Fierce Battle

The Saibaman planted its feet, let out a piercing shriek, and lunged at Yamcha.

Its claws were razor-sharp, a full ten centimeters long, and it was fast—with a single step, it had already covered dozens of meters. As it bore down on Yamcha, it swung its claws, its screech growing even more shrill.

Whoosh!

A sharp sweep cut through the air as the claws tore through it. But the Saibaman suddenly froze—it had sliced through empty air, expecting to shred its enemy, yet Yamcha had vanished in an instant!

Just then, a figure flashed behind it, leaping up to kick it square in the head.

That kick carried immense force, sending the Saibaman spinning three full rotations in midair before it hurtled away, skidding another ten meters across the ground before stopping.

"Useless!" Vegeta roared, extending two fingers. With a single pop, he pierced the Saibaman into chunks.

Even Nappa couldn't help but sweat at the sight.

"I told you to go all out and not get careless!" Vegeta barked, pointing at another Saibaman. "You're next. Don't lose again."

The Saibaman he pointed at trembled in fear as it shuffled forward.

Yamcha smugly flashed a V-sign, high-fiving Krillin as they switched out. "These monsters are no match for us."

"Oh yeah? Then I'll take mine down faster than you did!"

"Ha, let's see you try."

"Fine. I'm going!" Krillin leaped forward, dropping into a stance.

The Saibaman and Krillin locked eyes, a glint flashing in both their gazes.

Whoosh!

Both vanished from sight!

"Ah... they disappeared," Gohan said in shock.

"Focus and sense their ki! Didn't I teach you that? How can you not see them!" Piccolo scolded in displeasure.

Gohan felt deeply ashamed, straining to sense the rapidly moving presences, then suddenly lit up. "I see them!"

The moment he spoke, the Saibaman was hurled to the ground, limp and unable to rise.

"Useless!" Vegeta struck again, finishing off the dying Saibaman. "That one's battle power shot up to over two thousand in that instant!" Vegeta's gaze sharpened like needles as he looked at Raditz.

He realized those two Earthlings could drastically change their battle power on the fly, and doubt crept in about Raditz. 1800 probably wasn't Raditz's true strength—if he dared challenge him, did Raditz actually have power to match his own?

Vegeta, unsettled, sent out the next fighter, wanting to observe again.

This time it was Tien Shinhan's turn. The Saibamen had lost two in a row, their morale plummeting, and facing Tien, one of them actually felt fear.

"Go!" Vegeta urged.

The Saibaman feared Vegeta more, so it charged headlong, unleashing all its power in a claw strike. Tien didn't dodge or evade, standing still.

As the claw hit, the Saibaman rejoiced—but then felt something wrong. Its claws had struck nothing... the Tien before it was just an afterimage!

Stepping back, it realized there were over a dozen Tien Shinhan around it, all afterimages from high-speed movement! It couldn't tell which was real, dizzy and sweating cold.

"No way—his battle power is 1150, and the Saibaman's a full 1200! How?" Nappa panicked, pressing his scouter hard, but the screen kept showing Tien's power at 1150.

A 50-point gap, yet the Saibaman was being toyed with!

"Nappa, don't trust the scouter's data. They can probably change their battle power at will."

Vegeta finally confirmed his suspicion, his expression hardening.

In the arena, Tien suddenly struck—the dozen afterimages merged into one, and a heavy fist slammed into the Saibaman's gut, sending it flying, its abdomen caved in.

"Ha, another win!"

"Too easy." Tien turned, raising his arm to give his comrades a thumbs-up. Behind him, the Saibaman crashed to the ground with a clatter.

"So who's next? Chiaotzu or Gohan?"

Vegeta and Nappa watched the group celebrating, completely ignoring them, and felt an odd sense of humiliation. They were supposed to be the ones toying with everyone, yet now it was like the Earthlings were playing a game, deciding the order of their own matches. They'd come all this way to invade Earth—could they at least get some respect?

But the Earth warriors huddled together, cheering Gohan on, utterly indifferent to the Saiyans' expressions.

The Saibamen looked at each other, bewildered.

"Send out the next one already!" Vegeta couldn't help shouting.

Krillin's loud laughter, mixed with the others' noise, drowned out Vegeta's words, and no one paid him any mind. Only Raditz shot him a pitying look. Vegeta's mouth twitched, his patience seemingly at its limit.

Finally, Gohan stepped up, his small body tumbling through the air a few times before landing steadily.

The Saibaman knew its opponent was here and attacked without hesitation—they could tell this one's aura was noticeably weaker than the previous fighters.

Facing his first real battle after many simulated fights, Gohan felt immense pressure, but his Saiyan instincts ignited his fighting spirit. Against the Saibaman, he mustered his courage and steadied his heart.

Sense the ki... sense the ki...

He kept replaying Piccolo's teachings in his mind.

Suddenly, a flash of insight—he caught the Saibaman's movement! It was charging from the front!

Gohan rejoiced, white light brimming with energy blooming from his hands. He unleashed a dozen ki blasts in rapid succession, each arcing from different angles into beautiful trails, turning into white rainbows.

Where the light blazed, a thunderous roar shook the wasteland, striking the Saibaman square on.

In an instant, the scouter's numbers shifted wildly. This time, Nappa noticed the jumping digits too, his face turning ashen.

2800!

A brat like that actually had such a high Battle Power!

The Saibaman charged forward through the Kikoho, smoke billowing and sand flying as its body emerged. But it had already been reduced to a skeleton under the energy bombardment. It used its last strength to break through the dust, taking only a few steps before collapsing into pieces.

"Could he be Kakarot's child?! Saibamen, keep going!"

Vegeta was furious. A sudden ominous premonition crept over him.

No more playing around. This had to end quickly.

"Nappa, finish him!"