As the spaceship pierced the atmosphere of the Nameless Planet, Goku and the others were immediately awestruck by the sight of the Super Dragon Balls.
"Wow... those Dragon Balls are massive! I can't even imagine how big the dragon will be."
Floating in the space surrounding the planet were six orange spheres the size of actual planets. These were the Super Dragon Balls—celestial objects of staggering scale.
Once the ship touched down, Whis deactivated the energy shield.
"Alright, everyone. We have arrived."
"Oho? You actually showed up?"
Champa swaggered over to Beerus, looking smug. "Don't worry, Skinny-bones. If I win, I'll let you come over to Universe 6 once in a while to grab a bite."
"Hmph. You've got a lot of nerve," Beerus snapped. "You snuck into my universe and stole several of my Dragon Balls!"
"Ahem. Let's not get bogged down in details. We're brothers, aren't we? What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine!"
Beerus stared at him, dumbfounded. Is this guy for real? What kind of logic is that? Does he even hear himself?!
"Hmph. Fine," Beerus grumbled. "Since you went through all the trouble of collecting them for us, I'll let it slide for now."
"We'll see who's winning when this is over!" Champa shot back.
With the two Destroyers having exchanged their usual pleasantries, the tournament officially commenced. As the fighters walked toward the arena, Goku's eyes immediately locked onto a figure on the opposing team who bore a striking resemblance to Frieza.
"Is that... Frieza?"
The individual noticed Goku's gaze and gave him a polite, charming smile.
Meanwhile, Vegeta was staring down a smaller fighter. "Are you a Saiyan?"
Cabba blinked in surprise. "Yes. I take it there are Saiyans in your universe as well?"
Vegeta nodded. "We are Saiyans. But your battle armor looks like an old model. What planet do you live on?"
"Planet Sadala," Cabba replied.
"I see... Planet Sadala still exists in your universe?"
"Yours doesn't?"
As the two exchanged information, Vegeta learned about the way of life for Saiyans in Universe 6.
"Universe mercenaries, huh? You're different from us. You're actually good people." Vegeta paused. "If I have the chance, I'd like to visit Sadala one day. Don't worry, I won't cause any trouble."
"Of course! You're welcome anytime. I can tell you're not a bad person."
"Hey, you over there! The test is about to begin. Please take your seats!" Vados called out, interrupting their conversation.
"The rules are simple," she explained. "These are basic questions that anyone with a modicum of intelligence should be able to answer. You have ten minutes. The total is one hundred points; fifty is a passing grade. Begin!"
Goku stared at the paper, his eyes beginning to glaze over.
What is this written test even for? Well, surely I can manage a fifty...
Scritch... scratch... scritch...
The sound of pens filled the air until the ten minutes were up. Goku looked at his score—exactly fifty—and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.
"Phew, that was close! I almost didn't make it..."
Bulma, sitting nearby, felt her eye twitch. It was basic addition and subtraction! How did he struggle that much? Honestly...
With the academic hurdle cleared, the real battle was finally ready to begin.
"Hey! Have you decided on the order yet?" Beerus shouted. "Hurry up, the match is starting!"
"We're ready, Lord Beerus! I'm going first!" Goku said with a grin.
"I guess I'm second then," Piccolo noted, looking at his assigned number.
"Hmph. It seems I might not even get a turn. I'm third," Vegeta muttered, clearly dissatisfied.
"Hahaha, isn't that a good thing, Uncle Vegeta?" Gohan laughed sheepishly. "I'm fourth!"
Bulma gave a small smile. "So, I'm the anchor. That's quite a heavy responsibility."
"Excellent! The God of Destruction Martial Arts Tournament between Universe 6 and Universe 7 begins now!" the announcer shouted.
"The fighters for the first round are Botamo from Universe 6 and Son Goku from Universe 7! Let us see what kind of spectacular battle they have in store for us!"
Goku and Botamo stepped onto the stage.
"Fight!"
At the announcer's signal, the match exploded into action.
Zip!
Goku lunged at Botamo, his power so immense that the ring floor cracked beneath his feet. Despite his bear-like appearance, Botamo's reactions were sharp. He tracked Goku's movement and swung a massive fist.
BOOM!
The collision sent a shockwave through the arena. Goku felt a surge of force push him back, his boots skidding along the very edge of the ring.
"Heh heh heh! Beerus, you might as well give up now!" Champa taunted.
Beerus's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Hey, Goku! What are you doing?!"
"Ahem. Don't worry, Lord Beerus. I've got this."
Goku's silhouette blurred and vanished. To the astonished Botamo, it seemed as if Goku was suddenly everywhere at once.
"The Afterimage Technique?"
Vegeta let out a disdainful scoff. "Kakarot is still playing around."
Botamo swung wildly at the afterimages, but his efforts were futile. He couldn't find the real Goku. Within moments, Botamo was panting, exhausted by the futile effort.
Thwack!
Goku reappeared and delivered a heavy kick that sent Botamo flying. Botamo flipped in mid-air and landed on his feet, let out a roar, and charged again.
This time, Goku didn't dodge. To Champa's surprise, Goku met the charge with a punch that sent Botamo reeling back.
"Wait, what?" Botamo looked at Goku in confusion. How? He just pushed me back a second ago!
He gritted his teeth and charged again.
Bam! Pow! Thud!
After being knocked back several more times, Botamo realized he couldn't win through raw brawling. It was time for his special ability.
He unleashed his "Giant Bear Attack," but this time, when Goku's strike landed, Botamo didn't budge. His body felt as soft and resilient as a giant balloon, causing the force of Goku's punch to simply vanish into his rubbery flesh.
Goku blinked in surprise.
"Heh heh. You can't defeat me!" Botamo sneered.
The two engaged in a chaotic exchange, but Goku's strikes seemed to do nothing.
Watching from the sidelines, Piccolo shook his head. "If this keeps up, Goku is just going to waste his stamina. He might actually lose this."
"Hmph. Kakarot is being an idiot again," Vegeta said. "Since he can't deal damage, why doesn't he just throw the guy out? This is a ring-out match, after all."