"Who's that guy?" Goku asked, scratching his head as he looked toward the unfamiliar fighter.
"His name's Granolah. He's really strong too," GT Goku explained.
"Really? Never heard of him." Goku glanced between Granolah and Gas. "Are those two from your timeline?"
"Nope. They're from this one."
"Huh, I had no idea Universe 7 had fighters that strong." Goku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We didn't run into either of them when we were dealing with Moro."
"Well, actually, those two—"
Before GT Goku could finish, Beerus stormed over and smacked him hard enough to send him stumbling sideways.
"Ow! What was that for, Beerus-sama?" GT Goku complained, rubbing the side of his head. "That hurt!"
"Are you trying to give away every last bit of information about our team?" Beerus snapped.
GT Goku gave him a puzzled look. "What's the big deal? I don't mind telling him."
Beerus stared at him, momentarily at a loss for words. Apparently, bringing another Goku onto the team meant putting up with the same complete disregard for strategy.
"Go stand over there, and don't talk to anyone from Universe 6!" Beerus ordered, pointing toward a spot farther away.
GT Goku reluctantly obeyed and wandered off, looking rather disappointed that his conversation had been cut short.
GT Vegeta watched his counterpart's teammate leave without offering a single word of sympathy.
Goku, however, wasn't ready to give up on finding out more about Universe 7's mysterious fighters. He immediately approached GT Vegeta instead.
"Hey, Vegeta. Do you know anything about those two?"
"Get lost. I don't know you."
"Huh? You don't?" Goku looked genuinely confused. "You seriously don't recognize me?"
GT Vegeta turned his back and walked away without answering, leaving Goku wondering why everyone on Universe 7's side was being so unfriendly.
Meanwhile, Gas had noticed Goku standing among the Universe 6 fighters.
His expression changed the instant he saw that familiar face.
"Bardock!"
For a moment, Gas genuinely believed the Saiyan standing across the arena was the man who had humiliated him so many years ago. The resemblance was almost perfect, and seeing that face again brought back memories he had spent decades trying to forget.
More than forty years earlier, Gas had fought Bardock in a desperate battle on Planet Cereal. He had been defeated and knocked unconscious, leaving him with a humiliation that had haunted him ever since.
And now, merely seeing someone who looked like Bardock was enough to bring that night rushing back.
...
More than forty years ago, deep within the forests of Planet Cereal.
The battle between Bardock and Gas had already reached a fierce stage. Under the cover of night, Bardock gathered energy around his fist and drove it into Gas, knocking him out of the air.
Gas landed on his feet and slid backward across the ground, carving two long furrows into the earth before finally coming to a stop.
"So that's it," Gas muttered as he studied Bardock more carefully. "The tail means you're a Saiyan, and your power level isn't bad either. I thought everyone they sent to this planet was a low-class warrior, but apparently I was wrong."
Bardock gave him no opportunity to continue talking. He dove from above and attacked with a rapid series of punches and kicks, forcing Gas to retreat through the forest.
Gas jumped back repeatedly, narrowly avoiding the blows until he managed to put some distance between them. He immediately raised one hand, forming a bright red disc of energy in his palm.
"Take this!"
The disc shot toward Bardock, but the Saiyan gritted his teeth and swung his arm, knocking it aside with brute force.
Gas stared in disbelief. Before he could recover, Bardock closed the distance and drove an uppercut into his stomach, launching him high into the air.
Bardock followed up with a powerful kick that sent Gas crashing into the forest below.
The impact shook the ground, uprooting trees and throwing an enormous cloud of dust into the air. Birds and animals scattered in every direction as the surrounding vegetation collapsed beneath the force of the blow.
Bardock hovered above the destruction, breathing heavily with sweat running down his face.
"That should've done it... right?"
He waited briefly before descending toward a nearby clearing, where an elderly Namekian named Monaito had been watching the battle.
Monaito had come to Planet Cereal long ago alongside several other Namekians after unfavorable climatic conditions on Planet Namek forced them to leave their home. The Namekians had settled peacefully among the Cerealians, and the two peoples had enjoyed a good relationship for many years.
That peace had ended when Frieza sent the Saiyans to invade the planet.
The attackers killed every Namekian living there except Monaito. He had inherited the Dragon Balls from the community's Grand Elder and had also taken responsibility for protecting Granolah, one of the few Cerealians who had survived the invasion.
In the years that followed, Monaito would raise Granolah himself, with the two relying on each other for companionship.
For now, however, they still needed to escape Gas.
"Monaito, get out of here while you've got the chance," Bardock urged. "Go as far away as you can."
"Understood!" Monaito nodded.
"I'll keep Gas busy. Just make sure you survive!"
Bardock's expression was grim. He had already gone far beyond what any Saiyan would normally do for strangers, but after coming this far, he had no intention of abandoning them.
Unfortunately, the battle wasn't over.
A sudden surge of energy erupted from the distant forest, and Gas shot into the sky, emerging from the wreckage of Bardock's earlier attack.
Bardock looked up in disbelief. He had expected that last blow to cause serious damage, yet Gas appeared to have escaped almost completely unharmed.
Gas descended into the clearing and landed directly across from him.
"You really thought you could escape from me?" he asked with a cold smile.
The Heeters had every reason to want Bardock dead. He had defied Frieza's orders by saving Granolah, his mother, and Monaito, and in the process, he had uncovered the organization's involvement in the destruction of Planet Cereal.
Allowing a witness like Bardock to escape was a risk Elec had no intention of taking.
Bardock tightened his fists as he examined his opponent.
"You took that attack without a scratch? What are you, some kind of monster?"
"Enough talking. Let's finish this quickly," Gas replied. "Elec ordered me not to waste time here, and I have no intention of losing his trust."
As he spoke, energy gathered around one of his hands and materialized into a massive spiked mace.
Monaito could see that Bardock was preparing to fight again, but the elderly Namekian couldn't bear the thought of watching him throw away his life for their sake.
"Bardock, you've done enough," he pleaded. "Maybe we should just accept our fate. Please, get out of here while you still can. There's no reason for you to die with us!"
"What are you talking about?" Bardock glanced back at him, clearly unwilling to accept that suggestion.
Gas gave a contemptuous laugh.
"Since we're talking about dying, you should know something, Saiyan. Even if you somehow escape from here, your race doesn't have much time left."
Bardock frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Who knows? I'm just repeating something Elec said."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Bardock snapped. "You're the ones who don't have much time left!"
He thrust his right hand forward and launched an energy blast directly at Gas.
Gas jumped aside, avoiding the attack before rising high above the clearing. From there, he gripped his mace and brought it crashing down toward Bardock with tremendous force.
Bardock hurriedly crossed both arms above his head, bracing himself for the impact.
The mace smashed straight through his guard and struck him directly on the head. Blood burst from Bardock's mouth as he cried out in pain, his entire body buckling beneath the blow.
Gas smiled triumphantly, convinced that he finally had his opponent at his mercy.
Bardock, however, refused to go down.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, he grabbed the mace's handle with both hands and pulled with all his strength.
Before Gas could react, Bardock swung the weapon around and hurled it away, sending Gas flying along with it.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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