"How about it, Xiangpa? Isn't it delicious?"
Beerus asked smugly, watching as Xiangpa scarfed down the last bite of his noodles.
Xiangpa slurped up the soup and set the bowl down with a satisfied sigh—but quickly put on a stiff face. "It's… so-so," he replied stubbornly.
Although the bowl of noodles was undeniably delicious, Xiangpa couldn't bring himself to admit it. Acknowledging it would be like admitting that Universe Six's cuisine was inferior to Universe Seven's.
"So-so?" Beerus raised an eyebrow. "You've even finished the soup, and you're calling it 'so-so'? Who do you think you're fooling?"
"Don't flatter yourself, Beerus," Xiangpa muttered. "It was just okay."
Beerus smirked. "Where do you think that bowl of noodles came from? How can something that only needs hot water taste so incredible?"
"Just boiling water and some waiting time… and it becomes that good?" Xiangpa muttered in disbelief. "When have I, the great Xiangpa, ever eaten something so simple yet so tasty?"
Beerus folded his arms. "That, my dear Xiangpa, is a delicacy from Earth. And mind you, instant noodles are just the beginning. Earth is packed with gourmet dishes far more delicious than what you just ate."
"I was actually worried about how much food to bring to impress you, so I prepared a few options. And guess what? The bowl of noodles was the worst of them."
He leaned in with a grin. "I didn't even need to bring out the others. Just that bowl of noodles alone was enough to beat you."
Xiangpa's eyes widened. "Wait—you prepared more food? Then why aren't you showing it to me?!"
"I see no reason to," Beerus said coolly. "You came to try the food, and you already lost. If you had more to offer, then maybe I'd consider showing you more."
"So you do have more?" Xiangpa asked, his voice full of anticipation.
"I might," Beerus teased.
"Come on, Beerus! Don't be stingy. Just give me a taste!"
Beerus shook his head. "You've already lost. Trying to claim more food after losing? That's shameless."
"Admit it, you just don't want to share!"
"Oh, I forgot," Beerus said, pretending to slap his forehead. "You're shameless by nature. My mistake."
"Hmph! Fine, be that way," Xiangpa grumbled, crossing his arms. "You said this food came from a planet called Earth, right? Well, the sixth universe should have an Earth too!"
He turned to his attendant. "Vados! Find the Earth in Universe Six!"
"Understood, Lord Xiangpa," Vados replied calmly.
As an angel, Vados had no trouble locating planets, although it took some time when all she had was the planet's name and not its coordinates. Fortunately, with Whis's assistance, she soon located Earth in Universe Six.
However, what they found wasn't promising.
Vados's expression turned somber. "It seems Earth in Universe Six… is no longer habitable."
Beerus couldn't hide his amusement. "Oh no! What a shame, Xiangpa. Looks like your universe's Earth is nothing more than a dead rock."
Xiangpa gawked. "W-What? Destroyed? How could that be?!"
Whis elaborated, "According to records, the humans on that Earth constantly waged war. Their conflicts eventually led to their own destruction."
Beerus snickered. "What a pity. Guess that means the only Earth—and its amazing food—is in Universe Seven."
"You bastard…" Xiangpa gritted his teeth. "Fine. How about this, Beerus: let's make things interesting for the upcoming group competition."
Beerus narrowed his eyes. "What kind of 'interesting'?"
"If Universe Six wins, you give me Earth from Universe Seven."
Beerus blinked. "You're betting my Earth?"
"What do you have to lose? If I win, I get Earth. If you win… well…"
Xiangpa hesitated. In the original timeline, he'd bet six Super Dragon Balls. But thanks to the interference of the thugs and unpredictable events, he hadn't collected a single one yet.
"…Then if I lose," Xiangpa continued, "I'll give you ten planets from Universe Six! How about that?"
"You want to bet ten planets against one Earth?" Beerus laughed. "What would I even do with those planets? Universe Seven already has more than enough uninhabited ones."
"You're just being greedy!" Xiangpa pouted.
Beerus smirked. "Greedy? You're the one trying to con me out of Earth!"
"But come on!" Xiangpa pleaded. "Food from other universes only appears at group events, and once it's gone, it's gone! But if I had Earth, I could eat those delicacies anytime I wanted."
"That's not how it works," Beerus said, brushing him off. "Even I don't get to eat Earth's food whenever I want—it depends on when Sun Wukong brings it."
"But you get it more often than I do!" Xiangpa shouted.
"Still not giving it to you," Beerus replied firmly.
Xiangpa looked like he was about to throw a tantrum, but Beerus had already turned and walked away. "The food competition is over. Let's go see how the others are doing."
"Fine," Xiangpa grumbled and followed him.
When the two gods walked outside, they were surprised to see Caulifla and her team receiving one-on-one training from Sun Wukong, Vegeta, and Krillin.
"Huh? What's going on here?" Beerus asked. "Didn't you say you hadn't found instructors yet?"
Kling (Krillin) stepped forward to explain. "Well, Beerus-sama, we couldn't agree on who would train them. So we decided that all three of us would train one-on-one and see whose student can transform the fastest."
"So whoever helps them achieve Super Saiyan first gets 50,000 points from Caulifla," he added.
Beerus raised his brows. "Now that is an interesting approach."
Xiangpa folded his arms. "Hmph. Well, I guess we'll see who succeeds first."
Beerus turned to Xiangpa with a smirk. "Alright, seeing how excited Caulifla and the others are… I'll make an exception."
Xiangpa perked up. "What kind of exception?"
"I'll let you taste some more of Earth's delicacies," Beerus said casually.
"You mean it?!" Xiangpa's eyes sparkled.
"Of course," Beerus said, smug as ever. "Have I ever lied to you?"
"All the time!" Xiangpa shouted, but he didn't care. "Come on, bring them out!"
Beerus snapped his fingers, and Whis approached with a tray containing freshly prepared dishes from Earth—takoyaki, okonomiyaki, beef bowl, curry rice, and more.
The rich aroma wafted through the air, immediately capturing Xiangpa's attention.
"Ohhh… What is that smell?!" Xiangpa's stomach growled. "What is this one?"
"This," Beerus said, "is called okonomiyaki—savory pancakes with meat, cabbage, and special sauces."
"And this?" Xiangpa asked, pointing at another dish.
"Takoyaki—fried octopus balls. Try one," Beerus offered.
Without hesitation, Xiangpa devoured one takoyaki, and his eyes sparkled with joy. "Mmmmf! Hot! But delicious!"
Beerus watched with arms crossed, clearly enjoying the scene.
As Xiangpa continued eating, he muttered, "Maybe… maybe I'll just visit Earth quietly and live there..."
Beerus narrowed his eyes. "Don't even think about it."
"Come on! Let me have one district. Just one!"
"No."
"One city?"
"No."
"One restaurant?!"
"No!"
As the two bickered again, Whis and Vados stood to the side, quietly sipping tea and watching the Saiyans train in the distance.
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