Champa's teeth were grinding so hard they sounded like they might shatter.
Standing beside him, Vados wasn't doing much better. Beneath her calm exterior, she was feeling a rare surge of divine envy. First, it was Beerus with his flashes of Ultra Instinct, and now there was this—a Destroyer Candidate so terrifyingly gifted it defied logic.
Why does my silly little brother get the once-in-a-billion-years prodigy while I'm stuck with this... this big, lovable oaf? she wondered. Life as an Angel was truly unfair sometimes.
"Whis," Vados said, her voice tight. "Where on earth did you abduct this little monster from?"
"Abduct?" Whis hid a snicker behind his hand. "With the sterling reputation Lord Beerus and I maintain in Universe 7, do we really need to resort to kidnapping? The boy delivered himself right to our doorstep!"
Whis and Beerus exchanged a smug, knowing look. Seeing the Universe 6 pair practically vibrating with jealousy was, quite frankly, better than any gourmet dessert.
"Whis! You are absolutely insufferable!" Vados huffed, stomping her foot—a gesture so uncharacteristically human it showed just how rattled she was.
"Oh-ho-ho! Dear sister, some things cannot be helped." Whis was clearly enjoying the chance to needle his elder sister.
Suddenly, Whis's expression shifted. He tapped his staff lightly. "Lord Beerus, I believe Gran is about to wake up."
"Finally!" Beerus ignored Champa and blurred across the grass to Gran's side. The Elder Kai, Shin, and Kibito followed close behind.
Champa blinked, his anger momentarily forgotten. "Vados, what's happening with the kid?"
"It appears he was suffering from extreme mental fatigue. His body forced him into a restorative slumber to prevent his martial arts foundation from cracking," Vados explained, her divine sight analysing the boy.
Fatigue? Champa thought. Makes sense. To reach that level at his age, he must have been pushing himself like a madman. He leaned in, looking for any sign that Gran had used "shortcuts" or forbidden techniques to gain power.
His eyes widened. Damn it! His foundation isn't just solid; it's practically indestructible!
Inside his mind, Gran was drifting in a sea of warmth. He had been so desperate to survive in the lethal world of Dragon Ball that he had forgotten the core tenet of the Turtle Hermit Way: Work hard, study well, eat well, and rest well. He realised now that training isn't just about the grind; it's about the balance.
Crack!
A mental barrier—one he hadn't even realised was there—shattered. A surge of raw, untamed power erupted from his small frame.
"What is this?!" Shin cried out, shielding his eyes. Gran was still in his base form, yet his energy felt significantly denser than before.
"He's broken through his power bottleneck!" Beerus shouted, his tail twitching with excitement.
For the last two years, Gran's base power had been stuck at 1,000,000,000 (1 Billion). No matter how much he trained, the needle wouldn't move. Now, after nothing more than a long nap, the floodgates had opened.
Base Battle Power: 1.0 Billion→1.2 Billion
The jump wasn't massive in the grand scheme of gods, but the breaking of the limit was everything. It meant his potential was once again uncapped.
"Vados," Champa whispered.
"Yes, My Lord?"
"Do you happen to have any... large sacks on you?"
"Lord Champa, what on earth are you implying?"
"Look at that kid's talent! Are you seriously not tempted?" Champa's eyes were wild. He looked like he wanted to bag Gran up and run for the border. "I want to take him home right now!"
Vados stared at him, deadpan. Is he serious? He watched eleven Destroyers fail to beat Beerus, and now he wants to try and steal Beerus's favourite toy right in front of him?
As Vados contemplated her Destroyer's lack of survival instinct, Gran's aura faded. The boy sat up on the lounge chair, rubbing his eyes and stretching his small arms.
"Lord Beerus, Whis! My bottleneck... It's gone!" Gran chirped, looking at his hands with a grin. "Breaking through just by sleeping? That was awesome!"
He felt lighter than air. But as he looked up, his smile faltered. Standing in front of him was a fat, purple cat-man and a tall, beautiful woman with a ponytail and a divine staff.
Champa and Vados? Gran's eyes went wide. What are they doing here?
"Hey, kid," Champa said, looming over him with a frantic, desperate grin. "Quick question: what's your favourite colour of sack? I've got all of them!"
"Huh?"
"Forget Beerus! Come with me to Universe 6!" Champa shouted, his face inches from Gran's. "Think about it! Beerus is too stubborn ever to die. You'll be a 'Candidate' for the next million years! But me? Look at me! I'm a ticking time bomb! I'll kick the bucket way faster! If you come with me, you'll be a full God of Destruction by next Tuesday!"
Gran was speechless. Champa was literally using his own health as a bargaining chip.
"If that's not enough," Champa continued, pointing a thumb at Vados, "look at her! That's Vados. She's way prettier than Whis, right? You come to Universe 6, and she'll be your personal, live-in tutor. Day and night, she'll be right by your side..."
The air in the Land of the Kais didn't just turn cold—it turned into a vacuum.
BOOM—!
A pillar of pure, unfiltered Angel-level power erupted from Vados. Reality itself began to unspool. The grass, the lake, and the very space they inhabited began to dissolve into proto-matter.
Whis sighed, his staff glowing as he stabilised the area for the others. Honestly, sister, was that necessary? He tapped his staff, performing a Temporal Do-over to restore the scenery before Vados actually erased the planet.
"You dare use me as a bribe, Champa?! YOU ARE DEAD!" Vados roared. She was so angry that she had dropped the "Lord" entirely.
But before she could strike, a purple blur streaked across the sky.
WHAM!
Beerus delivered a perfect Ultra Flying Kick right into Champa's gut. Champa was sent flying, skipping across the grass like a stone for ten thousand kilometres.
"You fat pig! You dare try to poach my student?!" Beerus roared, teleporting to where Champa had landed.
Truthfully, Beerus was helping him. If Vados had hit Champa in that state, there wouldn't be enough of him left to fill a soup bowl.
"I'll beat you so hard even I won't recognise you!" Vados appeared instantly beside Champa, ignoring the distance as if it didn't exist.
"Lady Vados, please!" Beerus shouted, kicking Champa again just for good measure. "I'm already handling it! Save your energy!"
Brother, don't blame me, Beerus thought as he delivered another punch. Blame your own big mouth!
Back at the lake, Gran was finally processing the chaos. "Whis... were those the Universe 6 pair?"
"Indeed. The tall one is my sister, Vados. The rounder one is Lord Champa, Lord Beerus's twin brother."
"They're... intense," Gran said, thinking about Vados's display of power. It had made his skin crawl. "Whis, can I ask you something? Who's stronger? You, or Lady Vados?"
The Elder Kai and Shin leaned in, their ears practically twitching. It was the question everyone wanted to ask but was too afraid to voice.
Whis stayed silent for a moment, looking out at the horizon where Vados was still scolding Champa. He looked back at Gran and smiled. "Now, now, Gran. If someone asked you for your true power level, would you tell them everything?"
Gran rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Probably not."
"However," Whis continued, his voice dropping slightly, "the gap between myself and my sister is something even Lord Beerus is aware of."
Gran didn't hesitate. He floated up into the air until he was eye-level with the Angel, his round face full of curiosity. "Since Lord Beerus knows, it's not a secret anymore! Come on, Whis—spill it! Who's the top dog?"
<><><><><><><><><><><>
Want more chapters? Support my Patreon/Razerizz