Goku's eyes were filled with resolve. He'd already made up his mind to stake everything on this fight.
"Hey, Ken, you'd better come out and watch. I only started getting a little serious and Kakarot's already falling behind. No matter how you train him, he'll never surpass me. Did you really think everyone could be a Legendary Super Saiyan?" Vegeta laughed loudly.
"Triple Kaio-ken!"
Goku didn't hesitate anymore. Power erupted from every inch of his body.
With Triple Kaio-ken, his battle power surged straight up to about 22,000.
Goku's base battle power was 8,000, so why not a full 24,000 with Triple Kaio-ken?
Because earlier fights had already burned through a lot of his stamina and ki. His power had dropped; he barely had a bit over 7,000 left in the tank.
An overwhelming aura exploded off him.
Sensing Goku's power and the crazy fighting intent behind it, Vegeta's grin froze on his face. His expression shifted; even his complexion went pale.
"Whoosh!"
Goku shot forward like a cannonball and drove a heavy punch straight into Vegeta's face.
Vegeta's body was sent flying backward.
Goku rushed after him, then followed up with a brutal kick that sent Vegeta rocketing into the sky.
"Whoosh!"
Goku turned into a streak of light and blasted upward after him.
Vegeta hurriedly thrust both hands downward, trying to block Goku's assault.
"Smack!"
Goku's figure blurred. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared and reappeared behind Vegeta.
Vegeta's reaction was sharp; he whipped his hand back and hurled an energy blast at Goku.
"Swish!"
Goku vanished again and, an instant later, appeared directly above Vegeta, smashing a kick straight into his forehead.
"Rumble!"
Vegeta plummeted from the sky and slammed into the ground, carving a crater into the earth.
He burst out of the pit in the next moment, rushing Goku with a wild punch.
The punch missed.
Goku suddenly appeared behind him and drove a savage kick into Vegeta's lower back.
Vegeta tumbled forward through the air, flipped once, then landed on one foot, using that planted leg to launch himself back in, teeth gritted, and swung another heavy punch at Goku.
Goku slipped past the strike and nailed him with a clean uppercut to the gut.
"Guh—!"
Vegeta spat a mouthful of blood. His whole body felt like it was coming apart, his features twisting with pain.
"Y-you bastard!" Vegeta's whole frame trembled with rage as he leapt back, putting distance between them.
Goku was breathing hard, lungs burning, body aching with sharp, stabbing pain.
"This guy's way too tough. Even with Triple Kaio-ken he's still not going down…" Goku let out a bitter smile.
"I'm a genius warrior. I absolutely refuse to lose to a low-class Saiyan like you!" Vegeta's eyes were bloodshot, his pride deeply wounded.
Goku didn't rush in again. His body was already screaming in agony.
Triple Kaio-ken had pushed him right up to his limit.
Vegeta wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and saw bright red blood smeared there.
His anger spiked even higher.
He'd actually let a low-class warrior make him bleed.
Unforgivable. Absolutely unforgivable.
"I won't let you get away with this! I won't! I absolutely will not!" Vegeta's whole body shook. His fury had reached its peak.
If he'd been able to calm his heart in that moment and let that power bump just a little higher, he might have crossed the line into Super Saiyan.
Unfortunately, there are no "ifs" in battle.
"I'll blow you to pieces!" Vegeta shot up into the sky.
"What are you trying to do?" Goku's pupils shrank.
Vegeta soared high above, gathering a massive ball of energy between his hands.
"If you've got the guts, go ahead and dodge! You might live, but Earth will take the full hit. Its core will crack apart, and before long it'll crumble into dust in space!" Vegeta cackled. "By then I'll be long gone in my spaceship! Hahahaha!"
Piccolo was stunned, and more than that, he felt completely helpless.
Krillin just stood there, dumbstruck, having no idea what to do.
Gohan was shaking so badly his teeth almost chattered, his little face white as a sheet.
"I won't let you destroy Earth!" Goku didn't hesitate for even a second. He immediately cupped his hands and began gathering ki.
Watching all this, Merus couldn't help feeling a little exasperated.
The God of Destruction Ken had picked really did look pretty evil.
Bringing this guy up properly was going to take a lot of work.
Just like with Majin Buu.
Merus had very vivid memories about that.
Ken watched the battle projected in front of him like a giant immersive movie. He stayed calm and didn't intervene, letting them fight as wildly as they wanted.
Bulma stood off to the side, clenching her small fists, sweating for Goku.
"Kamehameha!" Goku shouted.
"Galick Gun!" Vegeta snarled, his face twisted.
"Gohan, get out of here!" Piccolo made a snap decision and grabbed Gohan, hauling him away from the blast zone.
Krillin: "..."
Would it kill you to shout for me too?
You couldn't take me along as well?
Krillin didn't dare let his guard down. He immediately flew backward as fast as he could.
Goku's and Vegeta's blasts slammed into each other in midair.
In an instant, the two massive energy waves collided, giving off a deafening explosion. The thunderous roar rolled on and on, shaking the land itself until it warped and buckled.
"What's going on? Why does his attack look so much like my Galick Gun?" Vegeta shouted in shock.
"Yaaaah!" Goku poured even more power into his Kamehameha.
Vegeta stared, wide-eyed, as the beam from below started steadily pushing his own blast back up toward him. Cold sweat broke out down his spine.
"Graaah!" he roared, forcing his own ki to the limit.
The two beams tangled and wrestled with each other in the sky, each one trying to devour the other.
Then the energy column began to fall back down.
Goku felt himself straining to hold it off. Gritting his teeth, he roared, "Four times!"
"Boom!"
The power erupting from him exploded to a new peak. His Kamehameha swelled and surged, shoving Vegeta's Galick Gun clean back into the heavens.
"It's coming back at me!" Vegeta cried, panic finally taking over. He couldn't push back anymore.
"Smash!"
The overwhelming torrent of energy swallowed Vegeta's body and blasted him upward. In the blue sky he quickly shrank into a bright spark, then vanished completely.
Even though Goku had used Quadruple Kaio-ken at this point, his battle power never actually reached a full 32,000.
After that long, grueling fight with Vegeta and the internal damage he'd taken, his base had already fallen to around 4,000.
Naturally, Vegeta's battle power had dropped as well.
"Huff… huff…"
Goku panted heavily, each breath ragged, exhaustion flooding his body. The damage inside him only got worse.
"Goku! That was beautiful!"
A fat guy with a sword burst out from hiding and popped up right in front of Goku.
"Yajirobe? You're here too?" Krillin looked both surprised and relieved.
"Dad, that's great! You beat that guy!" Gohan shouted, thrilled.
Piccolo slowly floated down to Goku's side.
"Goku, you're something else. You actually drove that monster off! That's amazing!" Yajirobe slapped Goku on the back.
"Ah—ow…" Goku cried out in pain and almost stumbled face-first into the dirt.
"Dad!" Gohan yelled and rushed over.
"Goku, what's wrong?" Krillin flew up, worried.
Piccolo's eyes narrowed. He could tell something was very wrong.
"What happened to you?" Yajirobe asked as well.
"I used a move my body really can't handle," Goku said, enduring the intense pain as he explained.
"Is it because you used Ultra Instinct, or is it the Kaio-ken?" Krillin asked.
"Kaio-ken," Goku answered.
"Why didn't you use the Ultra Instinct Ken taught you?" Krillin asked, puzzled.
"Ultra Instinct… I only just started learning it. There's still a lot I don't understand," Goku replied.
"Vegeta's still alive, isn't he?" Piccolo suddenly cut in.
"That's right. If a guy like him went down that easily, he wouldn't be a genius warrior," Goku said with a faint smile, looking up at the sky. "You guys should get out of here. This is between me and him. But I'm already at my limit…"
"Then I'm out. You all do your best!" Yajirobe immediately bolted.
Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin didn't actually leave. They stayed close, standing guard around Goku.
"Piccolo, Krillin, Gohan… you three should pull back. I'll beat him," Goku said, still smiling.
Seeing that look on Goku's face, Merus felt something stir in his chest. He suddenly understood.
"I finally get why you chose Goku," Merus said softly.
"Oh? Why's that?" Ken asked with a slight smile.
"Goku's indomitable fighting spirit… that alone makes him one-in-a-million," Merus said slowly. "Even Broly can't compare to him when it comes strictly to fighting spirit."
"When you put it like that, I can't really argue," Ken nodded, giving Merus a thumbs-up. "Merus, you're getting more and more like a real angel."
Merus: "..."
He had no idea how to respond to that.
That was supposed to be his line.
"Come on, Merus. Peanuts and beer," Ken called, waving him over.
Merus had no words.
Blasted upward by the beam, Vegeta pushed through the roiling energy, screaming as frustration and humiliation burned through him.
"Smack!"
He finally managed to wriggle free of the blast, darting off to the side. The tail coiled around his waist unfurled.
Vegeta was furious, beyond reason.
"That bastard!" Vegeta roared.
He really couldn't stand it.
Losing to Ken hadn't hurt this badly. In his mind, Ken was an even more gifted warrior than he was.
And besides, from Vegeta's point of view, Ken had beaten him with weird, trick-style techniques. That didn't feel like a "real" defeat.
Being pinned to the ground and mauled by Broly hadn't crushed him this much either.
Vegeta knew Broly was a Legendary Super Saiyan who appeared only once in a thousand years.
Losing to a Legendary Super Saiyan wasn't hard to swallow.
But now? This was different. Vegeta had been beaten by someone who'd had a battle power of just 2 at birth—a total bottom-rung weakling.
He couldn't accept it.
Who could?
A genius, raised from childhood as the pride of an entire race, losing to some nobody wild kid.
Who wouldn't choke on that?
Vegeta howled at the sky. His roar was so fierce it blasted the clouds apart.
"Ken really was right. Kakarot really is destined to be my lifelong rival!" Vegeta clenched his fists, but a crooked smile slowly crept onto his lips. "But I absolutely refuse to let that happen. I'm going to crush my so-called lifelong rival with my own two hands!"
He glanced around.
"I'll turn into a Great Ape and show you the true power of a Saiyan!" Vegeta snorted, scanning the sky for the moon.
But no matter how he searched, he couldn't find it.
"Unbelievable. I even picked a night with a full moon just so I could slam Kakarot into the ground, and the moon's gone? Where did it go?" Vegeta spun in place, searching every direction, but the moon was nowhere to be seen.
…
Universe 7, King Kai's planet.
King Kai stood on his tiny world, rubbing his eyes.
"My eyes are killing me. Who swapped out Earth?" he grumbled. "Just to watch Goku's fight, I've stared so hard I'm about to go nearsighted. If a dignified King Kai ends up needing glasses, how am I supposed to face the other three?"
After muttering a bit, King Kai quickly caught up on what was happening down on Earth.
Goku had almost no strength left. Even without turning into a Great Ape, that Saiyan named Vegeta could still beat him.
Goku, hurry up and use the Spirit Bomb.
In your current state, you probably can't use Ultra Instinct at all, right?
…
"The moon… where's the moon?" Vegeta still hadn't given up, stubbornly searching the sky.
But soon enough, the truth clicked.
"That damned bastard! Kakarot must have destroyed the moon in advance!" Vegeta ground his teeth. "Looks like I'll have to use an artificial moon. My battle power'll drop, but whatever. I don't have a choice. I'm going to destroy you no matter what!"
He dove back toward the ground at high speed.
"Piccolo, Krillin, Gohan—get out of here, all of you," Goku said.
"Good luck, Goku!" Krillin said quickly as he retreated.
"Do your best, Dad!" Gohan shouted, fists clenched.
Piccolo didn't say a word. He just withdrew to a safe distance.
"Thud."
Vegeta landed opposite Goku.
Goku drew a deep breath, forcing himself to stand straight.
I'll try the Spirit Bomb first…
Such a waste. I let myself slip and used Quadruple Kaio-ken.
I don't even know if I can still use Ultra Instinct.
It should be fine…
I'll test it in a bit.
"Kakarot, did you really think blowing up the moon would solve all your problems?" Vegeta laughed.
"The moon? What are you talking about?" Goku blinked.
"Don't play dumb. I'll teach you the secret of why Saiyans transform when they see a full moon." Vegeta snorted.
"Transform? I don't get what you're saying," Goku shook his head, full of question marks.
"You at least know the moon is just sunlight reflected off it, right?" Vegeta asked with a chuckle.
"Uh… actually, I didn't. So that's how it works," Goku said, scratching his head.
Vegeta: "..."
He suddenly didn't know how to continue.
Great. I'm dealing with an idiot.
And that idiot's battle power had just surpassed his.
He really couldn't accept it.
"When sunlight hits the moon, it turns into a special kind of radiation we call Blutz Waves. At the full moon, the Blutz Wave level reaches a strength of seventeen million. Once that much Blutz Wave energy enters a Saiyan's eyes, it travels down to the tail and triggers the transformation," Vegeta explained. "Some planets have multiple moons of different sizes, but only at full output can they release more than seventeen million Blutz Waves."
"I don't really follow the details, but the basic idea makes sense," Goku nodded. "But what's the point of telling me all this?"
"Only a Saiyan can create an artificial moon that emits Blutz Waves above that threshold!" Vegeta snarled, face twisted. He lifted his right hand, condensing a bright, shining ball of ki. "All I have to do is mix this planet's oxygen into it. Kakarot, thanks for waiting. Your time is up. A genius warrior like me should never have had to fight a low-class Saiyan like you. Being my opponent is the greatest honor you'll ever get."
"I still don't get what you're trying to do," Goku said honestly.
"Whoosh!"
Vegeta didn't bother answering. He hurled the ball of ki high into the sky.
"Shine!" Vegeta laughed wildly.
The artificial moon floated into place above and immediately began pouring down a radiant, holy light.
"You'll regret losing your tail, Kakarot," Vegeta's grin turned feral.
Goku suddenly realized what was happening. He glanced back and his face went stiff.
Vegeta's body was already changing. His eyes turned blood-red, his mouth full of sharp fangs.
Goku went pale.
"Wh-what is that…?" Krillin was horrified.
Piccolo's expression grew darker than ever.
"How did he turn into that? It's terrifying…" Gohan trembled, completely scared out of his wits.
"Vegeta has transformed into a Great Ape… this time, Goku's chance of winning is incredibly slim," Merus analyzed. "Honestly, he didn't even need to transform. Goku's already badly injured."
"Not necessarily. Even as a Great Ape, the one who ends up losing will still be Vegeta," Ken said with a faint smile.
"No way. Goku's practically out of stamina and ki. In that state, it's almost impossible for him to use Ultra Instinct," Merus argued.
Ken only smiled in silence.
"Even if you add Piccolo, the other three, and that fat guy with the sword, they'd still probably lose. This time, I think Vegeta's going to take it," Merus said with quiet confidence.
"And if he doesn't?" Ken looked at him with a grin.
"If he doesn't, I'll give you Ka—" Merus bit down on the word "Kale," ready to stake her as a wager.
Ken's eyes lit up with anticipation.
It wasn't that he especially wanted to train someone like Kale.
He just felt stealing people from Merus was extremely satisfying.
"Ahaha, what lovely weather we're having today," Merus abruptly "woke up," laughed loudly, and pointed up at the clear blue sky.
Ken: "..."
"Seriously though, Merus… how about a trade? My Vegeta for your Kale?" Ken asked with a smile.
"No deal," Merus refused on the spot.
"I'm doing you a favor. Vegeta might look wild and rebellious right now, but with the right guidance he'll grow into an outstanding God of Destruction," Ken said, dead serious.
"If that's really true, then please do your best with him," Merus replied with a polite smile. "Oh, and by the way, I met with the Grand Priest and requested more time for the evaluation of our two Supreme Kais and two Gods of Destruction. It's only fair, considering you've got a 24-year blank period."
"So the test is in 34 years instead?" Ken asked.
Merus: "..."
"No, in 15 years," Merus said with a strained smile.
"You call that fair? I've got 24 years to make up and you're giving me 15?" Ken rolled his eyes.
"Well… I already pushed it back a lot…" Merus said helplessly.
Don't be so greedy.
Originally it was supposed to be in six.
How much more time did he want?
Goku stared up at the artificial moon.
What is that thing?
Then he looked back at the towering Great Ape looming over him. His face went grim.
"Roooar!"
Vegeta beat his chest with his enormous fists, bellowing to vent his rage and frustration.
"How do you like this, Kakarot? You're finished now!" Vegeta's laughter boomed, his massive form blocking out the sky like a mountain.
"H-how did you turn into that?!" Goku's face turned ashen. "A Great Ape… a Great Ape monster…"
"Let me give you another fun fact. When a Saiyan turns into a Great Ape, his battle power multiplies by ten," Vegeta bared his fangs in a huge grin.
As Goku's face changed color, the words of Grandpa Gohan and Kami surfaced in his mind.
"Goku, on nights with a full moon, a Great Ape appears. Whatever you do, don't go outside. Stay home and sleep—it's safer," Grandpa Gohan had said.
"I'm sealing your tail so it can never grow back from today on. Its presence would cause you a lot of trouble," Kami had told him.
Everything suddenly clicked in Goku's head.
"So that's what it was… I finally get it," he thought, guilt flooding his chest. "How terrifying… I was the one who stepped on Grandpa… and that monster that rampaged at the World Martial Arts Tournament was me too…"
He stared helplessly at the gigantic Vegeta.
What do I do…?
I probably can't beat him like this.
If I die, I'll apologize to Grandpa on the other side.
But I won't go down that easily. I'll fight to my last breath.
"Kakarot, hurry up and show me your Ultra Instinct!" Vegeta sneered, raising his huge fist high.
"All right then, as you wish. I'll use Ultra Instinct now," Goku said, taking a deep breath and making his decision.
The Spirit Bomb probably won't work…
"Smack."
Goku let all of his ki disperse from his body.
Then a faint, shimmering radiance slowly spread across his skin.
"Too bad I'm so badly hurt… If only I could get healed first…" he muttered under his breath, though his eyes still burned with fighting spirit.
The moment he said that, the glowing light suddenly wrapped more tightly around him, pouring healing power into his body.
"Huh?" Goku blinked. "I didn't eat a Senzu Bean…"
"Hmph. So he really does feel like Ken did back then," Vegeta snorted.
Goku was shocked.
Once he activated this beginner-level Ultra Instinct, he could clearly feel his injuries rapidly mending themselves.
"T-this… this is Ultra Instinct? It can heal my body!" Goku stared in amazement, raising his hands and feeling the changes in himself.
"What is that?" Merus' eyes flew wide, his face full of confusion.
"Ahhh… amazing," Ken breathed in admiration.
Merus was honestly stunned, his gaze glued to the projected image of Goku.
The faint halo of light around Goku was clearly washing through his body.
"Angelic power?" Merus blurted.
"I originally planned to train Goku as a Supreme Kai. Somehow, by accident, I ended up cultivating a mini-angel instead," Ken grinned.
Merus: "..."
He was too shocked to even speak.
What is going on?
How is this even possible?
How can you just grab any random guy and raise him into this?
The more he watched, the more Merus felt that this human named Goku really did have the potential to become an angel.
He lifted his staff and performed a detailed scan of Goku's body.
Cold sweat trickled down his cheek.
Ken, too, picked up the staff stuck in the floor and scanned Goku from afar.
As a mortal-turned-angel himself, Ken had plenty of experience.
After his scan, he could clearly sense it: Goku truly did have the potential to become an angel.
Did Goku really have what it took to become an angel?
Ken thought it through carefully… and nodded to himself. Yes, he did.
After all, in the original Dragon Ball story, Goku was the only one who completely mastered Ultra Instinct.
Beerus and the other Gods of Destruction had dabbled in Ultra Instinct too, but only at the entry level.
Only when Goku's hair turned silver did he truly step into the angel-state Ultra Instinct.
Now, because of Ken's presence, Goku had started training Ultra Instinct way earlier than he was supposed to.
So reaching this level now wasn't actually that shocking.
And Goku's mentality had a lot in common with the angel race.
That kind of pure, childlike, innocent heart—only angels really had that.
In fact, Ken felt Goku might actually be more suited to being a true angel than he was.
"This is going to be a real headache… Looks like I'll have to find a new Supreme Kai candidate," Ken sighed, looking helpless.
Merus: "..."
He was honestly floored.
This was insane. Angels everywhere!
The Grand Priest used to complain that there weren't enough angels.
And now, in under a hundred years, there were two people of about the same age on track to become angels?
Should I report this to the Grand Priest right away?
Is he watching this fight already?
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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