The smoke from the explosion still billowed across the arena, like dark mist rising from the depths of an abyss, blotting out all vision.
"Get out of the smoke!"
"Hurry!"
Both teams scrambled to escape the suffocating haze. In such low visibility, it was all too easy to fall victim to a sneak attack.
Chris understood this better than anyone. His team was already at a disadvantage—if he, the captain, got ambushed by Kast, then their defeat would be sealed.
But then—
A voice suddenly came from behind.
"Chris, why don't you take a little nap?"
A flash of light pierced the darkness, like a guiding beacon in a black forest, illuminating the way for the lost.
To anyone else, the glow might've seemed dazzling and beautiful, but for Chris—it sent a chill straight to his bones.
"When did he get behind me?!"
Kast smirked, energy surging in his palm, forming a sphere even bigger than the last.
"You think those beatdowns from Lord Bardock were for nothing?"
Back before the Saiyans had relocated to Planet Sadala, Kast and Chris had been about evenly matched.
But Kast had a unique talent—for getting himself beaten senseless. He was a habitual troublemaker, constantly pushing Bardock's limits.
The reason his strength had soared past Chris's… was all thanks to Bardock's daily "love taps."
"Take this!"
Kast let out a cold shout.
The massive energy sphere launched from his hands, cutting through the smoky air like a comet. The grey mist parted, a tunnel of light piercing the haze.
The crowd watched in awe. The glow was brilliant.
Chris, however, felt only despair.
"No—!"
His pupils shrank as the sphere closed in, wind howling and ki surging violently. The massive blast filled his vision in an instant.
BOOOOM!
Golden light erupted where Chris stood, a deafening explosion shaking the entire arena.
The shockwave cleared the smoke instantly, restoring visibility to the field.
In the sky—only Kast remained.
The other members from both teams hovered below, but the two captains were no longer on equal footing.
"Kast-sama is amazing!"
"He's too strong!!"
Cheers erupted from Kast's team.
If your captain defeats the enemy captain, the battle's momentum was practically yours.
In previous months, they'd made it to the finals every time—unless they ran into Team Garis.
Now, hope surged once again.
The Lolita Clan members were cheering too.
"Kast-sama, no one compares!"
"Chris-sama was so close…"
The Lolita Clan, having integrated with the Saiyans long ago, took joy in seeing the race grow stronger. Their fates were now intertwined.
—
"How'd you know?" Philiya turned her eyes sharply toward Kaso.
In a battlefield where anything could happen, she didn't believe one could predict the outcome just based on a power difference. Anything could happen until the final moment.
Kaso shrugged. "Kast's a walking disaster. Even if Chris dodged that last hit, Kast would've pulled something else out."
Kast, after all, was the kind of guy who dared provoke Bardock daily.
That alone said everything about his personality.
And it wasn't like Kaso didn't know better—he wouldn't dare mess with Bardock himself if not for his ridiculous power level.
This was Dragon Ball, after all. That's Goku's dad!
Philiya frowned, silent for a moment.
She had watched every single match since the tournament system started. These battles were undeniably thrilling.
And she'd observed something: as long as Kast's team didn't run into Team Garis, they always made it to the final match.
But she also noticed Kast used extremely dirty tricks in combat.
Things like… well… even crotch shots weren't beneath him!
Just thinking about it made her mouth twitch uncontrollably.
"You two are so alike," she muttered.
"…What was that?" Kaso turned, not quite catching it.
She tucked her blue hair behind her ear, the usual ice-cold look on her face fading away for a rare moment.
A shy, almost seductive glint flashed in her eyes.
"N-Nothing," Philiya said quickly, looking away.
"Oh?" Kaso raised a brow but didn't press further. He turned back to the match.
Sure enough—
Chris hadn't gotten up from Kast's last strike, and without their captain, his teammates soon fell one after another.
With that, the day's tournament had reached its final match.
Bardock gave Kast's team a fifteen-minute break before the championship round would begin.
"This one's not worth watching," Kaso said, placing Ausbi'er on his lap and chuckling.
"Why not?" she asked, tilting her head, wide eyes blinking in confusion.
Philiya, now composed again, also turned to look at Kaso curiously.
"Because Garis used to be on Uncle Bardock's squad," Kaso said with a smirk.
Though the Saiyans were now split into ten squads, Garis remained Bardock's most trusted lieutenant.
That alone was reason enough for Bardock to pay extra attention to his training.
With higher battle experience, superior power, and meticulous guidance, it was no surprise that Garis was far beyond Kast's level.
In a real fight, Kast's dirty tricks wouldn't work against someone like Garis.
Philiya was momentarily stunned—she hadn't known that Garis had such a background.
And now that she thought about it…
In every previous final where Kast fought Garis—Kast had never won once.
So this time?
Same result.
She glanced over at the two little kids next to her.
The powerful Saiyans in the arena didn't surprise her much—they were adults, after all.
But these two… were just children. And yet their power completely dwarfed everyone else.
She hadn't seen Ausbi'er fight, but Kaso's strength? She'd witnessed it first-hand a year ago.
He had casually formed a giant energy sphere and destroyed Sharber Planet with a single strike.
Now, after watching so many duels… Philiya was certain—
No Saiyan here could even come close to Kaso.
Her mind kept turning.
Why were two kids this powerful?
Why them?
She had no answers.
Back in the arena, the final match began.
Just as Kaso predicted—no matter what tricks Kast tried, Garis handled them all with calm precision.
It wasn't even close.
Kast was soon defeated outright.
His teammates followed suit, one by one falling without much resistance.
Garis's team emerged as the tournament champions.
Seeing the battle conclude, Kaso gently set Ausbi'er down on a seat.
"Little Bier, sit tight. I've got an announcement to make."
~~~------------------
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