"I've really enjoyed the time we spent together," Merus said with a smile.
"Me too," Goku replied. Months of training together had brought him closer to Ultra Instinct than he had ever been, and whatever happened against Moro, he knew he wouldn't have reached this point without Merus.
"Then let's go face Moro with no regrets."
Merus summoned his staff and swept it lightly toward Goku. Angel power washed over him, restoring his depleted ki to its peak while repairing his battered clothes until they looked almost new.
Goku blinked and looked himself over. "Wait, I thought you weren't allowed to use Angel power."
"A little is fine," Merus said with an easy smile. Restoring someone after training was hardly the same thing as interfering directly in a mortal battle.
Goku accepted that explanation for the moment, and the two left the extradimensional training space together. Once they were back on the planet outside, however, another question occurred to him.
"Merus, what would actually happen if you used your Angel power to fight Moro?"
"I would disappear."
Goku stopped and stared at him. "Disappear? Why?"
"That's simply how Angels are." Merus gave a small sigh. "We're not permitted to use our power to fight on behalf of one side."
"But Ken fought Zamasu, and nothing happened to him."
"Ken is an exception." Merus smiled at Goku's confusion. "Think about it. Other than Ken, have you ever seen an Angel seriously fight someone? And I mean an actual battle, not training."
Goku scratched his head as he went through everyone he knew. Whis trained Beerus and occasionally sparred with others, Vados did much the same, but Merus was right—he couldn't remember seeing any of them genuinely enter a mortal conflict as a combatant.
"Okay, then don't fight Moro," Goku said, his expression turning serious. "Leave that part to me."
"That sounds good."
Merus started toward the spacecraft, but after only a few steps he stopped and summoned his staff again. Someone was contacting him through it, and after listening for a moment, he nodded.
"I see. All right, I'll come right away."
Goku leaned closer. "Who was that?"
"Ken. He wants me to meet him."
Merus turned toward Goku apologetically. "I'm afraid we'll have to part here. You can take the spacecraft back on your own."
Before Goku could object, Merus tapped his staff against the ground. Brilliant light surrounded him, and his body became a streak of starlight that vanished into the distance.
"Thanks for everything, Merus!" Goku called after him.
He watched until the light disappeared, then turned toward the Galactic Patrol spacecraft waiting nearby. Only then did he remember a rather important problem: he had absolutely no idea how to fly it.
Goku stared at the controls through the window for several seconds before rubbing the back of his head.
Then he remembered that he knew Instant Transmission.
There was really no reason to touch the ship at all.
On Universe 6's Earth, preparations for Moro's arrival were already well underway.
More and more Galactic Patrol ships descended across the planet, unloading fully armed patrolmen who had crossed over from Universe 7 to reinforce Earth's defenders. One of them looked around in confusion before turning to Jaco.
"Does Universe 6 seriously not have its own Galactic Patrol? Why did everyone have to come over from Universe 7?"
"This Earth originally belonged to Universe 7," Jaco explained. "It only ended up here because of... complicated circumstances. Besides, justice doesn't care about universe borders!"
The patrolman considered that for a moment and nodded. "That actually sounded pretty good."
The Galactic Patrol wasn't alone. Earth's fighters had gathered as well, with Gohan, Piccolo, Kale, Tien, Chiaotzu, Krillin, Master Roshi, and Yamcha all preparing for the coming battle.
Yamcha looked almost emotional. "Finally. I get to do something again."
Chiaotzu glanced over at him. "If this were a novel, I was starting to think it might end before either of us appeared again."
Yamcha's enthusiasm faltered. "You know... when you put it like that, you're probably right."
"Although I don't think the story is anywhere near the ending yet."
"How would you know?"
"I wouldn't."
Jaco overheard them and waved dismissively. "Whatever you two new guys are talking about, just make yourselves useful."
"New guys?" Yamcha protested. "We've been around forever!"
"Tell him, Yamcha," Chiaotzu said. "You were around when Goku was still a kid."
"Exactly! I met Goku when he was twelve!"
Jaco crossed his arms proudly. "I was around when Goku first arrived on Earth."
Yamcha and Chiaotzu had no response to that.
Nearby, Gohan was watching the sky. The deadline they had spent two months preparing for had finally arrived.
"So this is it."
Kale clenched her fists beside him. "Gohan-nii, this time I'm going to crush those guys."
Piccolo had been concentrating on the distant presences moving toward them. "Moro's forces are getting close. They should be reaching Universe 7's Earth soon."
Krillin looked around. "Still no Goku or Vegeta?"
"We managed to contact Goku," Jaco answered. "We haven't been able to locate Vegeta."
"That's not great."
"They both want Moro beaten as badly as anyone. They'll come back."
Jaco had barely finished speaking when an enormous spacecraft appeared high above Earth.
The atmosphere among the defenders changed immediately.
Numerous smaller vessels detached from Moro's ship and scattered in every direction, carrying groups of escaped prisoners toward different parts of the planet. Within minutes, reports began coming in of attacks, thefts, and destruction across the world.
Piccolo clenched his jaw. "Damn it. They're spreading out instead of concentrating their forces here."
"They're looting everything they can before Moro destroys the planet," Jaco realized. "Those prisoners know Earth is supposed to be consumed anyway, so they're grabbing whatever valuables they can find first."
Master Roshi surveyed the ships vanishing toward the horizon. "Then some of us should deal with the scattered groups. The stronger fighters can stay here for Moro and his main force."
Piccolo agreed. Splitting up carried risks, but allowing hundreds of escaped prisoners to rampage freely across the planet while everyone waited in one place was worse.
"Krillin, let's go."
Master Roshi promptly jumped onto Krillin's back.
Krillin looked over his shoulder. "You know you could've warned me first."
"Less complaining, more flying."
Krillin carried him into the air while Gohan called after them, reminding them that these weren't ordinary criminals. Every prisoner they encountered had survived the Galactic Prison, and some had already been empowered by Moro.
"We know!" Krillin called back with a wave.
Tien turned toward Chiaotzu. "We'll take another area."
"Right."
Yamcha pointed toward a separate cluster of ships disappearing in the opposite direction. "I'll handle that side."
The Galactic Patrol followed their example. Rather than sending every officer into the same battle, they divided into several support teams and deployed behind Earth's fighters, giving each group patrol ships, weapons, and backup in case the prisoners proved stronger than expected.
Krillin and Master Roshi were among the first to locate their targets.
They landed near a group of escaped prisoners and immediately recognized one of them.
Yunba.
Krillin's expression tightened. He had already seen enough of the huge bear-like fighter to know this wasn't going to be an easy assignment.
And Yunba wasn't alone.
Standing with him were three unfamiliar female prisoners.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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