Tater and Pepper paused in midair for just a moment. Despite the fact that he was technically around five times stronger than the girl, his ki control in his SSJP form was utter trash compared to Pepper's near perfection, making the difference far less notable as far as realistic combat potential went.
Still, effectively, he was around two, three times stronger than the girl. Even Pepper's most powerful kick didn't do much beyond making his left arm mildly sting.
As such, nothing stopped Tater from moving his right fist for a counterattack while Pepper paused for a moment from the recoil of such a powerful kick.
His energy surged, multiplying in an instant.
Then, he vanished from sight.
BOOOM!
To Tommy, at least, it must've seemed like Tater was simply there one second and gone the next.
In reality, though, I saw the whole thing.
As soon as Tater began moving for a counter, Pepper's eyes flashed red, and for a single moment of time, her power level multiplied. Far surpassing anything Tater could possibly muster.
With that level of power coursing through her, Pepper broke the stalemate and finished her kick, completely ignoring Tater's defense. The massive Saiyan's body exploded downward, faster than any speeding bullet, as Pepper blew him aside with a power level that she temporarily sharpened to something approaching 10 million or so.
A second or so later, a geyser of water exploded down below, as Tater's body broke the surface, slamming into the water at speeds that would've shattered steel. I couldn't help but wince, even as I raced around, using my ki to calm the massive waves that rippled out as a result of Tater's explosive dive, before they could grow into something capable of destroying towns.
I could sense Pepper's energy signature drop a bit compared to what it'd been before. Even if it'd only been for a fraction of a second, going Ikari and concentrating the energy on top of that placed tremendous strain on the body.
But, with Tater down below the water, there was no better time to take a second of respite.
Unfortunately, seconds was all she bought herself. A single attack, even of that magnitude, wasn't enough to take down someone with Tater's impressive endurance. He blasted out of the water after a few seconds, making far less of a splash than he'd originally made when Pepper kicked him down, as he blasted up past the clouds to go for round two.
"Bull Crash-AH!" Trying the same move he did to deal with my own repeated dodging, Tater blasted toward Pepper, waiting for her to dodge so that he could turn his speed into a powerful blast, but instead of dodging, Pepper grabbed his shoulder as he passed, pushing his arm aside and sinking her fist into his gut.
Over the course of this battle, though, Tater had taken quite a few rather punishing blows. By now, some small part of him was entirely prepared for Pepper to turn the tables on whatever move he made.
So when she did so, despite the intense pain it caused him, the much larger Saiyan's body was ready. Instinctively, his knee jerked up, slamming between Pepper's legs with enough force to potentially crack even her bones.
Taking advantage of the momentary staggering from the pain, he then slammed a hammerfist right into Pepper's back. I winced reflexively. If I'd taken those particular blows, with her ki dispersion, I would've been out of the battle right then and there.
But to a girl like Pepper, those blows were just a bit of pain. I'd hurt her more than that in routine sparring on multiple occasions.
Flipping in midair as Tater let go of her, Pepper's natural braid whipped across her forehead as she gathered her ki and shot it forward as a massive barrage of point-blank ki blasts, ending with a single Horizon Discus that, unlike the rest of the barrage, slipped through his defenses and nailed him right in the chest, its blunt edge creating a gash in Tater's shirt, and scorch marks on his chest.
With a roar, Tater responded by rocketing forward, gripping her by the hair, and slamming a fist into her side.
Pepper bit the wrist holding her hair.
Knowing that this was the only chance he'd have to get good hits in on the girl without her slipping away, Tater didn't let go. Instead, his fingers dug deeper into Pepper's scalp as he landed blow after blow on the girl in a display that looked incredibly brutal, but was probably just riling the girl up even more, as the blood spilled from her lips, her internal organs straining from the beating.
I could feel her energy holding steadily, even rising, as her body took a punishment that probably would've brought a non-Saiyan to the brink of death.
For Pepper, though, it only opened the floodgates of her potential. With every punch, her power deepened.
Until finally, something snapped.
Specifically, Pepper's teeth ripped a chunk out of Tater's arm. Then, she spat it out, her eyes going red with Ikari power as Tater's advantage flipped on its head.
In seconds, the match that'd already probably gone a bit too far was over. Tommy caught Tater's unconscious body in his grasp as it fell from the sky.
A moment later, I caught Pepper in my arms, as she fell unconscious too, her ki flickering like a dying light.
Sure enough, her lips were covered in blood. She was probably seriously injured. I doubted that Tater was much better. They'd both need serious medical treatment, back at camp.
But even bruised, battered, bleeding, and unconscious, I could tell by the massive grin on Pepper's face that she was completely satisfied with that fight. It was nice to see.
As an aside, Tater broke several ribs (again), bruised the bone in his right arm, and ruptured a lung during the fight. Apart from experience, his power didn't jump from the fight in any meaningful way. The spot where Pepper's teeth had gouged a chunk out of his arm became a small, white scar on his arm that he'd later complain 'wasn't big enough to boast about'.
Pepper ruptured several blood vessels all over her body, punctured her lung, and cracked the bone in her hip where Tater had kicked her.
By the time she'd healed, her base power level crested a full million. With that, she'd become powerful enough that even I had to take her seriously when we fought.