Laiya's quick strike sent Slug flying. Slug was stunned; he hadn't even seen Laiya's attack. Gaino, however, had seen it clearly. The instant Slug attacked, Laiya flashed right in front of him and punched him in the stomach, then returned to her original position, sending Slug flying. Laiya was so fast that Slug had thought she could attack him while standing still.
Slug's body was embedded in the mountainside. He said angrily, "How is this possible? Why has she gotten so strong?"
Slug looked at Laiya. The warrior, surrounded by golden flames of energy, made him wary.
"I refuse to believe it!" Slug fired a barrage of Ki Blasts at Laiya. Every one of them hit her. Then he unleashed his ultimate move, a Super Energy Wave, which blasted toward Laiya. Dust and smoke billowed around her. "Ha ha! Let's see you act so smug now. I finally took you out, didn't I?"
When the smoke cleared, Laiya was standing upright, without a single sign of injury.
The golden flames around Laiya grew even more intense. She said to Slug, "If that's all your attacks amount to, then you can go meet King Yemma."
Slug was truly afraid now. His ultimate move hadn't even killed this woman. What should he do? What should he do? Suddenly, he spotted Gaino and came up with an idea.
He quickly moved behind Gaino and subdued him, grabbing him by the neck. "I've got your companion now. You'd better behave."
When Laiya saw Slug daring to lay a hand on Gaino, she wore an expression that said she was settling in to watch the show.
Actually, when Slug had come up to him, Gaino had considered attacking him. But he decided against it. After all, his mission was to defeat Slug, not kill him. He wanted to see what Slug would do when he was cornered. As it turned out, Slug had taken him hostage.
Seeing Laiya's expression, Slug said, "What's with that look? Your companion is in my hands. I suggest you behave."
Laiya said, "Then kill him!"
Gaino's face darkened. "Laiya, I may not be your biological brother, but I'm as good as one. Your brother's in the enemy's hands, and instead of trying to save me, you're egging him on to kill me. What kind of little sister does that?"
When Slug heard that Gaino was Laiya's brother, he felt emboldened. "So you're that little girl's brother. Looks like I grabbed the right person."
"Little girl, that's your brother. Don't do anything rash! One move of my finger, and your brother dies."
Laiya, who was enjoying the spectacle, said, "Then hurry up and do it! Get rid of the guy in your hands, then fight me again. I haven't had enough yet! How could I let things end here? Go on, do it!"
Seeing Laiya urging him to kill Gaino, Slug said, "Is she really your sister? She doesn't seem to care whether you live or die. She's even telling me to hurry up and kill you."
Gaino said, "Her? She's not my biological sister, but she's every bit as good as one. Do you know why she isn't worried about me and is even telling you to hurry up and kill me?"
"I don't know," Slug said.
"Fine. I'll tell you. It's because I'm very strong too."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gaino powered up. His tremendous energy instantly blasted Slug away.
Gaino's energy sent Slug flying. He spun around and rushed after him at incredible speed. Slug hadn't even steadied himself when Gaino's fists began raining down on him.
Gaino knew how to hold back. He punched Slug square in the face, warping it under the force of his fist. With a scream, Slug went flying again.
As Slug flew through the air, Gaino stayed close behind, relentlessly pounding him with his fists. As he attacked, he said, "How can you be so brainless? Taking me hostage—what were you thinking?"
Gaino flashed beneath Slug and swept his leg out. Slug shot toward outer space. Gaino said, "That kick was to teach you a lesson."
He flashed again, appearing above Slug. Clasping his hands together, he brought them down in a hammer blow and smashed Slug toward the ground. "That hit was to teach you to think before you act."
Then Gaino appeared on the ground and fired a Ki Blast at Slug. Slug's screams rang out as Gaino's Ki Blast swallowed him.
Laiya dropped out of her Super Saiyan form and came over to Gaino. "Brother Gaino, you didn't kill him, did you? I wasn't done playing with him yet!"
Gaino said, "Don't worry. That move won't kill Slug, but it'll leave him badly injured."
"Oh, good. It's hard to find an opponent like that. We should take our time playing with him."
"That's exactly what I had in mind," Gaino said.
"Looks like we were thinking the same thing."
Gaino had blasted Slug's body into outer space, but Namekians had the ability to regenerate. Using the last bit of energy he had, Slug flew toward Planet Slug. He grumbled viciously, "I'll be back for revenge."
Laiya sensed Slug's energy gradually receding and said to Gaino, "Brother Gaino, Slug's escaping. Should we chase him?"
"No need. Laiya, do you know that you shouldn't shear all the wool off a sheep at once? We need to take it little by little. Otherwise, that little sheep won't be worth anything. Once its wool grows back, we'll go again. That's what makes it fun."
"Right, Brother Gaino. You really think ahead."
Gaino said to Laiya, "How was becoming a Super Saiyan? Wasn't it incredible?"
Laiya said, "Becoming a Super Saiyan is powerful, but it takes too much stamina. If you transform into a Super Saiyan, you need to finish the fight quickly. Otherwise, once you run out of stamina, you'll be in danger."
"Yeah, that really is a drawback of being a Super Saiyan. I wish there were a way to solve it."
"Brother Gaino, do you know what secret technique I learned on Yardrat this time?"
"What? Could it have something to do with stamina?" Gaino asked, looking at Laiya.
"That's right. This secret technique can triple my stamina. It's called the Breathing Technique. By using a unique way of breathing, my stamina becomes three times greater than other people's."
"That's amazing! Heh, little sister Laiya, how about you teach me that move, and I'll teach you the three secret techniques I learned?"
Laiya said, "Sure!"
Just then, the system's reward was issued.
System Reward: 0.1-second Time Skip. Please accept.
Accept, Gaino thought to himself. A peculiar energy entered his body, and he felt that he had gained a faint understanding of time.
"So this is the Time Skip Technique?"