"That was amazing!" Zeni was standing on his tip-toes, peeking over the railing that was keeping him on the platform. The Omni King was in complete shock that Goku's partner was actually able to handle herself on the battlefield.
"Super amazing!" Zeno agreed, standing next to his companion. "Ellery gets to move on!"
"Goku's mate is exceptional on the battlefield." The Grand Minister observed. He watched every moment of the battle with great detail. It appeared that her style mimicked a variation of Goku and Vegeta's forms. Could that be the reason for her keen battle sense? The woman was a Saiyan, after all.
"I wanted to see Vegeta make it out on top…" Zeno sighed. "I would love to watch Goku and Vegeta fight against each other! Who knows who would win?!"
"You're right." Zeni agreed. "However, If Goku wins this next match, he'll be facing his own partner!" The little blue Deity mentioned excitedly. "I'm sure that battle's going to be even better!"
"That'd be a fight I'd love to see!" Zeno's legs began to swing in excitement, hitting the back of his chair.
From behind the Omni King's, the Grand Minister chuckled. It'd been a long time since the King's of Everything had been so giddy about something. The last time the High Priest saw the two beings this excited was the last Tournament of Power. Ever since that day, the Omni King's have been trying to find that same level of entertainment. The Grand Minister has given them countless ideas to pique their interest. However, nothing got their motors running more than this Second Tournament of Power.
Looking down towards the stage, the High Priest glanced at the warrior who was responsible for the Tournament in the first place. He was about to start his first match of this event.
The Saiyan walked onto the fighting stage, eager for his match to begin. During the Zeno Expo years ago, Goku had a chance to battle with Top one on one for a short while. The fight didn't have a true conclusion, which left the Saiyan yearning for another go at it.
After witnessing Vegeta's fight with the warrior from Universe Eleven, Goku knew he would have to keep his guard up if he was going to win. The Saiyan could feel his body start to tingle in excitement! The thought of a good battle caused his heart to race. However, something that was new was the feeling of butterflies in his stomach.
It wasn't like Goku to get nervous, although it's happened on the rarest of occasions. The Saiyan knew that he wasn't exactly in what he would call his 'peak fighting condition'. The warrior has done a lot of sparring this year, However, with the birth of his son, the Saiyan knew he didn't train as much as he normally would.
I gotta keep my focus on the fight in front of me. No distractions. Goku told himself as he began to stretch on the arena stage. The warrior noticed his opponent on the opposite side of the platform doing the same.
"Alright Everyone!" The Announcer grinned as she waved towards the crowd to get their attention. "The second round is about to begin!"
The patrons in the bleachers began to cheer loudly. The seventh Universe box was erupting with shouts and screams for Goku. All of them were standing and waving, except for Vegeta, who was sitting in the corner with his arms crossed.
Goku looked towards his opponent, who was snickering in his direction.
"I look forward to this re-match, Goku!" Top cheered from the other side of the ring. "You'd better not hold back on me."
"Wouldn't dream of it!" The Saiyan chuckled, giving the warrior of the Eleventh a bright smile. .
"DAAA DAAA!" Tarro screamed as loud as he could, making sure his father heard him cheering. The little Saiyan pumped his fists into the air excitedly. He began moving around so much that Bulma was having a hard time keeping a hold of Tarro. The spiky haired infant was rising out of her lap quickly.
Goku heard his youngest son, causing him to turn, seeing him attempting to fly towards the stage. The Saiyan rubbed the back of his head and chuckled.
"Is that your child?" Top raised a brow.
"Yeah… He's my youngest." Goku smiled. "He's a pretty feisty one."
"Hey little man!" The bluenette kept a tight hold of the baby Saiyan. "You can't be trying to fly off like that."
"Are our fighter's ready?" The teal man questioned from the middle of the ring, interrupting their chit chat. The Announcer looked between Goku and Top, waiting for their answers.
"Yeah!" Goku pumped his fist into the air., while Top chuckled and nodded towards the referee. The Null Realm slowly quieted down, leaving a palpable tension in the air. Everyone was looking towards the Announcer, awaiting his word for the battle to commence.
After a few moments of silent tension, the Announcer raises his hand. "BEGIN!"
In a flash, both warriors completely disappeared. Shockwaves could be felt across the entire Null Realm. This battle was completely different than the one before. The spectators could tell that these warriors were the real deal. Several spectators began to whisper, as though they couldn't see what was going on.
"WOAH!" Zeni and Zeno yelled in unison. The two of them were almost unable to keep up with the fight. Goku and Top were so quick!
Bulma looked towards her husband, tapping him on the shoulder with the back of her hand "Do you think Goku can win this match? That guy looked huge!"
While it was true, Top from the Eleventh Universe was rather large. The man stood at nearly seven feet tall. His arms were almost twice the size of his body!
"Hah!" The Prince grinned. "Top was an easy enough opponent for me. Hopefully Kakarot hasn't gotten too rusty over these last couple of years."
"Not Goku!" Bulma argued. "Just because he hasn't been training as much, doesn't mean he's any weaker than he was before."
"I'm afraid Vegeta may be right, Bulma." Whis mentioned from behind the couple. The Attendant and Destroyer were sitting at the top of their section, above all the other Universe Seven spectators. "While you're right, Goku may be as strong as he was a year ago. However, the issue lies in the fact that none of these other fighters have taken a break in their training. Even if Goku was stronger than any of them at the last Tournament, it's anyone's game today."
"YOU BETTER NOT GET SLOPPY GOKU!" Lord Beerus screamed from his seat. "I'll have your head if you lose this match!"
The Saiyan warrior and Pride Trooper appeared once again. Top had Goku pinned on the ground, the arena floor began to crumble at the force the two men were exerting. The warrior coughed hard, spitting up blood during the crash. As soon as he was able, the Saiyan put distance between him and his opponent. Feeling out of breath, the orange glad warrior began to worry.
Goku was doing his best to block out all of the noise in his head. If he was going to win this match, he was going to have to use Ultra Instinct. Only problem is the Saiyan hasn't tapped into that power since he and Ellery were in the Time Chamber.
There's gotta be something I can do!
"I know you're holding back on me, Goku!" Top yelled from his spot in the ring. A snicker left him as he noted the Saiyan was out of breath. Had Goku been skipping out on his training? "Fight me with the same power you fought Jiren!"
The waiting area was a flutter with gossip. Many of the contestants here knew each other from the previous Tournament of Power. Most contestants were conversing amongst one another, while the rest were enamored with the fight.
Ellery watched the battle from a distance, knowing good and well her partner was going to prevail. This left her thoughts to wander to other places. It seemed as if Goku knew everyone at this Tournament, except the man in the corner. His aura was intimidating, as though it would pierce you just by looking in his direction. Witnessing him obliterate one of the testing machines sent shivers down Ellery's spine.
"Congrats on winning the first round." The sound of Goku's oldest son came from behind Ellery.
The young woman turned and smiled, thanking Gohan. The half-Saiyan took a seat next to his father's partner. Gohan could feel his legs shaking from the nerves of his first round fight. "All I can hope for is not being thrown out of the ring first. I don't have a chance of winning."
"You're going to do just fine." Ellery smiled, giving Goku's oldest son a pat on the shoulder. "I've witnessed you spar for a couple of years now. You have every right to be here like the rest of us, Gohan. Don't sell yourself short."
"I wish I could believe that." The half-Saiyan mentioned with a sigh. "I know I'm strong, but I also know when I'm outmatched."
"Look, I know that one guy is really strong-"
"It's not just him, El." Gohan took a deep breath. "Dad battled Hit in a one on one setting, and as far as I'm concerned it came to a draw. However, the assassin from Universe Six could've easily gotten the upper hand if Dad's power up used all his energy."
Ellery could see that Gohan was clearly bothered by his upcoming match. While she was the underdog in her fight, the Saiyan woman came out on top! The half-Saiyan was convinced it wasn't going to go in his favor, and Ellery wanted more than anything to comfort him.
"I also know you're Kakarot's son. Not only that, you're a Saiyan! Born to fight! Gohan, although the odds are stacked against you, I know you'll find a way to persevere!"
The half-Saiyan nodded, a small grin on his features. "Yeah, I guess if you can knock Vegeta out in the first round, there's hope for me yet."
Ellery laughed loudly, smacking her knees in the process. The action was so loud that several people turned around to look at her. One of them had piercing emerald green eyes. From the moment Sinthe's gaze met with the Saiyan woman, she felt a chill run down her spine. The man reminded her of her partner, Goku, albeit a more serious version.
"Do you think Kakarot has a chance?" Ellery looked towards Gohan, asking him quietly. "I mean, if it came down to him and this other fighter in the last round, who would win?"
Goku's oldest son thought about her question. There were a lot of factors to take into consideration. One of the things on the forefront of Gohan's mind is the amount of training his father's had this year. Raising a full blooded Saiyan child more than likely took a lot of his time away. From the sounds of it, Gohan's dad was home a lot more while Ellery was pregnant with Tarro.
"Dad's always got a chance, El." The half-Saiyan grinned. "As long as we're by his side, cheering him on, Dad's going to do everything he can to win."
Ellery nodded, taking a look around the room as she did so. Once again, as she peered into the far left corner, her eyes locked with Sinthe's. From the moment their gazes connected, the Saiyan woman felt a great sense of unease. Her stomach began to twist and turn. There's something about that guy… I don't like the feeling I'm getting. Ellery thought before she decided to take her mind off of it. The young woman stood, walking up to the edge of the waiting area. She began to watch her partner's fight intently.
"You can do it, Kakarot!"