"We already have Goku here as a Supreme Kai apprentice, and Toppo is training to become a God of Destruction," Ken said, looking between the two of them.
"You want those two to fight?" the Grand Priest asked.
"Why not? They can give us a warm-up match." Ken nodded. "Besides, Goku and Jiren promised each other a fight a long time ago. The Tournament of Power will finally give them a chance to settle that."
"You still remember that?" the Grand Priest asked with a smile.
"What I remember is the black-gold staff you owe me."
The Grand Priest's expression immediately darkened. "I never promised you the black-gold staff. I said the silver-white one."
"Eh, doesn't matter anymore." Ken waved it off casually.
The Grand Priest stared at him, momentarily speechless. How could that possibly not matter? There was a very obvious difference between the two.
Rather than argue, he flew over to the two Zenos and explained Ken's proposal.
"You want Goku to fight somebody else?" Zeno-sama immediately perked up.
"I want to see too!" Future Zeno said excitedly.
"Very well. We'll do that."
The Grand Priest turned and gave Ken a small nod. Ken understood immediately and looked toward Goku, while the Gods of Destruction who had just finished their own match returned to their respective viewing platforms. None of them knew what was coming next, but after everything that had happened so far, several were already beginning to feel uneasy.
"Goku," Ken called.
"Yeah?" Goku waved back.
"Fight Toppo from Universe 11. Give Zeno-sama a good match."
"Sure!" Goku had clearly been itching for another fight already, and the moment Ken gave him permission, he jumped down into the arena with an eager grin.
Ken then turned toward Universe 11. "Toppo."
Toppo looked back at him, unable to hide his amazement. Ken had become an absurdly powerful god since the last time they'd met. Broly had been trained by him as well, which made Toppo wonder whether Goku's strength was also partly Ken's doing.
"Toppo," Belmod said beside him, "your opponent is only a Supreme Kai apprentice. You're training to become a God of Destruction, so don't embarrass us."
"Understood, Belmod."
Toppo nodded seriously before leaving the platform and landing across from Goku.
"Based on what we learned from the Gods of Destruction match, this one needs a few more restrictions," Ken announced as he hovered near the arena. "No flying, no weapons, and no killing your opponent. Falling out of the ring still means defeat."
The Grand Priest said nothing, though Ken had essentially announced the exact restrictions he had been considering himself.
"No flying?" Goku asked in surprise.
"Correct."
"Well, I guess that's fine. He can't fly either."
Toppo stared at him.
Where did that confidence come from?
"For now, those will be the rules. Get ready."
Ken rose away from the arena, leaving the two fighters facing each other.
"Hey, you," Toppo called.
"Hm?"
"I heard you're a Supreme Kai apprentice."
"That's right. And you're a God of Destruction apprentice, aren't you?"
"Yes."
Goku studied him for a moment, then smiled. "Just like the other gods, I can't sense your normal ki. I can feel your divine power, though."
Toppo gave a quiet snort. "Do you have any idea how large the gap is between a Supreme Kai apprentice and a God of Destruction apprentice?"
"Nope." Goku blinked. "There's supposed to be a big difference?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Toppo's confidence only made Goku look more interested.
"Then begin!" Ken announced.
Both fighters immediately settled into their stances, neither willing to underestimate the other. Golden light burst around Goku as he transformed into a Super Saiyan, and his grin widened as he fixed his eyes on Toppo.
"All right, I'll go first!"
"Come!"
Goku shot across the arena and drove a hard punch toward Toppo, but Toppo caught it cleanly in one hand. Goku followed with a kick, only for Toppo to duck beneath it and evade the next several attacks just as easily. Even when Goku increased his speed and power, Toppo continued slipping past everything without much difficulty.
Goku eventually backed off with an embarrassed grin. "Wow... that's a pretty big gap."
Toppo was considerably less amused. "What was that supposed to be? Are you treating me like an idiot, or is that seriously the best you can do?"
From their seats, both Zenos watched the exchange with growing excitement.
"Goku feels different now," Future Zeno suddenly observed.
"That's because he transformed," Zeno-sama explained.
"Whoa! That looks so cool!"
"He has other transformations too."
Future Zeno immediately turned toward him. "Really? How many?"
Zeno-sama began counting on his fingers, but somewhere along the way he completely lost track. The Grand Priest noticed his struggle and turned toward Ken.
"Ken."
Ken immediately straightened and bowed properly. Whatever else he might joke about, basic etiquette around the Grand Priest and Zeno-sama was something he never neglected.
"How many transformations does Goku have?"
"Five in total right now: Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 2, Super Saiyan 3, Super Saiyan God, and Super Saiyan Blue," Ken explained. "Strictly speaking, Ultra Instinct Sign and true Ultra Instinct aren't really transformations. Do you want to count those too?"
"If you add them..." Future Zeno leaned forward eagerly. "How many is that?"
"Seven."
"I want to see all of them!"
"Sure." Ken saw no reason to object.
Future Zeno practically lit up at the answer, and although Zeno-sama said nothing, he looked every bit as excited as his future counterpart, almost as though he were the one about to transform seven different times.
"Goku," Ken called toward the arena.
Goku stopped attacking and looked up, while Toppo reluctantly lowered his guard as well. From the expression on his face, he was already beginning to suspect that this interruption was going to make the match much more annoying than expected.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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