"Good timing," Fuwa said with a laugh. "I just wrapped up a batch of work, so I'm on vacation for the next few days." He looked delighted. "What do you need me for, Ken? Did you find some fun planet and want me to come along?"
"There is somewhere fun," Ken said with a grin, "but it's not a planet. It's over in the World of Void. Want to come take a look?"
"The World of Void?" Fuwa blinked, baffled. "There's nothing there. What's supposed to be fun about it?"
"There's going to be a very unusual battle there," Ken said plainly.
"A battle?" Fuwa froze for a second. "Between who? And why would they fight in the World of Void?"
"Forget all that. I'm just asking if you want to watch," Ken said with a smile. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime fight."
Fuwa thought it over and nodded. "Alright. It'll be good to broaden my horizons."
"I'm on Earth right now," Ken said. "Could you take all of us to the World of Void?"
"No problem," Fuwa replied without overthinking it. In the next instant, he appeared beside Ken.
Left Guard: "…"
Once Fuwa arrived, his eyes swept across everyone present.
Seeing Merus and Bier didn't surprise him.
Bier's face was unfamiliar, but judging by her Angel attire, it wasn't hard to guess who she was.
But the moment his gaze landed on the Left Guard, he rubbed his eyes and checked again, almost convinced he was seeing things.
"Is that… a Guard?" Fuwa blurted, his expression changing repeatedly.
The Left Guard said nothing. He just stared at Ken with a dark face.
You really know how to play this.
You've got Right Guard flying his heart out on his own while you hitch a ride here.
Fuwa's mouth twitched. For a moment, he had no idea what he was looking at.
Why is a Guard here?
Is Zeno-sama here too?
Still, Fuwa didn't bow.
A Supreme Kai's divine rank was still high. The Guards were simply overwhelmingly powerful.
Lowering his voice, Fuwa quietly asked Ken, "Zeno-sama isn't here too, is he?"
"Relax," Ken said with a smile. "Zeno-sama already left."
Fuwa let out a small breath of relief.
Are you trying to scare me to death?
Then another question hit him, and he lowered his voice again. "Why is there only one Guard here?"
"Don't worry about details like that," Ken said. "Let's get to the World of Void."
"Fine. Are all of you coming?" Fuwa asked, glancing at Merus, the Guard, and the others.
"Sorry for the trouble, Supreme Kai," Merus said with a bow.
"Just hold on to me. We're leaving right now," Fuwa said, holding out both hands.
One by one, Ken and the others placed their hands on him.
"Oh, right. Where in the World of Void are we going?" Fuwa asked.
"The central region," Ken replied.
"Kai Kai!" Fuwa chanted, the words rolling off his tongue.
Meanwhile, over on Goku's side, Krillin took out a Senzu Bean and handed it to Gohan.
Gohan quickly fed it to his father.
The moment Goku swallowed it, his injuries healed at once, and he sprang back to his feet.
Then he focused his eyes and suddenly spotted Fuwa standing on the distant ridge.
"Huh? Fuwa-sama?" Goku lit up in surprise and delight.
Just as he was about to go say hello—Fuwa vanished instantly, taking everyone with him.
The ones who left with the Supreme Kai were Ken, the Left Guard, Merus, Bier, Broly, and Ai.
Bardock stayed behind with Gine.
Kale and Jiren stayed too.
Zeno-sama hadn't invited either of them to watch.
And with their current status, they simply weren't qualified to witness a fight between Ken and a Guard.
Now only Bardock and Gine remained on that ridge.
"Gine, let's head down," Bardock said gently.
She nodded.
Holding her in his arms, Bardock slowly descended from the ridge and landed near Goku.
Then he set Gine down and started walking toward Jiren.
A bad feeling immediately rose in Jiren's chest, and he tensed on instinct.
"You hit my son earlier," Bardock said coldly. "I'm not letting that slide."
Jiren: "…"
"Dad, it's fine, really… haha… I'm already okay…" Goku laughed awkwardly.
"Be quiet," Bardock snapped.
Goku immediately covered his mouth.
"Jiren," Bardock said, beckoning with one hand, "I'm not going to bully you. Hit me with everything you've got."
Jiren's mouth twitched, and his face shifted several times.
But he knew very well that if he didn't let Bardock vent this anger, the matter wouldn't end cleanly.
Kale looked from Jiren to Bardock.
After spending so much time with Merus, she instantly recognized the God of Destruction attire Bardock was wearing.
That meant he was a real God of Destruction.
Jiren was strong, but compared to a true God of Destruction, the gap was probably still enormous.
I'm a future God of Destruction.
Jiren is a future Supreme Kai.
Our honor rises together, and our loss does too.
Should I go help him?
But… this man is Gohan-nii's grandfather.
If I marry Gohan-nii when I grow up… I'd have to call him Grandpa too.
I can't side with an outsider against my own grandfather.
Kale tied herself in knots over it.
And once she pictured herself in a wedding dress, marrying Gohan, her cheeks instantly turned bright red.
"Kale? What's wrong?" Gohan turned and asked.
"N-Nothing…" Kale said quickly, shaking her head.
"Then why is your face so red?" Gohan asked curiously.
"I… I'm a little hot," Kale said with a goofy smile.
Gohan looked up at the sky.
Hot?
It doesn't feel that hot to me.
Boom!
Jiren stopped hesitating. A thick red aura burst from his body.
In an instant, he pushed his power to the limit.
"Come on," Bardock said, motioning with his fingers.
"Hmph!" Jiren shot toward him.
Bang!
Jiren unleashed a powerful punch at Bardock.
Smack!
Bardock raised his left hand and blocked it with ease.
At the same time, flames erupted around his body as he transformed into Super Saiyan God.
Jiren hung in the air, fist buried in Bardock's palm—almost identical to how Goku had looked moments earlier when he hit Jiren.
"So this is all you've got," Bardock snorted, then drove his knee upward.
Thud!
His knee slammed hard into Jiren's stomach.
"Ugh—!"
Jiren spat up stomach acid and felt all strength drain from his body.
He collapsed to the ground in a heap, nearly blacking out.
"No one gets to bully my son just because they feel like it," Bardock said coldly. "If your levels were close, I wouldn't object to you challenging him. But you're nearly twenty levels apart. The gap between you and him is about the same as the gap between you and me."
Jiren grimaced, his face twisting with pain.
"I'm going to train hard," Goku said seriously. "One day I'll beat you, Jiren." Then he turned and called out, "Krillin, give him a Senzu Bean."
"Got it!" Krillin nodded and stepped forward with Android 21 still in his arms, handing Jiren a Senzu Bean.
Jiren swallowed it in one bite.
His injuries vanished immediately.
He straightened up, looked Bardock in the eye, and said through clenched teeth, "When my level rises, I'll challenge you."
"I'll be waiting," Bardock said with a faint smile.
"Hmph."
Jiren wasted no more words. He turned into a crimson streak and shot into the sky, vanishing almost at once.
"Goku, we should head back too," Krillin suggested.
Goku nodded, then turned to Bardock and Gine. "Dad, Mom, what about you two? Want to come with us?"
"I'll pass," Bardock said. He stepped forward, patted Goku on the shoulder, and looked at his son with open affection. Then he added, "You were right not to go blue. Even if you had, you still wouldn't have beaten Jiren."
"I didn't even get the chance to transform," Goku admitted, scratching his head. "He dropped me too fast."
Bardock: "…"
"Come with me sometime," Bardock said. "Help me rescue your brother Raditz. Alright?"
"Uh…" Goku hesitated. The thought clearly made him uneasy.
That brother really isn't very likable.
"I'll make him apologize to you," Bardock added.
"No need for that," Goku said with a laugh. "As long as he stops doing bad things, that's enough."
"When I get strong enough to surpass God of Destruction Champa, I'll take you to Planet Sadala," Bardock said with a smile.
"Alright," Goku said with a serious nod.
"Take me too," Vegeta suddenly cut in.
Bardock glanced at him, then nodded without objection.
In Bardock's eyes, Prince Vegeta still had value.
After all, he was exactly the kind of rival Kakarot needed.
Even if Kakarot had already left him far behind.
Still, having a rival you could push against—someone you genuinely cared about—was something to be grateful for.
"Gohan, you did well today too," Bardock said, stepping over and rubbing Gohan's head. "Your grandpa's proud of you."
Gohan gave an embarrassed, silly grin.
Before leaving, Bardock glanced at Kale once, said nothing, then picked Gine up in his arms. He rose slowly into the air and waved goodbye to Goku and the others.
"Grandpa, come visit again sometime!" Gohan shouted.
Bardock nodded, then turned into a streak of golden light and sped away.
"We should go too," Goku said. "Everyone okay?"
Everyone said they were fine.
Vegeta shot into the sky first and disappeared from sight in the next instant.
Damn it!
I lost to Kakarot again this time!
I'm not accepting this!
I'll surpass you!
"Let's head back to Kami's Lookout first," Piccolo suggested. "Cell is dead now. We can use the Dragon Balls to revive everyone he killed."
"Alright, sounds good," Goku said, reaching out a hand. "I'll use Instant Transmission to take everyone there."
Piccolo and the others quickly grabbed hold of Goku.
Whoosh!
Goku vanished with them in an instant.
The Cell Games arena was left in ruins, with only Mr. Satan and the other two still there.
About five minutes passed.
Mr. Satan rubbed his head and slowly woke up.
When Cell had unleashed the aura of Legendary Super Saiyan Two, the violent force had slammed into Mr. Satan and the others and knocked all three of them unconscious on the spot.
Mr. Satan scratched his head and looked around, only to realize Cell was gone.
Not just Cell—Zeno-sama, Majin Buu, and the others were gone too.
He had no idea what had happened to them.
Soon after, the commentator and cameraman woke up as well. They looked around, then quickly spotted Mr. Satan standing there in a daze.
The commentator immediately ran over with his microphone.
"Mr. Satan! Where's Cell?" he asked in a rush.
"Well…" Mr. Satan had no idea how to explain this.
"I understand!" the commentator said excitedly. "You defeated Cell, didn't you?"
"N-No, not exactly…" Mr. Satan laughed awkwardly. "It's a long story… let's just say one of the outside helpers I brought in took care of him. Hahaha… yeah, that must be it!"
"Mr. Satan is far too modest," the commentator said with a smile. "If Cell was defeated by Mr. Satan's invited reinforcement, then that's basically the same as Mr. Satan defeating him himself!"
Mr. Satan: "…"
"Well…" Mr. Satan scratched his head, flustered.
"Then where is this reinforcement now?" the commentator asked.
"Gone," Mr. Satan answered.
"People of the world!" the commentator shouted into the mic. "You heard it here! The man who saved Earth is Mr. Satan!"
"Well…" Mr. Satan muttered under his breath, "I hate to admit it, but if I want Zeno-sama and Buu to keep eating good food… I'm going to need a lot of money… so I guess I'll reluctantly accept it."
"Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan!"
All across the world, people erupted in cheers for their hero.
…
At Kami's Lookout, Dende held both hands out toward Android 21 and began healing her from a distance.
"Dende," Yamcha said, full of gossip, "she's an android. Can your healing even fix her?"
"Yamcha, what are you talking about?" Krillin snapped, face darkening. "She's a modified human, not a robot. Of course Dende can heal her!"
"Haha, relax, relax. I was joking," Yamcha said with a laugh.
Dende nodded slightly, indicating it wouldn't be a problem.
The healing light from his hands quickly spread over Android 21's body.
She opened her eyes almost immediately and sprang to her feet.
"This is Kami's Lookout," Krillin explained as he hurried over. "Don't worry. Kale beat Cell, and then that guy named Jiren finished him off."
"Kale? Jiren?" Android 21 arched a brow. "Who are they? Why isn't there any data on them in my files?"
"We can explain all that later," Krillin said with a laugh.
"You should thank Krillin," Piccolo cut in. "After Cell threw you up, he risked his life protecting you. He held onto you the whole time."
Android 21: "…"
"I mean… I couldn't just leave you there to die," Krillin said quickly.
"I get it now!" Gohan suddenly said. "Krillin-san likes Android 21!"
"Really?" Kale asked, instantly interested.
"Don't say it out loud!" Krillin shouted, punching Gohan on the head so hard he nearly knocked him over.
"Gohan-nii!" Kale exploded on the spot. She lunged forward, grabbed Krillin by the head, and looked ready to grind his face into the floor.
"Kale, stop messing around!" Gohan shouted in panic. "Let him go!"
"Uh… okay." The moment Kale heard Gohan's voice, she released Krillin.
Krillin shuddered.
For a second there, I really felt like I'd taken a stroll right up to King Yemma's door.
If she had actually slammed my head into the ground, I'd be dead.
"Hmph." Android 21 shot Krillin a cold glance. "You think I'd ever like you? You noseless little shrimp."
Then she turned and walked off.
Krillin took that like a knife to the heart.
"What a rotten attitude!" Yamcha said angrily. "She needs someone to teach her a lesson."
"You're not strong enough," Tien said lightly.
"Haha, Krillin, don't get down," Goku said kindly.
"It's okay, Krillin-san," Gohan said with a grin. "You still have all of us."
"You're still talking?" Krillin cried. "You've already got Kale—why are you sticking your nose into my business too?"
Kale instantly turned bright red.
Gohan scratched his head and gave a silly grin.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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