Betkas vs. Bardock

"Too slow!!"

Bardock said coldly, his voice full of displeasure, as he watched Betkas slowly come into view.

"Hey..."

Betkas heard him and immediately forced out a reply.

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"Get ready. This time, I'm going to use some of my real strength. If you die, you'll just have to blame your bad luck."

Bardock clenched both fists, his expression solemn. At the same time, Betkas immediately felt the temperature around them plummet, turning icy cold.

"Gulp!!"

Feeling the killing intent radiating from Bardock, Betkas couldn't help swallowing, though he was also a little excited.

That was what happened every time he fought Bardock. It was the pure-blooded Saiyan nature at work. Saiyans were unlike other creatures: when faced with a powerful opponent, they didn't feel fear or dread. They only got excited, even wanting to fight—never mind if it meant dying. Of course, some Saiyans with overly ambitious natures were different...

"Whoosh!!"

In the blink of an eye, Bardock vanished from Betkas's sight. Betkas immediately took a guarded stance, his eyes darting from side to side. Every so often, he glanced behind him or looked up.

That was the misery of not being able to sense ki...

All he could do was rely on his own eyes to look around...

"Too slow!!"

Bardock suddenly appeared behind Betkas and rammed his left knee into Betkas's back.

"Urgh...!!"

Betkas gritted his teeth against the intense pain, his body folding forward into a crescent shape. Before he could react, Bardock's next attack came.

"When an enemy hits you, you need to strike back at once with an attack that threatens their life! Don't let them keep launching pointless attacks!"

Watching Betkas writhe in pain, Bardock shouted again. At the same time, he drove his right fist into Betkas's bent back with tremendous force, making things even worse.

"Aah!!!"

The punch sent Betkas flying forward.

"When you're sent flying, don't dwell on that trivial pain in your body! Saiyans have never feared pain!! They only enjoy the thrill of battle!"

The next instant, Bardock appeared just ahead of Betkas, his right arm bent as he drove his elbow toward Betkas's chin.

"Tch!! This is as basic as it gets. I'm a Saiyan prince—how could I not know that?!"

Betkas fought to regain control of his senses, no longer paying attention to the pain coursing through him. He unleashed his full strength, and ki immediately surged around his whole body.

Then he gathered two powerful golden energy spheres in his hands. Judging the distance between himself and Bardock, he hurled them forward.

Bardock watched with a cold smile.

"Boom!!!"

The two energy spheres exploded right before Bardock's astonished eyes.

The blast's backdraft sent Betkas flying backward for a distance before he barely managed to steady himself... A gigantic mushroom cloud rose ahead.

"Not bad... You can actually make the energy spheres explode before they hit their target! Is that one of the special moves you've mastered?!"

Bardock's voice rang out through the smoke, tinged with admiration.

"Heh heh... If I still hadn't figured out a trick or two after all these days, I'd really be a waste of space..."

Betkas replied with a hint of pride.

But when the smoke cleared, Bardock appeared in front of Betkas once more. Apart from a little dust on him and some tattered clothes, he was completely unharmed.

"As expected... The gap in strength."

Betkas felt the immense difference weighing heavily on him. No matter how much strength he put into it, he seemed utterly helpless against Bardock's overwhelming power... He could only cause problems so minor they barely even counted as a nuisance.

"Now it's my turn. We've been fighting hand-to-hand these past few days, so this time I'll return the favor with a special move."

Bardock paused to think, then spoke. Ignoring the look on Betkas's face, which seemed ready to curse him out, he gathered a blue Ki Blast in his right palm.

"Damn it!!!!"

Betkas really wanted to curse him out, but Bardock's blue Ki Blast was already flying toward him. The enormous blast was so packed with energy that it seemed ready to dye the sky blue. Betkas thought it was absolutely terrifying.

"Dra... gon... Kame... hame... ha!!!"

Betkas didn't have time to think. He immediately summoned the last of his strength, bringing his hands together in the stance for the Kamehameha as he slowly chanted.

When Bardock's blue Ki Blast was only fifty meters away, Betkas fired. A golden Ki Blast shaped like a dragon's head surged straight ahead.

When the golden dragon-shaped Ki Blast met the blue Ki Blast, the collision shook heaven and earth.

"Not bad. It's a little like the Kamehameha I saw Kakarot use in the future, but... yours seems even more powerful. Did you combine Kakarot's Dragon Fist Explosion with the Kamehameha? You really are something!"

Seeing Betkas actually hold his own against him, Bardock was visibly shaken. Disbelief filled his face. It was the first time he'd ever shown such an expression in front of Betkas.

"Ha!!!!"

Betkas maintained his output with a grave expression, not daring to relax for even a moment. Under normal circumstances, he might have felt pleased with himself, but there was no room for that now. If he couldn't push this attack back, there was a nine-in-ten chance he'd die.

"But... you've passed. With talent like yours, becoming a Super Saiyan is only a matter of time! So I'll give you one more push here!"

Bardock showed a hint of satisfaction, then called out. At the same time, he increased his power. In an instant, Betkas was pushed back, left with no strength to resist...

He could only watch helplessly as Bardock's enormous blue Ki Blast drew closer, unable to move...

"Boom boom!!!!!"