Chapter:61 The Final Step Before Glory - Legend of gine !!

Want to read more?

The next 10+ chapters are already available on my Patreon!

By joining, you'll get:

📖 Early access to future chapters

🗳️ Polls to shape the story

🎁 Exclusive content for Patrons

🔥 Bonus scenes & content you won't find anywhere else

👀 Don't fall behind—others are already ahead!

👉 patreon.com/FanfictionTakashi

(If link doesn't show, just search on Google: FanfictionTakashi Patreon)

------------

"I wonder if they will still be friends when this is over." Oolong said.

The referee began the countdown.

"One!...Two!...Three!...Four!...Five!...Six!..."

Krillin stirred and stood up again. Gine was impressed this human boy could even stand after being hit like that.

"You're not going to win that easy!" He said to Kakarot, who only smirked in return.

"What is this play fighting?!" Crane shouted from his spot, Gine could sense his mood was as foul as ever. "This seems more like a bad reunion!"

The rest of the gang heard him too, with Bulma the one to respond, "If your pupils weren't maladjusted freaks, maybe they'd be happy too!"

Crane didn't offer a retort, just a weary glance at Gine then back towards the ring.

Krillin charged again to continue fight, and Kakarot met him in the ring's center exchanging punches or kicks. The blows got more intense as each fighter used more and more of their strength to inflict whatever damage they could. The shocks from the hits were felt throughout the audience as they grow louder and more painful. But eventually, a threshold was reached where Kakarot was landing more hits while Krillin struggled to catch up. Giving up on punches and kicks, Krillin leapt away to put some distance between himself and his friend.

"Try to counter THIS!" Krillin called out and charged with his head bent over like a ram.

Kakarot just sidestepped and neck chopped him. Krillin lost steam and went down where with some forward momentum, skidding to a stop.

He didn't stay down for long and looked up to see Kakarot smiling at him. Krillin yelped at seeing how vulnerable he was and scurried away as fast as little legs would carry him.

Krillin was starting to look desperate. The fight had been going on for a while and he was starting to get exhausted, while Kakarot didn't even break a sweat. As much as he hated to admit to himself, Krillin knew his friend was stronger and there was no way he could match his power. Krillin couldn't even go for Kakarot's tail anymore, after seeing his match with Chi-chi.

Whatever the case, Krillin was not about to give up just like that. He was no quitter, and he wasn't here to be nice!

"KYAAAAAH!" He charged again, this time as viciously as he could to at least try to wear Kakarot out before he wore himself out first. He will try to win anyway he could.

Gine really admired Krillin's tenacity, for he was almost just like Kakarot in a way. If he had been born a Saiyan, he would've been unstoppable. But alas, he was not. And she knew that Kakarot was just humoring Krillin now and was wondering how long he was going to drag this out.

After a series of blows traded, Krillin landed a punch hard enough to send Kakarot flying backwards. Krillin looked to celebrate at this tiny victory of managing to land a blow on his now superior friend, but the look fell when Kakarot rebounded.

Kakarot looked at Krillin angrily, then phasing into translucent lines, and vanished into thin air.

"Kakarot?!" Krillin said, his eyes bulging at the feat.

"Where'd he go?!" Bulma said just as bewildered.

Everyone in the arena looked as perplexed and scanned the arena. He just disappeared!

Gine could see though. As Roshi, Gohan, and no doubt Tien could also see. He didn't disappear; it was an illusion. Gine's eyes moved rapidly back and forth as she tracked his movements. He was moving so fast around the ring that everyone not keen enough couldn't see him, almost turning invisible.

Kakarot's superspeed running-in-circles closed around Krillin. He couldn't see Kakarot but knew that he was there somewhere. He looked around himself, feeling disoriented and like a trapped animal, starting to panic.

"BLAH!"

Kakarot suddenly apparated mere inches from Krillin's non-existent nose, making a funny face at him.

Krillin almost jumped out of his skin at that, but as he did so, Kakarot landed ten superfast punches and a powerkick that sent Krillin flying out of the ring, crashing into the brick wall of the grandstand. He slid down the side dazed but conscious to realize he was out of bounds.

"Krillin is out! Kakarot is the winner!" Announced the referee.

The crowd was too stunned to respond, but cheers slowly erupted as the viewers came to their wits from the spectacle of Kakarot's movements.

"A surprising end to a sensational match! Well done you two! And with that, conclude's today's events and the semi-finals. Join us tomorrow to see who become the next World Martial Arts Champion!"

Bulma, Oolong, and the others chatted away about how anticlimactic such a fight between friends was. But Gine thought it was quite a special show. To see her son fight twice in the same day and see him advance to the championship bout against his friends. He once told her that the very same friends he fought today seemed like unreachable examples of strength. She could see how he would think that, since these humans were very clever, were far more durable than she thought, and had abilities she never would've imagined. Humans were so full of surprises.

And now he had made quick work of them as if they were easy pickings. It went to show just how much stronger her son had become.

All that was left now was Tien Shinhan, who seemed to be absent from the arena from her spot. But she didn't worry, he'll be here tomorrow...

Afterwards, they all met in the food court to get some dinner.

"Listen, I just wanna let you know that I think all three of you did an exceptional job out there." Bulma said.

Krillin looked down, uncomfortably scratching the back of his head. "I don't know about exceptional, but thanks."

Bulma laughed, "You're exceptional! Don't argue, I'm bigger than you."

Chi-Chi didn't look too happy either. "I didn't even make into the semi-finals." She said on the verge of tears.

"Hey, hey. That doesn't matter!" Roshi offered. "You made it into a slot of eight out of a hundred and eighty-two fighters. And you defeated almost all of them just to set foot in that ring. That in of itself is something to be proud of."

Chi-Chi pondered those words. Then Kakarot put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, Chi-Chi! Almost everyone who tries to get into the tournament proper ends up failing, and you kicked all their butts!"

Chi-Chi's face lit up from Kakarot's encouragement. "Thank you, Kakarot."

"You're welcome!" He said, then added "Just don't go for my tail next time." He winked.

Chi-Chi snorted at that. She was still rather mad that she fell into such a trap, but then again it was her dirty trick to begin with. But oh well, it was only a tournament. And they had much, MUCH better things to look forward to, in her wildest dreams.

Blonde Launch spoke up for them too. "Hey, you've all got a great left hook, take it from someone who knows!"

"I rooted for all of you, mostly." Oolong added, slyly. Everyone laughed at that.

Krillin turned to Kakarot. "You did so well out there, Kakarot. You are by far the strongest fighter I've ever known!"

"Huh? Oh well, I wouldn't know about that." Kakarot said, then pointed up to Gine. "I have my mom to look up to for that. And you saw how strong she was!"

Gine felt uncomfortable for being put on the spot by her well-meaning son. She was unsure how to take such a compliment. But she decided to just wave it away with some humility.

"Oh please, I'm not the fighter like my son or Gohan is." She said, trying to deflect the attention.

Gohan chuckled at her sending the praise to him instead. "She's just being modest. But though we taught Kakarot a lot, it was he who has grown so much and is putting all this effort."

Kakarot nodded at his adoptive grandfather thankfully, then turned to his companions. "Now that today is over, let's go eat!"

"Yeah!" They all second that notion, Gine included.

As they started walking for the restaurant, Gine felt a familiar presence lurking in the shadows of a nearby corner. But it wasn't Crane...

She turned her head around to see Tien watching them leave. Gine tensed up momentarily but released when she realized he wasn't going to ambush them here in the fading daylight with people around. But he just stared at them as they went.

Gine stared back, into his contempt filled eyes. She saw his lips move, and with her Saiyan hearing she could faintly make out the words: "Enjoy it while it lasts."

This puny human posed no threat. She could take him out right then and there. But she didn't. She knew he meant to cause harm to her son but seemed like the type who would rather save such action for the ring for all to see. But she knew that Kakarot was stronger than him and won't break that easily.

Besides, this was Kakarot's fight, not hers.

"You're gonna do good tomorrow, sweetheart." Gine said to Kakarot, squeezing his shoulder protectively while still staring at Tien.

"Huh?" Kakarot looked up to his mom, confused. She looked back down at him after Tien disappeared from view. Her son was no

t aware of the staredown that happened moments ago. "Oh, yeah, I certainly will, Mom."

"I know you will." She said.