I'm in the first round… With Vegeta?! The Saiyan woman let out a deep sigh. Although it came to a 'draw' the last time, Going into a three-warrior battle against him will be insane! Maybe it won't be that bad… Yeah…
You're going to do amazing. Ellery's partner's voice rang in her mind. You can't let the fact that he's stronger than you get in the way. You're strong and have gotten the upper hand on me when we've sparred. One slip up is all it takes to knock someone out of this Tournament.
I appreciate the pep-talk, but I'd rather have something that makes my heart stop racing. Looking out, the young mother could see the crowd. Their family was there, ready to cheer each of them on. A smile crept onto her face, knowing that her little man would be watching.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ellery noticed a girl with long spiky hair approaching the m. Turning towards Caulifla, the Saiyan woman had a grin on her face. "I see we're fighting in the first match together."
"Yeah, yeah… Are you as strong as Goku or what?" The younger Saiyan crossed her arms, not in the mood for small talk.
"Frankly it doesn't matter." Vegeta mentioned with a chuckle. "As long as the two of you are going up against me, you have no chance of winning."
"Is that so, hot shot?" Caulifla raised a brow.
"You're damned right. I'll be the one winning this Tournament today, so you might as well forfeit." Vegeta kept his face neutral as his arms crossed in front of his chest. The tension in the room was palpable after the Prince's statement.
"We'll see about that." Ellery chuckled. "You have a tendency to bite off more than you can chew." This comment made everyone in Universe Seven giggle along with her.
Vegeta rolled his eyes, turning away from his teammates. "I'll show you who's the strongest-"
The Announcer roared over the sound system, gathering the attention of the Null Realm. "Alright folks! Let's get this first match underway! Will Contestants Vegeta, Caulifla, and Ellery please take the stage!"
The Prince had a crooked grin on his features as he exited the waiting area. "Prepare to get knocked out in the first round!"
Ellery and Caulifla followed, each of them having a snide comment for the Saiyan. The Null Realm began to cheer for the three warriors. The noise was almost deafening. As the three walked towards the platform, they each began sizing up their opponent silently.
Vegeta takes the far left corner of the stage, while his younger sister took the one opposite him. Caulifla stood in the middle of the ring, continuing to think of a strategy as she watched the two Saiyans from Universe Seven.
"Would our gracious Omni Kings like to say any words before we begin?" The Announcer looked up towards their seats, a grin on his features. Everyone turned in that direction of the little blue Deities.
"Have a great fight everyone!" Zeni pumped his fists in the air happily.
"Show us everything you've got!" Zeno cheered alongside his companion.
The referee on the stage looked at all three contestants. "Are the fighter's ready?"
Vegeta, Ellery, and Caulifla all nod. The silence was nearly unsettling. Ellery could hear her pounding heartbeat inside her ears, drowning out any other noise. The time seemed to pass in slow motion. Each contestant was waiting in anticipation for the first match to start.
"BEGIN!"
Immediately, the Sixth Universe's Saiyan transformed, snickering as she quickly lunged towards Ellery. "Let's see what you're made of!"
Ready for her attack, The warrior blocked her punches easily. Ellery tried her best to look unamused. "Is that all you've got?"
"UGH!" The rowdy Saiyan woman yelled as she threw her leg towards Ellery's head.
However, it didn't make it there. The Prince caught her ankle midair, a smirk on his face. "Mind if I get in on this?" Vegeta asked before he used his hold to swing Caulifla around, tossing her off the edge of the ring.
If it weren't for the young woman's quick reflexes, she would've been out within the first few moments. Instead, Caulifla used the edge of the stage to bounce into the air. Landing on her feet, the young woman smirked at Vegeta. "Knocking me out of this ring is going to be harder than you think, old man."
"Tch.." The Prince rolled his eyes. "Insulting me won't make your elimination any less humiliating. You're still going to be the first to fall."
"Not if I get to your partner first!" Caulifla lunged towards Ellery once again. Although she didn't know how strong she was, odds were she was weaker than Vegeta. Even if the Saiyan of the Sixth couldn't win this Tournament, she'd be damned if she were the first to be eliminated.
Ellery was able to dodge her initial strikes. However, Caulifla was a very skilled fighter in her own right. The black haired Saiyan mis-stepped, causing her to fall back onto the stage below.
Looking up at the Super Saiyan above her, Ellery was beginning to feel cornered. Instead of quipping back like she normally did in her sparring sessions, the young woman froze. Her mind was cluttered with next moves, but none of them were translating to her muscles, causing her to just lay there, a doe eyed look in her features.
"I was really hoping for more out of you. Your prelim score doesn't reflect your actual battle power… That's pretty disappointing if you ask me." Caulifla snickered, kicking Ellery's left side. This caused her to skid across the rocky surface. The Saiyan woman of the Seventh coughed painfully, blood coming out with her saliva.
The crowd gasped audibly, everyone in awe of the events taking place. Bulma was floored at the fact that Vegeta wasn't helping his sister! "Vegeta! What the hell! Do something!"
"I don't think that's gonna happen, Bulma." Krillin mentioned from behind her.
"And why not?" The bluenette whipped around, a fiery look in her eye.
The shorter man straightened his back, distancing himself slightly from Bulma. "Well, first off. Vegeta knows this is a competition. I think he'd rather have his competition knock his sister out of the ring. That makes the decision easier on him."
"You make a good point, honey." Android 18 agreed with her husband.
"Vegeta wouldn't have a problem knocking Ellery out of the ring." Piccolo shrugged. "If it comes down to it, he wants to be the one to win this Tournament, he'll do whatever it takes."
The Omni Kings were also confused by the behavior of the Prince.
"Do you think Vegeta will help her?" Zeni looked at his companion worriedly.
"Ellery's strong!" Zeno concluded as he watched her get up. "I think she'll be able to knock out Caulifla AND Vegeta!"
"Really? Both of them?" The Omni King asked skeptically. "She's strong, but to knock out Vegeta? He's been training with Goku for years!"
"I believe in her." Zeni giggled, peeking over the railing. "Ellery's been training with Goku too, and she's Vegeta's sister! That has to give her an advantage!"
The Grand Minister chuckled at their cute banter. "Let's hope you're right."
Her sensitive ears could pick up the King's of Everything. Ellery snickered as she took a couple of deep breaths. While it hurt to do so, she knew it wasn't anything too serious. Looking towards her opponent, she noticed Caulifla had gone for the other warrior inside the ring. The Saiyan woman got into her fighting stance once again and began observing the two fighters.. Instead of waiting for Caulifla to strike, Ellery moved quickly towards her. She was able to surprise her with a kick to the knee at just the right moment.
The Prince took full advantage of this, lunging forward and grabbing Caulifla's wrist. Vegeta flung the young warrior over his head towards the edge of the ring, curious to see if she would be able to reorient herself in time.
Caulifla let out a battle cry as she landed on her feet the second time. "I'm really getting tired of you, old man."
"Then show me something worth my time." Vegeta sprinted towards Caulifla. "You haven't even warranted my first transformation!"
"SHUT UP!" The Saiyan from the Sixth yelled, noticing an opening in the Prince's form. Caulifla snickered, her fist making contact with his stomach. She heard him cough, watching as he hunched over. Caulifla took this opportunity to kick Vegeta's legs out from under him.
In the corner of her peripheral vision, the young Saiyan could see Ellery leaping towards her. As she pulled her fist away from Vegeta's stomach, Caulifla swung around just in time to catch the Saiyan woman in the jaw. The Saiyan woman of the Seventh was ready for the strike. By allowing herself to get hit, she noticed Caulifla let up her guard.
Ellery quickly took the back of her foot and locked it around the other warrior's leg. Pulling her own foot towards her, she was able to take Caulifla's balance away. Using her position to her advantage, Ellery quickly takes a hold of her opponent's leg and uses it to swing her around.
"Damnit!" Caulifla screamed as her aura began to spike around her. She hated being flung like a ragdoll. It was something that infuriated her. She felt her competitor release her and decided to use this as an opportunity.. Caulifla wrapped her tail around Ellery's arm. Using her fall as leverage, the blonde Saiyan managed to lift Ellery off the ground and across the ring.
Shit! Ellery thought to herself as she used all of her weight to stop her body from rolling off of the stage. Thankfully, her older brother was behind her to make sure that didn't happen. Looking up at the Prince, he had an irritated expression written all over his face.
"No need to thank me." Vegeta prompted. "Just finish that little brat off."
"Little brat?!" Caulifla roared. "I'm the only one that's turned Super Saiyan so far!"
"Tch." The Prince scoffed. "The only reason you need to use it, is because we're so much stronger than you."
"Prove it! All I've seen you do is run your mouth!"
Gasps and cheers could be heard across the Null Realm. The Destroyer of the Sixth Universe began to get particularly rowdy. The purple cat stood up and did a little dance as he cheered for his teammate. "That's right Caulifla! Show that snarky Saiyan who's boss!"
Kale shook in the stands. She wanted to be down there for her sister. A two-on-one match wasn't fair to Caulifla! "Come on Sister! I know you can do it!"
"Vegeta! Stop toying with them and win this round! I know you're better than this! Why waste your energy on these two?!" Beerus countered with a chant of his own.
Whis chuckled as he continued to watch the banter between his Destroyer and the Deity of the Sixth Universe. However, he also noticed the tides of battle starting to shift. "I don't know, my Lord. It looks like things are about to get interesting."
Ellery stood up, dusting her training gi off in the process. She could feel her ribs bruising as she tried to catch her breath. The Saiyan woman underestimated her opponent, which is the first and only thing she reminds her partner of on a daily basis. Ellery used the palm of her hand to pop her neck, causing it to crack loudly.
"You're going to have to fight me first." Letting out a battlecry, Ellery transformed into a Super Saiyan as well.
"That's more like it!" Caulifla grinned as she rubbed her hands together. "Come on! Gimme all you got! Let's see who the real Saiyan is here."
Ellery and Caulifla began attacking at the same time, resulting in a barrage of sounds. However, since the women were moving so quickly, hardly anyone could see what was actually going on.
"Mama!" Bulla tugged on her mother's shirt. "I can't see what's going on! Why is Daddy just standing there? He could help Elly!"
"Uh…" Bulma wished she could answer her youngest. However, she just didn't have the answers.
"Your Dad knows that Ellery can handle this fight on her own." Piccolo said from behind the duo. "The reason you can't see them is they're moving faster than your eyes can keep up with!"
"Wow! Really?!"
With a loud bang and flash of light, Caulifla reappeared in the stands, next to her sister Kale. Both of them had looks of disbelief on their faces.
"Wow! What an amazing turn of events!" The Announcer roared, quieting the cheering crowd. "Contestant Ellery has eliminated Contestant Caulifla on her own. Will she have enough strength to also defeat the other man in the ring? Or will she suffer the same fate she just dealt to her opponent?"
Still suspended in the air, the Saiyan woman was quick to celebrate her small victory. Ellery panted as she looked towards her next obstacle, who was snickering in her direction. The Saiyan woman observed her competitor uncross his arms, transforming to Super Saiyan Blue.
"It looks like we'll get that rematch after all." The Prince smirked.