Deep within the fringes of the North Galaxy, a dim and desolate planet hung in the void. This was the fourth world on Gran's list for destruction.
Initially, Gran had planned to simply blow the planet to smithereens and be done with it, but as he approached from space, he noticed something peculiar about its energy. Curiosity piqued, he took Broly and descended through the atmosphere.
"Strange. This planet clearly used to be inhabited by humans. How did it end up like this?" Gran mused as he led Broly through the wreckage of a once-great civilization. They walked through a ghost city, its skyscrapers now skeletal ruins of twisted metal and cracked stone.
Click. Gran looked down. He had stepped on a rusted, ancient alarm clock. He sighed and kept walking.
"Big Brother Gran, I'm getting hungry again," Broly said, rubbing his stomach.
"There's nothing to eat in a place like this," Gran replied, scanning the barren horizon. "Just hang in there for a bit."
"Oh... okay," Broly muttered obediently. When he wasn't in a mindless rage, the boy was surprisingly well-behaved. Gran smiled and patted his head before continuing their trek.
From what he could see, a catastrophic war had once ravaged this world, wiping out its entire population. But one thing didn't add up: even if the people died, why did the planet's very life force seem to be drained?
Suddenly, a massive, square altar appeared before them.
Meanwhile, in the Otherworld, King Kai was vibrating with excitement as he broadcasted the scene to the other three Kais. "Hahaha! It's happening! The Hakaishin Candidate has stumbled right into Bojack's lap!"
Back on the planet, Gran stood before the altar. His divine intuition—a sharp, sixth sense unique to those on the path of godhood—told him he was being watched.
Who is it? Does it have something to do with this altar? Gran glanced up at the sky, a move that nearly gave King Kai a heart attack.
"Interesting. The planet's life force is being funneled directly into this site," Gran noted. He climbed the steps of the altar and found five massive, sarcophagus-like tombs. Strange, glowing ley lines connected the four corners of the platform.
Having studied the theory of divine seals during his candidate lessons, Gran recognized it instantly. These tombs weren't just graves; they were a high-level seal. The planet's vitality was being sacrificed as "fuel" to keep whatever was inside suppressed.
"Big Brother Gran, what are these?" Broly asked, hopping onto one of the tombs and stomping on it. The legendary Saiyan felt no fear—then again, there wasn't much in the multiverse that could actually scare him.
"I'm not sure, but there's only one way to find out." Gran's eyes narrowed. He didn't recall anything like this from the original series. Could this be a hidden boss of Universe 7?
The thought made him grin. These past two months of erasing pebbles had been mind-numbing. Broly was still too weak to provide a real challenge, and Gran was itching for a fight. A mysterious, ancient boss was exactly what he needed to break the boredom.
"Broly, stand back."
Gran crouched down and placed his hand on the lid of the first tomb. He could feel the resistance of the sealing magic. Since this planet was already marked for destruction, he didn't care about the consequences of breaking the lock.
"Hakai."
A flicker of purple light surged from his palm. The seal disintegrated like morning mist under a desert sun. Gran's fingers pierced through the stone slab like it was wet paper, and with a sharp grunt, he heaved the lid aside.
"Whoa! Big Brother Gran, there's a lady in there!" Broly exclaimed, leaning over to look.
Gran blinked in surprise. Inside the tomb lay a woman with smooth, pale skin and a finely sculpted face. Her long, wavy orange hair fanned out behind her head, and her striking, turquoise skin marked her clearly as a member of the Hera Clan.
Wait... isn't that Zangya? Gran was floored.
Zangya was one of Bojack's most dangerous lieutenants. In the movies, she was known as one of the few true beauties in the Dragon Ball world, and seeing her in person, Gran had to admit the rumors were true.
"Then the other four tombs must be Bojack and the rest of the gang."
Gran stood up. In the original timeline, these space pirates were only freed because Goku's accidental death (via Cell's explosion) weakened King Kai's part of the seal. Since the timeline was different here, the seal was still holding firm—until now.
Gran looked up at the sky again. He was certain now that someone was spying on him, and that "someone" was almost certainly the North Kai.
You sneaky little mushroom, Gran thought with a devious smirk. "Broly, wait here. I'll be right back."
"Okay!" Broly nodded.
Gran placed two fingers to his forehead and vanished.
The North Kai's Planet
King Kai was frantically twitching his antennae, his voice ringing in the heads of his fellow Kais. "Hahaha! He's doing it! He's breaking the seal! Watch! That tomb holds Zangya! He's opened it! Zangya, you're finished!"
Suddenly, King Kai went dead silent. His face turned an even deeper shade of blue.
"Hey! Shorty! What's happening?"
"Did she die? Don't leave us hanging!"
"Talk to us, North Kai!"
King Kai's voice was trembling now, barely a whisper. "He... I think the Hakaishin Candidate realized I was watching..."
The other three Kais didn't hesitate for a single second:
"Oh! Look at the time! My grandmother is about to give birth to my father! I've gotta go!"
"Right! My dad is having a baby too! I need to go help with the delivery! Bye!"
"It's starting to rain here! I have to go bring in the laundry! See ya never!!"
The psychic connection snapped shut. They weren't about to get caught "talking trash" behind a god's back. If the Candidate God of Destruction decided to take offense, they didn't want their planets to end up like King Kai's—shrunk to the size of a backyard.
King Kai's teeth chattered. Those traitors! They're happy to listen to the gossip but leave me to face the music alone?!
"King Kai," a voice boomed from behind him. "You've got a lot of nerve peeking at me like that."
King Kai spun around and collapsed onto his backside. It was him. He'd actually been caught!
Gran stood over him, looking down at the stout deity. King Kai, with his blue skin, sunglasses, and bumbling demeanor, was exactly as Gran remembered from the anime. It was surreal to finally see the legendary comedian in the flesh.
In King Kai's eyes, however, Gran was terrifying. Clad in his bulky gravity suit, Gran radiated a massive, divine pressure. A faint, lingering wisp of purple Hakai energy still clung to his hands from breaking the seal.
"G-G-Greetings, Lord Hakaishin Candidate!" King Kai scrambled to his feet, his face pale with fright. "I-I wasn't... I mean, I didn't mean to... please don't destroy my planet!"
King Kai suddenly lunged into the air and performed a perfect, flat-faced belly flop onto the grass. He was literally physically shielding his tiny world with his own body.
Gran covered his face with his hand. Does he really think I'm like Beerus?
Honestly, he felt a bit sorry for the guy. In the original series, King Kai's planet was blown up by Cell, and he was constantly forgotten whenever the Earthlings made wishes on the Dragon Balls.
"Relax. Patrolling the galaxy is your job; I know you weren't doing it out of malice." Gran tapped the ground with his foot, and the resulting vibration popped King Kai back up onto his feet.
King Kai was ecstatic. "Th-thank you! Thank you, Lord Gran!" He couldn't believe his luck—unlike the short-tempered Beerus, this candidate actually seemed reasonable!
"By the way..." Gran cleared his throat, trying to keep a straight face. King Kai had a natural, comedic energy that made it hard to stay serious. "I've heard you know two very impressive techniques. Why don't you tell me about them?"
Gran knew that the Kaio-ken had massive side effects, and Whis would likely view it as a "crude" shortcut. But there was no denying that the Kaio-ken was incredibly cool.
To Gran, power was important, but "coolness" was a lifelong pursuit! As for the Spirit Bomb (Genki Dama), it would be a waste to visit King Kai and not learn the most iconic move in the franchise.
"Huh?" King Kai blinked. The shift in conversation was so fast his brain couldn't keep up.
"You know, the Kaio-ken and the Spirit Bomb," Gran said, keeping his expression neutral. "I've been researching various martial arts lately. I'd like to hear the theory behind yours."
How does he know about those? King Kai wondered, baffled.
"What? Do I need to tell you a joke before you'll talk?" Gran teased, feigning a bit of divine irritation.
"No, no! Not at all!" King Kai squeaked. How does he know my secret requirements?! Does he know what color my underwear is, too?! "I do indeed have two ultimate techniques. The Spirit Bomb and the Kaio-ken. They are my own creations, though to be honest, I've never actually mastered the Kaio-ken myself... it's still quite unstable..."
Gran waved him off. "It's fine. I'm just researching the concepts. I'm not necessarily looking to 'learn' them."
Not looking to learn them? Really? King Kai didn't quite believe him. His techniques were legendary; he couldn't imagine a martial artist who wouldn't want to learn them.
King Kai began explaining the principles and the manipulation of energy required for both moves. As he spoke, Gran's eyes glazed over as he entered his signature "enlightenment trance."
Two hours passed.
Mastering the essence of Destruction had taken Gran three days, but compared to the laws of a Hakaishin, the Kaio-ken and Spirit Bomb were child's play. In just two hours, Gran had completely deconstructed and understood the mechanics of both.
He snapped his eyes open.
"Lord Gran... did you...?" King Kai's jaw dropped.
"Those are indeed some formidable techniques," Gran said, patting King Kai on the shoulder. He hadn't "mastered" them to the point of execution yet—much like his Hakai, he would need to practice to actually fire them off—but the hard part was over.
"So... you already learned them?" King Kai swallowed hard.
"Yeah. They're pretty simple, actually."
King Kai wanted to cry. Simple? He had spent centuries developing those moves!
"Earlier you said you didn't want to learn them... you're a big fat liar," King Kai grumbled under his breath.
"What was that?" Gran asked, suppressing a grin. If King Kai knew it only took him a few hours to grasp the basics of Destruction, the poor guy might actually have a heart attack.
"N-nothing! Nothing at all!"
"I'm a fair man," Gran said. "Since I've 'researched' your martial arts, I'll give you a promise. If you ever run into trouble you can't handle, you can call on me for help."
It was the same promise he had given the Yardrats and the Metamorans. In exchange for their secrets, they gained the protection of a future god.
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