"Goku won his first match!" Zeni clapped excitedly.
"Now we'll get to watch him battle his partner!"
"This is SO exciting!"
"Very exciting!"
The Omni Kings were on the edge of their seats after the last round. They tend to get extra amped up whenever Goku or anyone from Universe Seven is in the throes of battle. In truth, the two Deities had grown rather attached to the orange clad Saiyan.
Whenever he is around, Zeni and Zeno seem to always have a great time, filled with loads of entertainment. Remembering the first day they met, the Omni King of this Universe recalled it was the first time they'd been around mortals in several millennia! The little blue Deity was shocked by Goku's kind nature. After witnessing the mortal battle with an insane amount of power, Zeni imagined the man to be intolerable.
Instead, the Saiyan was intriguing to Deities all over the Cosmos. While the Omni Kings like their playdates, other Universes are curious about his use of Autonomous Ultra Instinct. Ever since the first Tournament of Power, many of the Destroyers and Attendants have been whispering about it, wondering if it would make a second appearance.
Several were afraid the mortal would master the technique of the Gods.
"Sires." The Grand Minister turned towards the Omni Kings. "The next round should be starting any minute. Goku's son will be fighting."
Zeni gasped, both of his hands going to his cheeks. "I almost forgot!"
"Me too!" Zeno smiled excitedly, before his face fell in realization. "Oh no…"
"What?" Their companion asks curiously.
"Goku's son has to fight two people that are really strong!" Zeno explained. "He's going up against the man that blew up the machine!"
The Omni King's jaw fell slack in shock, nearly forgetting that happened hours before. "I wonder who that guy is…"
"Grand Minister, do you know?"
"I've asked Martinu a few questions about our contestant from the Twelfth." The High Priest confirmed. "He's been training to be next in line for Destroyer for some time. He doesn't really speak about his time on his home planet. Sinthe and his partner Abi have been living on the Destroyer's world for decades now."
"Winner, please make your way back to the waiting area to rest for your next fight!" The Announcer yelled from the stage. This alerted everyone that the next match was about to begin.
Videl could feel her hands begin to shake. This entire time, she'd been dreading this particular match. She wished more than anything that Gohan would've gotten matched up with other opponents. Hit of the Sixth Universe was a Powerhouse on his own. After the mother watched Goku struggle and 'lose' in a fight with him, Videl knew that Gohan was going to have a hard time.
On top of that, a third contender was going to also be in the ring.
"Lets make some noise for the third round of battles folks!" The Announcer mentioned excitedly from the stage. A roar erupted from the stands, occasional spectators would scream and holler.
"He's going to be okay." A warm hand squeezed the young woman's fist. The bluenette smiled at her friend, attempting her best to reassure her. "Gohan is an amazing fighter. Even if he doesn't win this round. He's going to gain some valuable knowledge and learn from this experience.
"Like what?"
"Who knows?" Bulma chuckled. "It could be something as simple as a hand motion, to a whole new transformation! Something I've learned over the years is to never underestimate a Saiyan!"
"If nothing else, he'll possibly expose some weak points in his technique." Vegeta mentions from the other side of Bulma. "One thing that half-Saiyan is good at is finding a flaw and exploiting it. It'll be helpful to Kakarot, or anyone else who fights this monster."
"Hn." Piccolo nodded in agreement, observing the other two contestants on the arena floor.
"Fighters! Make your way to the stage!" The Announcer hollered into his microphone.
The pale warrior glanced up, watching as Goku walked back into the waiting area. It was hard to believe someone like him was able to defeat Jiren the Grey. While Sinthe hasn't observed him in battle many times, tales of his heroic might have traveled to his Universe.
This mortal was able to harness the power of the Gods? I don't believe it. The man thought to himself, scoffing as he stood up. As he did, many people in the room looked in his direction before quickly turning away. Sinthe watched as the younger man in orange also got up from his seat. I wonder how much his father taught him in martial arts.. This could be a good practice run.
Out of the corner of his eye, the pale warrior also noticed his other opponent standing. This is the one I need to watch out for. The Assassin from the Sixth Universe. He uses that 'Time Skip' technique.
"The next round is about to begin! Can I please have the next round of fighters on the stage!"
Sinthe walked past the rest of the contestants, many of them rushing out of his walking path. As he made his way onto the platform, the pale warrior glanced into the crowd. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he noticed his partner waving at him. Sinthe gave her a nod, acknowledging Abi. He watched as she blew him a few kisses while he took the stage. The other two contestants weren't far behind him.
The pale warrior could sense the anxiousness radiating from the youngest on the platform. The young man couldn't be more than thirty years old. Sinthe took a deep breath, sighing. This kid looked too nervous to actually do any damage. Was he going to have to bring the fight out of him?
"Fighters ready?"
All three men nodded towards the Announcer, the Null Realm becoming tense. The beginning of every match has previously had its fair share of tension. However, with two major competitors in the ring, everyone was on the edge of their seats.
Looking between each fighter, the small man raised his hand before bringing it down quickly. "Begin!"
Sensing a presence next to him, Sinthe quickly moved. The warrior narrowly avoided a strike by the famous Assassin. One of the great things about having a partner that is so quiet, is that the pale warrior was used to feeling for energies, instead of sounds. Even if someone's coming from a different dimension, the way they re-enter this one left a specific feeling in the air. Sinthe was able to pick up on it at a moment's notice and get out of the way.
As he turned, the pale warrior could see a miniscule opening in Hit's defenses. Sinthe attempted to exploit it, but was stopped by the third wheel in the group. He quickly smacked Gohan away, effectively putting him into a crater in the ground.
There were several gasps from the crowd, however Sinthe paid it no mind. Looking around him, the pale warrior noticed the Assassin was nowhere to be found.
"Gotcha!" Hit was behind his opponent, a hefty energy blast in his hands.
Sinthe raised a brow as he quickly swatted the opposing orb away, causing it to fly into the sky and burst. The noise and shockwave felt like sticks of dynamite going off. Grinning towards the Assassin of the Sixth, the pale warrior nodded in his direction. "Not bad."
The purple warrior felt the corner of his mouth turn up into a half-smile. However, it was short lived. The orange clad half-Saiyan began interrupting their brawl once again. This time, Hit was the one to take over the fight. The warrior of the Twelfth observed their little spar for a moment, deciding to take it as an opportunity to learn.
"What is he doing?" Zeni questioned, looking at his companion.
"I think he's watching the two of them fight!"
"But why? Shouldn't he be fighting too?"
Zeno wasn't sure how to answer that question. He glanced in the High Priest's direction. "Excuse me, Grand Minister, why aren't they all fighting?"
"I think it's part of his strategy, Your Majesty." The Deity grinned. "He wishes to see what his other two competitors are capable of. I don't think it'll be much longer before he joins in once again."
The two Omni Kings excitedly kick their legs back and forth in their chairs. Each of them was ready for the real entertainment to begin. They were aware of the kind of warriors that were in this battle to begin with, nearly every one of them from the top ten contestants in the first Tournament of Power. Gohan and Caulifla were the two 'underdogs' coming in to this battle.
"Do you think Goku's son can win?" Zeno inquired, glancing towards the Grand Minister.
"Anything's possible in a Tournament like this, sires." The High Priest smiled. "With the rules set in place, it could be hard to fight within the parameters of the small ring. We'll just need to watch the battle and see what happens."
The Kings of the Cosmos quickly turn their attention to the fight at hand, seeing much had changed on the battlefield. Sinthe was once again fighting Hit the Assassin. Gohan was nowhere to be seen at the moment.
"Do you see him?" Zeni asked, concerned for the half-Saiyan.
Zeno shook his head as he glanced carefully around the platform. The little blue Deity carefully observed the entire area. It took several minutes for them to locate him, but finally Zeno was able to see the half-Saiyan climbing out of a pile of rubble.
"He's over there!" The Omni King pointed out to his companion happily.
Gohan panted as he sat on the piece of rock. While he knew this battle was going to be an uphill battle, it's clear to the warrior that he is outmatched in this Tournament. However, the half-Saiyan wanted to stay in the fight as long as he could. The more information he can get on their fighting styles will help him in the long run!
"You can do this, Gohan!" A familiar voice came from behind him. The half-Saiyan turned around, seeing his father waving at him with a proud smile on his face. "Show them what you're made of!"
Taking a few deep breaths, the young warrior centered himself. He was useless if he continued to allow his mind to race with possibilities. There had to be some way to integrate himself into the fight above him.
As if the duo read his mind, they began shooting energy blasts towards the stage floor. This forced Gohan to move around so he didn't get hit. They never said it was going to be easy… The half-Saiyan easily dodged the ki blasts that were coming at him. However, finding an opening was proving to be more difficult than he imagined.
Got it! The youngest warrior thought as he pushed off the Arena floor, propelling himself into the air. Seeing the perfect opportunity, Gohan shot a few blasts into the fray. This caused Hit and Sinthe to separate for a moment. It was long enough to launch a powerful attack!
"Kamehameha!" The warrior yelled, hitting the pale man center mass.
Instead of damage, Sinthe was completely unscathed once the dust settled. A smirk was on his face as he popped his neck on both sides. "You're going to have to try a lot harder than that, little man."
The pale warrior reached out, swatting the half-Saiyan away with the back of his hand. Although Sinthe didn't mean to hit him that hard, it was enough to knock out the warrior in orange. Gohan flew out of the ring without another movement.
Reappearing in the stands, all of his friends and family immediately rushed to his aid. Thankfully, the team brought Senzu Beans for just this occasion. Videl climbed over the seats with ease, reaching her partner as fast as she could.
"Gohan!"HIs wife screamed, waiting frantically for Bulma to get the life saving medicine. Videl took it from her hands and placed it in her mouth, chewing it before he leaned over her husband.
"My baby!" Chi-Chi felt tears immediately begin to sting her eyes. It'd been an eternity since the older woman had to worry about any of her kids being in a Tournament where they wouldn't exceed. Being part Saiyan gave each of them a distinct advantage in battles on Earth.
However, this Tournament was completely different.
"Is he dead?!" Jean gasped loudly, her hands shaking in fear.
After a few moments, Gohan coughed and immediately shot up from his seat. Videl, Bulma, and Vegeta had to force him to sit back down.
"You're in the bleachers, sweetheart." Videl wrapped her arms tightly around her husband. "I was so worried about you!"
Meanwhile on the stage, an intense battle was still taking place.
Hit the Assassin was struggling against Sinthe from the Twelfth. Although his Time Skip Technique had been improved almost one-hundred times, it wasn't proving to be effective.
The pale warrior's face almost looked bored with the entire situation. Sinthe brought the fight down to the stage once again. They began to quickly move around the square at an incredible pace.
This little game went on long enough that Hit was beginning to wonder exactly what was going on. It wasn't like this man to play games. Before this, it seemed as though they were engaged in a serious battle. The purple warrior glanced up, seeing that the other man had a smirk on his face.
Sinthe was able to catch the Assassin on the edge. His foot side swiped Hit's, causing his foot to fall off the edge. In an attempt to catch himself, Hit used a blast to propel himself back onto the stage. However, the warrior of the Twelfth was one step ahead of the Assassin. Sinthe quickly used his own energy blast, forcing Hit out of the ring.
"WHAAAAAAAT?!" Champa screamed in despair. Both of his hands were on either side of his face, in complete shock that his top fighter was reduced to the bench in mere minutes.