"You losers all heard what Puar just said, right?" Beerus bared his teeth. "Besides, after Round Four ended, Universe 9 and Universe 10 were eliminated ahead of time anyway. Whether they forfeit or not, the final outcome is the same!"
"And right now, Universe 7 and Universe 6 are tied at two to two. What right do you have to pressure her into forfeiting?"
The area fell silent at once.
Champa pulled a long face, his gaze landing on Puar. "So you, little brat… want to challenge Kale?"
"Yes!" Puar's voice was firm. "I'm going to protect everyone with my own power!"
Levos and the others looked at Puar with unmistakable pride.
"In that case, the fifth round will proceed as normal."
After the Grand Priest made the announcement, he began repairing the arena again.
Beerus let out a breath, frowning at Puar. "Puar… tell me honestly. Are you sure you can beat her?"
"I-I'm not sure," Puar shook her head. "But I'll fight with everything I have, and I'll win!"
"Even you don't have confidence…" Beerus's expression darkened.
"Levos said I could do it. I believe him!"
Puar suddenly turned and looked toward Levos.
Levos smiled faintly and gave a small nod.
That simple expression filled Puar with courage for no reason she could explain.
She didn't want to lose a single companion didn't want to let down the people who trusted her.
She didn't know why, but she believed that as long as she fought hard enough, she would win.
There was still time before the ring finished repairing.
Everyone started cheering Puar up.
"Miss Puar, don't put too much pressure on yourself. No matter the outcome, it's okay," Supreme Kai Shin comforted her.
"Yeah, yeah! No matter what, we've got your back!" Goku chimed in.
"Mm… thank you, everyone." Puar's eyes turned damp.
Piccolo frowned. "Right, Puar… transforming into a Super Saiyan usually needs rage as a trigger. Can you think of something that truly makes you angry?"
"E-Every time Yamcha gets hurt, I worry about him… especially that time at the tournament when Tien Shinhan broke his leg…"
"Uh…" Goku scratched his head. "That doesn't really sound like anger."
The others agreed. The anger from that memory didn't seem intense enough and besides, Tien had turned over a new leaf long ago and become one of them.
Puar froze, then realized they were right.
"Then… maybe think deeper," Goku suggested carefully. "Like Yamcha went through something even worse?"
"The worst… was when Yamcha was killed by the Saiyans' group. I was so sad… it felt like the sky collapsed."
"Technically, he was killed by a Saibaman," Piccolo corrected at once, then pressed, "What did you feel back then?"
"Umm…" Puar clutched her head, trying to remember. "I was devastated… but after Yamcha was revived, it didn't affect me as strongly anymore."
They thought it over, and everyone came to the same conclusion still not enough to spark a Super Saiyan transformation.
They all sighed. Earth had long returned to peace, everyone was together again, and there just weren't many deep, soul-crushing grudges left to draw on.
"You can also imagine someone you hate," Levos suggested. "Picture them bullying you, pushing you down then let all that resentment out."
Puar thought hard. Then her eyes suddenly lit up.
"When we were in kindergarten, Oolong always bullied me! Of course I couldn't stand it I beat him up every time!" Puar clenched her fists, trying to look fierce.
"…That," Piccolo frowned, "still isn't strong enough. And Oolong is your friend now, isn't he?"
"…True." Puar's face fell again.
The closer the arena came to finishing, the more frustrated she became yet she still couldn't find anything heavier, darker, more suffocating inside her.
Levos was getting a headache too.
Even if they pressured Puar by repeating the truth that if they lost, their universe would be erased it didn't seem to help. It only restated the current crisis, and the real situation was that Earth and their friends had a very low chance of actually being wiped out.
Levos's gaze drifted to the "King" himself.
At times like this, the only one he could try asking was Frieza.
"Your Majesty… do you have a way "
"I refuse!"
Levos hadn't even finished speaking when Frieza rejected him with absolute finality.
Frieza knew exactly what Puar was.
This was the one who had swapped bodies with Dark Broly.
Frieza had personally tasted how terrifying Dark Broly was. And he'd just been beaten half to death by berserk Kale his cheek still throbbed faintly.
Get involved with Saiyan nonsense again? Did he look like he hadn't been used as a punching bag enough?
"But " Levos tried again, only to be cut off.
Frieza's voice turned icy. "Whatever you're about to say, I will not compromise again."
"Could it be "
"Even if you come up with some bizarre excuse, my answer is still no!"
Levos choked on his words.
"Hmph." Frieza lifted his nose arrogantly, glaring at Levos like he was warning him with his eyes: Don't even try.
Levos sighed. There was nothing else to do but take it one step at a time.
This repair took a long while.
But even with all that time, Universe 7 still couldn't come up with any workable solution for Puar's transformation.
The Grand Priest was already urging both sides to enter the ring.
"Since the contestants of Universe 9 and Universe 10 have forfeited, this round will be a match between Kale and Puar. Please step onto the stage."
Before Puar left, Levos reassured her gently. "Puar, just fight without fear. I'll think of the transformation method."
"…Yes, Young Master Levos." Puar nodded solemnly.
Both fighters stepped onto the ring.
Worried that Kale might berserk again and disrupt the arena, the angels joined hands and raised a transparent spherical barrier around the stage.
The match officially began.
Kale and Puar stood on opposite ends, staring at each other from a distance.
"Y-You… attack first…" Kale bit her lip.
Puar stood there blankly. "You go first."
"Huh? Why?" Kale was confused.
"No reason."
Puar knew she was far behind Kale in technique and experience. So she'd rather let Kale attack first than strike first and expose her own cards.
"Then… if you insist, I won't hold back…" Kale said, and raised her fists.
But she didn't rush in immediately.
Champa had warned her right before she went out Puar was tricky. She needed to watch out for that bizarre shapeshifting ability and a potential Super Saiyan transformation.
He'd also given her plenty of other "intel."
Like how Puar's potential was terrifying at peak condition, she could even match Kale's berserk state.
He even said Puar's soul and body weren't perfectly compatible, and that might be a weakness worth exploiting.
In short, Champa repeated one thing over and over: don't underestimate her.
So Kale decided to probe first learn what Puar was really like, and only then choose how to attack.
Puar was quietly observing Kale as well.
She looked gentle. Slim. Shy. There was nothing about her that matched the earlier image of a savage, violent monster.
She's terrifying…
At that moment, Puar deeply regretted not training in martial arts earlier. Now, when her friends needed her most, she felt helpless.
Thinking that only made her more cautious.
"I just need to endure… endure until Young Master Levos finds a way for me to transform…"
"And once we get back alive, I'll train harder than anyone. I won't ever let everyone worry about me again!"
Just then, her opponent moved suddenly closing the distance.
Kale's martial skill far surpassed Puar's. After watching for a moment, she saw it clearly Puar was full of openings.
Kale chose to take the initiative, planning to win with technique.
As for transforming into a Super Saiyan… unless she absolutely had to, she didn't want to do it.
She resisted that state. She didn't want to be ruled by the madness lurking deep inside her mind.
Even in base form, Kale's strength had already reached a level she'd never dared to imagine. If she could win without transforming, that would be best.
Puar's response was panicked, messy completely unstructured. Even her energy started to fluctuate out of control!
Yet the moment Kale was about to reach her
A vast, surging aura burst out, forming a heavy protective barrier around Puar.
Bang!
Kale's fist slammed into the shield.
It didn't even ripple.
Kale attacked again and again still no effect.
Puar's mind trembled.
With the shield up, she transformed into a massive hammer and smashed down toward Kale.
Boom!
A crater appeared in the ring. Kale dodged in time, then snapped off several ki blasts.
The blasts hit the shield, detonating into a thick cloud of dust.
The next instant, Puar now an axe burst out of the smoke and cleaved down at Kale.
Kale dodged, counterpunched
Puar immediately switched from offense to defense, turning into a shield… then armor.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
They tangled together, trading blows in a rapid exchange.
Kale's experience allowed her to neutralize most attacks.
But Puar's unique fighting style still dulled Kale's advantage.
The fight bogged down into a stalemate, metallic impacts ringing nonstop across the ring.
To the audience, it was novel.
But what most people wanted to see was Kale berserk again crush Puar and drag Universe 7 down with her, ending Beerus for good.
This match wasn't intense yet.
Puar's shapeshifting made her both offense and defense at once, full of surprise angles, compensating for her lack of real combat experience.
And her defense was too stubborn.
No matter what Kale did, she couldn't break through.
It was more troublesome than Kale had expected.
The fight was turning into a pure contest of stamina and staying power and in that kind of battle, whoever held out longer would gain the advantage.
Kale understood that, and sighed quietly.
"This match… means too much. I can't lose."
She looked toward Caulifla and saw nothing but encouragement and trust in her senpai's eyes.
"Kale, you can do it. I believe you can completely control that power!"
"If you're afraid of losing control," Cabba reminded her, "you can transform into Super Saiyan God instead."
Right.
She had more than one transformation.
Kale's eyes brightened. She steadied her breathing and emptied her mind.
Little by little, the noise inside her heart faded away.
As time passed, Kale began to grasp that feeling again the sensation from the ritual.
Puar saw the change and panicked. Her gaze flicked toward Levos.
Levos was urgently negotiating with Frieza through some kind of hidden communication. The distance was too far for Puar to hear what was being said.
But she could tell Frieza's attitude was… softening.
His brows held a look of temptation.
In truth, Levos and Frieza were exchanging words through private telepathy. No one else could hear.
But Frieza's emotions ran high, and in his agitation, he let something slip out loud.
"Five centimeters! Otherwise, don't even talk to me!"
Frieza's face looked twisted with intensity.
Levos, in contrast, remained completely calm.
Universe 7 stared at Frieza in confusion.
Frieza immediately shot them a murderous glare, as if daring anyone to ask.
Piccolo's heart tightened. What kind of deal did Levos make with Frieza? If it can tempt the emperor of the universe, it can't possibly be simple…
He wanted to stop it didn't want Levos paying too high a price
But he was too late.
Before Piccolo could even choose his words, Frieza let out a pleased hum, like a long-cherished wish had finally been fulfilled.
"Hmph This kind of thing… still needs this king"
The floating stands of Universe 6 and Universe 7 had already been destroyed. Both sides were now standing near the ring to watch.
They were close enough that Champa had been eavesdropping the whole time.
The moment he heard Frieza's words, alarm bells went off in his head.
Based on what he knew, even if Puar obtained Dark Broly's body, there was no way she could adapt to it in such a short time.
And Kale being able to go into that green Super Saiyan form was an unexpected stroke of luck. This match was supposed to be a sure win.
But after the incident where Dark humans broke the seal on the time-space fissure…
Puar seemed to have fused with other Dark bodies.
That alone was enough to make Champa treat her with maximum caution.
And seeing how much Levos and the others trusted Puar…
His stomach sank.
Levos had an absurd number of Potara earrings. If he wanted fusions, he could fuse anything into anything. Just thinking about it was ridiculous.
"Hey, Vados," Champa asked through gritted teeth, "do you know what's inside Puar?"
What if Puar had fused dozens hundreds of Dark beings? How was anyone supposed to play against that?
The more he thought, the more furious he became.
Levos is way too damn slippery!
Fortunately, Vados's answer eased him slightly.
"I've detected the auras of Dark Broly and two other individuals within Puar, Lord Champa."
"Only two?" Champa exhaled, instantly relaxing. He cracked open a soda with a satisfied grin. "Then Kale's got this. Easy."
Vados glanced at him and added, light as a feather:
"And those two auras belong to Dark Kale… and Dark Caulifla…"
"PUFF !!!"
Champa nearly choked himself to death on the cola.
"Cough cough cough…!" His mouth twitched violently. "You're sure?!"
"That is the truth, Lord Champa." Vados nodded calmly.
Champa's head buzzed.
His future suddenly looked pitch-black.
"I'm finished. Universe 6 is finished…"
Only after a long while did he finally come back to himself.
Then he clenched his teeth and howled
"Levos! You've done every evil deed there is!"
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