Jayr POV - Dragon Ball Universe, Null Realm - Age 780
As the eliminated Cabba is transported to the spectator stands next to the other eliminated warriors of the 6th Universe and their Deities, I keep my focus on Peppars while thinking, 'It has doubled again... His power has straight up doubled again as soon as another one of his Mirror Dimensions has been destroyed. Now, I'm pretty sure that one of the prices that he has to pay to create his Mirror Dimension is that he has to halve his own power each time he creates a new one. Which means that Peppars' true power is much stronger than what everyone thought. I mean, if he halved his power 7 times to create 7 Mirror Dimensions, it means that his true power is around 256 times stronger than his original state. Luckily, it seems that there are also some kind of conditions that he has to fulfill to dismiss the Mirror Dimensions and regain the power he has paid to create them.'
At this point, my mind moves at a speed faster than light as I make use of my experience, and of the vast knowledge of anime, manga, fanfictions, and novels, and everything that Peppars has done to further analyze and understand his technique, 'Without any doubt, one of the conditions is that the body housing Peppars' soul must be in a greatly damaged state, almost to the point of being half-dead, and it must be caused by an opponent, as Peppars didn't try to fulfill this condition by using self-inflicted wounds. However, this makes me question why he didn't fight stronger opponents but simply retreated when he faced them, like when he faced Vegeta. Was it simply a tactical decision, or is there something more behind this choice? I can't help but notice that Cabba's power in his Super Saiyan form was more or less around the same level of Peppars with all his Mirror Dimension intact, and the same can be said for Cabba in his Super Saiyan 2 form and Peppars with one less Mirror Dimension, on the other hand, Vegeta in his Super Saiyan God form vastly outstripped Peppars' power.'
Reaching this point in my reasoning, I ask myself, 'Could it be that another condition he needs to fulfill to release his power is that he has to be defeated by someone at around the same current level? Seems to be quite a harsh restriction if that is the case. I mean, what is he gonna do if he is forced to fight a vastly more powerful opponent? Maybe rely only on his Mirror Dimensions to survive? Well, from what I heard, the Mirror Dimensions did allow him to survive a God of Destruction's Hakai and escape, so it isn't all that farfetched...'
While I'm thinking all that, the Grand Minister calmly announces, "The contestant Cabba-san from the 6th Universe is eliminated," which is then followed by the Zenos, who mark down Cabba's elimination on their GodPads as usual while happily commenting.
"Cabba... Cabba..."
"Oh! It's here! Tap!"
"Another warrior is already gone!"
"Another one! Another one!"
"The Tournament of Power is heating up!"
""Plus Ultra!!""
At the same time, it seems that I'm not the only one who took notice of Peppars and his abilities, as I hear many of the spectators discussing what they have just witnessed.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Wasn't that guy knocked off and eliminated!? Why is he back on the fighting stage!?"
"Fool! Didn't you notice that he has space-related abilities? It's obvious that he used them to save himself at the last minute. After all, the warrior from the 2nd Universe did the same thing quite a few times as he teleported to save his teammates."
"That isn't the only issue. Don't you see it? The last warrior of the 9th Universe became much stronger than before."
"Yeah, not only that, but he also recovered from all the damage he received. Could he have a strong regeneration factor like that other warrior from the 9th Universe?"
"Wait! Does that mean that he gets stronger each time he recovers from damage!?"
"Hmm... If that is true, then he may be quite a difficult opponent to face. Maybe the best solution is to knock him unconscious and throw him out without dealing too much damage."
"Damn. This is tricky..."
In the meantime, Vegeta seems annoyed that after defeating Goku and eliminating Hit, Jiren seems to completely ignore everyone else on the fighting stage as he stands in place with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, likely waiting for someone else to challenge him.
Vegeta then moves to challenge Jiren, but Top confronts him, "If you want to face Jiren, you'll have to get through me," which makes Vegeta smirk and reply, "I don't pluck second strings."
In response, Top calmly remarks, "Yet you're worse than second on your own team, aren't you?" which pisses off Vegeta who shouts, "Oh shut it, moustache! Why don't you come and find out for yourself!"
After that, Vegeta goes Super Saiyan Blue with a roar before engaging the Pride Trooper leader in battle, causing shockwaves and explosions all over the area they are fighting.
Vegeta continues his fight with Top, but then he is pushed back, approaching Goku's position, who notices him and stands against him back-to-back while saying, "Huh? Hey, Vegeta."
Vegeta notices Goku is being pushed back by the three robots from the 3rd Universe and comments, "Looks like you're having some trouble with those recycled waste baskets," which makes Goku reply, "Well, I'm just stringin' 'em along until I can get my strength back."
Hearing that, Vegeta simply grunts before Goku adds, "I saw that Cabba got knocked out of the fighting stage." This makes Vegeta reply in a very confident tone, "Doesn't make any difference... I just have to win this thing," making Goku mutter, "Oh, I see. It's that simple, huh?"
After that, Vegeta states, "The Saiyans will never perish!" which makes Goku agree, "You're right about that, Vegeta."
Shortly after that, Top arrives in front of Vegeta, blowing away all clouds of dust standing in his way and asks in a mocking tone, "You quitting already?" making Vegeta quip back, "In your dreams, loser," before he once again charges toward his opponent.
At the same time, Goku is once again surrounded by Koitsukai, Pancéa, and Borareta, which makes him chuckle and comment, "Hehe. I may be drained, but I'll still fight. I don't have any choice."
Then Koitsukai, Pancéa, and Borareta make their move and attack Goku, but before they can even get close to him they are knocked aside by Caulifla, who kicks one into the ground, rams another one with a shoulder tackle sending it crashing into a boulder, and blasts the last one away with a Ki Blast making Goku comment in an impressed tone, "Wow. That's amazing!" before he thanks her for her help, "Thanks a lot! You totally saved me there!"
Caulifla smiles and states, "With the time Cabba brought me, I'm back to full strength," before she immediately goes Super Saiyan 2, and challenges Goku, "So let's go. You and me, Son Goku!"
At this point, Goku takes his fighting stance while Caulifla stands in silence for a few moments before she takes a step forward and says, "First Hit was knocked out of the fighting stage, and now Cabba's gone too. I never should've let that happen. I have to get stronger so I can keep fighting in their place, and give our universe a chance. So show me how to get to the next level. I don't have time to wait! I need to get to Super Saiyan 3."
Goku thinks about it for a few moments and agrees, "Fine, I'll do it," which surprises Caulifla, who asks, "You serious?"
In response to her question, Goku casually replies, "Yeah sure, why not?" before he adds, "But I can only show you if you try to defeat me with everything you've got."
At this point, seeing Goku still in his base form, Caulfila asks, "Aren't you gonna transform, too?" which makes Goku say, "I just fought Jiren, so I'm a bit tapped out. Don't worry, though. I'll work up to it slowly. Trust me, I'll get there."
As the two prepare to fight, the spectators from the 6th Universe and the 7th Universe can't help but focus their attention on them and discuss.
"Is Goku really gonna fight her in the shape he's in?"
"Ah? This could be the big break our team needed! Normally, Son Goku would defeat her easily, but since he's still weakened from facing Jiren, she'll have the advantage. Get him, Caulifla! This is our chance to get rid of their strongest fighter! Toss Son Goku like a rag doll!"
"Try thinking for once, you numbskull! If she knocks out one of the strongest fighters, then who's gonna deal with troublesome enemies like Jiren and those warriors from Jayr's Universe!? It should be obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain that Goku is one of the few warriors who can even come close to those guys."
"Yeah, and so what if he is, brother? Considering the rules of the tournament, we don't actually have to fight them to win. If we want to survive, we just have to be the universe with the most fighters left when time runs out."
"Tch. So, how many minutes are left now?"
"Looks like about 23 minutes."
"Ugh. Then he might have a point. Maybe they could run out the clock."
"Even if those warriors are truly the strongest. The 11th Universe is down to three fighters, the 9th Universe is only down to 1 fighter, the 3rd Universe is down to 4, and Zeno-sama's guest team is down to 7 fighters, maybe six, considering that two of them fused into one. Since this is about numbers, we're actually ahead of many of them in the scoring. It's your team with 6 left and Zeno-sama's guest's team... That's where we need to focus. Our best hope is picking off the weaker fighters whenever we can! Then if we play this right, we'll win without five! That's just simple arithmetic, Beerus! You can't argue with that!"
"That was an impressively level-headed assessment, Champa-sama. I admit you've surprised me."
"What can I say, I'm a natural-born strategist. Get him! Now, Caulifla!"
Goku and Caulifla begin fighting, with Caulifla on the offense, launching a barrage of attacks, but she cannot land a hit on Goku, who easily outmaneuvers her despite the fact that he is forced to constantly back away until he retaliates with a single, precise kick that sends her crashing into a boulder.
Seeing that, Champa wonders, "Oh give me a break, what's the problem now...? How are you letting him get the best of you? You're at Super Saiyan and he's not... You should overpower him easily!"
Hearing that, Whis calmly explains, "Martial arts and street brawling are entirely different things. One cannot throw sloppy punches at random and expect mere strength to ensure victory. One must constantly measure one's reach against opponents, judge their breathing and how they move in battle, always probing for an opening in their defenses, a weakness to exploit. That is what makes one a martial artist, rather than a scrappy punk who likes to tussle."
While Beerus is gloating over the fact that Goku is much more experienced than Caulifla, and Champa starts to panic, Caulifla lands a hit on Goku, and Goku takes this more seriously, using the Afterimage Technique.
Caulifla is confused by the technique and Goku knocks her aside, sending her crashing against a nearby boulder making Caulifla complain as she gets up, "Damn it... Hey! That's a cheap move! Using fancy tricks to sneak up on me? Fight me face-to-face!"
However, Goku calmly responds, "Look, if you can't see through a simple Afterimage Technique, Super Saiyan 3 is gonna be a big problem for you."
Annoyed by his tone, Caulifla once again charges up to Goku, who then begins to speed-blitz her using Instant Transmission until she begins to adapt to Goku's movements.
The 7th Universe spectators are surprised by this, and they can't help but comment while watching Goku and Caulifla constantly exchanging moves.
"Oh man, this time she saw his attack coming!"
"Incredible... she's adapting in front of our eyes, learning to react faster and counter Goku's moves. Her responsiveness as a fighter is astounding."
"I know she's a Super Saiyan, but it's Goku. He should still have the edge!"
At this point, Whis points out and comments, "The fact that she's doing this splendidly shows the vast amount of inner potential, which up to now she's not known how to tap. Fighting against Goku is rapidly releasing that buried power, and allowing her to improve at an exponential rate." Which makes Beerus explode, "Don't act like a know-it-all! A minute ago, you called that girl a sloppy street brawler!"
Whis then plays one of his most used cards, the clueless fool, as he says in a sincere tone, "Huh, I said that? Are you sure? I don't recall."
Slowly but surely Caulifla starts to adapt to Goku's pace and soon she starts to gain a clear advantage as she lands a couple of clean blows before she cockily advises him, "I hope for your sake you're ready to transform, Son Goku. I'd hate for you to drop out before you fight for real."
He agrees with her and says, "Yeah you're right, I would hate that, too. " before he starts to yell as his Ki surges and then he goes Super Saiyan 2 making Caulifla smile while asking, "Nice, but are you sure you don't want to go Super Saiyan 3?" which makes Goku respond by saying, "Fun as that would be, I don't have enough strength for that yet."
Hearing that, Caulifla comments, "Well, that's too bad for you," before she once again goes on the offensive, but this time she is easily pushed back, making her wonder while grunting, "Is that really the same Super Saiyan 2 level that I'm at now?"
But then she steels her revolve and fires her Crush Cannon, launching several of her signature red energy blasts at the opponent in rapid succession, causing a strong explosion.
The smoke quickly clears away revealing that Goku manages to barely block the attack before he lowers his guard and comments, "I'll be honest, you took me by surprise with that attack. I never would've imagined you had a special move like that up your sleeve." making Caulifla reply, "I guess you're not the only one with secret weapons, huh Son Goku?"
At this point, Goku decides to get serious and asks, "Okay, but do you think you can keep up with me in Round 2?" which makes the Saiyan woman exclaim, "Bring it, hot-shot! I'm not scared of you!"
Hearing that, Goku smiles, takes his fighting stance, and says, "Good, glad to hear it. Because I'm getting worked up, too."
Then Goku and Caulifla start to clash again, fighting an equal fight, exchanging blow after blows and making the Zenos and the other spectators very excited.
"Wow! They are getting much faster!"
"Yes! And faster is better!"
"Oh, my! They are both fantastic!"
"Double fantastic!"
Goku is clearly impressed with Caulifla's improvement as he stops for a moment, snorts, and says, "Hmph. Back when I showed you Super Saiyan 2, I said you'd need to stay at that level for a while so you could master it. But you're a quick learner, Caulifla. I gotta say, I'm impressed."
Hearing that, Caulifla laughs and replies, "It's just how I am. The harder the battle, the more the power inside me grows. I'm gonna defeat you right now and then go straight on to Super Saiyan 3!"
After that, the two clash again, but after a quick exchange of blows, Goku finds an opening and lands a clean kick on Caulifla, pushing her back before saying, "I don't think so... There's a lot more to my power than just this!"
Goku then powers up to the max, unleashing a massive aura, and soon after, Caulifla follows after him and does the same, unleashing an equally massive aura, making the spectators watching this battle comment.
"They keep pushing each other further and further!"
"The question is: Which one of them will reach their limit first?"
"Incredible! I didn't know Caulifla-san had this much power!"
After Caulifla and Goku powered up to their max, they began firing energy blasts at each other, and the impact from their attacks shook the entire fighting stage, destroying debris.
Then Caulfila fakes an energy blast in Goku's face, catching him off-guard with a clean punch that sends him crashing against yet another boulder.
Meanwhile, Kale realizes that Caulifla is having fun in this fight, "I can really tell. She loves this," which makes my eyebrow twitch a little while I mutter in a very low tone, "Phrasing..."
Soon, Goku gets up and is clearly impressed, as he says, "When I first met you, I never expected that your power would climb this high, Caulifla. I'm starting to think that you can reach Super Saiyan 3 now. Maybe even beyond."
Then Goku focuses on the nearby Kale and asks, "So, how 'bout, Kale? Are you game?" making an excited Caulifla happily invite her to join, "Yeah, let's go! We can get to three-way together!"
At the same time, while Kale agrees to join, I can't help but yell out while using my Spiral Cosmo to momentarily block my kids' sense of hearing, "Hey! Phrasing! Be more careful! There are kids present here!"
Immediately after my shout, Goku, Caulifla, and the Zenos stop what they were doing and look in my direction before they tilt their heads in perfect sync clearly showing that all four of them of the do not have any idea about the reason behind my reaction meanwhile, Kale has a light blush on her face and starts to fidget a little while looking at her feet.
Seeing this scene, my wives and a few more people present start to snicker, making me complain in my head, 'Of course, what should I expect from innocent, combat maniac Saiyans like Goku and Caulifla... It is already a miracle that Goku was able to produce an offspring in the first place. Caulifla and Goku understanding something as subtle as innuendos is way too much out of their league.'
While I'm thinking that, everyone focuses back on the fighting stage, and Beerus is disappointed that Goku is inviting Kale in, which means more trouble for himself, while Champa is gleeful.
At the same time, Caulifla, Goku, and Kale also focus back on their battle, and Goku confidently invites his opponents, "All right, you can come at me any way you want."
Hearing that, Caulifla turns her head to look at her protège, chuckles, and says, "Heh. You don't need to hold back your power for my sake. Give him everything you've got!" which makes an excited Kale exclaim, "You bet!"
Then, under Caulifla's encouragement, Kale transforms into her controlled Super Saiyan form, which is quite a bit weaker than the berserk Legendary Super Saiyan but still more powerful than a regular Super Saiyan, and then she attacks Goku together with Caulifla.
Under their combined assault, Goku is quickly forced on the back foot and tries to retaliate with a barrage of Ki Blast, but the duo dodge them as they close in on Goku before they separate and attack him from both sides simultaneously.
Kale attacked with a punch aimed at his head that Goku blocks with his forearm, while Caulifla attacked with a low sweeping kick aimed at his leg, which landed, throwing off Goku's balance.
Then both Caulifla and Kale follow up with a high kick that is blocked by Goku, but still launches him back by dozens of meters.
Immediately after, Kale chases after Goku and the two briefly exchange moves until she finds an opening and grabs his shirt to momentarily hold him in place as Caulifla fires off her Crush Cannon.
At this point, Kale jumps behind Goku and kicks him on his back launching him toward Caulifla's signature red energy blasts that quickly land on their target causing yet another explosion, however soon the smoke of the explosion clear away showing that Goku was still able to react and somewhat block their combination attack, but still, he admits that the attack has hurt him a little.
At the same time, Shin is worried that taking on two Super Saiyans would be too much for Goku, but Krillin says that pushing himself to the edge to further himself is who Goku is.
As the two attack him again, Goku manages to defend himself against both of them, and seeing that Old Kai, wonders if Goku managed to achieve Ultra Instinct again.
However, Whis quickly denies and says, "I can assure you it is not. Autonomous Ultra Instinct is a martial mastery that's hard for even the Gods of Destruction to reliably achieve. As adept as Goku-san is in battle, it would be impossible for him to accomplish it again with such quickness and ease. Goku-san is improving his defenses in a more traditional way: by studying and learning the way Kale-san and Caulifla-san fight."
While Whis is explaining that, Goku is pushed back, and Caulifla and Kale fire energy blasts at him, but Goku blocks the attacks with his aura, becoming Super Saiyan 3, shocking Caulifla and Kale while thanking them, "This is all thanks to you. Fighting you both at once, I discovered I had power inside of me that I didn't realize was there."
Caulifla is amazed by Goku's transformation and energy and exclaims, "Whoa. Your energy is incredible!" before she quickly realizes, "Ah! So that's it. The next level! Super Saiyan 3!"
However, Goku immediately reverts to Super Saiyan 2, chuckles and says, "Heh, heh. I couldn't resist jumping to Super Saiyan 3. But it takes a huge amount of power to stay in that form. I'm not ready for that."
Hearing that, Caulifla can't help but exclaim, "What? Are you kidding? That's a total tease!" which makes Goku genuinely apologize, "I know, I know. I'm sorry."
In response, Caulifla casually says, "Whatever. We got to see it... That's enough. Now we know what it looks and feels like to transform from Super Saiyan 2 to Super Saiyan 3. We're gonna defeat you, then I swear we'll get there ourselves."
After saying that, Caulifla looks at Kale and says, "We'll get there together!" which makes her protège agree with a smile on her face, "Let's do this, Ane-san."
Then Kale looks at her fist with a determined expression on her face and mutters, "I'm not going to let her down. I have to keep getting stronger too!" before she starts to power herself up until she fully transforms into a Legendary Super Saiyan with such force that she generates a powerful shockwave that forms a crater around her while worrying everyone watching.
"Oh, not again!"
"Oh, Zeno! That's the Legendary Super Saiyan form!"
"So already she's back to going berserk!?"