Thinking of You

Part 30

"Let the Tournament begin!"

As soon as those words had left Grand Minister's mouth, the poles that had once been standing without a duty shot to life, a blue electric light racing down its entire length. The surges of electricity connected together from the other poles beside them, creating a transparent wall of pure electric energy, prohibiting any of the fighters from leaving but also serving as a weapon of sorts. Goku made a mental note to keep his distance from the walls around the edge. An electric burn was not something he was totally thrilled about.

The blasters on the main cylinder came to life as well, charging up in a red glow that swarmed around them. Then, without warning, they began shooting at the fighters with red energy blasts not unlike Ki blasts, though packed with more of a punch. The red blasts peppered the ground with no mercy, forcing the fighters to jump out of the way while simultaneously avoiding the electric wall and the other fighters.

This is way different than before, Goku thought as he Instant Transmitted to the far left side of the arena, narrowly avoiding one of the red blasts. Zenny really wants this to be something special. What's with the guns? He must be trying to pin more stress on the fighters, to push them to their limit early on. He's not exactly playing dirty. He can do anything he wants with his own Tournament. The multitasking that this first round requires is pretty demanding. The other fighters, the blasts, and the wall are all things working against me, and somehow I have to be the last one standing to win. How am I supposed to do that? Zenny sure expects a lot from me.

The blasts hit the ground at his feet, forcing him back a step. Okay, I got this. Just make sure you're standing by the time this is over. This isn't hard. I just gotta keep my mind on the battle, throwing everything else aside. In his peripheral vision, he saw Vegeta watching him and felt that same ache in his chest. I gotta focus on the battle...for Vegeta's sake.

Ribrianne, or Brianne in her base form, spotted Goku near the edge of the arena and charged towards him, charging up pink energy in the palm of her hand. Her green hair billowed out behind her, her pink dress whipping around her slender frame. "Ha! This is it! I'm gonna win this first round with love and passion!"

Goku quickly panicked and ducked down as she leapt into the air towards him, flying past him and crashing head-first into the electric wall with a thud. The electricity swallowed her body and sent her flying back the way she had come, toppling to the ground atop Dyspo.

Goku jumped back to his feet, sliding from side to side as he dodged the airborne blasts. Caulifla met him through the red energy raining down on them and fired her own Ki blast. It swirled around itself before nailing him in the chest. He stumbled backwards but caught himself before he hit the wall. She took this as a perfect opportunity to charge, tackling him into the ground with aggressive mercilessness. He managed to block most of her blows, though one swift blow to his stomach knocked the wind out of him. She's in base form, how is she this strong? She wasn't kidding when she said she had gotten stronger.

He Instant Transmitted form underneath her and landed a perfectly executed swing to her head. She tumbled across the ground, but regained her posture almost immediately, her narrow eyes glaring daggers at him. "Damn you. This time, I'm gonna win."

Goku didn't respond, as he took this moment to catch his breath. Caulifla wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then gave a loud, ground-shaking cry. Swirls of electricity swarmed around her body, turning from a ghostly white to a bright yellow. Her hair shot upwards in an unseen wind, fading into a golden yellow that was in sharp contrast to her now piercing green eyes.

Already resorting to Super Saiyan? Goku thought, a smirk rising on his face. She must be desperate. I gotta admire her. She's relentless. But she's using up all her resources, which will tire her out quickly. She's so bent on winning that she doesn't even realize she's setting herself up to lose.