As time passed, the expression on Whis's face grew increasingly solemn as he gazed into his crystal ball.
Seeing this, Beerus swallowed hard. "What's the matter?"
Half an hour ticked by. By the time little Broly was about halfway through his meal, the glow emanating from the crystal ball atop Whis's scepter began to fade.
"Well? What did you see?" Beerus asked, his tone heavy with concern.
Gran pricked up his ears, listening intently. Bulma leaned in even closer; she found herself wishing she had a bag of melon seeds to snack on so she could enjoy these cosmic secrets like a theater performance.
"Lord Beerus..." Whis began, a hint of surprise in his voice. "It seems... our universe is actually quite 'badass'!"
The word "badass" was a term he had picked up from Gran, and he felt it was the perfect descriptor for the current state of Universe 7.
"Huh?" Beerus was dumbfounded. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Whis quickly began to recount the transformations Universe 7 had undergone over the past decade. He spoke of Beerus's targeted destruction of substandard planets, the joint management of the universe by the two Supreme Kais, the blossoming of various high-potential civilizations, Merus training the remaining Saiyans, and the unprecedented cooperation between the Galactic Patrol and the Saiyan race.
Hearing the full report, Gran gave a soft smile. It was exactly as he had observed over the last two years.
Beerus narrowed his eyes, realizing for the first time that his universe really was becoming quite impressive. Bulma couldn't follow all the technical details, but she gathered that their universe was a big deal. Meanwhile, little Broly was still focused entirely on his rice balls and miso soup.
"See that, Lord Beerus? Do you see the untapped potential of our universe now?" Gran walked over and patted Beerus on the shoulder, adopting the lecturing tone of an elder. "You really should stop being so lazy. If you'd just put in a little effort, Universe 7 would hit the number one rank in no time."
However, Beerus swatted Gran's hand away. "Not a chance," he grumbled. "That sounds way too exhausting. If you want it done, do it yourself. You've already mastered the Power of Destruction, haven't you?"
If Gran hadn't learned the ways of Hakai yet, Beerus might have personally helped him out of pure favoritism. But things were different now.
Gran stared at him, speechless. He had assumed Beerus was only lazy because he didn't realize how much potential his universe had. He was wrong. Beerus truly hadn't known how great the universe was, but his laziness had nothing to do with that—he was just fundamentally lazy.
But then again, Gran thought, that's just Lord Beerus, isn't it?
"Hmph. You're no fun at all, Lord Beerus," Gran muttered, pouting slightly. He knew there was no changing the mind of a God of Destruction like this. Shrugging, he left the dining room.
Inside, only Bulma, Whis, Beerus, and the still-eating Broly remained.
"Whis, do you think this kid can really take our universe to the top spot?" Beerus asked, leaning against the table with a smirk.
"You're acting strange, Lord Beerus. Your mind keeps flipping back and forth," Whis teased. "Didn't you just say you had no interest in the rankings?"
"If I hadn't taken Gran as my disciple, I truly wouldn't care," Beerus admitted, resting his chin in his hand. "But it's different now. I'm actually starting to wonder what it feels like to be in first place."
Gran had once told him that a second-to-last ranking didn't befit his status as the strongest God of Destruction, and Beerus found himself agreeing with that sentiment more and more.
"If you want to taste that number one spot, why don't you get to work yourself?" Whis asked, taking his seat.
"Haven't I been working for the last ten years?" Beerus's grin widened. "Now that Gran has learned the rules of Destruction, it's finally time for me to take a break."
Whis was speechless. You've been taking a break this whole time!
Still, he understood Beerus's logic. To raise the universe's rank, one had to destroy planets that lowered the average diligently. Since the act of destruction was the fastest way to sharpen one's Hakai energy, it was the perfect opportunity for Gran to cultivate his power to a higher level.
Silence returned to the room, save for the sound of Broly eating. Bulma, having finished eavesdropping on the cosmic gossip, couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Gran for having to deal with such a "lazy cat."
Over the next few days, Gran vanished from Bulma's estate. Beerus didn't worry; he could sense that Gran was still on Earth. There was no rush to start the next phase of training. Both he and Whis had seen Gran's growth during their recent battle—physically and technically, he was near perfection. All he lacked now was raw power.
It wasn't quite time to have the Elder Kai unlock Gran's potential yet. The Elder Kai needed time to prepare his mental state, and Whis estimated it would be another three years before that ritual could take place. This left Gran with a three-year gap. Whis hadn't decided how to fill it yet, but there was no hurry. Gran had spent two years mastering Destruction and had just fought a grueling battle with Beerus. He deserved some rest.
Seven days later, Gran finally returned.
"Lord Gran, you're back!" Bulma cried out in surprise as she saw him descend from the sky.
"Yeah," Gran replied, landing on the grass. He noticed Bulma was no longer wearing her bulky gravity suit; she seemed to have finally acclimated to her new strength.
"Where have you been the last few days?" she asked curiously.
"Checking in on Kakarot," Gran said, making no secret of it.
"Goku?" Bulma blinked. "It's been so long since I've seen him. How is he doing?"
"He's preparing for the World Martial Arts Tournament in two years. He's off training on his own."
"I see." Bulma sighed in relief. Earth could be a dangerous place, and she didn't want anything happening to her old friend. "Lord Gran, I've finally gotten used to this power. When are you going to teach me how to fly?"
Gran took a closer look at her. As he suspected, she had only adapted to the physical weight of her power; she hadn't gained absolute control over it like a true martial artist. But then again, she wasn't a fighter, so it didn't matter much.
"Why didn't you ask Whis?" Gran asked, sitting down under a sunshade where a pot of tea was waiting.
Bulma followed him, looking dejected. "He and Lord Beerus are always off looking for gourmet food. They said they didn't have time for me."
Gran chuckled. That sounded exactly like them. "Here's a tip: find a dish Whis has never tasted before. He'll teach you anything for a good meal."
"Forget it. I'd much rather have you teach me, Lord Gran."
Gran sipped his tea and sighed. "You have an Angel right next to you, and you don't use him? You're a bit silly, aren't you?"
"I am not! Please, teach me~" Bulma pleaded, her voice turning sweet and persuasive.
"Alright, alright, stop that," Gran said, getting goosebumps. "I'll teach you." He had promised her two wishes, after all.
"Thank you!" Bulma's face flushed with excitement.
"First, tell me—can you sense your Ki yet?"
"Ki?"
"The explosive power inside your body." Gran set his tea down and stepped out from under the shade. He raised his hand, and a tiny white spark appeared in his palm. In an instant, it expanded. One meter... two meters... until a massive energy sphere, a hundred meters in diameter, hovered above the estate. The sheer pressure made the very air tremble.
Bulma's jaw dropped.
"See that? That is Ki." With a wave of his hand, the sphere vanished instantly.
"Wait, it's gone already? I barely saw it!"
"That was Divine Ki. You can't actually sense it with your current level. I just wanted to give you a visual of what Ki looks like." Gran walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Now, feel this."
As he spoke, a thread of Divine Ki flowed from his palm, wrapping around Bulma.
"This feeling...!" Bulma felt a wave of warmth wash over her. It was incredibly comfortable.
"Ki is your strength, but it's also your life force. The energy I just gave you is enough to sustain your basic life functions." Gran walked back to the tea table. The technique was similar to what Goku had done for Frieza on Namek; without that bit of energy, Frieza never would have survived the planet's explosion.
Of course, since Gran used Divine Ki, Bulma couldn't "sense" it in the traditional way, but his energy would stimulate her own internal reserves.
"By power level standards, your Ki is already at 10,000. That's a significant amount of power. Focus on that sensation."
While Bulma sat on the grass, closing her eyes to meditate on her internal energy, Gran reclined on a lounge chair. Her training path was different from Videl's, so her methods had to adapt.
By the time evening rolled around, Beerus, Whis, and Broly returned, their bellies full from another feast. They saw Bulma meditating and immediately understood she was learning to sense Ki. Not wanting to disturb her, they headed straight for the dining room to find Gran.
Inside, Gran was eating his own dinner.
"So, you went to see that brat?" Beerus asked, taking a seat.
"Mmhmm," Gran grunted, his mouth full of food. Beerus rolled his eyes, waiting for him to swallow.
"How is he?"
"Kakarot is still working on the basics," Gran said after swallowing.
Beerus and Whis nodded. A solid foundation was the only way to reach true heights.
"According to our original plan, we expected it would take you five years to reach the level of Destruction mastery you have now," Beerus said, turning serious. "The next step was to have the old man in the Sacred World of the Kai unlock your potential..."
Gran's eyes widened. "Unlock my potential?"
He knew exactly what that meant. In the original story, Gohan had entered a "Mystic" state after the Elder Kai's ritual. It was a unique form that lacked the emotional instability or physical strain of the Super Saiyan form. It was essentially a perfected base state that allowed one to access all their power—and more—without transforming.
"Whis, didn't you say training shouldn't rely on outside help?" Gran asked, frowning. That was why he had never brought up the Elder Kai before.
"It's different," Whis explained, shaking his head. "When I speak of 'outside help,' I mean powers that require an external source to maintain—like Broly needing the Super Dragon Balls to maintain his sanity. That is an external crutch."
"The power unlocked by the Elder Kai is different. It's like the power a Saiyan gains after recovering from the brink of death. It is your own latent power, brought to the surface. Furthermore... the Elder Kai's method has absolutely no side effects."
Gran stood up abruptly, his eyes glowing with excitement. If Whis vouched for it, then the "Mystic" state was perfect.
His ultimate plan for his power set just got an upgrade. The new goal was a triple stack: Divine Dimension, Ultra Instinct, and Mystic State.
Since the Mystic state functioned as a superior "base" form, it was the perfect foundation to support the god-like reflex of Ultra Instinct!
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