Little Leagues Round 1, Match 2: Dosu VS Chime

What the hell was that costume, even? Why the need to hide his identity from all these fools that he didn’t even care about? In truth, these were all last minutes changes made to ensure the people participating in the tournament wouldn’t be able to recognize him. After spending some time on the tournament grounds, Dosu realized he had already fought most of them with varying levels of success. Presenting himself as he was would probably make them try to come up with a plan against him, so against his better judgment, he came up with this stupid persona and even stupider look. Now known as the “up-and-coming hero of North City, Usod-man”, he would probably be able to get by without attracting too much suspicion.

The problem, however, was that no one had any idea who he was, rightfully so. That meant that the “up-and-coming” part of his new identity had already been thrown away from the get-go. At least, his makeshift costume would make sure to provide a perfect disguise, however. A red jumpsuit he found in some locker along with white gloves and a black motorcycle helmet he stole from a poor fellow that stood at the wrong place at the right time. If only the damned thing was a little less of a tight fit, maybe it would be better. Also, he could barely see anything with that helmet on and darn was it hot inside there! Condensation accumulated on the visor, forcing him to wipe it every now and then, at the risk of exposing his eyes. Other than that, everything was pretty convincing.

When they called his name, he almost forgot to react to it. He quickly ran to the fighting stage. His opponent, from what he could see, was a little green guy that didn’t seem to be really strong. He tried to observe his overall demeanor and appearance, but his vision was constantly getting blurred by the condensation.

“Why is it so hot in there? That’s not normal.” He said out loud, lifting it so he could wipe it properly with his glove. Meanwhile, his opponent said something that he didn’t quite understand. Heck, this thing was getting really annoying really fast.

“HUH? Whaddya just said? Speak louder dammit.”

Still figuring out how to deal with his costume, he paid little attention to the small guy materializing the rod in his hand only to try and beat him with it. The first swing hit him straight on his hip, making him flinch a little.

“Ow, ow! What the-“ He then saw the metal rod properly. “Hey, what the hell is that? Why would you hit me with a weapon?”

Before he could get another swing in, Dosu rushed in on his target, attempting to land a solid jab right on his nose.

“Hit me with your fists, damn it!”

As his punch met its target, Dosu tried to drive his fist even more in the Namekian’s face, hoping it would seal the match quicker. While it did leave him with a bloody nose, the boy appeared to be more resilient than he looked. However, that was not the most preoccupying thing. As he went for the punch, he heard a loud ripping sound coming from his side. He tried to feel his clothes in search for the area where the sound originated, eventually coming upon a hole in the armpit region. That costume would not last the entire fight.

“Damn…” He said out loud, to himself. A split second after, the Namekian was criticizing him for attacking while he was not looking, claiming it was a cheap shot. “Huh? What are you on about? It’s your fault for not paying attention to your opponent! Where the hell do you think you are?”

However, before he could resume his assault, the boy made another weapon appear out of thin air; how could he do that, even? As he shot his pellets at him, Dosu tried to catch them mid-flight, most of them hitting right on his helmet. He tried to shield himself from the repeated attacks, feeling a pinch every time one of them hit him. While it did not hurt him per se, it was annoying beyond measure.

“WILL YOU STOP THAT! OW! YOU THINK IT’S A **CKING GAME? I’LL SHOW YOU A GAME!”

Bracing himself, he charged Chime while taking every hit from the slingshot. He’d show him a real attack, maybe even making fall from the stage with a bit of luck. With another barrage of punches, he first tried to karate chop the hand holding the weapon, followed with an elbow strike to his face. If successful, he’d then finish his combination with a knee to the stomach before kicking him away.

That kid was surprisingly tough for a wimp. Even after two solid hits, he still managed to push him away through proper manipulation of ki. Aaah, so that explained it. He was one of those nerds that were good with ki attacks, but shit at everything else, huh? Dosu hated these guys with a passion. They always had a fancy trick up their sleeve, scheming in the background while he was being all honest and straightforward with his fighting style. In reality, he’s the one that wasn’t all that talented when it came to the projection of ki. He could unleash ludicrous amounts of energy in a single attack, but when it came to finesse and refinement, sadly he didn’t hold a candle to those nerds. Instead, his attacks were unstable at best, always threatening to collapse when he fired one. However, as long as they would hold together and do what they’re meant to do, he didn’t see fit to work on his technique. Besides, maybe the very fact that they were unstable was part of the reason why they were so destructive in the first place.

Obviously, that much wouldn’t shake him in the slightest, far from it. He’d show the Namekian that messing around with Dosu would result in a world of hurt for him. What was he trying to do, even? Apparently, he seemed to treat this fight as some kind of game, which was pretty annoying itself. Add to that his infuriating way of keeping his distance from the Heran by relentlessly throwing stuff at him and you get a Dosu whose patience is starting to run thin.

“This is far from a game! This is a crucible where we see who the better fighter is! If you’re going for the prize, you’ve already failed!”

Indeed, it was an occasion to see himself as the strongest fighter out of this lot and he wouldn’t let a boy who wanted to play games win it all. The barrage of ki blasts came and while immobile, he managed to evade a few, deflect some before throwing ki blasts of his own to meet the ones he was throwing at him. If his goal was to be as annoying as possible, he had already succeeded in that aspect. Dosu was losing his cool, forcing him to remind himself to stay calm and not give in to his building rage. He let some of the ki blasts hit him on purpose so he could send some of his own towards his opponent, in hope to keep him a bit on the defensive. The dark red spheres came rushing for Chime, crackling with lightning because of their unstable nature. To his great displeasure, the ki blasts that had managed to hit him burned away part of the top part of his jumpsuit. While they were still minor, they effectively showed his blue skin giving away part of his identity. He had no time to care about this, however.

“WHY DON’T YOU TRY TO ATTACK ME FOR REAL, HUH? CAN YOU DO THAT?”

Their duel of ki blasts eventually came to a halt. Patches of brunt fabric were now visible all over his jumpsuit, with smoke coming out of some of them along with slight burns across his chest. That kid wasn’t half-bad. Annoying, that was not a surprise anymore, but he was rather good with ki blasts. His were much more compact than Dosu’s, maybe a bit faster, too. Not that it was much of an exploit, however. Pretty much anyone that had some sort of training in ki manipulation would be able to do better than him in that aspect.

His provocation seemed to work, Chime now trying to hit him with a real technique. A blue light appeared at the tip of his fingers as he charged up in what seemed to be a way stronger attack than the previous ones. That forced a smile on the Heran’s face, although the motorcycle helmet did a very good job of hiding it. He welcomed the challenge with open arms.

“Good! Finally, you start thinking like a real fighter. Here, I’ll do you a favor. Attack me whenever you feel like, I won’t move! TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT, BOY.”

A short while after, he shouted the name of his attack just as a laser-like beam came his way, a blinding light that looked ready to pierce straight through him. Now, he did say he would not move, but there was a goal behind all of this. If he could tank his best shot, surely it would affect his morale. He braced himself in preparation for the attack and with a shout, he released a burst of energy.

“HAAAAAAAAAA.”

It was an invisible wave of pressure meant to lessen the blow. Both of the attacks connected, clashing with each other before the beam lessened in intensity and eventually disappeared. His wave of energy continued, although too weak to have any effect on the Namekian. If anything, it must have felt like a small gust of wind. The Heran stood there, unharmed. He broke into laughter after seeing the result of the attack.

“HAHAHA! THAT’S IT? THAT’S YOUR BEST SHOT? STOP FUCKING WITH ME! ATTACK ME FOR REAL!”

He assumed a fighting pose, before adding:

“You better start taking me seriously, kid. Because I won’t go easy on you and you’ll need more than just hope and the power of friendship to win.”

Dosu smirked as he saw his opponent’s morale falter after this display of pure power. Was it truly his best attack? Did he just repel his ace in the hole? If so, then he really had nothing to fear from him, it would seem. Dosu broke into laughter even more at this moment, feeling the weight of his power compared to him. There was no way he could ever hurt him and so, he was free to do whatever he wanted! At least, that’s what he thought.

The Namekian’s sulking was short-lived, having found some newfound confidence in what little power he had. Could it be that he had resigned to his fate? He looked smart enough; surely he understood the difference between them.

“What’s wrong? You know you can just step out of the ring, right? That will save you from an unnecessary beating because I sure as hell will not spare you if you stay in the same arena as me!”

Yet, behind the visor of his helmet, it was the face of determination he could see on his opponent’s face? Just what the hell was his deal? How could he not realize the position he was in? Now, even more than before, he felt really annoyed by this kid who didn’t know when to quit. AND HE WOULD EVEN GO AS FAR AS TO PROVOKE HIM IN RETURN? Dosu gritted his teeth, trying his damnedest to keep from jumping at his throat to choke him straight. Obviously, he would not let these words go unanswered.

“YOU THINK I CAN’T HARM YOU? YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME HUH?”

At this moment, something changed in his opponent’s aura. A change of color, mostly, his body remained unchanged. Since he couldn’t read energy levels, he witnessed the drastic change in power firsthand as Chime rushed him, his arm elongating to uppercut him right in the chin, his helmet cracking from the impact. He stumbled backward, baffled by this sudden power. That...was…no…it couldn’t be anything else. That boy…THAT FILTHY NAMEKIAN…

“YOUUU…FROM THE START… YOU’VE BEEN HIDING YOUR REAL STRENGTH? ARE YOU MOCKING ME, BRAT?”

That would not go unpunished. In a fit of rage, he removed his helmet, smashing hit on the ground while shouting insults left and right. He grabbed the top half of his jumpsuit, what remained of it anyway, and tore it apart, now fully exposing his chest and head.

“FUCK THIS…FUCK THIS HELMET AND STUPID ASS COSTUME.”

He placed both legs parallel to each other and bringing his fists to his sides; he started powering up as well. His muscle mass increased as his power did, shaking the fighting stage from the sudden surge in energy. He wiped his chin with the back on his hand, removing the subtle traces of lingering pain from the uppercut.

“Now we’re done playing.”

Even after realizing the true extent of his power, his opponent did not seem to be fazed at all. Instead, he appeared to be more concerned by his own increase in power, adding fuel to the fire that was raging on inside the Heran’s heart. That kid could not even recognize he was outclassed and if he did, he sure as hell wasn’t showing any sign of it. Amazement, dread, fear, humility….anything would do! Just not that frustrating smug that seemed to be issuing a challenge to Dosu every time.

“I’ll be sure to wipe that smile off your face!”

Following that statement, he powered up, even more, preparing for his next attack. As he did, the Namekian started hovering above the ground while holding that fighting stance. Bah! Even that punch he threw at him looked painful, seeing how he grasped his fist after delivering it. What good would keep his guard up even achieve? While the Heran wasn’t very effective when it came to flight, he was very confident in the strength of his legs to close the gap in no time with a powerful jump. Besides, that wasn’t even his main concern. Right now, it was about charging up his next attack.

Recently, he had felt like training himself a little more, upgrading his usual technique of beating up someone until they passed out to something even more powerful. It really wasn’t anything flashy, but what it lacked in aesthetic it clearly made up in raw strength. To prepare for his next attack, he too assumed a fighting stance, placing his body to the side while extending one arm towards Chime, the other going to his side. One foot pointed towards his opponent while the other remained parallel to his body and finally he tilted his head in driection of the Namekian.

Suddenly, he let out a shout, his aura flaring up, crackling with the same volatile energy as his ki blasts did. The aura gained in intensity in increments, until it reached about five times its original size and then it started compressing, the Heran forcefully assimilating the released energy. After a few seconds, the aura had completely disappeared within the Heran’s body, just before it reappeared again, now coating both of his forearms in their dark crimson color with lightning crackling just like always. He had successfully managed to send all of the energy to his arms and fists, ready to deliver a deadly blow.

“Not gonna do anything? Fine, let me charge up all I want, you idiot!”