𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕒𝕖𝕥𝕙 // 𝕘𝕠𝕜𝕦 𝕩 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕩 𝕘𝕠𝕙𝕒𝕟

// 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕖𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕪-𝕗𝕚𝕧𝕖 //

hiraeth - part eighty-five

»»——⍟——««

       Skidding across the ground, Caulifla growled as she lowered her arms after having blocked an attack. No matter what she did, she couldn't seem to land a hit on Goku, couldn't even get close to him without being hit. The only thing she could do was block against the onslaught of attacks.

"You know," Goku spoke up as he stood up straight, adjusting his sweatbands. "That form you're using is a liability. We call that Super Saiyan Grade Three. It's a bulked up form, but it slows you down and makes you open to attack. You should work on achieving Super Saiyan Two instead."

And with those words, Goku effortlessly powered up to said form just as an example to Caulifla. Caulifla's eyes widened at the sudden burst in power from Goku, before grinning widely like a child in a candy store.

"Oh man, you're a lot cooler than I thought, old man! You should teach me that form, and the rest of 'em too!" Caulifla said. Goku chuckled at her enthusiasm, but his eyes suddenly went wide in surprise as Caulifla began powering up, squeezing her fists tightly as she strained herself. And almost as soon as laying eyes on it, Caulifla had surpassed Super Saiyan just as Goku suggested, her body spiking with lightning as she powered up. "This is the best! I can't believe I never thought to try this!"

"Wow, you're pretty impressive," Goku chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, as if stupefied. He had never seen something like this in anyone except Y/n, and even she was an exception. "You could probably even get to Super Saiyan Three if you tried, but you should focus on Two for now."

"There's a third!?" Caulifla exclaimed, before her attention snapped to Goku as he got into his fighting stance, a smirk tugging at his lips. Caulifla grinned almost deviously, enjoying this far too much.

Caulifla rushed at Goku, nearly distracted by the speed upgrade the new form had given her, dodging Goku's fist as he attacked. She smashed her fist into his gut, Goku's eyes going wide as he choked on a gasp, having unexpected such an impactful punch. He grinned, jumping back as he prepared another attack.

As the two fought on even ground, Kale could only watch nervously as Caulifla tested out her new power. Kale wasn't sure she had ever seen Caulifla smile as big as she was right now, laughing even as she took an attack from Goku. She had never been able to make Caulifla as giddy or happy as she was now, with someone else.

Something from deep within Kale had taken a hold of her, squeezing her tightly, suffocating her. She could only watch as her friend, her best friend and sister, had more fun with someone else. It must've been her fault, Kale must've done something wrong, or didn't do enough for Caulifla. She must not have been a good friend.

Caulifla's plan from earlier rung through Kale's mind, an idea popping up in her head as she smiled nervously. Caulifla had always wanted Kale to be more involved, to speak up more and be a part of things. If she could support Caulifla, or maybe even help her fight, perhaps Caulifla would pay her more mind.

"Y-You're doing great, sis!" Kale spoke as she raised her voice just enough for Caulifla to hear her. However, when Kale's words never reached Caulifla, Kale's smile faded as she watched Caulifla completely disregard her entire existence. It was as if Caulifla had forgotten that Kale was right there, watching her have more fun with someone else than they had ever had.

Sweating nervously, Kale held her hands to her chest as she tried to focus her breathing, her head suddenly spinning. This couldn't be happening. Caulifla simply didn't hear her, that was all. Kale knew she had a soft, quiet voice, Caulifla just couldn't hear her over that Goku man. That's right. He was the issue. If Kale helped, then Caulifla would realize and come back, and they could beat Goku together.