Moro watched Goku halt in front of the wall of fire, a knowing smile spreading across his face.
"What's the rush? You seem awfully eager to finish this." He lowered his hand, letting the flames subside. "I suppose you think moving fast enough to avoid my energy absorption will give you an advantage. But you've misunderstood something."
Goku frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I consume energy to satisfy my hunger. Making my opponent weaker while I grow stronger isn't what I'm after." Moro's smile widened. "I can always take your energy once you're too exhausted to move."
"Too exhausted to move?"
"You didn't think this was all the power I had, did you?"
Moro's ki erupted before Goku could answer. A dark-gold aura spread around him, and the pressure rolling across the battlefield forced the surrounding dust into the air. Goku's expression grew serious as he felt the enormous increase. When the dust began to settle, Moro was standing in the center of the devastation, his power still rising.
"Do you have any idea how many planets I've consumed while you were training?" Moro asked. "I've acquired power that surpasses even the gods."
Gohan felt the change from a distance. "That ki..."
"It's stronger than mine," Kale said, her fists tightening. "A lot stronger."
Piccolo said nothing at first. The pressure alone was enough to tell him that the fight had just become far more dangerous.
Moro sent a purple sphere of energy toward Goku, who knocked it aside with one hand. The attack had barely passed him when Moro appeared behind him and locked both arms around his body.
"Let go!"
Goku struggled, but Moro's grip held. The wizard seized his head and hurled him into a nearby cliff, burying him in a cloud of shattered rock.
"How was that?" Moro called after him.
Goku emerged from the dust with a smile.
Moro's eyes narrowed. "You can still smile?"
"Sure. But I guess I should stop holding back too."
Goku drew a deep breath, and his silver-white aura surged higher. Moro answered by releasing more of his own power, the two enormous energies pressing against each other until the ground beneath them began to tremble.
"Now this is getting interesting," Moro said. "I was starting to think that was all you had."
Angel power erupted from Goku, and the sudden pressure drove Moro backward. The wizard raised his right hand while retreating, gathering energy in his palm, but Goku closed the distance and kicked the forming blast into the sky. An elbow struck Moro before he could recover, sending him upward, and Goku followed with a heavy downward kick that drove him toward the ground.
Moro caught Goku's leg just before impact and used it to slam him into the earth. He tried to swing him down a second time, but Goku twisted his body and kicked free, throwing Moro away instead. The wizard landed on his feet, only to find several ki blasts already closing in.
Moro crossed his arms and weathered the first explosions, then charged straight through the barrage. His punch met Goku's guard, and the two fell into another furious exchange, trading blows across the ground until their hands locked together in a contest of strength. Goku broke the struggle first, striking Moro across the face and following with a kick to the stomach that sent him crashing backward.
Goku remained where he was, breathing hard.
He had never maintained Ultra Instinct Sign for this long before. The training with Merus had made the state far more stable, but sustaining it through a battle of this intensity was still taking its toll.
Moro rose from the crater, looking considerably less troubled than Goku would have liked.
"Perhaps I was being too cautious," he said. "If that's all the power you have, I'm not going to lose."
Goku stared at him in frustration. "Man, how tough are you?"
On Yardrat, Vegeta's training was finally approaching its end.
He completed the latest exercise and immediately turned toward Pybara. "Well? Is that enough?"
Pybara smiled with satisfaction. "Yes. You've finally learned it, Vegeta."
"Good!"
Vegeta let out a relieved breath, then looked toward Ken. "When are we going back?"
"Not yet. We're waiting for someone."
"Someone?"
"He'll be here in a moment."
A brilliant streak of starlight appeared in the distance and descended toward them. When the light faded, Merus was standing beside Ken, staff in hand.
Vegeta blinked. "Merus?"
Irico looked even more astonished. "Merus? You flew here? And what are you wearing?"
Merus gave him an apologetic smile. "Hello, Irico. I'll explain everything about me later."
Irico could only stare at him. The Galactic Patrolman he knew had apparently been hiding considerably more than he had ever imagined.
Ken, meanwhile, looked pleased to see him. "There you are."
"It was a long flight," Merus replied.
"Did you bring what I asked for?"
"Yes." Merus swept his staff through the air, and a collection of equipment appeared on the ground beside them.
There was a barbecue grill, skewers, charcoal, and an assortment of seasonings and supplies—chili powder, cooking oil, and everything else needed to prepare a proper barbecue.
Vegeta stared at the equipment.
Merus looked at Ken with equal confusion. "Why did you ask me to bring all this?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
"That doesn't explain anything."
Ken only grinned.
Vegeta had no interest in whatever strange plan Ken was putting together. He stepped forward, his impatience finally getting the better of him.
"Ken, can we go back to Earth now? Kakarot's already fighting Moro, isn't he?"
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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