Gran raised his hand toward the Grand Elder's seat and grasped at the air.
The Dragon Ball resting atop it vanished instantly, appearing in his palm as though plucked from another dimension.
Nail glanced at the Grand Elder.
The Elder nodded gravely. "Begin the summoning, Porunga."
"Yes, Elder!"
Nail stepped beside Gran, who gently placed the final Dragon Ball onto the ground.
Seven orbs—each the size of a basketball—now rested together in a perfect circle. They began to hum in resonance, radiating waves of golden light.
Finally witnessing the legendary Dragon Balls with his own eyes, Gran's heart stirred with excitement.
The seven Dragon Balls of Earth had marked the beginning of the Dragon Ball saga
but the seven of Namek… they were the climax.
If this were the original story, Frieza, Vegeta, and Son Goku would soon be descending to fight for these very orbs.
And right here, one of the most iconic scenes in all of anime history was about to be born.
"Lord Supreme Kai, can these things truly grant wishes?" Kibito asked in a hushed voice, unable to hide his awe.
"I don't know," Shin admitted, shaking his head. "This is my first time seeing such mystical gems myself."
But his gaze suddenly sharpened. "It's starting!"
At that instant, Nail began chanting in the ancient Namekian tongue.
The final syllable fell
BOOM!
The heavens roared.
The clear skies over Namek darkened in an instant, thunder rumbling through the void.
HUMMMMM!!!
The resonance of the Dragon Balls reached a deafening pitch. Golden light flared violently from each orb, lightning dancing across the clouds.
CRACKLE!
Bolts of divine gold struck the ground, and from within their light seven streams shot skyward, converging high above into a single blazing shape
a vast, serpentine dragon wreathed in divine radiance.
"It's coming out!"
Gran clenched his tiny fists, trembling with excitement.
"Lord Candidate," the Grand Elder said reverently, "this divine dragon is called Porunga. In the Namekian tongue, it means 'God of Dreams.'"
"The name's not bad," Shin remarked, tilting his head. "Shame it looks kinda ugly."
Kibito nodded instantly—after all, whatever his master said was law.
Gran looked up at Porunga's hulking form, its muscular build and genie-like visage looming above the clouds.
It really did look like some overworked version of the genie from Aladdin.
He took a deep breath and added dryly, "Yeah… definitely ugly."
Nail: "..."
Grand Elder: "..."
Then
"Speak, O summoners," thundered Porunga's voice from above, booming across the darkened skies.
"You are granted three wishes. State them, and I shall make them reality!"
"Any wish?"
Shin's eyes went wide. Tugging at Gran's sleeve, he gasped, "Gran! It said it can grant any wish!"
"Don't fall for it," Gran replied lazily. "They all say that."
Indeed, every dragon claimed to grant any wish under the heavens—but anyone who'd ever seen the anime knew that wasn't true.
Seeing this pompous dragon strut around like it owned the universe, Gran suddenly felt mischievous. A sly grin curved his lips.
"Nail, tell it my first wish."
He paused dramatically.
"I wish to gain an immortal body—one that even Zeno-sama himself cannot erase."
"...???"
Nail, the Grand Elder, Kibito, and Shin all froze.
Who on Namek—or in the entire universe—was "Zeno-sama"?
Though baffled, Nail dutifully translated Gran's words into Namekian:
"#&$^...!"
The final word had barely left his mouth before the sky fell into dead silence.
Every sound vanished. Even the wind stopped blowing.
Porunga's colossal form stiffened. Its vibrant golden scales drained to a ghostly white.
Beads of sweat rolled down its draconic brow.
"Th-this wish… cannot be granted!" it stammered.
"See, Shin? Didn't I tell you? These dragons always bluff."
Gran's voice broke the silence, casual as ever.
Porunga turned its massive head toward him—and froze.
RUMBLE!!!
Its entire body trembled violently. Then, with a trembling claw, it produced… a handkerchief from nowhere, and began wiping its own sweat.
"P-pardon me…!" Porunga stammered. "It is an honor to meet you, Lord Candidate of Destruction!"
Everyone: "..."
Where the hell did a dragon even hide a handkerchief?
"Gran," Shin whispered, nudging him, "even this dragon knows you?"
Porunga's head whipped toward Shin.
"L-Lord Supreme Kai!" it gasped, nearly tangling itself in its own coils.
Good heavens, it thought. What in the blazes is happening today? Why are all the gods here?!
"Huh? You know me too?"
Shin blinked, then scowled. "But you said you could grant any wish! Why couldn't you fulfill Gran's?"
Porunga: "..."
You didn't hear what he asked for!
An immortality that even Zeno-sama can't erase?! Not even the Super Dragon could manage that!
"Lord Supreme Kai, Lord Candidate," Porunga finally said, lowering its head, "my apologies. That wish is far beyond my power. I cannot grant it."
"Then change it," Gran said with a teasing smile. "Make me the strongest warrior in Zeno's entire multiverse."
Porunga: "..."
At that moment, the dragon truly wished it could slap itself.
It had left its lair without checking the cosmic calendar—and now it had run straight into two gods.
Gran's grin widened. "Judging by that constipated look, I'm guessing that's a no too, huh?"
Porunga looked utterly miserable.
Gran chuckled. "Fine, then. For my third wish… make me truly immortal—eternal life in the truest sense!"
He laughed inwardly. Back when I watched the anime, I actually believed dragons could grant anything. Let's see how you bluff your way out of this one!
Porunga's expression twisted in agony. Its massive voice trembled.
"Lord Candidate of Destruction, I beg of you—please, spare me!"
Gran didn't look angry; in fact, he seemed perfectly calm, even amused.
He'd only been teasing the dragon all along.
But Shin's expression darkened. His aura turned cold.
"So you lied?" he said icily. "You said you could grant any wish—and yet you can't."
The Grand Elder's heart skipped a beat. Porunga, you fool…
The dragon was always bragging like that, and now it had provoked a Supreme Kai's wrath.
If both he and the Candidate of Destruction grew angry at once, Namek might not survive the day.
The Grand Elder turned anxiously toward Gran
but to his relief, Gran's expression remained unreadable, calm as still water.
The chamber fell silent again. The air itself seemed to hold its breath.
Gran gazed up at the trembling dragon, his eyes glimmering with faint amusement.
What kind of wish would he make next?
Even Shin, though still annoyed, couldn't help but grow curious.
The Grand Elder and Nail exchanged looks as well. Both of them wondered the same thing
What, exactly, did this Candidate of Destruction truly desire?