"AHHH!"
"No—not again!"
"Somebody stop him!"
Across the practice arena, screams and shouts of alarm echoed through the thick smoke and dust generated by continuous combat. Even amidst the intense chaos of the battle, those particular cries carried a distinctive note of horror that cut through all other sounds.
Several more Saiyans were absorbed by Majin Buu in quick succession, their bodies engulfed and integrated into the pink demon's form. After his initial success with Pepara, Buu had apparently fallen in love with this particular technique. He systematically targeted his favorite opponents, drawing them into his body one by one with gleeful efficiency.
The non-tournament team was being decimated. Fighters either fell off the arena through conventional ring-outs or were absorbed into Majin Buu's ever-evolving form. Their numbers dwindled rapidly, the tide of battle turning into an absolute rout.
"This is completely broken!" Nappa roared in frustration. He'd picked up gaming terminology from his sessions with Raditz, and the word "broken" seemed particularly appropriate for describing Majin Buu's absorption ability. "How are we supposed to fight someone who just eats his opponents?!"
But curses and complaints couldn't change the situation. The tournament team, following Raditz's instructions, operated mostly independently rather than through rigid coordination. Yet somehow, they always seemed to support each other at critical moments—a natural synergy born from experience rather than choreographed tactics.
Piccolo's extending arms had scored countless assists, catching falling allies or providing launching platforms for aerial attacks. Android 17's energy barrages and protective barriers proved endlessly frustrating for opponents trying to mount sustained offensives. Tapion's illusions created constant confusion about which target was real, and Tarble—always lurking behind the phantom images—delivered devastating strikes when enemies dropped their guard.
Add in the overwhelming offensive power of Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan, and the combination became nearly unstoppable. All three were fighting at Super Saiyan 2 level, same as many of their opponents, but the gap in skill and experience was undeniable. Power level alone couldn't account for the difference—it was technique, battle sense, and the accumulated wisdom of countless life-or-death struggles.
Vegeta's earlier boast rang true: within the same realm of power, he was virtually unbeatable. And that principle applied to the entire tournament team.
"Is this sufficient?" Shin watched the one-sided battle from the spectator area, his earlier anxiety having evaporated entirely. "We've clearly proven the team's effectiveness. And remember, Goku and the others haven't even shown their true strength yet! If they fought at full power—"
"Look at their eyes," Raditz interrupted gently, pointing toward the battlefield. "The opponents haven't given up. Look at Gotenks, Nappa, even Rukon—see how seriously they're taking this? Let them fight to the conclusion. They deserve that much respect."
The outcome was already decided, that much was obvious. But Saiyans were Saiyans, and they fought to the last moment without surrender. So what if they were outmatched? So what if only a handful remained standing? They could still fight! They could still strive for even a small victory!
"Rukon," Gotenks said quietly, clenching his fists as he calculated his remaining fusion time. "We need to eliminate at least one of them. We can't let this be a complete shutout."
Maintaining Super Saiyan form during fusion drastically shortened the duration—probably less than five minutes remained before he split back into Goten and Trunks. Reversing the entire battle in that time was impossible, but knocking even one tournament fighter off the ring? That would count as a victory of sorts.
"Time's short," Rukon agreed, his young face set with determination. "Let's make it count."
"Understood!" Rukon took a deep breath, then called out to their ally. "Aunt 18, we need cover fire!"
Android 18 blinked in surprise, then smiled with something like pride. The boy was thinking tactically, coordinating with teammates—showing real growth. "You've got it."
With a battle cry, Gotenks launched himself forward. His aura blazed brilliantly, the intense energy creating a vortex of wind that spiraled around him like a miniature tornado.
Tapion's eyes lit up as he spotted the charging fusion. Immediately, the phantom materialized in Gotenks' path, his illusory cloak billowing dramatically while his body remained perfectly still—an impossible contradiction that marked him as a mirage.
Simultaneously, Android 18 opened fire. A dense barrage of energy blasts erupted from her hands like machine-gun fire, covering the tournament team's position in a rain of explosions.
Majin Buu's eyes widened at the incoming assault, then he laughed with childish glee. He responded with his own energy storm, countless pink spheres erupting to meet 18's barrage. The two attacks collided mid-air, detonating in a series of catastrophic explosions that generated hurricane-force shockwaves.
Using the chaos as cover, Gotenks burst through Majin Buu's perimeter and reached the rear lines of the tournament team.
Android 16 was occupying Android 17, their mechanical nature making their exchange oddly precise and calculated. The Super Saiyans were engaged with their respective opponents. Zangya moved between Tarble and Tapion, trying to handle both simultaneously—but her familiarity with them actually worked against her. She knew their capabilities too well, which made her overly cautious, and that hesitation allowed the pair to keep her locked down.
Gotenks saw his opening. His target: Piccolo!
"SUPER GHOST KAMIKAZE ATTACK!"
While flying at maximum speed, Gotenks opened his mouth and expelled something that looked like bubblegum but pulsed with tremendous energy. The substance solidified into a ghostly humanoid form—translucent, grinning, and radiating barely-contained power. He created five in rapid succession, all of them lining up beside him as he charged toward the Namekian.
Piccolo saw himself becoming the focus of the attack and smiled slightly. No panic, no fear—just professional assessment and response. His arms came up in a defensive stance, muscles coiling as he prepared to intercept.
He swung with devastating force, his arm cutting through the air with a sharp crack of breaking sound barriers.
BOOM!
The instant Piccolo's confident strike connected with the first ghost, his entire arm exploded into fragments. Purple blood sprayed through the air as the ghost detonated on contact, the burst of energy rolling outward like a tidal wave.
"Piccolo!" Goku's alarmed shout cut through the battlefield.
"I'm fine!" Piccolo called back, even as his arm began regenerating. "Don't worry about me! This kid's finally showing what he can really do!" Despite the injury, he smiled at the remaining ghosts approaching in formation.
His eyes flashed with tactical insight. He focused his ki and detonated two of the ghosts remotely before they could reach him, then fired concentrated ki blasts from both hands to annihilate the remaining phantoms. The technique was powerful, certainly, but its weakness was obvious—each ghost was essentially a high-density energy bomb. They could be triggered prematurely.
Piccolo had cracked the technique with a single exchange.
"So, Gotenks," he said with satisfaction, "do you have any other tricks?"
"Right here!" The response came not from Gotenks, but from behind Piccolo.
Rukon!
The entire exchange—Android 18's covering fire, Gotenks' frontal assault—had all been misdirection to create this moment. Rukon had been preparing for a long time, channeling and compressing his energy, just waiting for the perfect opportunity.
He'd transformed into a Super Saiyan, and cupped in his hands was the technique he'd practiced countless times under Broly's personal instruction: the Gigantic Meteor!
The massive sphere of concentrated energy pressed against Piccolo's lower back, detonating at point-blank range before the Namekian could react. Piccolo had been careless, focused entirely on Gotenks' frontal assault, dismissing it as the primary threat. Even the explosive ghosts had been bait, designed to fix his attention.
Now it was too late for regret. Piccolo felt searing heat against his spine—
FWOOOSH!
A slender beam of energy lanced in from the side, striking Rukon's Gigantic Meteor and knocking it off-course. The massive energy sphere detonated in mid-air instead of against Piccolo's back, the explosion shaking the entire arena with its thunderous roar.
Both Rukon and Gotenks stood frozen in shock, unable to process what had just happened.
But Piccolo's combat instincts recovered instantly. His arms shot out, extending to impossible lengths and wrapping around both children. With a grunt of effort, he hurled them bodily toward the arena's edge. The unsuspecting pair tumbled off the platform, eliminated.
"Hehehehe..." Frieza's distinctive laugh echoed across the battlefield. He stood beside Piccolo now, one hand still extended, the fingertip smoking faintly from the death beam he'd fired. "You're welcome, Namekian. That could have been quite embarrassing for you."
Frieza, who had remained motionless throughout most of the practice battle, had finally intervened—and in doing so, saved Piccolo from elimination. If not for that perfectly-timed shot, the two children might have actually succeeded in their coordinated assault.
"Hmph." Piccolo turned away without a word of thanks, his expression cold.
Frieza seemed unbothered by the lack of gratitude. His eyes gleamed with predatory interest as he scanned the remaining opponents. "This has become tedious. Time to end it."
His gaze settled on Zangya, and he moved.
One moment he stood beside Piccolo. The next, he'd crossed the entire distance to where Zangya fought against Tarble and Tapion. A sweeping kick cut off her escape route, forcing her into a predictable trajectory. Then a follow-up Meteor Strike—explosive purple energy erupting from his palm—blasted her clean off the ring.
"Zangya!" Android 18's head whipped around at her ally's elimination.
That single moment of distraction was all Gohan needed. He surged forward, his fists hammering down in a devastating combo. "Sorry, 18!"
The android went flying, tumbling over the edge to join the eliminated.
Nappa, fighting valiantly against overwhelming odds, was also reaching his limit. There was a fundamental difference between someone whose base power was genuinely at Super Saiyan 2 level versus someone suppressing their strength down to that level. The latter retained superior energy efficiency, better technique, more refined control. Even though the surface appearance seemed evenly matched, the gap in sustainability was decisive.
After Frieza entered active combat, the remaining opposition crumbled rapidly. One by one, fighters were eliminated through ring-outs, and Goku's team maintained perfect integrity—not a single member lost.
When Android 16 finally fell, the last defender eliminated, the practice battle was officially over.
Majin Buu released all the absorbed fighters from his body, the various Saiyans tumbling out looking dazed but unharmed. Whis waved his staff, divine light washing over everyone and healing their injuries instantaneously.
Despite their loss—despite being so thoroughly outmatched by the tournament combination—none of the defeated fighters looked particularly discouraged. They'd given everything, fought with all their skill and determination. Being beaten by warriors of that caliber was no shame.
"Excellent! EXCELLENT!" Beerus leaped to his feet in the spectator area, applauding enthusiastically. "If they fight like this in the actual tournament, we have nothing to worry about! Hahahaha!"
Shin nodded rapidly, unable to stop smiling. "Yes, yes! The coordination was superb despite operating independently! The strategic value of each fighter's unique abilities became completely clear! This team can definitely survive the Tournament of Power!"
Down on the arena, the victorious team and the defeated warriors began gathering together, exchanging handshakes and words of mutual respect. What had been fierce combat moments ago transformed into camaraderie, the bonds between Universe Seven's defenders strengthening through shared struggle.
Raditz watched with quiet satisfaction. This was exactly what he'd hoped to see—not just tactical effectiveness, but proof that when the stakes were highest, Universe Seven's warriors would fight with everything they had.
They were ready.