The explosion had carved an enormous crater into Champa's planet.
At the bottom of it, Vegeta was back in his base form with Champa's hand pressed against the back of his head, his face buried so deeply in the ground that only muffled groans escaped.
"I go easy on you for five minutes and you start thinking you can challenge me?" Champa growled.
Vegeta tried to force himself up, but Champa simply pushed him deeper.
"And who did you call one of the weaker Gods of Destruction?"
Two sharp slaps across the face followed before Champa finally released him.
"At your level, you're lucky they let you call yourself a God of Destruction apprentice. Don't embarrass the rest of us."
Champa turned away, then grudgingly added something closer to praise.
"I'll give you this much: you've improved a lot in a short time. If you belonged to Beerus's Universe, even that guy might decide you're worth keeping around."
With the lesson delivered, Champa returned to Vados and left the crater behind.
"Vados, fix this mess."
"Of course, Champa-sama."
Vados descended into the crater while Vegeta dragged himself out of the hole his head had made. His fists remained clenched, not from pain anymore, but from the realization that Champa had never truly been in danger.
"You don't need to be discouraged," Vados said. "You performed quite well."
"That fat bastard was right." Vegeta hated admitting it, but there was no point lying to himself. "I couldn't do anything against him. If this is the gap between me and a real God of Destruction, how long am I supposed to train before I become one?"
"You'll need considerably more training, but your path is already clear. Ultra Instinct has never suited you particularly well. Ultra Ego—the technique Ken taught you—is far more compatible with the way you fight."
"I know."
"If you can master Ultra Ego completely, you'll have what you need to become a true God of Destruction."
That was enough to restore some fire to Vegeta's eyes.
"Then I'll master it. And this time, I'm surpassing Kakarot no matter what."
Vados smiled at his renewed determination.
"Shall we increase your training starting tomorrow?"
"No. Training can wait."
The answer was so unexpected that Vados wondered whether Champa had hit him harder than she thought.
"Could you send me back to Earth?"
"Is something wrong?"
"I won't be able to train here for a while."
Vados knew how relentlessly Vegeta pursued strength, which made the sudden request even stranger.
"You still haven't surpassed Goku."
The reminder struck exactly where intended.
Vegeta's expression tightened, but before he could answer, the Oracle Fish came floating toward them carrying Vados's missing staff.
"Vados, I found this."
"Ah, there it is."
Vados accepted the staff, and the Oracle Fish pointed toward the crystal.
"It's been flashing for a while. Someone keeps trying to contact you."
"So they have."
Vados activated the communication function.
"Hello? Who is this?"
Goku's relieved voice immediately came through.
"Finally! Hi, Vados. It's Goku."
"Hello, Goku. What can I do for you?"
"I want to come over and train. Is that okay?"
The request confused Vados for a different reason.
"You can use Kai Kai. Why not simply come here?"
"Ken told me I should call first. He said I'm not allowed to teleport into your place unless you know I'm coming."
Vados understood Ken's reasoning immediately.
"He's probably making sure you don't suddenly appear while I'm bathing."
Goku did not.
"What would happen if I did?"
"I would hit you."
Vados had met plenty of unusual Saiyans over the years, but Goku possessed a particular kind of innocence that somehow made even Broly look perceptive.
"I don't really get it, but okay. Can I come now?"
"You can. In fact, your timing is perfect. Take Vegeta back to Earth first."
Goku's voice rose immediately.
"Vegeta's already there training?! Vegeta, you jerk! You came all the way over there without telling me?"
"Shut up, Kakarot."
"Why are you leaving now, though? We could both train there."
Vados agreed.
"I was wondering the same thing."
Vegeta's expression became serious.
"The baby's almost here."
Neither Goku nor Vados understood what he meant.
"Emily is about to give birth," Vegeta clarified.
"Oh, Emily." Goku finally understood the words, though apparently not the significance. "But what does that have to do with you?"
Vegeta's eye twitched.
"Kakarot, stop asking questions and come get me."
"I'm coming."
A moment later, he appeared on the God of Destruction's Planet and offered Vegeta his shoulder.
"Come on. I'll take you back."
Vegeta placed a hand on him, hoping that would finally end the conversation.
It did not.
"I still don't get why you need to be there," Goku said. "Emily's the one having the baby."
Vegeta's patience cracked.
"Because my wife is about to give birth! How much clearer can I make it? I'm not going to disappear for training while she's going through that."
"But you're not the one giving birth."
"That isn't the point! If you vanish to train at a time like this, your wife will hold it against you for the rest of your life."
Goku considered his own history and found no supporting evidence.
"I wasn't around when Gohan or Goten was born."
Vegeta had known Kakarot for years, yet he could still discover new reasons to be disappointed in him.
"You may not be a bad person, but as a husband, you're absolutely terrible."
Vados listened with genuine interest.
"So this is Earthling marriage etiquette."
"I'm going to get way stronger than you while you're gone, Vegeta," Goku warned.
"I don't care. Just take me home."
Vegeta's home stood beside Bulma's, close enough that both households were practically neighbors.
Emily was in the shower when two Saiyans suddenly appeared inside the bathroom.
Goku greeted her as though they had met in the street.
"Hey, Emily. Long time no see. Taking a bath?"
Emily immediately grabbed a towel and covered herself with a scream.
Vegeta's mind went blank for one dangerous second.
The only thing preventing him from transforming and beating Kakarot through the floor was the thought of frightening Emily and the baby.
Instead, he seized Goku by the collar, dragged him out of the bathroom, and punched him across the face.
Goku hit the floor outside and rubbed his cheek.
"What was that for? That hurt!"
"Why did you teleport into my bathroom?!"
"I just wanted to see what Emily looked like with the big belly. Don't be so stingy."
For a moment, Vegeta could not find words strong enough.
Red fur spread across his body as he entered Super Saiyan 4, and God ki immediately ignited over the transformation.
Goku recognized the danger far faster than he had recognized the social problem.
"Okay, I'm leaving. Bye!"
That brief moment saved him before Vegeta could land the next punch.
Still muttering curses, Vegeta remained outside the bathroom while Goku jumped through several distant ki signatures and eventually arrived at Bulma's home.
Ken was training over the lake, suspended above the small island at its center while starlike Angel power shimmered around him.
"Ken's still training?" Goku asked the Bulma standing nearby.
"Pretty much nonstop lately," she replied. "Did you need him for something?"
Goku was about to answer when something written on her clothes caught his attention.
"Hey, Bulma. Why does your shirt say 'Future'?"
Future Bulma smiled.
"Because I'm the Bulma from the future. It makes it easier to tell us apart."
"Oh! That makes sense." Goku laughed. "Way easier. Anyway, I won't bother Ken while he's training."
"Come visit again sometime."
"Sure."
He disappeared once more and returned to Universe 6's God of Destruction's Planet.
"Vados, I'm back. Let's train!"
"If we're going to train properly, then we're starting with the fundamentals."
Goku's enthusiasm immediately suffered.
"Again?"
"Again," Vados confirmed. "Your foundation still isn't stable enough. You discovered Ultra Instinct -Sign- years ago, yet you still haven't reached true Ultra Instinct. That alone should tell you there are weaknesses we need to correct."
Goku had hoped for something more exciting than another return to basics.
Champa wandered over with a yawn.
"You two enjoy yourselves. I'm taking a nap."
Before he could leave, Goku remembered something.
"Wait, Champa-sama. Before you go, what about that promise with Zeno-sama?"
Champa stopped.
"What promise?"
"The Tournament of Power."
Champa's entire mood deteriorated.
"Do yourself a favor and forget about it."
"Why? It sounds great! The strongest fighters from every universe all in one tournament." Goku was getting excited just imagining it. "That match against Universe 7 was already fun. And what about Jiren? He's still way stronger than me, right?"
"At least you understand that much. Surpass Jiren first. Then start worrying about some all-universe tournament."
"That's exactly why fighting him in the tournament would be perfect."
Champa decided silence was safer than encouraging him.
Goku rubbed his chin as another idea formed.
"Maybe I should just visit Zeno-sama and ask. He might've forgotten about the tournament."
"I strongly recommend that you stop looking for excuses to involve Zeno-sama in things."
"But I only want him to organize a tournament."
"If fighting Jiren matters that much, just go to Universe 11 and challenge him yourself."
Goku's face brightened.
"That's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?"
Unfortunately, knowing what he wanted to do did not tell him where to teleport.
"Where is Universe 11, anyway? And how am I supposed to find Jiren's ki from here?"
Before anyone could answer, Vados's staff chimed with another incoming communication.
She checked the crystal and immediately recognized the caller.
"Oh, it's Merus."
The connection opened.
"Vados-nee, it's been a while," Merus greeted her warmly.
"It has. What do you need?"
"Is Goku with you?"
"So you were looking for him." Vados switched the call to speaker. "He's right here. Go ahead."
Goku leaned closer to the staff.
"Merus?"
"Goku, could you come to Universe 7 and help me with something? I think it would be useful training for you as well."
That was all Goku needed to hear.
"Sure! I'll come right now. I just don't know where you are."
Vados used the crystal to project an image of Merus's current location and explained how Goku could identify the proper universe and lock onto the destination.
Goku concentrated until he understood what he was looking for.
"Got it! I'm coming, Merus!"
"I'll be waiting."
Goku disappeared almost before the call had ended.
Champa watched the empty space where he had been standing.
"Why did he even come here?"
Vados laughed softly.
"He heard we were starting from the fundamentals again and suddenly became much more interested in Merus's invitation."
"Good. It's finally quiet."
"For the moment."
Champa's curiosity lasted a few seconds longer.
"What does Merus need him for, anyway?"
"My guess would be Galactic Patrol business. If he asked Goku for help, he may have encountered something troublesome."
Champa had already lost interest.
"Then it's their problem."
Whatever awaited Goku in Universe 7 had nothing to do with him.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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