Even the Grand Priestess was starting to doubt herself.
Is he really using the angel power I left behind?
That should not be possible.
Why is he training so fast with my angel power?
What I left behind back then was only the tiniest fragment.
And yet after refining it through training, he reached level 80 in such a short time.
Ken drew a deep breath.
Level 80 at last!
"Amarella, you said before that once I reached level 80, Zeno-sama wouldn't be able to erase me anymore, right?" Ken said with a long sigh of relief.
After all these years, he finally no longer had to fear that little monster.
"Yes," Amarella replied with a nod, though she also looked a little speechless. "Why have you always been so worried that Zeno-sama would erase you? Zeno-sama would never casually erase an Angel."
"When your life is in someone else's hands, it's hard not to feel uneasy," Ken said with a smile.
"Hmph. Even if Zeno-sama can't erase you anymore, at your level, any god from the Demon Realm could still kill you in an instant," the Grand Priestess shot back.
She had once stood above everyone, and now she was locked up inside Ken's body. Of course that left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Even if she could not beat him, getting a few sharp words in at his expense still made her feel better.
"Grand Priestess, how long has it been since I last punished you?" Ken asked. He formed a miniature avatar inside his body, the same size as the Grand Priestess and Amarella, and looked at her with a smile.
The Grand Priestess swallowed nervously.
Snap.
A pair of handcuffs appeared in Ken's hand.
"You… what are you doing?" the Grand Priestess panicked. "Don't touch me. Do you even know what you're doing?"
Click.
Before she could finish, Ken had already locked the cuffs around her wrists.
A second later, he produced shackles for her ankles as well.
Then he gave her a light push.
The Grand Priestess fell flat onto the ground.
Ken snapped his fingers, and the cuffs and shackles fixed themselves to the floor.
The Grand Priestess ended up sprawled there in a thoroughly undignified position, limbs spread and pinned in place.
Amarella: "…"
Should I take a picture for the occasion?
Ken then produced a candle and lit it.
"You… how dare you! That's going to hurt!" the Grand Priestess snapped, her chest rising and falling with anger.
"Ah—!"
Not long after saying that, she let out a cry.
"Behave next time," Ken said with a smile. "Otherwise I'll punish you again."
His voice was already turning faint.
He had sensed someone arriving outside the door.
Tap.
Ken pointed his staff toward the door, and it swung open at once.
Kale stepped inside from outside.
"Kale, do you need something?" Ken asked.
"Uh, hi, Ken-nii," Kale said shyly.
"If you have something to say, say it."
He was in the middle of dealing with the Grand Priestess.
The fact that he was even sparing time for her was already generous enough.
"I want to… look a little prettier… and have a better figure too… yeah… that's basically it," Kale said quietly, her face bright red.
Ken understood immediately.
Now that Kale was growing up, it was only natural that she had started noticing she was not especially striking in terms of appearance.
That kind of thing was harder to notice when someone was still a child.
But as she got older, it became more obvious.
And on top of that, Gohan had grown more handsome year by year.
It was perfectly normal for Kale to feel the difference.
Ken casually scanned her with his staff and quickly picked up on everything that had happened: Gohan and Kale attending Orange Star High School in Satan City, the people they had met, all of it.
So Gohan had already met Videl.
Hmm? Caulifla and Cabba came to Earth too?
That surprised him a little.
If he judged purely by looks, Kale was around an 80 at most.
Caulifla, on the other hand, was closer to 90.
As for figure, Kale really did not have much going for her there either.
Poor kid…
"Kale, if you suddenly became beautiful overnight, would that still feel like you?" Ken asked seriously.
"I…" Kale did not know how to answer.
"And do you think Gohan wouldn't notice?" Ken added. "That would be the same as getting cosmetic surgery."
"Then… what am I supposed to do?" Kale asked helplessly.
The biggest problem was that she lived with Gohan and saw him every day. If she suddenly became prettier, not only would Gohan be suspicious, but Chi-Chi would look at her strangely too.
And besides, changing your face was not the same thing as restoring someone's youth.
"I can make you prettier little by little instead of all at once," Ken said with a smile. "The same goes for your figure."
"Huh? You really can?" Kale's face lit up.
"I can." Ken nodded, and a stream of angel power flowed from his staff and spread over her body.
The moment that angel power covered Kale, it began making tiny adjustments to her body.
To put it simply, it was a kind of microscopic cosmetic refinement.
For example, it could gradually make her eyes a little larger over time.
Or it could give her chest a bit more shape.
But everything would happen slowly, little by little, so no one around her would notice the change.
Maybe one day Gohan would look at her and suddenly think, Huh? Why is Kale getting prettier and prettier?
Kale immediately looked in a mirror and saw that there was no obvious change yet.
Still, she could keenly sense that her overall presence felt more graceful now.
"We'll start with your bearing," Ken said, smiling at her.
"Yes, Ken-nii… thank you so much… From now on, I'm yours. Whatever you ask me to do, I'll never refuse," Kale said at once. "I'll become your sword, just like Broly."
"A matched pair of blades?" Ken said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Kale: "…"
"Off you go." Just before she left, Ken added one more thing. "Kale, confidence is what makes a girl beautiful."
"I… I understand!" Kale nodded firmly.
…
In the courtyard at Capsule Corporation headquarters, Cabba and Caulifla were enjoying the food the robots had brought them.
What counted as low-tier food?
Basically, ordinary food thrown together well enough to fill your stomach.
Ken had specifically asked Bulma to adjust the robots' programming so they would divide meals into four grades: low, middle, high, and top.
There was no reason to serve top-grade food to every random visitor who showed up.
Bulma's family might be the richest in the world, but that did not mean money should be burned for no reason.
So giving these two kids low-tier food was already more than generous enough.
And besides, even Bulma's "low-tier" food would still count as a feast almost anywhere else in the universe.
So they were hardly being mistreated.
Sure enough, the moment Cabba and Caulifla tasted the food, both of them were stunned.
Neither of them had ever eaten anything this delicious before.
There was nothing like this on Planet Sadala.
"I can't believe Earth food is this good," Caulifla said around a chicken leg, grease all over her mouth.
Cabba: "…"
You have absolutely no table manners.
Not ladylike at all.
But I like it.
That kind of girl is exactly my type.
The more Cabba watched her, the redder his face grew.
"Why are you staring at me? Eat your food," Caulifla said, rolling her eyes at him.
"You're… very easy to look at," Cabba muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Caulifla took another bite of the chicken leg, not quite hearing him.
"N-Nothing." Cabba shook his head quickly.
Better not let her know how I feel.
While the two of them were talking, Vegeta landed nearby with Trunks and Gohan.
The moment Vegeta appeared, both Cabba and Caulifla instantly stood up in alarm.
"Hmph. So the two brats from Planet Sadala are all grown up now?" Vegeta said.
Cabba's expression changed several times.
Caulifla became even more alert.
"Relax. I'd get no satisfaction from bullying the likes of you," Vegeta said coldly. Then, without even turning around, he said to Trunks, "Trunks, defeat them."
"Uh…" Trunks scratched his head.
Gohan stood off to the side, smiling awkwardly but saying nothing.
"If you beat them, I'll go to the amusement park with you," Vegeta promised.
"Really, Dad?" Trunks's eyes lit up at once.
Vegeta said nothing more, but the corner of his mouth curled slightly upward.
Gohan did not feel he could interfere, so he could only stand there and watch.
"All right then, I'll be your opponent," Trunks said as he stepped forward to stand in front of Cabba and Caulifla.
"Are you sure you want your son to challenge us, old man?" Caulifla asked with a grin.
"Against little pests like you, I don't need to move a finger. My son is enough," Vegeta replied calmly. He pointed his thumb toward a flat open area nearby. "Fight over there. If you fight here, you'll wreck the food and everything else around it."
With that, Vegeta flew off toward the open ground first.
Cabba and Caulifla had no objection and followed right away.
Very soon, everyone landed in the clearing.
"You stay out of this. I'll handle the brat myself," Caulifla said to Cabba.
"Be careful." Cabba nodded. He knew that without Super Saiyan, he had no advantage here.
According to Caulifla, becoming a Super Saiyan boosted your power by at least fifty times.
Fifty times.
That was terrifying.
No wonder they had never been able to beat these people before.
"Don't worry. First I'll grind his kid into the dirt, then I'll deal with that old man," Caulifla said with a confident smile.
"Go for it!" Cabba pumped a fist.
Vegeta did not get angry.
She was just a little girl.
If he actually let himself get mad at someone like that, then he was no true Saiyan prince.
His sights were on defeating Kakarot, and after that, Temat.
The only problem was that lately Vegeta had been unable to find Goku, so there was no point in going to Planet Sadala yet to settle things with Temat.
Emily could always ask Bulma to build a spaceship to Sadala, of course, but after thinking it over, Vegeta had decided it would be better to move together with Kakarot.
If he went there by himself and turned out to be completely outmatched by Temat, that would be a disaster.
Ken had not told Vegeta much about Temat either.
So Vegeta did not actually know all that much.
For now, whenever he had spare time, he had started focusing on training Trunks.
He had already decided that he was going to raise Trunks into someone stronger than Gohan.
At the very least, his son could not afford to lose to Gohan.
"Gohan, I heard you've got a new uncle," Vegeta said, glancing toward him.
"Uh… yeah." Gohan nodded quickly. "He was born on the same day as Goten."
"Boy or girl?" Vegeta asked.
Gohan: "…"
"Uncle Vegeta, you literally just said I got a new uncle… so obviously he's a boy," Gohan said, half laughing, half speechless.
"What's his name?" Vegeta asked.
"Zarek," Gohan replied.
Vegeta had no response.
"Oh, right. Zarek plays with Goten and Trunks a lot," Gohan added.
Vegeta did not say anything more.
By that point, Trunks and Caulifla were already facing each other in fighting stances.
"Come on, brat," Caulifla said, crooking a finger at him.
"Then I won't hold back!" Trunks answered, and without another word, his energy erupted as he charged straight at her.
Caulifla met him head-on.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two of them clashed dozens of times across the clearing in an instant.
Trunks's training under Vegeta over the past few years had clearly paid off. His speed and power were both excellent.
But Caulifla was also a genius fighter from Planet Sadala.
About a minute passed.
Bang!
Caulifla's fist smashed straight into Trunks's nose.
Tears sprang to his eyes on the spot, and he winced in pain.
"Brat, you're not my match. Give it up already," Caulifla said with a smug smile, then shot a provocative glance at Vegeta.
Vegeta ignored it completely.
As a Saiyan prince, stepping in personally to bully a little girl would be beneath him.
His standards were higher now than before.
"Damn it! That hurt! I only wasn't fighting seriously because you're a girl!" Trunks snapped, rubbing his nose.
"Really? Then you'd better start fighting seriously now," Caulifla said with a smile. "Otherwise you're going to regret it."
Flash!
Without another moment of hesitation, golden light erupted around Trunks, and he transformed into a Super Saiyan.
"Super Saiyan? Can every Saiyan on your side do that?" Caulifla asked, looking at Trunks and then at Gohan.
"Uh… more or less," Gohan replied with a nod.
"It doesn't matter. Once you know the trick, turning Super Saiyan is easy," Caulifla said confidently.
Cabba felt another stab to the heart.
You still haven't told me the trick.
I should've asked earlier.
Flash!
Golden light burst from Caulifla as well, and she transformed into a Super Saiyan too.
Whoosh!
Trunks and Caulifla charged each other again and resumed their fierce exchange.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Their figures blurred across the sky and the ground, leaving golden afterimages everywhere they passed.
Whoosh!
Trunks flickered and instantly appeared directly above Caulifla.
At the same time, he slashed a hand downward, firing an energy blast at her.
Bang!
Caulifla casually swatted it aside with the back of her hand, knocking it off course.
"Hmph. Cheap trick," she said, then looked up toward the sky where Trunks had been.
But the moment she looked, she realized he was already gone.
Whoosh!
Trunks flashed into place behind her.
Caulifla reacted just as quickly and drove an elbow backward, striking him square in the cheek.
"Ow—!"
Trunks cried out and toppled backward, crashing to the ground.
"Brat, I already told you. Just give up," Caulifla said with a smug smile.
Trunks grimaced in pain, climbed back to his feet, and rubbed his nose again.
Vegeta's face was starting to darken.
My son can't even beat a little girl like this?
"Old man, you should just fight me yourself," Caulifla said again, crooking a finger at Vegeta.
Vegeta snorted and ignored her. Instead, he turned to Trunks and said, "If you can't even beat a girl from Planet Sadala, then from today on, your allowance is gone."
"Huh? That's not fair…" Trunks looked close to tears.
"It's settled," Vegeta said flatly.
"I don't want that… If I lose my allowance, life won't even feel worth living," Trunks said, already imagining the misery ahead.
Boom!
In the next instant, a new surge of power exploded out of him.
Whoosh!
Trunks shot at Caulifla again, his attacks noticeably faster than before.
"I'm gonna hit you! Hit you! Hit you!"
His fists rained down like a storm.
For a moment, even Caulifla was caught off guard and reduced to defending herself.
Bang!
After several more exchanges, Trunks's fist finally clipped her cheek.
A red streak immediately appeared on her smooth face.
"Heh, I got you!" Trunks grinned.
"You little brat!" Caulifla snapped and struck back with a palm.
Trunks reacted fast, twisting his body aside, grabbing her arm, and then driving a kick straight into her chest.
Bang!
The kick was vicious. Caulifla almost threw up the chicken she had just eaten, choking on sour bile as she staggered.
"Hah!"
Trunks followed up with a sweep and knocked her off her feet.
Then he dropped right down on top of her.
"Ah—!" Caulifla cried out.
"Heh, then don't mind if I do," Trunks said with a grin as he started hammering punches down at her face.
Caulifla crossed both arms in front of herself to protect her head.
All of Trunks's punches landed on her forearms instead.
"You brat, you're getting way too cocky!" Caulifla snarled. She bucked her hips upward and sent Trunks pitching forward.
Smack!
In the next instant, Trunks landed sitting right on Caulifla's face.
Caulifla: "…"
Caulifla felt her whole soul leave her body.
Cabba, meanwhile, felt as if a huge field of grass had suddenly grown over his head.
Then he forced himself to think it through.
He's just some eight-year-old brat.
It doesn't count, it doesn't count.
I'm not angry at all.
At the side, Vegeta pressed a hand to his forehead, not even knowing what to say.
Should I just catch this girl and make her Trunks's future wife?
Wasn't Gohan already with Kale at Trunks's age?
For a moment, Vegeta's thoughts wandered a little too far.
"Get off me!" Caulifla grabbed the back of Trunks's shirt and hurled him away.
Trunks tumbled across the ground a few times, then sprang right back up, ready to charge again.
"That's enough. End it here," Vegeta said.
Trunks stopped at once and blinked at his father. "Dad… what about my allowance?"
"You can keep it," Vegeta said with a cold nod.
"And the amusement park?" Trunks asked.
"Forget the amusement park. At best, this was a draw," Vegeta snorted.
"Huh? That's so unfair… I obviously won. I was literally sitting on her face," Trunks protested.
Vegeta: "…"
When you put it that way, he kind of had a point.
Caulifla, meanwhile, looked ready to collapse.
What do you mean you were sitting on my face?
What kind of thing is that for a brat to say?
Just then, several figures suddenly appeared on the scene.
Ken arrived holding his staff, with Kale beside him.
"Ken?" Vegeta blinked, surprise flashing across his face, followed by a trace of unease.
"Not bad. runks has grown to this level already," Ken said with a smile.
"Hmph, it's nothing," Vegeta replied, acting unimpressed. "At his age, I was already fighting across alien worlds as a Saiyan."
"Yeah. And your power level was what, eighteen thousand back then?" Ken said with a smile.
Vegeta: "…"
That hit him right where it hurt.
After all, Vegeta had spent over twenty years stuck around a power level of eighteen thousand.
And during most of those twenty years, it had barely improved at all.
"What does power level eighteen thousand mean?" Trunks asked curiously.
"You should ask your father," Ken replied with a grin.
Trunks instantly turned toward Vegeta, opening his mouth to ask.
"Shut up!" Vegeta barked.
"You're the prince?" Caulifla asked, looking at Ken in surprise.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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