"Rrrrmmmble!"
A thunderous blast ripped across Planet Namek. Streaks of light flared, and the lightning on the surface thickened into a blinding web. The ground shook under their feet, storm clouds piled up overhead, and the whole world looked like it was about to come apart.
"Ken, we should get out of here," Merus said. "This planet's about to blow."
"Let's go." Ken nodded without hesitation.
With a light flick of his staff, a transparent cube appeared in midair. Ken had Goku and the others step inside, then lifted the cube up into the open starfield.
Not long after they cleared the atmosphere, Planet Namek burst into a searing flash and crumbled into cosmic dust.
Merus glanced back once, his thoughts written all over his pause. Then he looked at Ken, hesitating like he wanted to say something.
"Merus," Ken said with a faint smile, "you're thinking Frieza's still alive."
Merus blinked. "You already knew?"
"If I couldn't see something that obvious, I wouldn't deserve to be an angel." Ken's tone stayed easy.
"He's alive, but barely," Merus said with a quiet sigh. "If no one saves him, he won't last ten hours."
"Let him rot," Ken said after a moment.
Merus nodded. "Fair. We shouldn't interfere more than we have." He paused, then asked, "What's next? Train Goku and Vegeta properly?"
"Not just them." Ken gave a helpless shrug. "I'm going to work on Gohan and Piccolo too. Too many Gods of Destruction have died lately."
Merus went silent.
Whose fault did he think that was?
Merus cleared his throat. "Need a hand?"
"Perfect, Merus. I've been waiting for you to say that." Ken nodded.
Merus stared. "…Go on."
"Send Vegeta and the others back to Earth," Ken said. "Then head back to Galactic Patrol HQ."
"And you?" Merus asked. "Where are you going?"
"I'm taking Goku somewhere else," Ken said. "Let him learn a few things and lay down a proper foundation."
Merus nodded. "Alright. I also need to train Kale. She has the power, but her nerves are a mess."
"Then I'll leave it to you," Ken said.
"No trouble. It's on the way." Merus smiled.
Merus flicked his staff, and a second transparent cube formed beside them. In the next instant, everyone except Goku was moved into Merus's cube.
"Huh? What's going on?" Goku scratched his head.
Ken turned to Vegeta, voice firm. "Vegeta, remember what I told you. Don't disappoint me again. My patience is limited, and I've already given you twenty-six years."
"Tch. Yeah, yeah." Vegeta huffed.
"Ken-san, where are you taking my dad?" Gohan asked.
"Somewhere to pick up a skill or two," Ken said. "Merus will take you back to Earth." He then added, "Merus, revive Krillin and Vegeta."
Merus paused.
He really did know how to order people around.
Still, Merus nodded without arguing.
"Then when I'm done learning, I'll go back to Earth!" Goku waved at Gohan. "Tell Mom I said hi."
Gohan nodded obediently.
Ken didn't say more. He took Goku and shot off in another direction, while Merus carried Gohan and the others toward Earth.
For Merus, traveling from Universe 7's Earth back toward Universe 6 wasn't much of an obstacle.
…
The vast starfield stretched on without end.
Ken and Goku sped through space.
"Ken, where are we going?" Goku asked.
"Yardrat," Ken said.
"Yardrat? What's that?" Goku looked even more curious.
"A place where you'll learn a skill," Ken said with a small smile. "More than one, if you want. You'll choose for yourself once you see them. Yardratians have unusual abilities, and their control over ki is far more precise. Learning from them will help your training later."
"Got it." Goku nodded seriously.
Ken angled toward Planet Yardrat and accelerated.
…
Planet Yardrat.
Four spherical ships slammed down from above, blasting four massive craters into the ground. Captain Ginyu stepped out first, his team following behind.
"Captain, why are we landing on this planet?" Jeice asked, confused.
"This is Yardrat," Ginyu said, rising into the air to scan the terrain. He spoke through his scouter comms. "Not a bad-looking planet. Could make a fine target."
"It does look decent," Jeice said, "but didn't Frieza-sama order us to head straight to Planet Namek?"
"Yeah," Recoome added. "Is it really okay to waste time here? Won't Frieza-sama get mad?"
Guldo didn't say anything.
He was basically here to fill space.
"It's fine," Ginyu said, laughing. "Just a short delay. Yardratians have special abilities. Frieza-sama's been searching for this planet for years, but it's well hidden. He looked and looked, then gave up. If he finds out we located Yardrat, we'll be rewarded." He grinned. "Log the coordinates. After we're done on Planet Namek, we'll come back and take Yardrat!"
"Yes, Captain." Jeice entered the data.
"Too bad Frieza-sama doesn't have a scouter on him," Recoome muttered, disappointed. "He can't hear this good news."
"Namek isn't far from here," Ginyu said. "Let's move."
He stepped to the center.
"Ginyu Force!"
The four struck their practiced poses. Then Ginyu's brow creased as he looked over the formation.
"Damn it… Burter's dead." He clenched his teeth. "Now I have to come up with a new formation! Whoever killed Burter—I won't forgive them. Making me use my brain like this!"
"Captain, there's a light over there," Jeice said, pointing into the sky.
Ginyu froze for a second. "Is that… the brightest light on the horizon?" He followed Jeice's finger.
A streak shot in fast.
By the time they focused, Ken and Goku had already landed nearby.
"Huh? Are those Frieza's guys?" Goku asked, scratching his head.
"They're Frieza's most loyal crew," Ken said. "The Ginyu Force."
"They're everywhere." Goku frowned.
Ginyu and the others stared at Ken and Goku without blinking.
"Captain… they flew here," Jeice said, jaw tight.
"I can see that!" Ginyu snapped.
"Who are they?" Recoome muttered.
"Silver hair and a silver tail…" Ginyu narrowed his eyes. "That looks Saiyan, but Saiyans have black hair."
"We can just ask," Guldo said, trying to matter.
Ginyu turned. "Guldo, go ask."
Guldo's eye twitched.
Why me?
…Right. Because he was the weakest.
Guldo stepped forward to face Ken and Goku.
"Hey! Who are you?" he barked.
"You're Frieza's… Ginyu… what was it, bug squad?" Goku said, fumbling the name. He remembered an old cartoon he'd watched with Gohan and blurted it out.
Veins popped on Guldo's forehead. "It's the Ginyu Force! Not some bug squad! Are you calling the famous Ginyu Force insects?!"
"Whatever," Goku said. "Just stop doing bad things. Frieza's dead."
Guldo's eyes went wide. "W-What? You said Frieza-sama is dead?"
"Yeah." Goku let out a long breath. "He brought it on himself."
"Just you wait!" Guldo shouted, throwing out a threat as he rushed back to Ginyu and repeated what Goku said.
"Frieza-sama is dead?" Ginyu scoffed first. "Don't joke around. Even if everyone in the universe died, Frieza-sama wouldn't."
"That guy's cursing Frieza-sama," Jeice snarled. "Let's erase him!"
"Agreed!" Ginyu said, marching forward with the team.
"Who said Frieza-sama was dead?" Jeice asked coldly.
"You're all Frieza's men, right?" Goku answered earnestly. "Yeah, I said it. Stop causing trouble. Frieza really is dead."
"Power levels?" Ginyu asked.
Recoome pressed his scouter. "One's a little over 1,000. The other reads no power level."
"A little over 1,000 and he's talking big to us?" Ginyu laughed. "Kill him. Frieza-sama is waiting."
"I'll handle him!" Recoome stepped up, setting his stance.
"You're not my opponents," Goku said calmly. "If you don't want to die, leave and stop hurting people."
"Recoome Eraser Gun!"
Recoome charged straight in.
Goku didn't transform. He threw one light punch into Recoome's chest.
Recoome spat a mouthful of blood and dropped unconscious. Goku laid him down on the ground.
Ginyu went slack.
Jeice stared.
Guldo rubbed his eyes, still not processing it.
In a blur, Goku vanished and appeared beside Jeice.
Jeice jerked in panic and kicked instantly.
Goku's leg snapped out first and drove into Jeice's face.
Jeice tumbled through the air, slammed down, blood spraying from his mouth, then went limp.
"You two should be careful," Goku said to Ginyu and Guldo. "I'll finish this fast."
Ginyu's expression twisted again and again. He hadn't expected to run into someone like this here.
"You hurt my men!" Ginyu roared. "I'm not letting this go!"
Goku flickered toward Guldo—
—and Guldo was suddenly hundreds of meters away.
Goku scratched his head, puzzled. "What was that? Some kind of blink?"
"Time stop," Ken said.
"Time stop?" Goku blinked.
"Guldo can freeze time for a moment," Ken explained.
"Ohhh. That's why he got that far." Goku nodded.
"Now!" Ginyu's eyes lit up. He rushed in and drove a heavy punch into Goku's face.
Goku took it head-on, then turned his head and shoved Ginyu's fist away with the movement alone.
Ginyu froze.
"I told you," Goku said, looking at him, "you're not my opponent."
"Y-You… who are you?!" Ginyu jumped back, putting distance between them, eyes locked on Goku.
"I'm Son Goku," Goku said. "And if you want it in your terms—I'm a Saiyan."
"A Saiyan…?" Ginyu searched his memory, then snapped his finger toward Goku. "Are you the low-class warrior Frieza-sama let go back then?"
"You know that?" Goku scratched his head.
"So it is you." Ginyu bared his teeth, then looked at Ken. "And you—who are you?"
"Ken," Ken said with a smile.
Ginyu's mouth twitched as he started scanning around for Broly.
Ken chuckled. "Don't bother. Broly isn't here." He tilted his head. "By the way—can you survive in space?"
Ginyu stared, then shook his head.
"Good." Ken lifted his staff and pointed.
Ginyu vanished from where he stood.
A heartbeat later, he found himself floating in open space.
His mind snapped.
So that's why you asked?!
He didn't even have time to finish the thought before his consciousness cut out.
Ginyu died in space—same way Burter did.
Ken didn't stop there. He pointed again, one by one.
The rest of the Ginyu Force were thrown into space as well. If any of them could survive out there, they'd live by sheer luck.
Ken just didn't want them in the way.
"Ken… what was that move?" Goku asked. "Where did they go?"
"Doesn't matter." Ken smiled and rose into the sky with Goku.
They headed toward a city in the distance.
Before long, Ken and Goku hovered above the city.
Goku looked down, eyes wide. "There are tons of weird-looking guys… Are those Yardratians?"
Ken had already seen them gathering below. Many wore distinctive clothing, with reddish-purple skin, strange spots across their foreheads, and heavy lines above their brows. Another group had bright green skin and a pointed head that really did look like an onion.
"Is that an onion?" Goku asked.
"Maybe," Ken said.
They descended slowly and landed in front of the Yardratians.
"Welcome, welcome!" the green "onion head" said, stepping forward with a friendly greeting.
"Uh—hi, hi." Goku hurried over and shook his hand.
"You're Son Goku, aren't you?" the green Yardratian asked with a smile.
"Huh? How'd you know my name?" Goku scratched his head.
The green Yardratian turned politely to Ken and bowed. "And you are Ken-sama?"
"Hello," Ken said with a nod.
"Thank you for defeating the Ginyu Force and saving Yardrat," the green Yardratian said quickly.
"No problem!" Goku laughed.
As they spoke, a larger Yardratian approached from the distance. His skin was blue, and two symmetrical points rose from his head. He looked a little like a cat—though not really.
Ken didn't have much to say about alien appearances. With twelve universes, variety was normal.
"Ken-sama, I'm truly sorry we didn't welcome you properly," the blue Yardratian said as he hurried up and bowed deeply. "I was… eating sh— I mean, I hadn't finished eating and rushed over…"
Ken paused.
"Eating shit?!" Goku blurted, shocked. "You guys eat that?!"
He immediately patted his own hand and brought it up to sniff. It didn't smell.
"You meant you were taking a dump," Ken said.
"Cough—yes, yes!" the blue Yardratian said, flustered. "I'm so sorry! I got nervous and said the wrong word."
"One word off changes everything," Goku said, half laughing. "But seriously… do you really eat that stuff?"
The blue Yardratian shook his head so hard it looked painful. The others all shook their heads too.
"Scared me," Goku said, exhaling in relief. "I thought you grew up eating it."
The blue Yardratian straightened, expression turning solemn. "Ken-sama, please forgive my rudeness." He bowed again. "I am Elder Pybara of Planet Yardrat. What brings you here? What can we do for you?"
"I want you to train Goku," Ken said with a smile.
"Oh, that's simple," Pybara said, agreeing immediately. "Goku-sama defeated Frieza and saved Yardrat. Whatever you ask, we'll do it."
"You already know that?" Goku said, surprised.
"Yardratians have certain special abilities," Pybara said. "We're nowhere near your level, Ken-sama, but we can still sense and learn about many events across the universe."
"That's amazing!" Goku praised.
"How should we train Goku-sama?" Pybara asked respectfully.
"Show him what you can do," Ken said. "Let him choose for himself."
"Understood," Pybara said. "Our abilities aren't that complicated. They come from mastering one thing, and many techniques branch out from it."
"One thing?" Goku asked.
"Controlling spirit," Pybara said.
"Spirit?" Goku didn't follow.
"That's what you call ki," the green Yardratian explained.
"Oh, ki." Goku nodded.
The moment he finished speaking, the green Yardratian vanished and reappeared to the side.
Goku's eyes widened. "That was fast. I couldn't even tell how you moved."
"That was Instant Transmission," the green Yardratian said, smiling.
In the next instant, all the Yardratians around them disappeared.
"Huh? They're all gone?" Goku stared.
"That was duplication," Pybara explained. "Yardrat's population is small, so we often use illusions to confuse enemies. Only the two of us are really here. The rest were created."
Goku nodded seriously.
"Gigantification works the same way," Pybara said—and then his body rapidly shrank.
In a blink, he went from nearly three meters tall to about one meter.
Goku stared. "So that's your normal size?"
Pybara paused.
Normal size?
"The techniques you saw are all applications of spirit—moving it, splitting it, expanding it," Pybara said, keeping his smile. "What you learn depends on your control. If you truly understand spirit's structure, you'll find a path that fits you."
"I don't get every word, but I get the idea," Goku said. "I'll stay and learn."
"I'm heading back," Ken told him.
"Got it," Goku said.
"Ken-sama, won't you stay and eat something before you go?" Pybara offered warmly.
"I'm not eating that," Ken said at once.
He tapped his staff lightly against the ground.
A brilliant, star-like glow wrapped around him, and he shot off as a streak of light, leaving Yardrat behind and returning to the vast starfield, heading toward Universe 6.
On the way, Ken received a call.
It was Whis, contacting him through his staff.
"My, my… Ken," Whis said with a sigh. "I proposed to my three sisters on your behalf, but it didn't go well."
"What did they say?" Ken asked.
"Vados-nee-sama told me to go play somewhere else," Whis replied.
"Go on," Ken said, unsurprised.
"Kusu-nee-sama said she wouldn't mind taking a husband into her family," Whis continued. "Meaning she wants you living in Universe 10."
"And Marcarita?" Ken asked.
"Marcarita-nee-sama said if you can beat her, she might consider marrying you," Whis added.
Ken fell silent.
"What level is Marcarita?" Ken asked.
"My, my… Marcarita-nee-sama is level 66," Whis said.
"That's tough right now," Ken said, voice steady. "When my level goes up, I'll make her marry me."
Beat her, that's all?
That's nothing.
Just don't back out when the time comes.
"As compensation for making things awkward for you, Ken-san," Whis said thoughtfully, "I also proposed to another sister for you."
Ken: "????"
You have another sister?
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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