in agreement while Frieza merely rolled his eyes at the notion that a Saiyan could even follow a strategy.
"You're right; I'll follow your lead" Android 17 stated; his gloved hands rubbing a burn he'd suffered from one of Kefla's random beam blasts from her final assault, a fact that didn't go unnoticed.
"Raijin… I'm deferring leadership to you for this battle" Gohan stated; placing his hand on Raijin's barely clothed shoulder as his once-white gi was shredded and matted with not only sweat stains but also dust and blood from the battles he'd been in.
"Thanks Gohan; your trust is appreciated" Raijin gave a thankful nod of his head towards Gohan before taking a sweeping glance at his Teammates; eyeing the state of each of them: Goku's worn out body and tattered gi showed the signs of his battles not only with Jiren and Kefla but also Agnilasa and Universe 2's Pretty Black Hole, Vegeta stood in the best condition having only fought against opponents be considered worthy but his armour and bodysuit showed visible damage, Gohan was also in a sorry state as his Superhero Suit was in a bad state but his body remained strong, 17's clothes had taken the brunt of the damage while the Android's body clearly had some Self-Repair functions, and lastly Frieza had several bruises and cuts from his own fights.
Raijin took in a deep breath before turning his eyes to Universe 11's three remaining fighters and unfortunately all had suffered nearly no damage at all except for some noticeable scratches, scuffs and cuts to their uniforms but Raijin wondered where they'd been for the last several battles.
Toppo's leering eyes spied Raijin's questioning stare and answered accordingly with a mighty tone fitting a man of his high rank, "I see the way you glare villain; we as Pride Troopers have bided our time until the time to strike against the injustice and evil that this chaos has brought about, for we The Pride Troopers of Universe 11 shall win and claim The Super Dragon Balls for ourselves and end this wretched cycle of villainy that has cost uncountable lives on this day".
"You call that biding your time? I call it cowardice" Raijin barked back; grinning as he dared to call The Pride Troopers out for hiding away while the rest of the teams battled it out, though he couldn't help but think it was a sound strategy to wait out the Tournament and let the last teams wear each other out but they failed to account for his own Team's tenacity and will to fight against impossible odds.
"You dare to call us cowards? When you and that pitiful assassin charged Jiren only to gang up with those little Sixth Universe Saiyans and beaten to a devastating degree! I laughed so hard at your pathetic attempt at defeating our titan" Dyspo mocked and gloated; his bringing-up of Raijin's failed elimination plan with Team Universe 6 inducing frustration in Raijin's mind.
"Don't let him get to you friend; he'll eat those words soon enough" 17 cut in; his friendly hand grasping Raijin by the shoulder; but his fury at Dyspo's insulting words of an erased Universe showed in the furious expression he was giving the rabbit-man.
Both Goku and Vegeta stared at Dyspo with utter disgust at how the rabbit-man could be so condescending and treat other warriors with such disrespect; both eager to shut him up with their fists but they both waited on Raijin's word as he was named Leader for this last battle.
Raijin took a second deep breath as he locked eyes with Jiren; sensing the overwhelming strength he held as well as the foreboding energy that Toppo was giving off but it was Dyspo he concerned himself with after his bitter comments about Hit and Universe 6 for Dyspo seemed to be unable to stand still as he constantly moved about on the spot.
"Goku, Vegeta… I'm leaving Jiren to you two, give it all you got and as soon as we can… the rest of us will join you, defeating Jiren is sure to be a war of attrition" Raijin gave his first order with begrudging reluctance; leaving the near-undefeatable Jiren to his biggest and most-trusted friends and rivals was a hard decision for he wanted some payback on Jiren for eliminating Hit but he desired a different opponent for the time being after recent words spoken by a certain rabbit-man.
"As if Jiren was anyone else's to defeat, I'll try to leave a shred of him for the rest of you" Vegeta scoffed at Raijin's instructions; tugging on his now fingerless gloves in preparation for battle though he knew fighting Jiren was going to be difficult and he wouldn't win alone but he'd never admit it for it was a matter of pride.
"Got it buddy; we'll leave you a piece or two" Goku grinned widely at being given a second shot at Jiren; his body sore from Ultra Instinct but his strength of will overcame that pain, the sensations he'd felt in The Omen Stage had been a learning experience and knew that if he was to have any chance against Jiren then he'd need to master Ultra Instinct.
Jiren merely stared down at the two Saiyans that would be his opponents; his bulbous black eyes giving away no emotion nor any excitement for the coming battle to decide The Tournament of Power for Team Universe 7 was nothing more than his last obstacle to the prize he sought.
"Gohan, Frieza and 17… you three are taking Toppo as you three together make a strong blend of close quarters, mid to long range and defensive fighting styles… and be careful; I believe he still has yet to show his full strength" Raijin gave his second orders based on the feelings he had about Toppo; his instincts honed from fighting as a Super Saiyan 4 warned him of danger whenever he so much as looked at Toppo, his mind noting that Toppo gave a knowing nod of his head as he listened to Raijin's orders, Toppo letting a slight grin twitch under his moustache at how well Raijin had selecting his teammates for their adversaries.
"Agreed… though I don't trust Frieza" Gohan gave a brief nod to Raijin; acknowledging Raijin's well-chosen decisions for dividing the team to battle Universe 11 on three separate fronts as he couldn't possibly have made a better decision for taking on a foe like Toppo.
"The feeling is mutual Son of Son Goku" Frieza countered; his black lips constantly smiling as he referred to Gohan not by his name but as the son of his mortal enemy, he venomous tone of his voice not lost on anybody present on either side leading to all but Jiren to grimace at Frieza's villainous words.
Android 17 merely nodded as he'd been partnered with not only Goku's eldest child but also Frieza; his Data Bank containing dossiers on both individuals though he knew Gohan was a man worthy of his trust for the act defeating Perfect Cell but felt unsure on whether or not Frieza was worthy of such trust though his abilities were undeniable.
"As for Dyspo… he's mine" Raijin spoke as his eyes narrowed on Dyspo; laying claim to the rabbit-man as his opponent and cracking a smile in eagerness to not only redeem himself for his earlier loss to Kefla but to prove his own strength as well as make him eat his earlier insults.
Dyspo cackled his shrill laugh; his yellow eyes leering down at Raijin upon his declaration that he could defeat him alone, "You really believe you can defeat me all by yourself? We are the best of The Pride Troopers, the strongest, fastest and mightiest out of all among our ranks" Dyspo's words carried weight as the eliminated Pride Troopers roared in support of Dyspo, Toppo and Jiren though Jiren remained emotionless and indifferent to his comrades support.
Raijin broke into the first honestly exhilarated smile he'd had since facing off with Hit; his battle with Dyspo would be a battle of beasts where one would fall as prey to the other who would stand as a victorious predator.
As the central pillar dropped a second leaving only three sections remaining; the teams of Goku and Vegeta charged for Jiren who backstepped away from the group in order to gain some space, Gohan, 17 and Frieza followed Toppo of whom fired off a volley of energy bullets as a bout of rain over his pursuers, while Raijin and Dyspo remained stood where they were locked in a stare-down.
Next Chapter: Fists of Justice.