"Heh-heh… still want to go? Fighting you is fun. Get up—let's keep going," Broly called.
Majin Buu clawed his way up off the ground.
Broly strolled over, unhurried, getting closer and closer to Buu.
"Broly, finish him! Don't give him a breath!" the Supreme Kai shouted.
"Shut up!" Broly snapped over his shoulder.
And in that instant Broly looked away, Buu's arm whipped out—the limb flattened into a wide pink net.
Smack!
The net cinched tight and wrapped Broly up like a rice dumpling.
A beat later, Buu's whole body began to change.
In the blink of an eye, his features sharpened; a green pelt now ringed his waist.
Majin Buu had successfully absorbed Broly.
"Wah-ka-ka-ka!" Buu threw his head back laughing, clapping in giddy delight.
The Supreme Kai went sheet-white.
"Wh-what is this? Lord Supreme Kai…" Kibito was shaking all over.
"He… he absorbed Broly…" The Supreme Kai felt the sky drop on his head, pupils quivering. "This was my worst fear. He stacked Broly's power on top of his own… It's over. No one in this universe can match him now."
"What do we do?" Kibito blurted, face twisted with panic. "Let's go—back to the Sacred World of the Kai first, then think of something!"
The Supreme Kai shot him a long look and nodded grimly.
"Nice going, Supreme Kai! Why'd you yell just now? You snapped Broly's focus—how do you think we ended up here?" Ken barked. "You're a masterclass in wrecking things. Some Supreme Kai."
"S-sorry… Ken—when did you get here?" the Supreme Kai stammered.
"When I got here isn't your problem. If you're leaving, then go. You're not welcome here," Ken snapped.
He hadn't actually tried to stop Buu from absorbing Broly. For Broly, this was experience—painful, necessary experience. Next time he'd know not to make the same mistake. With Merus on site, Buu could be made to spit Broly back out. And even if Merus didn't, Ken was confident he could. Angel power could do just about anything. If he couldn't handle this, what was the point of training it?
Merus: "…"
He hadn't expected this outcome either. Buu really had absorbed Broly. The guy was full of surprises.
"Lord Supreme Kai, you should get out of here—fast. It's too dangerous. If he absorbs you too, we're in real trouble," Merus called.
If Buu actually took the Supreme Kai in, Merus would be in huge trouble. If the Supreme Kai died, wouldn't Lord Beerus vanish too?
Merus didn't know Beerus had sealed the Elder Kai ages ago. Even if the current Supreme Kai died, as long as the Elder Kai lived, Beerus wouldn't disappear. Either way, Merus wasn't about to let Buu touch the Kai. Best to hustle him off Earth.
"Spare me the act, Merus. You released him, and now you want credit for playing savior? I'm not buying it!" the Supreme Kai shot back.
Merus had no interest in arguing.
"Ken, about Broly—I owe you an apology… I'll think of something," the Supreme Kai said, already chanting to teleport. "And listen to me: be careful of Merus! He's got to be one of Bibidi's men! Don't be fooled by appearances!"
Zzzt—
Space around them warped.
Run now, or never.
"You're not going anywhere!" Buu thrust out his hand toward the Supreme Kai, ready to disrupt the spell.
"Hold it, Majin Buu!" Merus barked, dropping down to block him.
Buu slit his eyes at Merus.
Zzzt!
In that moment, the Supreme Kai and Kibito slipped away.
An instant later, they were back on the Sacred World of the Kai.
Feeling the familiar aura wash over him, the Supreme Kai dropped to his knees, palms on the ground, panting. Cold sweat rolled from his face, beading in the grass.
Kibito had been scared half to death too, chest heaving, fear still clawing at him.
Too terrifying. Majin Buu was too terrifying. Even Broly had been absorbed. This universe might be done.
They rested a moment, then traded a wide-eyed, rattled look.
"Supreme Kai… Merus did stall him. If not for him, we might not have escaped," Kibito said carefully.
"I heard Merus yell, and Buu's attention flicked—yes. That's why we got lucky," the Supreme Kai admitted, then snorted. "But it proves nothing. He unleashed Buu. He can live with the consequences."
"I get it. He must regret it now—he thought he could control Buu, but once even Broly fell, his conscience kicked in," Kibito concluded.
The Supreme Kai didn't answer, eyes turning back toward Earth.
Earth, an empty mountain range
"Who are you?" Majin Buu asked.
"I'm Merus. Become my God of Destruction," Merus said with a warm smile.
"What's a God of Destruction?" Buu scratched his head. "Uh… I caught a bit of it from Broly's memory, but it's fuzzy."
"I'll teach you later," Merus said lightly.
"Not interested." Buu's stomach rumbled. He patted it. "I'm hungry. I want to eat."
"Easy. I'll take you for something good." Merus extended a friendly hand.
"No need… Turn into chocolate!" Buu grinned. The antenna on his head flashed purple.
The purple bolt lanced for Merus.
Even as a trainee angel, dodging it would've been trivial. But this time Merus didn't budge—he simply raised his staff.
Tok!
The beam struck the staff's crystal and sank in. The orb pulsed, then went calm.
Buu stared, dumbfounded.
Whoosh.
Ken dropped beside Merus.
"First, give Broly back," Ken told Buu.
"And you are?" Buu narrowed his eyes.
"What, you absorbed Broly but didn't get his memories?" Ken asked.
"Some. Not complete," Buu said frankly.
"Enough questions. Spit him out," Ken said, toneless, like it wasn't up for debate.
"No," Buu said flatly.
"Then I'll do it myself." Ken's aura flared, bright as starlight.
"Oh?" Buu's mouth quirked. Now this looked interesting.
Boom!
Ken's palm slammed into Buu's chest—fast as lightning. At the same time, a thread of angel power slipped into Buu's torso.
And then—
Pop!
A pink blob flew backward—the fat Buu—while a small, green-haired, green-aura boy with a furry tail was left in Ken's grasp.
Thump.
Buu landed on his butt, eyes bulging.
He rubbed them and gaped at the figure in Ken's hand.
Wasn't that the very Broly he'd absorbed?
What the hell?
It was Broly. As soon as he was out, the green aura faded and he fell limp—unconscious.
Ken set him down gently.
Buu looked himself over, more confused than ever.
Off to the side, Merus couldn't help a flicker of surprise. He was confident he could blast Buu back to normal with a strike, but Ken's technique was clean. He almost wanted to give him a thumbs-up.
Ken had first converted angel power into a remote-transfer effect to pull Broly free… then, in the same motion, spun it into a hair-thin thread of Destruction energy, just enough to shock Buu's soul without killing him… and immediately after, flipped it into healing to wash over Broly and stabilize him.
All in one seamless flow.
A trainee angel could do it. But Ken was a mortal. And his Ultra Instinct was only the simple, training-wheel version—yet he handled angel power like a pro.
Merus felt a pang. If he didn't push harder, Ken might surpass him one day—and that would be a shame for the angel race.
Buu, meanwhile, was rattled. He'd felt the damage—deep damage. His regeneration hadn't handled it well at all.
He was actually… scared.
"We're done here," Ken said, grabbing Broly by the tail and lifting off. He gave Merus a little wave.
"All right… let's both do our best, Ken," Merus nodded.
Ken said nothing more and streaked away. The rest was Merus's problem.
He did spare a thought: if he hadn't raised the purity of his angel power to 10 beforehand, that hit might not have landed so cleanly—especially against a Buu who'd absorbed Broly. He'd also caught Buu totally off-guard. And that sliver of Destruction had been the difference. For now, that was the most he could convert; fully converting angel power into Destruction was still beyond him—too intricate with his current precision.
Merus faced Buu again, patient. "So? Will you be my God of Destruction?"
Buu wavered, wary.
"You want chocolate? I'll take you to some," Merus coaxed.
Buu hesitated, then nodded hard.
"Then follow me." Merus rose into the sky.
Buu flew alongside, stealing a worried glance. What was this guy's relationship to that Ken?
"One thing. Don't run. If you don't want the job, I can always seal you again," Merus said mildly, pointing his staff at the broken shell on the ground.
Zzzt!
The two halves of the "egg" popped into the air.
A twinkle from the crystal, and the shells vanished.
Buu swallowed. Sweat prickled across his skin. This guy's magic felt nastier than his.
"Now you get it?" Merus smiled. "Relax. I won't hurt you lightly. I'm going to feed you lots of good stuff. You like eating as much as Broly does, right?"
Buu nodded earnestly.
"Great. Let's start with chocolate," Merus grinned.
Whoosh!
A minute later they touched down in a small town, outside a shop.
A boy of about eight stood on a rock, one fist thrust up. "I, Satan, will become the strongest man in the world!"
"Wooaaah!" the kids around him cheered.
"I, Satan, will wipe out all evil!" the boy declared.
More applause.
"Turn into chocolate!" Buu's eyes lit up, antenna swinging toward Satan and the kids.
Bonk!
Merus rapped Buu on the head with his staff.
The spell fizzled. A bump swelled on Buu's scalp. He clutched it, grimacing.
"Don't turn people into chocolate at random," Merus warned.
Buu stayed quiet, eyes glinting darkly.
Just wait. I'll get you someday.
"Mister, do you want chocolate? I've got some—I'll give you mine," Satan said, marching up. He dug into the front of his pants and produced a bar, handing it to Buu with hands on hips. "I've saved it forever. If you like it, it's yours."
Buu didn't mind at all. He tore the wrapper and crunched it down.
His eyes lit up. "So good! Tastes better than chocolate made from people."
"Made from… people can turn into chocolate?" Satan murmured, intrigued.
Buu glanced at Merus and kept his mouth shut.
I could, but he won't let me.
"Kid, got any money? Lend me a little and we'll buy him a pile more," Merus said. "I'll pay you back double."
"No need! It's just chocolate. I'll treat him," Satan thumped his chest and called to his buddies, "C'mon, hand over your allowance! We're buying this mister a chocolate feast!"
Capsule Corp—Bulma's home
Ken returned and dropped Broly on the lawn to sleep it off.
"Ah-la-ah-la… so he lost?" Vados glanced over, nibbling a cake with a tiny spoon.
"Yeah. Lost to Merus's brand-new trainee God of Destruction," Ken said honestly.
"Don't be discouraged. Merus is my little brother and a real trainee angel. And you, bluntly, are a Saiyan. Your angel path has a very long way to go," Vados said mildly. "Ah-la-ah-la, I'm blunt—don't take it to heart. It's for your own good."
"Hearing your analysis makes me want to… analyze it myself," Ken deadpanned.
Vados: "…"
Before long, Broly rubbed his eyes and sat up. He scanned around, spotted Ken, hopped over, and hung his head like a kid who'd done wrong. Losing to that chubby guy clearly stung.
"Don't sweat it," Ken said, clapping his shoulder. "You just didn't know his style. Next time, as long as you don't get absorbed, you'll pin him and grind him into the dirt."
"Grind," Broly nodded.
"What you need most is tempering your mind. Merus won't be there to snap you out of it every time you lose control," Ken added.
Broly scratched his head, then nodded again.
Ken didn't think losing to Buu meant much. It was part of the journey. Nobody wins forever.
Except me.
My God of Destruction needs real trials before taking down the strongest, Beerus. Losing to a Majin right now? That's all it is.
Over the next week, Ken, Broly, and Vados stayed at Bulma's.
Dr. Brief got to work forging the Iron Man-style armor. Bulma helped at his side.
Vados ate and drank her way through the house, half-ready to move in.
She could eat on this planet for twenty years.
How could a "food world" like this exist?
Ken also cooked a few of the dishes from his "name-roll" for Vados to taste. She was… stunned.
"Didn't expect you to cook this well," Vados said, clicking her tongue in admiration.
"My specialty's sausage," Ken said.
"Ah-la-ah-la… you mean that starch sausage you gave Whis? The one that's one percent meat?" Vados teased.
"You're wrong. It was three percent," Ken corrected, solemn.
Vados fell silent.
Two seconds.
"I'm not eating that," she said, then frowned. "If you can make roast chicken like this, why didn't you make that for Whis?"
"You can smell the sausage from ten miles away. Roast chicken? Not so much," Ken said. "Besides, Planet Vegeta didn't have free-range chickens."
"Fine, fine. I've given you the real Ultra Instinct method, and you've made great progress," Vados smiled. "So—once your armor's done, coming back to Universe 6 with me?"
"Yes. Absolutely," Ken nodded.
He was in this Dragon Ball world for her. Stay here waiting for Bulma to grow up? No thanks. Bulma was a cute kid, sure, but that was it.
Vados was different. Blue skin? He could work with that.
He really wanted to know what color a blueberry's center was.
Paler… or darker?
He suddenly wanted to grow up fast.
The secrets of angels would be his to uncover.
"What are you thinking? Why are you drooling?" Vados blinked.
Ken grabbed the hem of her top and wiped his mouth.
Vados: "…"
Unbelievable.
"Weren't we going to move Earth to your Universe 6? Any ideas yet?" Ken asked.
"Ah-la-ah-la… I've been mulling it over. It's not easy," Vados said, disappointed. "Moving a planet is easy. Keeping everyone on it alive is hard—even for the Supreme Kai. The transfer instant alone can end lives…"
"What if you use angel power to shield all life during the transfer? You could do that, right?" Ken asked.
"I could. But if we drop it into a different star system and the environment doesn't match, humans and other life might still perish over time," Vados shook her head. "We angels aren't demons. We won't do that."
"I've got a way that should work," Ken grinned.
"What way?" Vados asked.
"This planet has something called Dragon Balls. Seven of them. Gather all seven, summon the dragon, and you get a wish," Ken said, laying it out for her.
Vados's eyes lit up. She'd almost forgotten. "You mean the Namekian wish orbs? Their wishes are limited. Many can't be granted."
"Angels really do know everything," Ken sighed, nodding. "I once wished for world peace. He said he couldn't. I was crushed."
Vados: "…"
World peace… what a wish.
"Speaking of wish orbs, there is something more reliable," Vados said, smiling with her eyes.
"What is it?" Ken prompted.
"Wishing Stars—also called the Super Dragon Balls," Vados explained. "Like Earth's, but there are seven scattered across Universes 6 and 7. Gather them and you can summon the Dragon of the Gods. Unlike Earth's dragon, this one can grant any wish—even swapping the two universes' Earths."
"What're we waiting for? Let's go find them," Ken said.
He hopped straight onto her back.
Vados: "…"
No shame at all.
"Down. Crossing a whole universe isn't a hop and a skip. Even for me, searching a universe for several Super Dragon Balls is a heavy project," Vados sighed.
"Bulma once made a Dragon Radar. If the Super Dragon Balls relate to the regular ones, she could scale it up," Ken said.
"Dragon Radar? Let me see," Vados said.
Ken handed it over. Vados studied the device—solid tech.
"No problem… You used up Earth's set already?" she asked, noticing the blank screen.
"Yeah. I wished Broly could survive in space," Ken said.
Vados let it drop.
Ken then brought Bulma out and explained the Super Dragon Balls.
"I get it—just crank the power," Bulma said, catching on fast.
A day later, she unveiled a brand-new Super Dragon Radar.
"I'll test it," Vados said, tapping her staff to the floor.
"I'm coming," Ken said, springing onto her back again, tail looping snug around her waist.
Vados didn't argue.
Fwoom—
They flared like twin stars and shot into space.
Vados thumbed the Radar's button.
Three dots blinked on its screen.
"Ah-la-ah-la… Universe 7 really does have them—three here, which means four in Universe 6," Vados said, impressed. "Ken, your little girlfriend is remarkable."
"No. You are my girlfriend," Ken said firmly.
"Say that again when you've grown up," Vados laughed.
"When I grow up… can I marry you?" Ken asked, dead serious.
Vados: "…"
"Sure, sure," she said lightly, taking it as a child's crush on a big sister. She'd lived for eons; once he grew up and met more women, he'd forget all about it.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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