Kakarot's Arc

Chapter 8 of 14

The blue wave still held, but Kakarot felt his arms failing. Cooler pushed harder, and the red ball crept closer. Kakarot's feet dug into the sand and slid. He was almost empty. One more push and the planet would break. Then a voice cut through the roar. "Kakarot!" Chi-Chi ran to the edge of the arena floor. His wife had fought in tournaments before she married him, and she did not scare easy. But now her face was pale. "I love you," she shouted. "Push harder! If you lose, we all die!" Something burned in Kakarot's chest. It was not rage this time. It was her. Heat spread through his arms and up into his skull. His golden hair flashed brighter, then drained to solid white. His green eyes turned white too. The pain left. His strength came back tenfold. He screamed and shoved his hands forward. The blue wave swelled and roared. It swallowed the red ball and pushed it back with ease. Cooler's eyes went wide. He threw himself sideways at the last moment. The energy tore past him and burst high in the empty sky. Kakarot did not wait. In a blink he crossed the sand. Cooler turned, too slow. Kakarot appeared behind him and chopped the side of his neck with the edge of his hand. Cooler dropped face-first and did not move. Frieza spun toward the empty space where Kakarot had been. "Where—" He never finished. Kakarot was already on him. One strike behind the head, and the small purple fighter crumpled into the sand. Cell lashed his tail out on instinct. Kakarot slipped under it. His body moved on its own, faster than thought, the way Sir Papa had taught him. He drove a fist into Cell's stomach, then struck the back of his neck. Cell folded and went still. The arena went silent. Three of the strongest fighters lay in the sand, out cold. Raddits pushed himself up and stared at his brother. "White," he said, breathing hard. "That's new." Sir Papa wiped blood from his mouth and nodded once, like a teacher who had seen his lesson pay off. Kakarot let the white power fade. His hair fell dark again. His legs shook, but he stood. Chi-Chi climbed over the wall and ran to him. He caught her and held on. Roshi walked onto the floor and looked down at the three fallen fighters. "They came for the throne," he said. "They will wake in chains." Then he studied Kakarot with a careful eye. "That white form saved us. But I have never seen it. Neither has anyone else." Kakarot looked at his own hands. The power was gone now, but he had felt its edge. He did not know how to call it back. And somewhere above them, on a high seat, the true holder of the throne had watched the whole thing. That fight was still to come.