PART THIRTY FOUR: QUARTER FINALS

Chapter 169

Translated by npberryhill, edited by Guilarai

Uub pushed his Kaioken to the next level, muscles straining and nerves taut as a sharp ache rippled through him. He wasn’t yet tapping the raw power he’d unleashed against Majin Buu, but this fight felt heavier. Facing his mentor, Son Goku, was a different beast. He’d seen Goku and Vegeta’s brutal clashes in the Room of Spirit and Time, and this Super Saiyan 2 form was no joke.

To win, Uub needed the element of surprise. Neither he nor Goku aimed to kill, but the tournament’s rules allowed for it. A stray blow or calculated strike could end things, guilt-free—after all, most fighters here could shatter planets. Uub resolved to hold nothing back, even if it meant unleashing deadly techniques.

With no flair for originality, he charged. Goku struck his signature pose, effortlessly parrying Uub’s opening strike. He countered with a flurry of kicks, which Uub dodged, answering with his own rapid blows.

Their hand-to-hand combat shook the arena floor, outdoing the last fight’s tremors. Dust swirled into the air, clouding the stands, though the protective shield held firm. The shockwaves hit like a punch to the gut, even for those watching. Even martial arts novices could sense the epic clash unfolding.

Cheers erupted across the arena, fans rallying behind both fighters. Finally, a clean, thrilling match—honest, intense, and easy to follow.

“Come on, Golden Warrior, you’ve got this!” a voice shouted.

“Finally a fight that’s not one and done!” another roared.

“Go, kid! Show him you can hold your own!”

“What a ruckus,” Videl from Universe 18 said, glancing at the roaring crowd. “Not many matches in this tournament have sparked this kind of excitement!”

“People love a fair fight,” Piccolo replied, his eyes fixed on the action. “They hate it when it’s too quick or too hard to follow. This? This is a show.”

“Uub’s holding his own out there!” Gohan said, grinning with pride. “Those moves—Dad trained him well. It’s like watching two mirrors clash.”

“We’ll see,” Vegeta said, his voice cool and measured. “Goku’s not breaking a sweat in Super Saiyan 2. Uub’s pushing his Kaioken to match, but it’s taxing his body. He’s tough, but he’s fighting at a disadvantage.”

In Universe 16, their counterparts echoed the same observations, with one subtle difference.

“If I were Goku, I’d be wary,” Vegetto said, his tone grave.

“Why? Because the kid’s using magic?” Piccolo asked, eyes narrowing.

“Partly,” Vegetto replied. “But there’s something else. This guy’s already shown he can mimic techniques just by watching them.”

“Like Majin Buu?” Trunks chimed in.

“Precisely,” Vegetto said. “Who knows how many tricks he’s picked up since this tournament started?”

“Look!” Goten shouted, pointing at Uub.

Vegetto, Son Bra, and others from various universes raised their eyebrows in shock. Goku had jerked back just in time, a single hair fluttering in the breeze. Uub stood before him, an energy blade glowing at the end of his right hand.

“Are you serious?” Son Bra blurted out.

She’d grudgingly acknowledged Uub’s talent in the last round, but this was beyond prodigy—this was genius. He was wielding their techniques—hers, Vegetto’s—with effortless precision.

Recent events had humbled Son Bra. Babidi’s forced control had shattered her arrogance, stripping away her old haughty demeanor. Watching Uub, she felt a pang of dismay at someone weaker mastering her family’s moves so easily, but it was overshadowed by surprise and a grudging admiration.

Vegetto, however, felt a different sting. Once amused by Uub’s potential, he now bristled with frustration and envy. He should have had a student like that. Universe 18, despite his fondness for it, had stolen that chance from him. As the tournament wore on, his resentment grew—sharpened by the hunger gnawing at his stomach.

In the arena, Uub reveled in his momentum. He’d seized the upper hand and needed to press the surprise. A second Ki blade flared in his left hand, and he lunged at Goku with blistering speed. His mentor dodged, but only just.

One hit, and I’m in trouble, Goku thought, unease creeping in. I’ve gotta counter this.

Instant Transmission could get him out, but that felt like a cop-out. Uub was pouring everything into this fight, his drive to win palpable. Goku couldn’t just flee from his student’s passion. He had to match it.

Goku flared his aura, forcing Uub back. Two Kienzans spun to life in his palms, and he hurled them at his student. Uub crossed his arms, blocking the discs, but unlike Son Bra, he lacked the raw power to slice through them. He barely held them at bay.

With a nimble spin, Uub shot into the air, the Kienzans dissolving against the arena’s shield. That split-second opening was all Goku needed. His fist slammed into Uub’s ribs, drawing a sharp cry of pain.

Uub crashed to the ground, carving a trench in the arena floor. Goku didn’t let up, slamming a kick that sent his student skidding further, coughing up blood from the impact and the strain of his Kaioken.

Gritting his teeth, Uub formed two glowing energy spheres in his hands. “Sokidan!” he roared.

“Two at once?” Goku thought, eyes widening. He shot into the air, the radiant orbs chasing him. For a moment, the crowd was mesmerized by what looked like a deadly dance—Goku weaving and dodging with fluid precision, Uub guiding the spheres with fierce focus, trying to outmaneuver his mentor.

Uub’s plan was clear: force Goku to use Instant Transmission, making it a sign of weakness. Goku didn’t know his student’s exact goal, but he sensed Uub pushing him to his limits. He refused to give in—he wanted victory on his own terms. Slipping past the Sokidan ambush, Goku charged back at Uub, only to meet a searing energy blast from his student’s open mouth. Uub never stopped surprising him.

Spiraling out of the blast’s path, Goku lunged, but his fist sliced through empty air. Uub had already leaped skyward, pointing a finger at his mentor.

“Turn into a rabbit!” Uub shouted.

Goku dove aside in a panic, narrowly dodging the purple beam. Where he’d stood moments before, a massive white rabbit now blinked, its bulging eyes fixed on the Saiyan. Laughter erupted across the arena, the crowd roaring at the absurdity. Uub, however, scowled in frustration. Would the spell have worked on Goku? Missing again stung.

Goku wiped sweat from his brow. He couldn’t afford to slip, not with magic this unpredictable. Vegetto’s wariness of it suddenly made sense—not unfair, but wildly chaotic.

A chill ran through him. The giant rabbit’s snout twitched, sniffing curiously. Goku froze, stunned by the bizarre sight, and didn’t notice its jaws open wide. In a flash, the Saiyan vanished, swallowed whole by the rodent. The arena’s laughter cut to stunned silence—then exploded into hysterics.

“Grandpa!” Pan from Universe 18 cried, her voice thick with panic.

“HAHAHA!” Vegeta bellowed, doubling over. “I held it in before, but this… a carrot eaten by a rabbit… HAHAHA!”

While most of the arena dissolved into laughter, Piccolo, Vegetto of Universe 16, and Kakarotto of Universe 13 remained stone-faced. Even the gods of Universe 1 couldn’t resist chuckling, amused not just by the rabbit fiasco but by learning Goku’s Saiyan name. Buu from Universe 4, trapped in his ball form, shook with riotous laughter, his countless personalities united in a single, booming cackle. The Djinn lived for spectacle, and his apprentice Uub was delivering the greatest show of his life.

In the control tower, a Varga announcer, hiccupping through a mix of laughter and nerves, stammered, “W-We’re starting a countdown for Son Goku of… of Universe 18… One, two…”

Uub watched the rabbit hop across the arena. It wasn’t the outcome he’d planned, but victory felt close. Or so he thought.

A sudden presence loomed behind him. Before he could react, Goku’s fist crashed into him, hurling him into the ground with a thunderous impact, leaving a gaping crater. The rabbit vanished, to the crowd’s disappointment, its hopping antics cut short.

Goku’s face was grim, his eyes locked on his student. He hadn’t wanted to use Instant Transmission to escape, and the necessity irked him. He wasn’t about to lose over such a blunder.

Unleashing the full might of his Super Saiyan 2 form, Goku charged. Uub, barely back on his feet, flared an even brighter Kaioken aura and blocked Goku’s fist at the last second. His arm quaked under his mentor’s strength, but he held firm.

Goku pressed the assault, grinning as he landed a sharp kick to Uub’s ribs, sending him skidding across the arena. As Vegeta had predicted, the gap in experience was glaring. Uub struggled to parry and counter, while Goku dominated, forcing a relentless exchange of blows.

Taking hit after hit, Uub gritted his teeth and pulled back. Goku, confident in his edge, gave chase, refusing to let up. But in his fervor, he missed the trap Uub had set.

As Goku surged forward, poised for a crushing blow, Uub thrust out his hands. “Bankoku Bikkuri Sho!” he shouted. A crackling beam of energy struck Goku head-on, ensnaring him in an electric aura that seared his nerves. Uub poured everything into holding the trap, sweat beading on his brow.

Goku grimaced, recognizing the technique. “Hey! That’s old Jackie’s move from the Tenkaichi Budokai! It gave me—argh!—a rough time…”

On the Universe 18 balcony, Piccolo and Vegeta exchanged surprised glances. They’d never seen this attack before, but its effectiveness was undeniable—a Super Saiyan 2, immobilized and wincing in pain.

With Goku unable to move, the Vargas started a new countdown. “One, two…”

Panicked, Goku racked his brain for an escape, but the memory of breaking free from this technique eluded him. Uub’s smile widened, though his body trembled with effort. His mentor wouldn’t recall the counter, and even if he did, he couldn’t transform into a Great Ape to break it. Victory was in reach.

“He’s not going down like this, is he?” Goten yelped.

“Come on, Grandpa, fight back!” Pan urged, her voice tight with worry.

“That’s a brilliant move by Uub,” Gohan said, impressed. “Dad’s stuck. I don’t know where he learned that, but it could’ve saved us in plenty of fights!”

The countdown pressed on, to Goku’s dismay. “Eleven, twelve…”

“Yes!” Uub thought, channeling his energy as he had against Majin Buu.

“Grr… no choice!” Goku growled, clenching his fists.

His aura surged, erupting in a blinding blast of light that shattered Uub’s electric cage, knocking the young fighter backward. The arena quaked as Goku’s Super Saiyan 3 power roared to life, its raw force rippling through the stands. For the first time in the tournament, he unleashed this level in a one-on-one fight, and he wasn’t holding back.

“This is what you wanted, Uub!” Goku shouted, his voice booming. “Find a weakness fast, because I’m not letting you win—I’m ending this now!”