“Let’s see what she can actually do,” her grandfathers said, his mouth a firm line. From the sidelines, Goku watched, curious. Vegeta remained his usual aloof self.
“Since the fusion, she definitely seems more in control of herself,” her father said. They all knew about Bra’s legendary temper, but so far, Libra didn’t seem to share that trait. “But… something about her is…”
“Haughty? Full of herself?” Pan offered.
Her father remained silent, lost in his thoughts. “We’ll see. This fight will show us who she truly is. The fist doesn’t lie.”
“That right?” Pan said, surprised. She recalled her previous fights and how much she’d learned about her opponents as she fought them—not only their fighting styles, but their hopes and dreams, or their cruelty. She shuddered at the memory of Bojack’s merciless hand gripped around her throat like a vice.
While the fight had started, neither combatant had moved. They studied their opponents, trying to gauge their abilities. The audience soon tired of this, but neither fighter seemed to care.
“Come on, fight already.” Goten’s features drooped as he spoke, his arms hanging limp. His voice was a dull, robotic whine. Still, it was an encouraging sign he’d at least gained back his usual impatience.
“Give it time,” Piccolo-as-Cell Jr. said. “Both sense how dangerous their opponent is. The slightest mistake will mean defeat.”
“Oh,” Pan said, amazed. Were they having a mental battle?
“I’m impressed. You leave no obvious openings,” Gast said. “I can’t predict what you might do.”
“Is that what you’ve been doing?” Libra yawned and stretched. “I assumed you’d fallen asleep or something. Are you going to stop wasting my time, or are we going to fight?”
“Yep, there’s Bra’s typical arrogance,” Pan said, clenching her teeth. From Libra’s expression, she wasn’t taking this fight seriously.
But Gast didn’t seem offended. “Let’s start then.” Pan gasped in amazement as the fused Namekian just vanished—so quick her eyes hadn’t caught it.
Libra barely blocked the blow, caught by surprised. Gast’s attack forced her to retreat. His moves were so quick, they seemed a blur to Pan’s eyes.
“Tsk.” Libra grimaced as a punch breached her defenses, throwing her clear across the ring. But her steps were equally quick as she launched her own offensive. Gast’s jaw clattered as he got an uppercut to the chin.
“Her style’s different,” her father said, intrigued. “I notice glimpses of Bra’s style, but grace exists now where none did.” Bra had fought recklessly, a berserker charging forward, heedless of the danger.
“I imagine that’s West’s Heavenly Fist style,” East Supreme Kai said. With no one noticing, he’d joined the tournament fighters. “It is the most effective and skillful fighting style in the multiverse. Though its complexity requires centuries to master.”
“Huh,” Pan replied. Despite being only a day old, Libra possessed centuries of life experience? How bizarre.
East Supreme Kai frowned. “But from your story about Babidi’s Majin invasion, I expected her to be stronger than this.”
And he was right. Gast pushed his opponent on the back foot had turned into an outright beating. Pan grimaced as a gut punch sent Libra reeling, crashing into the barrier surrounding the arena.
“This is the infamous Son Bra?” the evil Goku mocked. “This fusion only made her weaker!”
“Idiot. She hasn’t even gone Super Saiyan yet! She hasn’t come close to showing her true ability,” Vegeta from Universe 13 said.
“Since she’s a fusion with a non-Saiyan, can she even go Super Saiyan? Her combination with a so-called god likely diced her genetics into a goop!” Kakarot said.
“Ouch, that hurt,” Libra said, rising to her feet. “Impressive!”
“Have you finished warming up?” Gast said, his arms crossed. “I know you’ve barely accessed your ki. Show us what you’ve been hiding.”
Libra stretched, flexing her arms. Her grin was devilish. “Figured me out, huh? Unlike my worthless dad, I don’t care about being seen as all-powerful. No, I’m more interested in testing the abilities of this new body. And you’re my perfect punching bag to help me learn my limits.”
Gast’s mouth tightened at Libra’s condescending attitude but remained stoic. “Can you turn Super Saiyan? We’re all curious.”
“Show my trump card already? No, thanks. I’ll show everyone how I can thrash you without it first!”
Pan gasped as Libra disappeared, Gast grunting in pain as a fist connected with his ribs. He retaliated with a backward swipe, but his opponent had already vanished.
“Incredible. I almost didn’t feel the spike in her ki,” her father said, breathless. “How much power is she hiding?”
“It seems this fusion has boosted Bra’s power,” her grandfathers said, tapping his fingers against his arm. “But it’s given her perfect control too? That easily?”
“I suppose Bra went through some stuff,” Pan said. Hadn’t Bra mastered her Super Saiyan 2 during Babidi’s rampage? Did this development transfer to Libra? But her grandfathers wasn’t listening, lost in his own world.
“What has happened to my Bra? Is she fine now? Have I worried about nothing?” her grandfather muttered to himself.
“She still seems like a major jerk to me,” Pan said.
“Perhaps she can finally get through a fight without killing her opponent?” her father said.
“What reason would she have to kill Gast?” Pan said, wondering aloud.
“Then I’d better get serious.” Pan gasped as Gast’s ki surged to astonishing heights. Since he was the fusion of hundreds of Namekians, his ki reserves were nearly bottomless.
Libra grunted as she intercepted a blow to her ribs, overwhelmed by the sheer might her opponent had thrown into that one punch. She grimaced, shaking her aching arms. Gast was relentless as he pounded at her defenses. Libra’s cocky smile evaporated as she struggled to throw up any defense against her opponent’s assault. She used flashes of her power to make sudden, unpredictable evasions, but Gast was still too quick.
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“Gah!” Libra grunted as a fist drove into her stomach, her teeth bloody. She smirked, splitting blood on the arena floor. “Not bad at all.”
“Are you still warming up?” Gast said. “Unless you wish to lose to only half of my true power?”
Holy—! This was only half? Gast had been holding back in his fight with Raichi.
“I suppose I’m done humoring you now,” Libra said, skipping on her toes and stretching.
“Finally!” her grandfather said. But everyone else watched in stony silence, curious what the newly fused warrior would try.
“That seems enough. I think I’ve got a good handle on this body now. And that’s only half?” Libra gave a dismissive snort. “You’re not worth bothering with.”
“What?” Gast replied, body heightening with tension.
Libra extended both arms like she was a prophet about to give a holy pronouncement. “Shall I show how a god becomes a Super Saiyan?”
“Wha—the?” Panic filled Pan as Libra’s ki spiked. She wobbled, almost suffocated by her sheer might of her ki. Others had similar difficulty—her counterpart Little Pan was driven to her knees. 17 and 18 were driven flat to the ground. Only Vegito seemed unbothered by this display of power.
“Incredible.” Awe and horror filled Pan’s voice as she witnessed Libra’s Super Saiyan form for the first time. It seemed divine. And this was only her first Super Saiyan form?
Her hair glowed a blond so pure, it made Pan’s seem like dull fool’s gold in comparison. Instead of the usual Super Saiyan green, Libra’s eyes were pink. A halo of pink light formed behind her back, almost encompassing her entire body.
“What the? This isn’t the usual Super Saiyan!” Kakarot said, a tremble in his voice. Libra’s power forced him to one knee, making it appear like he was worshiping her.
“This can’t be!” Nappa said. “Has she become a literal Saiyan god of legend? Something even beyond the Legendary Super Saiyan?”
“Is that possible?” Raditz asked.
“It must be some trick!” Vegeta of Universe 13’s voice trembled. “She can’t be this strong!”
“Remarkable,” East Supreme Kai said. “Has she ascended beyond a Saiyan and a god?”
His opponent’s power had rendered even Gast speechless. But he tightened a fist, ready to fight regardless.
“She’s still no match for me,” Though, her grandfathers’ voice contained an edge. Huh? Was it possible Libra almost had the power to match the great Vegito?
“Shall we begin?” Libra opened her hands, openly inviting an attack.
Gast gave a tight nod and vanished—so quick he’d even disappeared from Pan’s eyes. Almost everyone glanced around in confusion, unsure where he’d gone. In a flash, Gast appeared, an elbow launched at Libra’s face.
With a fist, his opponent caught it with contemptible ease. Gast’s fists were a blur as he assaulted Libra from all angles. But Libra barely seemed to move as she deflected each of his attacks.
“Is that the best you can do, mighty Namekian hero?” With a single finger, she pushed away a punch capable of leveling the planet they stood on.
Sweat trickled down Gast’s forehead, his brow furrowing as he considered his next move. An energy ball appeared in his hands, and he tossed it at Libra’s face. Instead of exploding in a blast of concussive ki, it erupted into a burst of blinding light.
“Gah!” Libra recoiled, rubbing her eyes. She grimaced as a punch struck her ribs hard enough to rattle her bones. Libra gaped as dozens of shadowy Gasts appeared, confusing her already-befuddled senses.
“Hey, I recognize that attack,” It was Anpan’s technique. The same she’d used against Vegeta. The Namekian hero must have learned and adapted it to his own abilities. That wasn’t fair.
Libra’s cockiness had vanished as Gast tore through her defenses, her senses incapable of tracking where the attacks were coming from. While the power difference was immense, Gast knew how to hurt someone. Instinctively, he seemed to know Libra’s most vulnerable spots.
“Gah!” Libra howled in pain as an energy blast exploded in her face, hurling her hard against the arena barrier.
Gast moved in to finish her, but jerked back as a sudden energy blast shot past him. It exploded against the arena’s barrier, the shockwave throwing the spectators off their seats and blowing a large spiderweb crack across its surface. From Gast’s tight expression, he knew how close he’d come to death.
“Not bad. The experience of all those Namekians you joined with has served you well.” Beyond some bruises, Libra seemed otherwise unharmed. “You are a fine warrior, worthy of honor.”
“Thank you.” Gast gave a slight nod of his head.
“I could use someone like you. Noble and honorable,” Libra said. “You’ve seen the sinful creatures of this cosmos. Someone needs to fight against them, keep the multiverse safe. There are horrors across the cosmos you can’t imagine. Together, we might do some good.”
“What do you mean, Libra?” East Supreme Kai said, his voice tight. “You wish to interfere with other universes too? That’s beyond even our power. It’s not even our right.”
“No. You saw what happened. Babidi came too close to claiming the Dragonballs and causing untold amounts of damage. We need to do to the multiverse what we did to our universe—keep it safe, no matter the cost. The price of inaction is too great.”
“But—” East Supreme Kai said, his voice uneasy.
“What do you say, noble Gast Carcolh? Will you help me protect the multiverse? I may be powerful, but I can’t do it alone.”
Gast closed his eyes, considering the matter with great care. He did nothing without deep thought. When he opened his eyes, he shook his head. “No.”
“No?” Libra wasn’t angry—more curious than anything.
“You and your fellow Kais believe yourselves wise in interfering with mortal affairs, but I think you’ve overstepped your boundaries. You are too quick to attribute evil to whatever you consider wrong. Life isn’t so simple. It is about balance. A great evil today could cause a greater good later.”
“While it was a terrible tragedy that Frieza caused my race’s extinction, it also caused my creation. So can I say Frieza’s evil was so terrible it needed to be eradicated from the universe?” Gast pointed to Goku. “And him—thanks to Frieza, he and his friends grew strong enough to conquer an evil like Majin Buu. You wish to help people, Libra. But in eradicating all evil, you’ve only caused stagnation. Adversity is necessary for growth. Of all the universes, Universe 1 is the weakest.”
“What did you say?” Libra asked, a tightness forming at her mouth.
“What will happen if a crisis appears and the gods can’t handle it? Who will fight it then? Not your Goku. He’s been so coddled, he barely knows how to fight. As tough as it may sound, some evil is necessary so good might flourish.”
A slight smile appeared on Gast’s mouth. “It is not I suggest ignoring them, but trust mortal beings more. They’re stronger than you think. Besides, you’re too quick to judge. Goku has proven that people can grow. From his mind, I see the friends he’s helped flourish into something better. You would’ve just killed them before they could ever reach that point.”
“Gee, thanks,” Goku said, rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed.
“Please. Like I ever needed Kakarot to become better. I was already on that path on my own.” Though Vegeta’s words sounded so false, it was almost comical. Piccolo only smiled—pleased. A rare expression from her uncle, and it warmed Pan’s heart.
“Mortals don’t know what they want.” While Libra sounded calm, Gast had struck a nerve. “You overrate the necessity of struggle. You’re letting people suffer for your petty vanity.”
In response, a firm line formed on Gast’s mouth. “And you’re a petty tyrant, not unlike Frieza. Except you pretend you’re doing it for our own good.”
“Fine. Only strength yields results. Prove your point by beating me,” Libra replied.
“I will.” Gast disappeared. The tournament arena thundered as the two combatants exchanged blows. The air crackled with the raw power on display.
Both combatants heaved as they broke apart, sweat glistening on their foreheads. Behind Gast’s usual stoic expression, Pan detected a hint of a smile. He was enjoying himself.
Libra wore her pleasure openly, her eyes ecstatic. “There we go. I was tiring of fighting plebs. And when I defeat you, Buu will similarly entertain me.”
“Oh, am I a circus act now?” Buu replied wryly.
“I doubt my father could even beat me now,” Libra said, extending her hands like her power encompassed the world.
“Cheeky brat,” her grandfathers said, his mouth a tight line.
“Shall I show you why?” Libra asked. Gast stood his ground, ready for whatever his opponent might try. He gasped as Libra suddenly appeared behind him, hands extended like claws.
Gast barely raised his arms in time to deflect Libra’s attack—only to gasp in shock as his arms shattered like broken porcelain. He stared at the frozen stumps as if he couldn’t believe his own eyes.
“She can do Bra’s freezing technique that easily?” Pan said, shocked. She’d assumed Libra would require a couple of seconds to use it, but that had been almost instantaneous. Even in her fight against King Cold, she hadn’t been that fast.
“That was West Supreme Kai’s technique, actually,” East Supreme Kai said. “But I thought no one could execute such a complicated technique so easily. Usually, it’s so difficult, it’s impractical.”
“Bra said once it took an absurd amount of energy to use,” Piccolo-as-Cell Jr. said. “It seems Libra has plenty to spare. I didn’t even sense a slight dip in her ki.”
“And it’s the perfect technique against someone like Gast,” Libra said, pacing around her foe, like she was admiring her handiwork. “We’ve all seen your amazing regenerative ability, but it’s not so useful when your ki has literally been frozen.”
“It’s a good trick, I’ll give you that. But you overrate its effectiveness.” With a thundering boom, Gast slammed his frozen stumps against the arena, shattering them to bloody fragments. Before Pan could even blink, he already had a new pair of arms.
In response, Libra clapped—but Pan detected a hint of mockery in it. “Impressive. That must have hurt.”
“Pain is nothing. For my people, I can’t fail.” Gast entered a fighting stance. He was determined to get his wish, whatever the personal cost. He would use the Dragonballs to revive his race.
“You’re a fool, Gast. You should have taken my offer,” Libra replied. “I could have given you everything you ever wanted. But alas, you took the route of the doomed.”
While Libra was boasting, an arm broke through the arena floor, striking her from behind. Gast had shot his arm into the ground and stretched it to attack his opponent. With contemptible ease, the limb froze as its fingers touched Libra. It was only a diversion. Gast reappeared, arm renewed, holding a sphere of ki. Since touching Libra at all was risky, this was the better alternative. But Libra surprised him, leaping into his attack. They all watched in shock as the ki blast iced over, freezing in midair.
Gast howled as a fist shot through his torso, shattering him like glass. In seconds, his bottom half froze over until it was a frozen sculpture. He tried to fight back, but Libra grabbed him by both arms—and they shattered as she squeezed them tight. Frost gathered around Gast’s face as his entire body started freezing over, his green skin becoming a frosty blue. Libra held him aloft, raising him like a trophy. A collective gasp passed through the audience and tournament goers.
“Now, I’m going to give you one more chance. Join me. You have fought well. I need a warrior like you,” Libra said.
“No.” Gast’s response was resolute. “Never.”
“A pity. Then you’re no use to me.” Libra dropped Gast’s torso, shattering into a million pieces.
---
Next time!
Gast vs Libra aftermath! Vegito’s resolve! Can the Godly Libra be stopped? Pan’s zombie android body? Will it be any use against Uub? Buu’s magic lessons?
