Gohan vs. Frost

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the ring.

The newcomer wore a black-and-white referee uniform and held a megaphone. He was the referee Vados had specially brought in for the Martial Arts Tournament.

The contestants and spectators from Universe 7 and Universe 6 all turned their attention to the referee.

Everyone was waiting for the rules to be announced, and the air was thick with fighting spirit.

The referee cleared his throat, raised the megaphone, and spoke loudly:

"Quiet! I will now announce the rules for the cross-universe Martial Arts Tournament between Universe 7 and Universe 6!"

His voice carried across the arena through the megaphone, and the somewhat noisy venue fell silent at once.

"This is a team battle, with three fighters against five!"

"There are three ways to eliminate an opponent!"

"First, knock them out of the ring!"

"Second, render them completely unable to fight!"

"Third, get them to surrender!"

"The universe that defeats all of the opposing fighters first will be the winner!"

The referee paused, then added two important rules:

"There are two additional requirements!"

"First, no contestant may carry weapons during the battle!"

"Second, killing an opponent is absolutely forbidden!"

"Breaking either of these rules will result in an immediate loss!"

Having finished announcing the rules, the referee put away his megaphone and nodded to Vados below the ring.

The next second, he vanished from the center of the ring, fleeing faster than a rabbit for fear of getting caught up in the fighting.

The referee's voice rang out again:

"Now, I will announce the contestants for the first match!"

"Representing Universe 7—Son Gohan!"

"Representing Universe 6—Frost!"

"It's finally starting!"

Son Gohan clenched his fists excitedly and pushed off hard against the ground.

He shot toward the ring like a cannonball and landed firmly on one side.

In the stands, Piccolo jumped to his feet and shouted:

"Gohan! Show them everything you've got!"

"Don't let those guys from Universe 6 look down on us!"

Krillin joined in, waving his arms:

"Go, Gohan! Beat that guy to a pulp!"

Bulma planted her hands on her hips, a confident smile tugging at her lips:

"With Gohan this strong, there's no way he'll lose the first match!"

Son Goku and Vegeta watched the ring too, their eyes full of anticipation.

After all the training and guidance Beerus had given him lately, they still hadn't seen just how strong Gohan really was.

Lin Fan leaned back in his seat in the stands, his expression unchanged.

His gaze rested on Frost, and a faint, barely noticeable glint of amusement flashed in his eyes.

Over in the Universe 6 stands, the table in front of Champa was already covered with all kinds of treats from Earth's street stalls.

Burgers, fries, soda, and dorayaki were piled up like a little mountain.

Champa held a chicken drumstick in his left hand and a slice of pizza in his right, eating messily with a thoroughly satisfied look on his face.

As he gnawed on the drumstick, he mumbled through a mouthful of food:

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Earth's food really lives up to its reputation. It's a hundred times better than that stuff in Universe 6!"

"Once we win the tournament, I'm taking Earth and making it my own personal food planet!"

Seeing Son Gohan on the ring, Champa chewed his meat and his eyes brightened slightly:

"Oh? Isn't that the Saiyan kid from Beerus's castle?"

"Does he really think he can stop my fighter?"

Champa curled his lip in disdain and stuffed another big bite of pizza into his mouth:

"So what if it's three against five? Every one of my fighters is an elite!"

"We're definitely winning this match!"

"Then all the food on Earth will be mine!"

On the ring, Son Gohan loosened his wrists and ankles, his gaze fixed on Frost as he slowly approached.

Frost wore a black cloak with a hood pulled over his head. His face was completely concealed, leaving only a vague outline visible.

Son Gohan grinned and greeted him first:

"You're Frost, right?"

"I'm Son Gohan. I look forward to our match!"

Frost stopped and gave a slight nod.

His voice came from beneath the hood, sounding very gentle:

"Hello, Son Gohan."

As he spoke, Frost reached up, took hold of his black cloak, and tossed it lightly aside.

It traced an arc through the air before landing in a corner of the ring.

The moment Frost's true appearance was revealed, the Universe 7 stands erupted.

"Holy crap!"

Krillin sprang out of his seat, his eyes wide as saucers.

"This guy... why does he look exactly like Frieza?"

Bulma looked just as stunned:

"No way! Apart from the different coloring, they look like they were cut from the same mold!"

Son Goku scratched his head, perplexed:

"That's weird. He looks so much like Frieza! Could they be related?"

Vegeta's expression darkened at once. His fists clenched with a crackle, and a faint aura began to rise around him.

The sight of Frost's face brought back the humiliation of being at Frieza's mercy all those years ago. Anger surged through him.

If this weren't a tournament, he would have rushed over and torn Frost to pieces.

"Don't get worked up, Vegeta."

Lin Fan's voice rang out calmly.

Vegeta turned and glared at him, then took a deep breath and just barely managed to suppress his anger.

He knew this wasn't the time to act. All he could do was glare at Frost on the ring, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Lin Fan looked at Frost and gave a faint smile, then explained to the others beside him:

"It's normal. The life forms in the two universes mostly have counterparts."

"Frost is the counterpart of Frieza in our universe."

"Cabba's counterpart is Vegeta."

"Caulifla's counterpart is Goku."

"And Kale's counterpart is Broly."

"I see!"

Son Goku clapped a hand to his head, suddenly understanding.

"No wonder Cabba and Caulifla looked familiar. So that's why!"

Vegeta snorted, his tone still disdainful:

"So what if they look alike? Their strength is nowhere near the same!"

On the ring, Frost looked at Son Gohan and offered him a polite smile.

He held out his hand to Son Gohan and said warmly:

"To be able to compete with you—"

"Being able to compete with you, Son Gohan, is an honor."

Son Gohan and everyone below the ring were taken aback.

His attitude was worlds apart from Frieza's arrogance and domineering behavior.

Could this guy be a nice version of Frieza?

Son Gohan hesitated for a moment, then reached out and shook Frost's hand:

"You're too kind. I'm looking forward to our match too."

Their hands met briefly, then parted.

Almost the instant the handshake ended, the air filled with the tension of battle.

"Begin!"

The referee's voice rang out again.

Before the words had even faded, Son Gohan moved first!

He pushed hard off the ground, his body becoming a blur as he drove his clenched fist toward Frost with a rush of wind.

The punch was fierce, carrying formidable force.

"Nice speed!"

A trace of surprise flashed in Frost's eyes, but his body reacted quickly.

He sprang upward, easily dodging Son Gohan's punch.

He spun three hundred and sixty degrees in midair, his right leg sweeping toward Son Gohan's head like a whip, with a sharp whoosh.

"Bring it on!"

Far from startled, Son Gohan was delighted. He raised his arm and blocked Frost's flying kick with sheer force.

Thud!

Son Gohan's arm collided with Frost's leg.

A surge of force traveled up his arm. Son Gohan swayed slightly, but quickly steadied himself.

This guy's strength... isn't that impressive.

He could clearly feel that Frost was much weaker than he had expected.

That was probably because Beerus's training had greatly improved both his strength and his body's ability to withstand it.

When Frost saw that his attack had been blocked, he didn't press the fight.

Using the recoil from kicking Son Gohan's arm, he pushed off Son Gohan's shoulder and sprang backward, opening up the distance between them.

Now!

Son Gohan's eyes lit up as he seized the perfect chance to counterattack.

He took a deep breath, and a white aura instantly flared around him.

The aura surged upward, blowing his hair back.

His powerful energy radiated outward, making the spectators below widen their eyes.

"What incredible energy!"

Krillin's eyes went wide with astonishment.

"Is this Gohan's true strength? That's amazing!"

Piccolo nodded, a proud smile appearing on his face:

"Very good. All that training really has paid off."

Feeling the power surging within him, Son Gohan smiled confidently.

He looked up and fixed his gaze on Frost, who stood some distance away.

He gathered all his strength into his right fist, which began to glow with a faint white light.

"Frost! Take this punch!"

Son Gohan shouted and pushed off hard against the ground.

Like an arrow loosed from its bow, he charged toward Frost, who had sprung backward.