Zarek and Trunks stepped into the ring together.
Trunks gave him a proper bow. Zarek only crossed his arms, making no effort to return it.
"I'm not holding back, Trunks," Zarek said with a snort.
Trunks smiled and raised his guard. "Same here."
They moved at the same time.
The moment the match began, the two of them shot forward and crashed into each other. Their fists blurred across the ring, each exchange coming so fast that the crowd could barely follow it. One second they were trading blows on the ground, the next they were flashing through the air, then dropping back onto the stage without either side giving an inch.
The audience stared in silence.
These were supposed to be children.
After a few more exchanges, Zarek slipped through Trunks's guard and punched him across the cheek. Trunks winced, then immediately slapped him back, leaving a bright red handprint on Zarek's face.
Zarek stepped back and rubbed his cheek. The playful look in his eyes faded.
"Trunks," he said coldly, "you really shouldn't have made me mad."
"This is a match," Trunks replied, holding his stance. "I'm not going easy on you."
"Fine." Zarek's energy stirred around him, calm on the surface but heavy enough to make everyone who could sense it tense. "Fine. Then I'll get a little serious. If I accidentally kill you, I'll just bring you back with the Dragon Balls."
His aura did not explode the way normal ki did. It sat there, quiet and steady, but Goku and the others immediately felt the difference.
"God ki," Vegeta said, frowning.
"This is… God ki?" Goku sounded surprised too.
"What's wrong, Goku?" Krillin asked, confused. "That's God ki coming from Zarek?"
"Yeah," Goku said with a nod.
"It's not pure God ki, though, right? I can still sense his ki a little," Krillin said.
"Right. It's mixed with the energy we usually train with," Goku said.
"How does Zarek have God ki? When did that kid learn something like this?" Krillin muttered.
"Tch. He's the son of a god. Of course he can learn about that," Vegeta said through his teeth, though the look on his face made it clear he was not happy about it.
Trunks, meanwhile, was still using ordinary energy.
That made Vegeta feel even worse.
I feel like my son is going to lose.
"Ready to get beaten up, Trunks?" Zarek grinned and leaned forward.
"Who's scared of you?" Trunks gritted his teeth and braced himself.
"I'm coming, so try not to die," Zarek said. "Finding all seven Dragon Balls is a pain, and I don't have time for that."
Zarek vanished.
Trunks's eyes widened, and he launched himself into the sky just in time. Zarek's attack tore through the space where he had been standing a heartbeat earlier.
"Nice. Trunks reacted fast," Goku said.
"Tch." Vegeta looked annoyed. "I don't need you commenting on my son."
Goku wisely said nothing.
Gohan and Kale stayed quiet too. This was not the moment to jump in.
Zarek chased Trunks into the air, closing the distance with frightening speed. "You're not getting away, Trunks."
He was too fast. With God ki behind his movements, Zarek had already stepped into a level Trunks could not match head-on.
Trunks's face tightened as Zarek drew closer. Once he realized he could not dodge forever, golden light flared around him. His hair rose, and he transformed into a Super Saiyan.
Zarek snorted. "You think turning Super Saiyan means you can beat me? You're underestimating me, Trunks."
He drove a punch straight at him.
Trunks caught it with both hands, but the impact still blasted him diagonally downward. He nearly slammed into the ring before his golden aura surged again, stopping him less than a meter above the stage.
The crowd looked from Trunks to Zarek, who remained high above the ring.
Was this really a children's match?
How was it this intense?
No one made a sound. Nobody had expected two kids under ten to fight like this.
"Damn it!" Trunks raised one hand toward Zarek.
An energy blast tore through the air.
Zarek did not even flinch. He watched it come with a faint look of disdain on his young face.
"Hakai!"
Purple-red destruction energy spread over Trunks's blast.
The attack popped like a soap bubble and vanished.
Trunks froze.
"Th-That was...?" he stammered. "That's my dad's technique!"
"That's right. I'm your dad," Zarek's voice suddenly came from behind him.
Trunks turned stiffly.
"Go wait under the ring, son." Zarek grinned and kicked him in the chest.
Trunks flew out of the ring and hit the ground, eliminated.
The entire venue went dead quiet.
"Surprised? Good! You should be!" Zarek stood in the ring with his head held high, looking like a smug little rooster.
Everyone really was shocked.
Gohan and Kale were stunned. Even Goten, who spent almost every day with Zarek, stared at him in disbelief.
Goku and the others had not been around Zarek as much, so their shock made sense.
But no one was more shocked than Vegeta.
Are you kidding me?
A brat like him learned a God of Destruction's technique?
How is that possible?
When I was his age, I was still wandering around space!
"That's amazing… Zarek learned Hakai?" Goku said, surprise giving way to a faint smile.
"Hmph!" Vegeta snorted, feeling even more bitter.
Zarek had also called himself Trunks's father right in front of him, which only made Vegeta more irritated.
But right now, shock won out over anger.
This is ridiculous.
How can a kid that young understand the core of Hakai?
"When did Zarek learn Hakai?" Gohan was still trying to process what he had seen.
"That brat… He secretly learned Hakai and I didn't even notice?" Kale frowned.
Looks like I'll have to be careful when I bully him from now on.
If I'm not careful and he uses Hakai on me, even Shenron won't be able to bring me back.
That little brat really is dangerous.
In the waiting room, Goten scratched his head, still stunned by what he had just watched.
Krillin's mouth twitched.
Thank goodness there's a Junior Division.
If that brat entered the Adult Division, I'd probably die.
He definitely wouldn't hold back.
Android 21 and Android 16 said nothing, but both of them looked at Zarek with a little more caution.
Piccolo stayed silent too.
Up in the stands, Chi-Chi looked confused. "What was that just now? Why does everyone look so shocked?"
"That… looked like Bardock's Hakai," Gine said quietly.
"A God of Destruction's Hakai?" Chi-Chi realized.
"That's incredible," Bulma said. "He learned Hakai at that age? As expected from the son of a God of Destruction. I wonder if Ken knows."
"This is the first time I've seen Zarek use it too," Gine said, staring at him. "He never told anyone."
"That's perfect. Ken needs a God of Destruction and a Supreme Kai anyway." Bulma smiled and pulled out her communicator.
Ken would be thrilled when he heard this, right?
He had basically gained a God of Destruction for free.
No training needed.
Wonderful.
Bulma wasted no time and contacted Ken.
…
Universe 12, Planet Nilala.
Ken was lying on a single bed, enjoying a massage from six beautiful women.
During his stay, Ken had used a projection to study the Metamorans' massage techniques, then taught them to Nailah and the other girls. They had learned quickly and had been using Ken as their practice subject ever since.
Ken was enjoying himself very much.
Merus had just dropped by for a visit. When he saw how comfortable Ken looked, he felt a little jealous.
Why didn't I think of that?
When I go back, I'll have the girls in my village learn this too.
"Merus, what do you need?" Ken asked.
"There's something I wanted to talk to you about." Merus glanced at the girls around Ken. "Do you have a moment? Just the two of us."
"Nailah, stop for a bit. I need to talk with Merus," Ken said.
"Okay." Nailah nodded obediently.
Ken and Merus walked some distance away.
"Ken, don't you think this planet is strange?" Merus asked.
"Do you mean the planet, or the women on it?" Ken asked with a smile.
"Huh? You already noticed?" Merus froze.
"I noticed on the first day," Ken said.
Merus fell silent.
"Don't tell me it took you a whole month to figure it out," Ken said.
Merus did not want to talk.
"The universe really is full of weird places," Ken said. "The way I'd describe it, this planet has very heavy yin energy. What's your explanation?"
"Yin energy? What's that?" Merus asked.
"Think about it yourself. Tell me what you found first," Ken said, not bothering to explain.
The whole idea of yin and yang was too deep.
Ken doubted Merus would understand it right away.
"I realized the women on this planet have been secretly absorbing our energy," Merus said. "No wonder there are no men here. According to what I found, the men on this planet had all their energy drained by the women long ago. The women here are born with the ability to absorb male energy. More accurately, they can absorb energy from any male creature and turn it into lifespan."
"That's why they live so long," Ken added. "An ordinary woman here can live around five hundred years."
"Our Angel power is special, so it's hard for them to absorb," Merus said, lowering his head. "But… I…"
"Don't tell me they absorbed a tiny bit of your Angel power," Ken said, quietly wiping away sweat.
"I'm sorry. I might have been having too much fun and accidentally let a little leak out…" Merus said awkwardly.
"Why are you apologizing to me?" Ken said, completely unconcerned.
Still, he was a little surprised.
The girls on this planet really were impressive.
They could even absorb Merus's Angel power.
Of course, it was only a tiny bit that Merus had accidentally let slip.
"At least it was only a tiny bit. If they absorbed even a little more, their bodies probably wouldn't be able to handle it. They'd swell up like balloons and explode," Ken said.
Merus fell silent.
"Don't say it like that… Thinking about such pretty girls turning into balloons…" Merus shuddered.
"You have a point." Ken smiled and did not argue.
"What I mean is, should we keep staying here?" Merus asked. "I'm worried that if I get carried away again and release more Angel power… they really might explode."
"Then just be careful," Ken said.
Merus had no idea how to answer that.
Just then, Ken's scepter suddenly vibrated.
In the distance, Nailah let out a soft little sound.
Merus's face immediately turned red.
Ken also looked toward Nailah, speechless.
Why are you playing with my scepter again?
"Looks like someone's calling," Merus said.
Ken nodded and crooked a finger.
The scepter slipped away from Nailah and flew back into Ken's hand.
Nailah looked disappointed. She gave Ken a resentful little look and pouted, clearly upset that he had taken it away.
Ken held the scepter and checked the call. It was Bulma.
"Bulma, what's up?" Ken answered.
"Ken, you remember Zarek, right?" Bulma asked, excited.
"Zarek?" Ken said. "Bardock's kid?"
"Yes, him," Bulma said quickly. "He just used Hakai."
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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