Chapter 171: Finals
"Ah, youth...make sure to enjoy it while you can..." sighed Roshi, combing his fingers through his beard a short distance from Vahn.
"I most assuredly am..." responded Vahn, cupping his hands respectfully. He had certain misgivings regarding the elderly Master's behavior, but he was still someone the vast majority of Dragon Ball fans respected.
Seeing Vahn and Roshi adopt neutral postures, the announcer, who Vahn had learned was named Michael Vale, excitedly shouted, "Alright! If both fighters are ready, let the second quarterfinal round of the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai begin!"
Seizing the initiative, Roshi launched a flying kick at Vahn, demonstrating speed on par with a Vice Admiral. Unfortunately for him, even without the crutch of his time dilation and Aura of Karmic Protection, Vahn was able to track his movements, allowing him to intercept and block the kick with his right forearm before launching a swift counter toward the elderly Master's chest with his left hand.
Crossing his hands in front of his chest, Roshi blocked Vahn's punch with his palms, dissipating most of the force behind the blow and using what remained to backflip and land a few meters away. Then, with a swift spin like he was throwing a discus, he sent a wave of cold energy crashing into Vahn like frigid, hurricane-force winds.
Though he was a little surprised by Roshi's peculiar Ki attack, particularly how it caused ice to build on his chest and forearms, Vahn maintained his position and pushed out his hands, firing a luminous golden Ki beam that caused the elderly Master's brows to rise before he quickly dodged to the side.
Fortunately for the crowd, who would have been caught in the resultant explosion or assailed by debris from the partially destroyed stage, a thin barrier appeared to protect them. Vahn had Grayfia prepare it in advance, just in case, so Michael and the two referees were the only bystanders in danger of being caught in his and Roshi's attacks.
"I see that Goku wasn't lying when he told me you had mastered internal energy release..." remarked Roshi, moving like a blur and creating multiple hazy afterimages sustained by small amounts of Ki.
"I have a long way to go before I can claim to have mastered anything..." responded Vahn, blocking the real Muten Roshi's attempt to land a flying kick to his chin from his blind spot. The elderly Master then launched a barrage of swift punches and acrobatic kicks at him, but while Vahn had trouble following them with his eyes, he could sense them easily through his domain.
'And here I was thinking the flurries and clashes seen in the anime were an exaggeration...' thought Vahn, sweating slightly as Roshi briefly forced him to take several steps back. Through his domain, he could tell the man was attempting to send him stumbling out of the ring, but since he had no intention of losing, he waited for a lull in the man's flurry before launching a swift counter directly to his face.
Not expecting Vahn to have such perfect timing, Roshi took several steps back and held his face, particularly his nose, with closed eyes. Had they been in an anime or manga panel, Vahn might have stood still and allowed him to speak or lean into a gag. Instead, he slid forward, his feet hovering a centimeter or two off the arena's surface as he landed a series of heavy blows designed to break Roshi's surprisingly durable guard.