Chapter 96: Vegeta's Mindset Explodes (Patreon)

"Sis! I'm getting serious!"

Su Nian let out a sharp cry, her golden aura surging, and drove a punch at Su Yi's face.

Su Yi neither dodged nor flinched. Her right palm closed neatly around her little sister's fist.

"Bang!"

The air burst open in a ripple visible to the naked eye. The front-row spectators were bowled over backward by the blast.

Su Yi turned slightly and snapped a backhanded elbow at Su Nian's shoulder.

Su Nian was sent flying, her feet carving two deep trenches into the ring floor before she finally steadied herself at the edge.

She shook out her numb arm and grinned. "Ow, that hurt. Sis really is getting stronger and stronger."

Su Yi stood in the center of the ring, her long golden hair drifting slowly in the currents of air.

She glanced down at her hand and said calmly, "That's about enough. Time to finish this."

Su Nian nodded. "Okay."

The two of them took their final stances at the same moment.

Their golden auras nearly swallowed the whole ring, and even the sky seemed three shades brighter.

In the stands, Chi-Chi clutched Goku's arm, her face drained of color. "Th-those two girls are pretty strong. Goten might be in trouble..."

Goku held Goten in his arms, his eyes sparkling.

"Amazing... those two kids are even stronger than I thought."

Gohan's expression was grave. "The ki of those two girls has already caught up to a lot of adult fighters."

Goku nodded. "And they haven't gone all out yet."

Vegeta listened to the conversation behind him, and his chest felt like it was being crushed under a boulder.

This was the junior division?

Now even a couple of little brats could turn Super Saiyan whenever they pleased, and they were fighting hard enough to nearly tear the ring apart!

The barrier between him and Super Saiyan, once so impossibly high, had been kicked to pieces by two little girls right in front of him.

"How is this possible..."

Vegeta muttered, the veins standing out on the back of the hand gripping the railing.

"Super Saiyan... no... this can't be..."

In the ring, the final clash between Su Yi and Su Nian finally erupted.

The two golden figures charged at each other at the same instant, and fist met fist.

"Boom!"

A huge pillar of golden light shot skyward from the center of the ring, and a terrifying shockwave rolled out in every direction.

Many spectators ducked and covered their heads in fright. The entire venue shook.

The light faded.

Su Nian lay at the edge of the ring, her short hair a mess, her chest heaving.

"I lose!"

Su Yi stood in the center. The hand hanging at her side trembled slightly too, but she was still on her feet.

The referee stood stunned for several seconds before scrambling up on shaky legs. "W-winner, Su Yi!"

The whole arena exploded in earth-shaking cheers and applause.

Mixed in with it was the lingering fear and bewilderment of many.

Su Yi walked over to Su Nian, crouched down, and held out her hand.

"Get up."

Su Nian pouted, took her sister's hand and let herself be pulled to her feet, still muttering, "I'll beat you next time, for sure."

Su Yi smiled faintly. "Eat a little more rice first."

Shin watched it all in silence. "Even the children are this terrifying," he murmured. "Saiyans really are frightening."

He turned, his gaze reaching toward the far horizon.

"So, Babidi... you can't hold out much longer, can you?"

Soon after came the junior division final: Su Yi versus Goten.

Some spectators who had been waiting only for the adult division now squeezed in around the junior ring, packing the stands solid.

The reason was simple: in the semifinal, the fight between Su Yi and Su Nian had shaken the whole venue, and the ground had only just been repaired.

Even the slowest person there could tell those two little girls were no ordinary children.

And now the final had arrived.

Goten stood on one side of the ring and took a deep breath, his small face wearing a forced, earnest calm.

He bowed to the referee, then bowed to Su Yi.

"Sister Su Yi, please take care of me."

Su Yi gave a slight nod, her eyes softer than they had been in the semifinal.

"Goten, you're very polite. But once you're in the ring, you can't count on your opponent going easy on you."

Goten nodded earnestly. "I know! I'll do my best!"

Seeing both of them ready, the referee raised his arm high.

"Junior division final—begin!"

The word had barely left his mouth when Goten kicked off the ground and shot forward like a cannonball.

He was much faster than he had been in the semifinal. Clearly he had prepared.

"Hyah!"

Goten closed on Su Yi with a straight punch, then twisted his hips into an elbow, the two moves flowing together smoothly.

Su Yi sidestepped the first punch, raised a palm to block the elbow, and slid lightly back half a meter, as if blown away by the wind.

"Not bad."

She spoke as if she were helping her little brother with his homework.

Goten's eyes narrowed. He pressed in again, his fists coming at Su Yi like a storm.

His talent really was extraordinary. His strikes were quick and sharp, the fruit of Goku's lessons in his spare time over the years, with almost no wasted motion. Up in the stands, Goku nodded away, beaming.

"This kid looks like he's just coasting in practice, but the moment he steps into a ring, he gets it."

Gohan pushed up his glasses. "He's more like Dad than I am."

Chi-Chi was too nervous to make a sound, her eyes fixed unblinking on the ring.

Su Yi kept up her defense while she spoke.

"Goten, technique isn't what you're missing right now."

She raised a hand and blocked a high sweep, then shoved Goten back several meters with the momentum.

"It's how you burst out your ki."

Goten steadied himself in the ring and tilted his head. "How I burst out my ki?"

Su Yi nodded.

"Watch closely."

She suddenly stopped, both hands clenched into fists, her body leaning slightly forward.

"Gather your ki at the center of your back, then push it up along your spine, over your shoulders, and down to your palms... like this."

She didn't unleash her full power. She only let a wisp of golden aura rise from her fists, flickering like a flame.

The whole arena held its breath.

"That's..."

Goku sat up straight.

Su Yi looked at Goten, her expression serious.

"Like your dad and your brother, you've got Saiyan blood in you. You should be able to bring out the power of a Super Saiyan too."

Goten's eyes went wide. "I-I can turn golden-haired too?"

Su Yi nodded. "You can. It's just that right now your feelings aren't strong enough, and you're too relaxed, so your ki won't gather. Try getting angry. Or imagine your family in danger."

Goten blinked, only half understanding.

"Getting angry..."

Su Yi glanced at Su Nian up in the stands, the little girl who had been itching to join in for ages, and added, "Or imagine that the person you most want to protect has been captured by a bad guy."

Goten froze, then slowly lowered his head.

Su Yi didn't give him much time to think. Her figure vanished.

"Bang!"

A fist landed squarely in Goten's stomach.

Goten gave a "waah!" and folded up like a shrimp, flew back and slammed into the railing around the ring, almost tumbling off.

"Get up," Su Yi said calmly.

Chi-Chi clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Goten..."

"Maybe he should just give up?"

But Goku pressed her hand down and said quietly, "Don't rush. She's pulling her punches. She's not really fighting him."

Chi-Chi glared at Goku. "You call that not really fighting?!"

Gohan added gently, "Don't worry, Mom. Su Yi is helping Goten find the feeling. It looks like she's teaching him how to transform."

Chi-Chi turned back to the ring, biting her lip hard enough to leave tooth marks.

Goten pushed himself up off the ground, the corner of his mouth reddened.

He wiped his face, his eyes locked on Su Yi.

Su Yi came at him again.

This time she wasn't only defending. She took the initiative, fists and feet alternating like whips, picking the angles that were hardest for Goten to guard.

Every strike was well judged, hurting Goten enough to make him angry without really injuring him.

"Get serious."

"Faster."

"Yes, that look. Just like that."

Goten's breathing grew heavier. His fists clenched tighter and tighter as frustration and stubborn resentment welled up inside him.

Why does she hit me so hard...

I was already being serious.

If I were just a little stronger...

A ball of fire was bottled up in his chest, lodged there with nowhere to go.

Su Yi saw her chance and barked low, "Now, lead that fire to the center of your back! Don't hold it in, follow it!"

Goten obeyed without thinking.

He felt as if the back of his neck had been set alight. A scalding force surged up through his spine, straight to his head and limbs.

"Uhh... aaaah!"

He roared.

A golden aura burst out of Goten's small body and lit up the entire ring with a deafening boom.

His black hair turned gold inch by inch in the flames, a flash of emerald lit his eyes, and his presence swelled several times over in an instant.

The stands fell dead silent.

Then a tidal wave of gasps and shouts broke loose.

"He changed again! Another golden one!"

"Heavens, kids can turn gold too!"

"What is going on with all these golden heads?!"

Vegeta stood at the edge of the stands, and his hand had already crushed five deep dents into the iron railing.

He glared at the small golden figure below, his pupils contracting.

"Kakarot's brat... can turn Super Saiyan too?"

His voice was hoarse, as if squeezed out between his teeth.

"You've got to be kidding me... a seven- or eight-year-old brat can transform too?"

He whipped his head around and looked up at Goku in the stands, who was laughing heartily with Goten in his arms.

The veins at Vegeta's temples throbbed.

Seven years ago he had bled so much for that head of golden hair that he'd nearly lost his life.

And now Super Saiyan had become something like elementary school recess calisthenics.

He slammed a fist into the railing.

"Bang!"

The iron railing buckled instantly.

The bystanders next to him scrambled back a few steps, sneaking glances at him as if he were a madman about to explode.

In the ring, Goten stared at his own hands in amazement.

"...My hair's gold! This is awesome!"

Su Yi gave a slight nod. "Now that you've done it, come at me with everything. Don't hold back."

Goten grinned, his golden flames flaring higher. "Yeah!"

He charged.

"Boom!"

The two golden figures collided above the ring, and the shockwave pressed down from midair, forcing many spectators to the ground.

The junior ring could no longer take it. The floor began to cave in, cracks spreading one after another, and even the railings creaked.

Yet anyone with eyes could see that Su Yi was still taking it easy.

In the air, she parried Goten's attacks as though waiting for him to adapt to this new power.

Every punch she threw was neither too heavy nor too light, enough to knock Goten back and no more, so that he could keep coming at her.

"Your punches are too rushed. Your rhythm's all over the place."

"Your body moving faster than your mind is a good thing, but don't rely on instinct alone."

"Tuck your chin in a little more. Right."

Goten fought more and more smoothly, the light and heat of a Super Saiyan wrapped around him like a small golden sun.

The spectators were completely dumbstruck.

Lunch watched Su Yi, the corners of her lips curving. "That girl is actually pretty good at being a teacher."

Oryon took a sip of juice and smiled. "She takes after me."

Android 18 rolled her eyes at him. "I think she takes after Lunch."

They traded another dozen or so exchanges, and neither could fully overpower the other.

But then Su Yi's eyes flickered, and her gaze swept over Goten's feet.

"That's about enough."

She murmured it under her breath, then deliberately left an opening, her left shoulder drifting slightly out of position.

Goten didn't think twice. He threw a straight punch on instinct.

Su Yi turned with it, the tip of her foot lightly hooking Goten's ankle while her right hand tugged him along, so subtly it was barely noticeable.

Goten only felt his footing slip, his weight tipping forward. Su Yi used the force to push off backward, rose into the air, and flew out past the edge of the ring.

"Ah!"

Su Nian shot to her feet in the stands.

"Sis!"

Su Yi flipped in midair, and when both feet came down, she was standing steady on the grass beyond the ring.

Goten stumbled a few steps and caught himself at the edge of the ring.

The referee stood stunned for several seconds, then rushed over. "Contestant Su Yi is out of the ring! Winner, Goten!"

The arena went quiet for a moment, then broke into gasps of surprise and cheers.

Goten himself was a little dazed.

"I won?"

Su Yi stood outside the ring, smoothing her sleeve, and said lightly, "You won."

She nodded to Oryon and Lunch up in the stands.

Su Nian had already stormed to the railing, puffing out her cheeks, and shouted at her sister, "How could you let him win?!"

Su Yi walked back toward the stands without raising her head. "It's just coaxing a little kid along. Why would I bother getting serious?"

"Hmph." Su Nian folded her arms and turned her face away. "You're just trying to look cool."

Oryon laughed and ruffled Su Nian's hair. "Don't be a sore loser. Go home and train more."

Lunch draped her jacket over Su Yi's shoulders and said softly, "Well fought. Mom will take you girls to the amusement park later."

The corners of Su Yi's mouth twitched slightly, secretly pleased.

Goten stood on the podium, holding up his trophy with a goofy grin.

"I won!"

Chi-Chi's eyes were already brimming with happy tears.

"Champion! Our Goten is the junior division champion! When the prize money comes in, Mom's going to make you red-braised lion's head!"

As soon as Goten came down, Chi-Chi was beaming from ear to ear, hugging him and kissing him again and again.

In the stands, Vegeta watched the scene, his face so dark it could have dripped ink.

He took a few deep breaths, came down from the stands, and headed for the adult division arena without once looking back.

"A bunch of Saiyans who do nothing but play house..."