"This tournament is extremely important for all of you," Ken said with a smile. "I'll be serving as the referee, so I'll make sure everything is judged fairly. But remember, if Universe 6 loses, Zeno-sama will personally erase it. Every one of you will disappear. Vados and I, on the other hand, will be perfectly fine."
Champa and Vegeta stared at him, neither particularly amused by how casually he'd delivered that last part.
"Anyway, I've said everything I need to say. Good luck, everyone." Ken smiled at the gathered fighters.
"Yeah! Let's do this!" Goku raised his fist enthusiastically.
"Hmph! Kakarot, no matter what happens, I'm surpassing you this time!" Vegeta declared.
"Hehe! That'd be great!" Goku replied with a grin.
...
Meanwhile, in the Realm of the God of Destruction in Universe 11, Belmod was feeling considerably more confident about the upcoming tournament.
"The Tournament of Power, huh? Sounds interesting." He looked toward the sky with a smug smile. "Universe 11 will definitely be the last one standing!"
"Yes, indeed," Marcarita agreed pleasantly.
Khai, the Supreme Kai of Universe 11, remained silent for the moment, while Toppo stood respectfully before Belmod, waiting for his instructions.
"Hey, Toppo! Can the Pride Troopers get ten fighters together on such short notice?" Belmod asked.
"Our members are currently operating in different locations," Toppo replied with a bow. "I'll gather everyone immediately."
"Make sure Jiren comes."
"Understood!"
Toppo bowed again before boarding a spaceship and departing to round up the Pride Troopers.
Khai watched him leave, looking somewhat uneasy. "Are we sure relying entirely on the Pride Troopers is a good idea?"
Belmod gave him a sideways glance. "Hmm? Got something to say, Supreme Kai?"
"They're certainly a team of righteous warriors, but they all have different beliefs and ways of doing things," Khai explained. "Can we really expect every one of them to drop everything and come together so easily?"
Belmod let out a long sigh. Rather than answering immediately, he picked up a small ball and tossed it into the air.
The ball burst with a soft pop, scattering flower petals that drifted gently around them.
"Oh, how pretty!" Marcarita giggled.
Khai could only stare at the floating petals in confusion. Since when had Belmod developed a taste for this sort of thing? And what did any of it have to do with the tournament?
Belmod caught one of the falling petals between his fingers and smiled.
"As long as we have the last fighter standing, we win, right?"
"That's correct," Marcarita answered.
"Then there's nothing to worry about. As long as Jiren shows up, the other nine fighters hardly matter."
Khai still wasn't convinced. "But Belmod, that Goku fellow has mastered true Ultra Instinct. Are you certain Jiren can defeat him?"
"Don't worry about Goku. Their match was promised years ago." Belmod chuckled. "You don't seriously think Goku is the only one who's gotten stronger since then, do you?"
"Indeed, Jiren has improved considerably," Marcarita added with a smile. "If Goku is currently around level 36, then Jiren would be level 37."
"Exactly." Belmod nodded, looking thoroughly pleased.
Khai finally relaxed a little, although another concern remained. "Even so, will Jiren actually agree to participate?"
"He will. He's been waiting for this opportunity for a long time." Belmod paused, then continued thoughtfully, "Jiren can be a little too righteous for his own good. He won't even kill villains. He's always clinging to those ridiculous principles of his."
"That's certainly true," Marcarita agreed.
"But there's one wish he'd be willing to abandon those principles for," Belmod continued with a knowing smile.
"Is it because of Goku?" Khai asked.
"Of course not. Goku's just a side issue." Belmod shook his head. "What Jiren really wants is to bring his master, Gicchin, back to life."
"I see." Khai considered that for a moment. "And the Super Dragon Balls could grant that wish."
"Precisely."
"So you're using the Super Dragon Balls to convince him to enter the tournament," Marcarita remarked.
"Don't make it sound so terrible, Marcarita." Belmod laughed. "It's his own wish. I'm simply giving him an opportunity to fulfill it."
He glanced toward the direction Toppo had departed and made up his mind. With Jiren's participation being so important, leaving the matter entirely to someone else suddenly seemed unwise.
"Actually, forget it. I'd better go personally. Khai, take me to Jiren."
"Of course." Khai nodded.
...
Elsewhere in Universe 11, on Planet Bas, a serious disturbance had broken out in one of the planet's cities.
Bas was a beautiful world covered in vast stretches of water, with a pale reddish sky and a pleasant, refreshing atmosphere. Unfortunately, its peaceful appearance did little to prevent dangerous creatures from causing trouble.
A gigantic crab-like monster had appeared in the middle of the city. Its body stretched nearly fifty meters from end to end, and it stood five or six meters tall. Compared to the creature, the city's residents looked no bigger than mice.
Worse, a swarm of smaller crabs had gathered beneath the giant monster, spreading across the streets and sending terrified civilians running in every direction.
Fortunately, the Pride Troopers were already there.
"So, the Pride Troopers finally showed up!" the giant crab sneered, raising its enormous claws. "Get ready to die!"
Dyspo looked unimpressed. "You know, I haven't eaten crab in ages. Maybe I'll boil you lot for dinner!"
"You damned rabbit! I'll cook you instead!" the monster roared.
Kunshi grinned at Dyspo. "Captain, I think fried crab tastes even better. Especially when you split it in half before frying it. Now that's delicious!"
Dyspo nodded thoughtfully. "You've got a point."
Kahseral examined the enormous creature for a moment before asking, "Think that crab's male or female?"
Dyspo gave him a suspicious look. "Kahseral, don't tell me you're thinking about doing something weird to it if it's female."
"What?! No!" Kahseral hurriedly wiped away his sweat. "I meant female crabs taste better!"
"Male crabs taste better, actually," Kunshi argued.
The giant crab's claws snapped open and shut in fury as it listened to the Pride Troopers casually debate which parts of its kind would make the best meal.
These idiots were supposed to be fighting it, not planning dinner!
"All right, everyone!" Dyspo called to the other Pride Troopers. "Let's finish this and eat some crab!"
"Yeah!"
The Pride Troopers charged forward without hesitation, launching themselves at the enormous monster and its smaller companions. The crabs leaped into the air to meet them, and a fierce battle erupted throughout the streets.
While Dyspo and the others kept the monsters occupied, several Pride Troopers worked to guide the civilians out of danger.
"Everyone, get out of here! Hurry!" one of them shouted, directing the fleeing residents toward safety.
In the middle of the chaos, one frightened resident stumbled and fell. Before they could scramble back to their feet, a smaller crab suddenly appeared directly in front of them.
The creature raised its claws and gave the helpless civilian a vicious grin, leaving them trembling on the ground with nowhere to run.
[End of chapter]