491 Return of the Ancients

When Caulifla's eyes opened she bolted straight up in the infirmary bed, surrounded by the women who were a part of her clan, and demanded, "Did I win?"

"Of course you won big sis!"

"Next up is the final match between you and Son Goku."

"There's an hour long break before the next round starts, so you can relax big sis."

Even as her five followers tried to relieve her concerns, Caulifla barely heard them as she opened her Chatroom quest page.

There Caulifla saw that she had completed the sudden quest she had received during her fight with Pikkon, and when she saw the amount of shop points she received from it a wicked grin formed on her face. She had gained just enough points to buy the one thing she wanted from the Chatroom shop, and apparently had the time to buy it before she fought against Goku.

Leaping up from the bed she was in, Caulifla swiftly left the room without so much as a backwards glance as she declared, "Don't follow me!"

Leaving her clan behind, Caulifla immediately set out to find an unoccupied room in which to make her purchase, which she quickly found as a door automatically opened right as she was about to pass it.

A brief nod of her head conveyed Caulifla's thanks to Alex as she entered the room, and sat down to open the Chatroom shop once again. With a thought she arrived at the item in particular that she had wanted, a malicious smile forming on her face.

While Caulifla thought it would've taken her forever to build up the points needed to buy it when she first discovered it, she had quickly racked up plenty of points by taking on every single quest she could since getting access to the Chatroom. Still falling quite short of what she needed though, the sudden quest she received from fighting Pikkon had given Caulifla the final push she needed to attain it.

And now, when she was about to face a SSJ3 as a mere SSJ2, Caulifla knew this was the perfect chance to buy it and power up.

So, without any pomp or ceremony, Caulifla confirmed her purchase as she prepared for whatever came next. Unfortunately for her, Caulifla was instantly subjected to the most intense pain she ever experienced as every single cell in her body was broken down.

***

"AND WELCOME BACK EVERYBODY, AS WE FINALLY ENTER THE FINAL STAGE OF THE TOURNAMENT TODAY!"

The announcer cried out as deafening cheers answered him, before he continued,

"AND NOW WE WILL SEE WHO WILL BE THE FIRST TO GO ON TO FIGHT ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE UNIVERSAL GRAND TOURNAMENT! WILL IT BE OUR REMAINING SEEDED CONTESTANT, SON GOKU?????? OR WILL IT BE THE DARK HORSE THAT DEALT SUCH A DEVASTATING DEFEAT TO OUR OTHER SEEDED CONTESTANT? CAULIFLA!!!!!!!!!"

When Goku entered the arena he was welcomed by a storm of cheers and applause as flower petals rained down onto him from above, however he behaved more like Bardock in that he was focused entirely on the impending match.

As Goku made his way to the center stage though, his opponent wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"CONTESTANT CAULIFLA?" The announcer inquired hesitantly as people began to note her absence, their minds immediately going to Krillin earlier as they began to grumble irritably.

Just as the announcer was about to ask for a search party to find her, a single figure exited the tunnel leading to arena.

"AND HERE SHE IS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! CAULIFLA!"

Though there were a few scattered applause at Caulifla's entrance, the majority of spectators were focused on how the Saiyaness currently looked.

Her movements were sluggish while also seeming unsteady on her feet, and her skin was unnaturally pale while her breathing was ragged. Curiously though, her hair seemed darker in color and wilder, while the irises of her eyes had become a piercing red.

Something else that only Goku and those who were close enough to her noticed was that Caulifla's Ki had changed entirely, and now felt alien and sinister to him.

"What happened to you?" Goku asked her with traces of worry in his tone, which made Caulifla sneer as she replied,

"I'm gonna kick your ass, that's what happened to me!" Goku furrowed his brows at her snide remark, but didn't say anything else as he got ready for their fight. While his 'pride' wouldn't allow Goku to fight someone who wasn't at full strength, if Caulifla was still so confident though, then he'd fight her at his full strength.

Up in his VIP room, Alex was sitting up a little straighter as he watched every one of Caulifla's movements carefully.

While he was privy to what she bought on the Chatroom shop, Alex knew nothing about it beyond the description given in the shop. Needless to say he was VERY interested in the fight that was about to happen.

"AND NOW, LET THE FINAL MATCH BEGIN!"

As the announcer declared that both Goku and Caulifla disappeared, before appearing on a square stage floating in the skies, reminding Goku of Kami's lookout on earth. Thankfully, unlike the similar arenas that had been shown so far, their ability to fly wasn't limited on this stage.

"Just a word of advice..." Caulifla said to Goku as the announcer told them to get ready. "You might want to go all out from the start."

"FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

The moment the match began Caulifla released a feral cry as the sinister Ki Goku had sensed within her body exploded outwards to give her a reddish-black aura, nearly forcing him off the stage as a suffocating pressure descended upon him.

Goku watched as Caulifla started to grow taller as her energy increased, her muscles growing in mass while her hair grew longer until it reached the back of her knees, and a single strand of it came down in front of her face.

Back in the colosseum, the Grand Supreme Kai stood up from his seat in alarm as he watched Caulifla transform, uttering as he did so, "An Ancient Evil Saiyan..."

"What was that?" Azazel asked him, not having heard exactly what the Grand Supreme Kai said.

With the attention of everyone turning towards him, the Grand Supreme Kai explained,

"It appears as if miss Caulifla has somehow turned herself into an ancient variant of the Saiyan race, the Evil Saiyans to be exact.

"Existing far into the past, the Ancient Saiyans of Universe Seven began a civil war as they split into two factions, the Evil and God race. The God race of Saiyans were descended from a legendary figure that managed to achieve godly Ki, and followed their ideals of justice and righteousness.

"Though they never attained the same divine Ki their ancestor did, the God Race Saiyans devoted themselves to following their ancestors ideals, and strove to obtain the same divine power. Unfortunately they were few in number, and were wiped out by their Evil cousins who later simply referred to them as 'the defeated'. It was also these Evil Saiyans that the modern day Saiyans of Universe Seven are descended from."

The Grand Supreme Kai had a concerned look on his chubby face as he watched Caulifla make her transformation, showing how worried he was of the return of the 'Evil Saiyans'.

Meanwhile, within the space-time orb, Sala was clenching her fists as she watched her rival ascend to a higher level, her frustration growing. Closing the Chatroom, Sala turned about and went to complete her current quest in order to earn more points, the drive within her to buy the godly Ki in the shop growing even more to catch up with Caulifla.

...

As he watched Caulifla transform before him, and felt the power she was radiating, Goku's heart began to pound in excitement as he quickly channeled his own Ki to go straight to his SSJ3.

Instantly golden light combated Caulifla's Evil Energy as they clashed, creating a swirling and violent storm that tore apart the stage they were standing on.

*KABOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

Suddenly an impact so intense that it tore apart what little remained of the stage they were on, while even the colosseum outside of their arena began to shudder from the force. While a few people grew alarmed from the sudden shaking they were feeling, everyone else was focused intently on the projection before them as the previously tranquil blue skies were filled with hundreds of shockwaves.

Again and again two similar figures, one shrouded in darkness while the other was shrouded in golden light, clashed with enough force to shake the heavens themselves, both moving too fast for the spectators to follow.

*BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM*

Again and again Goku and Caulifla clashed with enough force that even the colosseum shuddered as they fought for supremacy, until they finally clashed one last time to lock hands and engage in a contest of raw strength.

"I don't know what technique you're using.....but it's really powerful!" Goku gritted his teeth as he struggled against Caulifla's strength, before he was shocked to feel himself getting pushed back.

"You better hope....that I don't learn how to use it too quickly!" Caulifla smirked back at him, as she had spent each second of the fight so far adjusting to her newfound strength, and was eager to see just how far it went.

Before Goku could figure out what she was talking about though, Caulifla's dark energy seemed to come alive as it moved away from her body to form an appendage with five fingers. As his mind briefly stalled at the sudden development, the fingers closed in on themselves to create a fist that sucker punched Goku in the face with just as much force as Caulifla herself, if not more.

With his concentration slipping, Caulifla used the opening to bring her knee up directly into Goku's chin, stunning him as she brought her feet together and slammed the bottom of them into his chest to send him flying back with the force of the impact. Then, before Goku could recover, Caulifla hit him again, and again as her speed and strength seemed to continue to rise.

"AMAZING! CAULIFLA, WHO COULD BE CONSIDERED THE DARK HORSE IN THIS MATCH, IS BEGINNING TO COMPLETELY TOY WITH THE SSJ3 SON GOKU NOW! JUST WHERE WAS SHE HIDING THIS STRENGTH BEFORE!?!"

Oblivious to the announcer's amazement, Caulifla began to rain down a series of blows upon Goku without giving him a chance to recover, dealing a devastating amount of damage to his body as she did so. And as she delivered a beating upon her opponent, Caulifla was getting increasingly used to her newfound strength as the Evil Ki surged through her body, and filled her with strength.

"HA!" Goku suddenly cried out, as Caulifla felt his energy assault her body while it tried to seal her movements.

The effect lasted only a mere second or two due to it surprising her, but it was long enough for Goku to put his hands together to gather energy as he quickly cried out,

"Kamehame-"

Before he could finish his attack though, Caulifla broke free of her restraints as she too gathered her Evil Ki to fire it at Goku, crying out as she did so, "TASTE THIS!"

Right as her attack was about to connect though, Goku suddenly vanished from her view along with his prepared Kamehameha, only for a voice to cry out directly behind her,

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Caulifla didn't even have time to turn around as the mass of pure energy struck her from behind, shooting her forwards like a rocket while she couldn't escape.

With enough energy to vaporize a galaxy behind her, Caulifla soon found herself being shot out of the far off boundary of the arena, and the announcer's voice cried out,

"CAULIFLA IS OUT OF BOUNDS! SON GOKU WINS!"

Having expended every drop of energy in his body with that attack, on top of the insane Ki consumption of SSJ3 to begin with, Goku involuntarily reverted to his base form looking exhausted, but pleased with himself as he raised his arms victoriously.

The next moment Goku found himself back in the colosseum alongside Caulifla, where the duo were greeted with a hail of cheers as people applauded the amazing match. While they were all celebrating and congratulating Goku though, a certain Saiyaness was glaring daggers into his back.

With dangerous thoughts passing through her mind, Caulifla began to channel her Evil Ki into a strike at Goku's exposed back, only for someone to suddenly grab her wrist in a firm grip, while dispelling her Ki.

"Let g-!" Caulifla started to snarl as she whirled on the one who grabbed her, only to see Alex standing there with a stern expression, and disappointment in his eyes.

"Do not let it control you Caulifla." He said in low but firm voice, shocking the Saiyaness as she thought back to what she was about to do.

With her teeth and fists clenched, Caulifla yanked her arm free of Alex's grasp before storming off and away from the colosseum. Thankfully, she was on her way to space-time orb, where she intended to fully master the user of her new powers, without risk of them using her instead.

As she stormed off though, Alex turned to Goku and said apologetically,

"Sorry about that. She's just learning how to use her new Evil energy." Though he nodded in understanding, Goku then asked him,

"Aren't you worried about her becoming evil with that power?" Surprisingly, Alex just smirked as if he found the question humorous, as he replied,

"If she can't control it, then I'll take the power away until she can. But no I'm not worried, she'll have some good teachers watching over her." As Alex spoke, he could feel Vados following Caulifla in order to do just that, as he fully trusted the angel to handle any potential 'complications' with the Saiyaness' newfound powers.

"But that's not important right now." Alex then said suddenly, before grabbing Goku's arm and throwing it up in a celebratory manner, and crying out,

"PRESENTING, THE FIRST SEMIFINALIST OF THE UNIVERSAL GRAND TOURNAMENT! SON GOKUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"