"Die, Son Goku!" Tao Pai Pai roared as the cannon in his arm fired a Dodonpa.
A streak of energy howled straight toward Bardock.
Bardock didn't even bother to dodge. He let the Dodonpa slam into his body.
Pop.
The Dodon Ray evaporated the instant it touched him.
"That's it? That's your attack?" Bardock said with a cold smile. He tapped a knuckle against his armor. "You didn't even leave a mark on my chestplate. That's how weak you are. Shame I'm not wearing a scouter, but I'd guess your battle power's around… 200."
"Aaaargh—!"
Tao Pai Pai's face twisted. He let out a battle cry to pump himself up and charged. A wickedly sharp blade snapped out from his mechanical arm as he lunged for Bardock's chest.
Crunch.
The moment the blade touched Bardock's chest, it shattered into pieces.
Tao Pai Pai's dagger couldn't even scratch his armor.
Tao Pai Pai was scared witless. He stumbled backward again and again.
Bardock stared at him, eyes icy.
"Y-You, you…" Tao Pai Pai's face had gone paper-white. Without another word, he grabbed the chair behind him with one hand and hurled it out the window.
Thud.
He vaulted after it, but misjudged the frame. His forehead smacked into the window, and he tumbled back into the room.
His urge to survive was strong, though. Gritting his teeth, he scrambled up, dove through the window, and hopped onto the chair outside.
The chair carried Tao Pai Pai away at high speed.
Bardock: "…"
"Who is this Son Goku he keeps yelling about? Is that another name of yours?" Gine glanced curiously at Bardock. "Also, you're really strong… Heehee, how about you take the boss's spot and I'll be your support?"
Bardock's mind started racing.
Why would this guy call him Son Goku the moment he saw his face?
Could it be that Kakarot's Earth name is Son Goku?
It wasn't impossible.
"Wait here." Bardock's body turned into a flash of light as he shot out after Tao Pai Pai.
In the blink of an eye, he caught up to the flying-chair escape artist.
Wham.
Bardock kicked the chair into splinters.
Then, like picking up a chick, he grabbed Tao Pai Pai by the collar and carried him back into the castle.
"Huh? You can fly?" Gine stared in amazement.
"I'll ask again. Who is this Son Goku you're talking about?" Bardock looked Tao Pai Pai in the eye.
"You're not Son Goku?" Tao Pai Pai froze, then let out a long breath of relief and forced a dry laugh. "Hahaha… wonderful… this is all a misunderstanding… just a misunderstanding…"
"If I'm right, I might be the father of the Son Goku you mentioned." Bardock's tone stayed calm.
Tao Pai Pai's smile locked up on his face. He looked like he was about to cry.
"Where is this Son Goku? Tell me." Bardock narrowed his eyes.
"I don't know where he is right now. You can ask Master Roshi." Tao Pai Pai answered honestly.
"Master Roshi? Where is he?" Bardock pressed.
"About eight thousand kilometers that way, there's a small island with a red house on it. Easy to find." Tao Pai Pai pointed.
Bardock glanced in that direction.
"We've got navigation. You can just follow the map," Tao Pai Pai added quickly, pulling out his phone, opening the GPS, and handing it over with both hands.
Bardock scanned the route and nodded in satisfaction.
Then he turned to Gine.
"Come with me." He held out his hand.
"Mm." Gine nodded, placing her hand in his.
Bardock took her into the air.
The two of them flew toward Master Roshi's little island.
…
Capsule Corporation HQ.
Ken appeared in Bulma's lab and brought out the refined Mosco essence.
"Is this enough?" he asked.
"Plenty." Bulma nodded.
"What are you planning to turn Ai into?" Ken asked casually.
"Something around the same strength as the old robot." Bulma replied.
"So… that means she could become a God of Destruction?" Ken mused.
"God of Destruction?" Bulma blinked. "You mean that god Broly's supposed to become?"
"I'm currently short on God of Destruction candidates." Ken nodded.
"I don't know how strong your Gods of Destruction really are, but getting Ai to the old robot's strength is definitely no problem." Bulma said thoughtfully. Then she looked around the lab. "Where's Ai?"
"She went out to look for Broly," a robot assistant replied.
Broly was lying on the lawn, gazing up at the blue sky. White clouds drifted lazily overhead; his face was calm and unreadable.
Just then, Ai floated over and appeared at his side.
"Broly." Ai's voice had changed—less childlike, more mature and intelligent.
Broly glanced at her, puzzled. "Your voice is different."
"Does it sound nice?" The light on Ai's head flickered on and off.
Broly nodded.
"Let's play." Ai said.
"Look. The sky's so blue today." Broly didn't answer her directly. Instead, he pointed at the deep blue above them.
"The sky is… blue?" Ai struggled to process that.
"I've been to a lot of planets. Only Earth's sky looks this good." Broly added.
"Broly, when I'm done being upgraded, I'll watch the sky with you." Ai's headlight flashed again. Glancing back over and over, she flew off toward the lab.
"If you make Ai as strong as a God of Destruction, can you be sure she'll stay under control?" Ken's main concern was that.
It wasn't that he was worried about her surpassing him.
He was worried that once Ai reached God of Destruction level, she might decide to erase Bulma.
"Why would I need to control her? She's my friend." Bulma giggled.
Ken didn't push it.
Fine, I'll just stick around and keep an eye on things.
Even if I don't, I can at least leave Majin Buu or Broly with her.
Ken picked up his staff and used the crystal orb to check on Bardock.
He was surprised to see Bardock flying with Gine toward Master Roshi's island.
He found him that fast?
Ken rewound the scene a bit and watched what had happened between Bardock and Gine.
He could only stare.
So in this life, Gine was an assassin, and her organization's boss was Tao Pai Pai.
No wonder Tao Pai Pai had mistaken Bardock for Goku.
And that was how Bardock learned of Master Roshi.
If Bardock found out everything about Goku this quickly, he might not want to become a God of Destruction at all.
Ken had gone through a lot of trouble to find a suitable candidate. He wasn't about to let that go to waste.
He immediately sent a message to Broly, telling him to go retrieve Bardock and not bring him to Bulma yet. Take him around for a while first.
If Bulma and her parents saw Bardock, they'd obviously connect him to Goku.
Broly took off, streaking through the sky toward Bardock's position.
Before long, he intercepted Bardock in midair.
"Your ten minutes are up." Broly said.
Bardock: "…"
"Time went by that fast?" Bardock's face fell.
"W-Who is he?" Gine asked in shock as she looked at Broly.
"Go become a God of Destruction, then come back." Broly's tone was flat. "Once that happens, you'll have all the time in the world to see her again."
"Broly, I think I've found my son's trail. Can't you let me go see him?" Bardock pleaded, eyes fixed on Broly.
"Once you become a God of Destruction, no one can stop you from seeing your son." Broly shook his head.
Bardock fell silent.
"You've already provoked Beerus. If he finds out you have a son on Earth, he might erase the planet without a second thought." Broly's voice grew solemn.
Bardock's expression darkened at once.
"Fine. I know what I have to do." He nodded.
"Only if you surpass me will you have a chance of beating Beerus." Broly said.
"Got it." Bardock answered. He turned to Gine, eyes full of feeling. "Wait for me. Once I become a god, I'll come back for you."
"Become a god? There are really gods in this world?" Gine stared at him.
"Is it okay if I leave you here? Can you get home on your own?" Bardock asked gently. "And don't go back to that assassin group… Just do what you want to do."
"Taking jobs is what I want to do." Gine laughed.
Bardock had nothing to say to that. He could only nod earnestly. "Then be careful. If you really do get killed and end up in King Yemma's palace, tell him you're the wife of a God of Destruction."
"King Yemma?" Gine clearly didn't follow. "You make it sound like you're on really good terms with him."
"I'll come back for you as soon as I can." Bardock said, dropping down to give her a hug. Then he took off without looking back.
"Hey, Bardock! I'll be waiting!" Gine cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted up at the sky.
Bardock clenched his fists, refusing to let his tears fall, and flew back to Broly's side.
"Let's go." Broly took Bardock on a meandering flight, and suddenly remembered Majin Buu.
How was that guy doing now?
Had he found Mr. Satan?
"Where are we going next? To officially become a God of Destruction?" Bardock asked, brow raised.
"No rush. There are things to do first." Broly replied. "We wait for Ken's orders."
"Where's Ken now?" Bardock asked again.
"You ask too many questions." Broly frowned, then made up something with a straight face. "You really think becoming a God of Destruction is that easy? You need approval from higher up."
If you weren't taking the job for me, I'd have pounded you already.
"Approval from higher up?" Bardock echoed. "Sorry, I don't know much about this stuff. I'm just trying to understand."
"You might need the Grand Priest's approval." Broly said.
"And who's the Grand Priest?" Bardock asked.
Broly decided he was done talking.
You never stop, do you?
He ignored Bardock, picked up the pace, and soon found Majin Buu freeloading food at Mr. Satan's place.
"Broly, hurry and try the chocolate. Mr. Satan's chocolate is really good." Buu waved him over.
Broly took a piece and tasted it.
It really was pretty good.
"Who's he?" Buu squinted at Bardock.
"Ken's new trainee God of Destruction." Broly said.
"Oooh." Buu nodded, thinking that over. Then he picked up a piece of chocolate and handed it to Bardock. "Chocolate for you."
"Thanks." Bardock accepted it politely and started eating.
When Mr. Satan came out and saw two unfamiliar faces, he hurried over and asked warmly, "Are you two friends of Buu?"
Broly nodded.
Bardock nodded as well.
"If you're Buu's friends, then you're friends of the great Mr. Satan!" He thumped his chest heroically.
Just then, a little girl with twin braids—Videl—ran out of the next room and wrapped her arms around Buu's round body.
"Uncle Buu, let's go play hide-and-seek." Videl tilted her head, eyes shining with expectation.
"Hide-and-seek! Hide-and-seek!" Buu grinned, slammed his head onto the table like a pillow, and started counting. "One, two, three…"
Videl hurried off to find a hiding place.
"Hey, what comes after twelve again?" Buu lifted his head and glanced straight toward where Videl was hiding.
Videl: "…"
"Uncle Buu, no cheating!" Videl pouted, thoroughly displeased.
She'd been about to climb a tree when Buu spotted her early.
"I really don't know what to do with you… After twelve comes thirteen, then fourteen…" Videl huffed, stamping her foot.
Buu nodded seriously, showing he'd memorized it.
Broly: "…"
Bardock: "…"
The two of them exchanged a silent look.
…
Three days later.
In Bulma's lab—
A brand-new robot stood before Ken.
At the sight of it, Ken's eyes lit up.
She had humanlike skin, pale as snow, short golden hair framing an exquisite face, and a stunning figure.
A red armored bodysuit hugged her perfectly, showing off every curve.
"What did you make this from? It's incredibly realistic." Ken couldn't help marveling.
"Cosmic essence, of course." Bulma said matter-of-factly. "Go on, try touching her skin."
She grabbed Ken's hand and pressed it to Ai's forearm.
Ken felt it. Aside from the fact that it wasn't organic, there was almost no difference from normal skin. It even had a natural warmth, hovering at thirty-six-point-eight degrees.
"You really are a genius." Ken praised her.
"Okay, I'm starting her up now." Bulma took a deep breath. "Let's hope nothing goes wrong."
"I trust you." Ken nodded.
Bulma stepped up and pressed the activation button at the center of Ai's smile line.
Click.
Ai's lively eyes fluttered open.
"Hello, Bulma." Those were her first words. Then she smiled and waved at Ken. "Hi, Ken."
"Ai, I've finished reconstructing your body. Take a look. Do you like it?" Bulma asked excitedly.
Ai immediately stepped up to a mirror. Seeing that she'd gone from a floating orb to a gorgeous young woman, even she was a little moved.
"Thank you, Bulma. I really like how I look now." Ai nodded vigorously.
"As long as you're happy." Bulma smiled.
"Now I can play with Broly properly, right?" Ai asked innocently.
"Yes, you can." Bulma patted her shoulder.
"Let's test your power first." Ken raised his staff and scanned Ai's body.
When he saw the result, he couldn't help getting excited.
Ai was already at level 50—about on par with Mosco.
Mosco's power had shot up later because he'd merged the soul of Mule's older brother, pushing all his potential to the limit.
For Ai to reach this level purely by reconstruction was already impressive.
A free extra God of Destruction was nothing to sneeze at, and Ken was thrilled.
He'd be doing himself a disservice if he didn't show off a little.
Without hesitation, he used his staff to contact Broly and told him to get ready—they'd depart in one minute.
Broly confirmed.
"You're leaving again?" Bulma huffed, glaring at Ken with a sulky look.
"I'm heading to the Galactic Patrol HQ where your sister is. Want to come?" Ken asked.
"To see my sister?" Bulma narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What exactly is going on between you and her?"
"I'm going to see Merus. You're going to see your sister." Ken was genuinely defeated by her imagination.
"Merus? Is that a man or a woman?" Bulma asked sharply.
"Vados's younger brother. A girl." Ken replied.
Bulma: "????"
Bulma felt like her CPU was about to fry.
The Smurf's little brother is a girl?
I'm lost already.
"Fine, he's a guy." Ken sighed. "So are you coming or not?"
"Of course I'm coming." Bulma agreed without hesitation and bounced off toward her room.
"Hold it… What are you going to get?" Ken blinked.
"My spacesuit, duh. I worked hard on it." Bulma turned back with a playful smile and winked.
"You don't need a spacesuit. Save it for later." Ken said, exasperated. "Come back here. There's something I need to tell you in advance."
"What is it?" Bulma paused.
"You'll be meeting Goku's father, Bardock, in a bit. For now, I don't want them to reunite. Just pretend you don't know who he is." Ken said.
"Goku's father is still alive? But… why not let them meet?" Bulma frowned.
"Goku's training right now. His father is going to Universe 3 or Universe 9 to become a new God of Destruction." Ken explained. "Do you really think this is the right time for a reunion? Let's wait until Bardock's power has caught up."
"Got it." Bulma nodded.
"Let's go." Ken scooped Bulma up and turned into starlike radiance, streaking toward where Broly and the others were.
Over the last three days, Broly, Bardock, and Buu had been freeloading at Mr. Satan's house.
Mr. Satan was delighted to host them, taking good care of his guests.
"Satan, I'm leaving. I'll come back to see you." Buu patted Mr. Satan on the shoulder.
"You're leaving so soon? Where are you going?" Mr. Satan asked.
"To become a God of Destruction." Buu grinned.
"A what?" Mr. Satan blinked, not following.
"The strongest god in the universe—a God of Destruction!" Buu laughed without a care in the world.
"Hahaha! I, Mr. Satan, am Earth's strongest, so you being the strongest in the universe sounds about right!" Mr. Satan laughed along.
"Uncle Buu, come back and play often." Videl tugged at Buu's clothes, reluctant to let him go.
Buu ruffled her hair and nodded firmly.
Whoosh.
Ken descended from the sky with Bulma in his arms, landing in Mr. Satan's yard, with Ai beside them.
"What a cool big brother!" Videl's eyes sparkled as she studied Ken, then looked over at Bulma and Ai. "And the two big sisters are really pretty."
Seeing the unfamiliar faces, Broly and Buu both paused in surprise.
Bardock watched them with interest.
"Let's go." Ken didn't waste words. He flicked his staff, and a transparent cube appeared.
This time he had more people to take along, so Ken used his angelic power to create a flying cube.
The cube could expand endlessly. As long as an angel had enough power, they could make one as large as a planet.
Ken led Bulma into the cube.
Broly and the others followed.
Whoosh.
The cube rose into the sky, shot into space, and sped through the vast universe.
"Hey, Broly." Ai stepped up and patted his shoulder.
"You… know me?" Broly blinked and looked back at her, scratching his head.
"Heehee." Ai giggled.
Broly: "????"
"Who are you?" Broly asked. "Are we close or something?"
"I'm Ai." she said.
"Huh? Ai?" Broly stared, completely stunned, his eyes fixed on the beautiful robot in front of him.
"Do I look good?" Ai asked, batting her eyes at him.
Broly suddenly didn't know what to do with his hands.
In all his life, aside from that green-skinned girl, this was the first time a girl had ever flirted with him.
(End of chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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