Capítulo 6: Chaos

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Chapter 6: Chaos

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Fists met flesh and I felt the solid connection against my opponents' armour as I hammered in blow after blow. His pained gasp was music to my ears. I followed through and pushed as hard as I could against him. That'd be another one knocked off. Once I was sure I could afford it, I took a moment to glance at the timer displayed on the large screen overlooking the arena. Five minutes left.

"How're you guys holding up? I've got seventeen so far."

Callio blasted someone point-blank to the stomach. They crumpled under the blast and their hands dropped. Unable to guard the spinning kick to the jaw, they were sent flying. "Well enough. This makes mine fifteen. Tato?"

The stoic blue-eyed boy grunted, tanking a punch to the chest with barely a twitch. He grabbed his opponent by the ankles, heaving them upwards with a grunt. They streaked through the air, screaming bloody murder all the way down. "Hmph. Sixteen. Why are they all so weak?"

Bage slipped past a wild hook with lilting laughter. "You're just too damn strong!"

He slid around his opponent, green ki lighting up his palm. Electricity crackled and he whirled around. His palm struck dead centre against her back. The smell of burnt flesh assaulted my nose, an ear-splitting whine ripping across the stage as she bounced across it over and over again.

"Freaking behemoths, man," he grunted as he shook out his palm. "Fourteen now."

I chuckled a little. "Good…"

Flashes of colour lit up parts of the stage in light and cast others in shadow. Explosions and dust clouds blossomed in an instant before being dispersed just as fast. All through it, the crowd jeered, mixing in with the roars and yells of the children fighting. I took in the sight, resisting the throbbing urge to fling myself into the thick of it.

"...We're going to blast everyone we can from back here. It's the best way to knock them out and save our strength for later while staying together. Any complaints?"

Callio shook his head. "It's a sound plan."

"None here," Bage grinned.

Tato grunted and folded his arms. "Not a fan but I can't complain. The faster we get these weaklings out of here, the better."

"Alright. Try to be efficient with your ki by concentrating your blasts."

The words had barely left my tongue when I felt the heat of several blasts wash over me. The three had formed a sort of circle, blasting wantonly at anything that so much as moved.

"Hey now! Leave some for me." I cupped my hands together, fingers tingling. I spread my feet, bringing them back into a familiar position. All these months here and I'd only used this technique a handful of times – each one as exciting as the last. There was something to say about getting to act out my childhood fantasy. "Ka…me…ha…me…"

I pooled my ki into my hands, stopping once I felt it push against my palms. Spinning it more and more; compressing it until I could hear its hum in my ears over the din of the colosseum. My bones vibrated at the power packed between my hands. I reared my entire body back and whipped my hands forward. "HA!"

I felt my feet dig into the ground beneath them. The sheer force of the yellow torrent threatened to send me flying. Growling, I stomped down my foot in defiance. It burst out of my hands and doubled in size, pulsing and roaring. I watched with a shaky smile as it ripped through the arena's tiling, carrying a legion of dust and debris on its journey.

"Woah, look at that, people!" the commentator hovered above us. "A gang of tailed Saiyans have banded together and are making quick work of the competition. Each of them has taken down at least ten other people and that number's surging right about now!"

I chuckled a little and flicked my wrist, sending the beam veering left and right and knocking people aside like bowling pins as it dragged along others. I watched it zig-zag and nab one of the Namekian kids from earlier, pulling him away from his opponent.

"Almost…" I muttered, fingers twitching in anticipation. My heart thudded against my ribs, wild and erratic. "Now!"

The shroud around my hands crackled with flashes of electricity. I clenched both my fists and the blast swelled in size, exploding in a shower of brilliant golden light laced with light smoke from the crushed tiling. Dozens of bodies flew in different directions across the stage with enough momentum that I was sure they'd be knocked off. Still, the fighting didn't stop. The sounds of battle echoed out across the arena alongside the cheers of the crowd that came in ebbs and flows.

Backing up a little, I spoke out of the corner of my mouth, "I think that makes mine thirty."

"Aww hell," Bage whined, stamping his foot. "Callio keeps stealing from me!"

"Be faster," Callio snorted as he fired another blast. It struck a short-haired girl, taking her completely by surprise and out of the tournament.

"Stop it!" Bage yelled, swatting at Callio's arm.

"I'm at twenty-one," said Tato, firing three blasts in quick succession, delaying their explosion until they'd latched onto four very confused fighters.

"Hold on," Callio stepped forward and pointed at something in the distance. "Look at that!"

I lowered my hand and squinted. A scrawny kid clad in a ratty grey cloak and gi was darting around, beating the absolute crap out of anyone he laid his eyes on. His hair was static, completely sticking upward save for a single bang that fell down the left side of his forehead. He fell into a squared stance in front of a horned, purple-skinned alien. Their muscles rippled and they let loose a roar so loud we could hear it from here.

An elbow to the jaw and his opponent reeled back. He vanished and then they fell as if their feet had been kicked out from under them. He reappeared above them, driving his fist downward, cracking the ground and raising tendrils of dust. His foot pulled back and kicked them off the arena.

"Damn," Bage whistled, watching their trajectory. "He's strong."

"Three minutes remain!" the announcer's voice came from further away this time, his words as clear as day.

"Huh. I guess they're not all so weak after all." Tato wiped his hands on his trousers and began to move towards him.

I grabbed his elbow. "Hold on."

"Let go," he frowned. "I'm gonna fight him."

"No." I shook my head. "There's no way he won't make it past this round. We've only got a little longer left and most of the weaker people are gone. You'll have your chance. Trust me."

His frown deepened. "You know, I still don't understand you. You'll say cowardly stuff like that but your face doesn't match up at all."

I tried to smooth my expression, fighting the excited grin on my face. Every part of me was screaming to go and fight him. I coughed. "I-It ain't my fault that I'm getting this worked up at fighting someone strong. But if I go and do somethin' stupid and end up suffering' for it, that's on me."

"Hmph." he shrugged my grip off and folded his arms. "Freakin' weirdo."

I let out a relieved sigh. "Great. Alright. Now let's get back to blasting."

Bage cackled, taking up position next to Callio. "Right. No more stealing from me!"

"I won't. Just be faster." Callio raised his hands, his palm lighting up with blue light.

My eyes sought out a target, finding a shifty-eyed boy with sandy-blonde hair. He was hiding behind the rubble scattered about the stage, taking peeks at me when he thought I wasn't looking. I lined up my hand with the rubble. His eyebrows shot upward, a yelp tearing itself free from his throat and my palm lit up in yellow light.

"Tough luck, buddy." I fired, making sure the blast connected against the rubble instead of the kid's head. He moved to run away while it closed in on him but the resulting explosion sent him into the air, and if he didn't want to break something, he'd make sure to fall properly. "Dunno 'bout that one but I'll assume my score's thirty-one."

(Break)

The conclusion of the battle royale had eliminated the majority of competitors, a sight that filled me with satisfaction. The warrior within me eagerly anticipated the opportunity to face off against those left; they'd be a challenge. Regardless, I was proud of the job we'd done and even the tense waiting room couldn't dampen my spirits. Honestly, the most surprising thing of all was that the blonde boy I'd blasted before the battle royal ended managed to stay in the ring.

Content as a clam, I bounced my knee while taking in my surroundings, scanning the glaringly white room and focusing on any notable figures brought to my attention through feeling for their ki. Two Namekian youths appeared downcast, likely due to my previous defeat of their friend, shooting furtive glares at me. Close to them, a slender girl with teal hair and heterochromatic ruby and teal eyes surveyed the competition before her gaze briefly landed on my tail.

The fear flashing across her face provoked a smirk from me. Near the wall opposite the door, two hulking, humanoid alligators attempted to intimidate me with matching glares, but I simply rolled my eyes and shifted my attention to the one I was the most eager to face.

Among all the occupants in the room, he was the one who commanded the greatest distance from the others. It was pretty funny because he looked like a toddler but was probably closer to me in age. He sat cross-legged on the floor, head resting against the wall behind him.

Tato let out a sharp sigh. It exploded out of him and joined the low murmurs of all the ongoing conversations. "When is it going to start?"

I patted his shoulder. "It should be soon. If it was a long wait, they'd probably let us go and join Abbot and the rest."

Callio placed a reassuring hand on Tato's other shoulder. Bage, from his position on the floor ahead of us, craned his neck. "Besides. Even if we're here a while, what's stopping us from leaving? It's not like they told us that we couldn't."

"D'you want to go and test that out?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at the door. "What's the worst that could happen, right? Not our entire monastery being disqualified, right?"

"Hehe," Bage chuckled. "I wasn't serious when I said that."

"No one can ever tell with you." Callio flicked the other boy's head.

Bage sprung up, hissing. "Hey. Quit it with that!"

"And if I don't?" Callio raised his hand, his fingers poised and ready to flick at Bage.

As his hand moved closer to Bage's head, the door clicked, opening with a soft hiss. It may have been quiet, but immediately the room descended into silence, dozens of eyes staring intently at the entrance. Shen Yue walked in, her every step calm and composed. The long flowery robe she wore glided across the floor, making her seem as if she was floating.

"Thank you, once again, for your patience." her voice seemed to have an even greater pull to it than earlier. I balled my fists, trying my best to ward off whatever it was that felt so wrong with me every time she spoke. "We apologise for the delay but the Anvil's stage is now ready. This is where you will all be waiting for your matches."

She pulled out a thin remote control from the sleeve of her robe. A corner of the ceiling split open slightly, a thin screen descending from it. With a press of a button and it exploded to life, giving a view of the arena that the previous cameras hadn't shown.

"Hereafter, the rules are simple." all eyes were on her again. "Win, and you advance. Lose, and you are knocked out of the tournament. Any questions?"

I shared excited grins with the three boys, my heart rate picking up its pace at the declaration.

"The first match is between Cabba and Mando. Please follow me."

From his seat, a Saiyan child stood up. He adjusted his cloak, brushing a hand through his hair. His eyes sought out his opponent, settling on one of the Namekian children walking towards him. They left the room, sparing not so much a glance back towards us. Silence reigned over the room long after Shen Yue had left with the two, everyone intently staring at the television screen.

Cabba and Mando faced off, and the commentator stood between them, getting the crowd ready. "Get ready for an epic showdown, folks! On my left, we have the undefeated Cabba, a fighting prodigy from the Merchant Sector. He didn't take a single hit in the battle royale and he's a crowd favourite. On my right, we have Mando, one of the Namekian brothers competing in this tournament. Unfortunately, one of the brothers was eliminated in the battle royale. But can Mando prove himself superior to the prodigy standing before him?"

The commentator paused for a moment to let the crowd's cheers die down before continuing, "Let the match begin! Fight!"

As the two fighters squared off, tension filled the room. Mando launched a scintillating beam from his mouth, but Cabba quickly countered with a series of brutal kicks to his opponent's chest. Mando tried to fight back with a hook, but it was sloppy and only left him open for another devastating kick to the ribs. The sickening sound of the impact made everyone around me wince. But Cabba wasn't finished yet. With Mando reeling, he charged forward and delivered a crushing blow to his open chest with his shoulder, sending Mando flying off the stage.

The crowd erupted into cheers as Cabba raised his arms in victory. Contrary to the brutal beatdown he'd just carried out, the smile on his face could be described as nothing other than pure, his eyes bright and his grin wide.

"That was a masterful performance by Cabba, folks!" the commentator exclaimed. "He continues to dominate in this tournament, and it's no surprise why. What an incredible display of power and skill!"

As Mando's unconscious body was carried away by the medical team, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for him. He had fought as hard as he could but it was clear that Cabba was on a completely different level. I grinned and watched him confidently walk off the arena. Other than him, I reckoned I was the strongest here. Maybe the others were suppressing their ki. It would be a pretty smart tactic to get a cheap shot in.

Bage was bouncing with excitement. "Guys! Did you see that? He beat the crap out of him like it was nothing!"

Tato cracked his knuckles and stared intensely at the screen. "We're gonna crush the small fry quickly. That way I get to fight that kid."

"Woah, woah," I laughed. "Who says you'll end up fighting him in the first place? For all we know, anyone here could be stronger than you."

"Hmm…" he quickly glanced around. "No. I've sensed their power. They're not."

"What if they're suppressing it?"

He was silent for a moment. "They wouldn't. No point in doing it here."

I smiled a little. "You sure about that?"

"Doesn't matter. Even if they are, I'll beat them all the same."

The door opened again, revealing Shen Yue and Cabba – who looked none the worse for wear. The pink-skinned woman cleared her throat. "Next: Amaranth and Korn."

I sprung off the wall, locking eyes with the same teal-haired girl from earlier. Her eyes were rooted to my tail. I unfurled it and had it wave to her but it only seemed to scare her even more. Chuckling, I tied it back around my waist.

"Please follow me."

Amaranth darted after Shen Yue, leaving me behind. I bumped fists with the boys, promising them a victory. They gave me colourful descriptions of what would be in store for me if I didn't win, most of which had me laughing myself to the arena. I strode into the arena, feeling a surge of excitement as the crowd roared. The energy in the air was palpable, and I couldn't help but smile as I took in the sights and sounds around me. The arena was massive, with towering walls that seemed to stretch up to the sky. In the centre of the arena was a square-shaped, tiled platform. True to Shen Yue's words, it was completely rebuilt from everything done to it in the previous round, and as I stepped onto it, I felt a thrill run through me.

"Here they are, ladies and gentlemen!" the commentator's jovial voice came from the centre of the stage, growing clearer as we neared him. "Our next contestants. Will they give us an even more hair-raising performance? We'll have to find out!"