Inside Universe 7's observation room, Supreme Kai Shin stared at the giant screen with a grave expression.
"This is strange... What's going on, Lord Beerus?" Shin frowned, his voice carrying a hint of anxiety. "How did Trunks and the others suddenly disappear?"
Beerus was also staring at the screen, his purple eyes flickering with thought as one hand unconsciously stroked his chin. Even for a God of Destruction, this was the first time he had encountered something this bizarre.
"Could it be some special technique that the mysterious Man in Black used?" Shin muttered, replaying the earlier events in his mind to search for clues.
Meanwhile, Beerus found himself recalling his confrontation with the Man in Black. The man's words still echoed in his ears: "What makes you so sure there are only three people here?"
The statement seemed to suggest that a fourth person had been hiding somewhere within the Snowfield Module. However, since Beerus hadn't personally witnessed the moment Trunks and the others vanished, he couldn't determine exactly what had happened.
After a moment of thought, he turned his gaze toward Whis, who had remained silent the entire time. Whis had his eyes closed, as though he were carefully retracing everything that had just occurred. Then, suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
"I sensed a faint spatial ripple," his tone remained calm. "I imagine that's what caused Trunks and the others to disappear. It should be exactly as the Man in Black from Universe 10 said, the fourth participant on the battlefield used some kind of spatial ability."
Shin blinked in surprise. "A spatial ability? A fourth person? I thought the Man in Black was the one who did it, but it sounds like he got transferred along with them. Then where did they go? Is Trunks in danger?"
Whis closed his eyes once more, sensing Trunks' aura. For Angels, abilities involving spatial transfer were nothing unusual; after all, Whis himself could move Earth's Hyperbolic Time Chamber to the Sacred World of the Kais, which meant he possessed similar powers.
What surprised him was that a contestant from another universe could manipulate space as well. Even so, his expression remained completely calm. He could already sense that Trunks was perfectly fine.
"There's no need to worry. Trunks is completely safe, and I can assure all of you that he'll be fine. Because, aside from Son Goku, he's the second person I've personally trained."
Beerus glanced at Whis. For the first time, he saw a look of genuine satisfaction on the Angel's face, it was even stronger than the expression Whis had worn when Beerus himself was training under him.
"Hey, Whis, just what exactly did you teach him?" Beerus complained. "Why didn't you teach me too? You've definitely been hiding things."
Whis excelled at manipulating space and time. "It's not that I didn't teach you, Lord Beerus. It's just that, like Ultra Instinct, this is something that can't be learned with a restless heart."
Beerus snorted. "Tch. Then what exactly 'did' you teach him?"
Whis lightly tapped his staff against the floor, his expression suddenly becoming serious. "See this staff, Lord Beerus?"
Beerus looked at it in confusion. "What about it?"
"This staff accompanied Trunks throughout two and a half years of training." Then Whis asked, "Lord Beerus, besides Ultra Instinct, do you know what Angels excel at?"
As he listened to Whis, Beerus connected everything the Angel had said with Trunks' current situation and began analyzing it. Then his eyes suddenly widened.
"Other than Ultra Instinct... Angels excel at manipulating space and time! Wait, that guy just used a spatial ability, and you're saying Trunks is perfectly safe. Don't tell me what you taught him was the power of space?"
Beerus finally realized it.
But Whis simply shook his head and calmly replied, "Lord Beerus, why can't I teach both?"
The moment those words came out, Beerus shot upright. "T-That's something a mortal can master?!"
At that moment, the God of Destruction was utterly shocked. Whis, meanwhile, remained unusually calm.
"Lord Beerus, the way you're saying that, you'd think you were born a god. Besides, Son Goku was able to master Ultra Instinct, and Vegeta mastered what you call Ultra Ego. Even that man just now used a bit of spatial power. They're all mortals, yet they can learn such things. So why can't Trunks learn a little as well? Speaking of time... it reminds me of an old acquaintance..."
For a brief moment, a trace of sadness appeared in Whis' eyes, but it vanished almost immediately.
He continued, "I'll admit it. Trunks is the most suitable person I've ever met. And it seems he doesn't even realize that he already possesses some of these abilities. Over the years, sparring with my staff has subtly influenced him. The changes have happened little by little, to the point that even he hasn't noticed them."
Then Whis turned his gaze toward another person. "And Elder Kai, I believe you're quite optimistic about Trunks as well, aren't you?"
At that moment, Whis shifted his attention away from the ongoing battle and looked toward the usually quiet Elder Kai. To everyone's surprise, the old man had somehow fallen asleep and was snoring away peacefully. Supreme Kai Shin hurriedly reached over and nudged him.
"Ancestor, wake up. Lord Whis is talking to you."
Startled awake, Elder Kai jerked upright. "Huh? What's going on? Did the match end already? Trunks and the others won easily, right?" He stretched lazily, still looking half asleep.
Shin couldn't help but smile awkwardly.
"Ancestor, the match isn't over yet. In fact, the situation is still unclear. Nobody knows who's going to win." Then he asked curiously, "But Ancestor, why are you so certain Trunks will win?"
A mysterious grin spread across Elder Kai's face.
"Hehehe... The truth is, a while ago, I secretly planted a special 'seed' inside Trunks. When the time is right, that seed will sprout and begin to grow. And once it fully matures, it will awaken a tremendous power that's been sleeping within him."
His eyes sparkled with excitement as he spoke.
"You should know that not just anyone can withstand this seed. But after all my observations and consideration, Trunks is the only one I've found with the talent and potential to perfectly accept and unleash that hidden power. That's why I can confidently say that victory will belong to our side in the end."
After hearing this explanation, Shin's eyes widened in disbelief. He never imagined that Elder Kai had secretly made such an arrangement. And on top of that, Trunks had also undergone Whis' special training.
With those two layers of insurance backing him up... Shin honestly couldn't see how they were supposed to lose.
(End Of This Chapter)
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