"Let's play hide-and-seek!"
The two Namekian children ran off through the village, laughing as they searched for places to hide. Their game had barely begun when one of the adults noticed a dark shape descending through the sky.
"Grand Elder, look!"
Moori followed his gaze and saw the approaching spacecraft. New Namek rarely received visitors, and something about this one immediately filled him with unease.
"A spaceship…"
Aboard the Galactic Patrol ship, Goku watched Moro's position closing on New Namek.
"If we wait any longer, he's going to reach the planet before us."
"Then stop waiting," Vegeta said. "Let's go."
Goku had already been thinking the same thing.
"He knows I found him anyway. All right, let's get there first."
"Good. I want to see what's so dangerous about this old goat."
Merus immediately tried to stop them.
"Both of you, wait. We still don't know enough about Moro. Going straight to him could be dangerous."
Goku put two fingers to his forehead.
Too late.
He locked onto New Namek and disappeared with Vegeta before Merus could finish.
Left staring at the empty space they had occupied, Merus wondered for perhaps the hundredth time why Saiyans considered instructions optional.
Bringing Jiren into the operation would certainly make things safer, but Ken had specifically described this crisis as an opportunity for both Merus and Goku to break through their current limits.
That complicated things.
Merus wanted the chance to improve his Angel power.
He was considerably less enthusiastic about helping Goku surpass Jiren in the process.
Jaco had none of those concerns. He was still trying to understand how the two Saiyans had vanished.
"How did they do that?"
Goku and Vegeta appeared directly in Moori's village.
The Grand Elder recognized them almost immediately, and the tension in his face eased.
"Goku! Vegeta! It's good to see you both again."
"Hey, Grand Elder. Been a while."
Before Goku could explain why they had suddenly appeared, Vegeta pointed toward the ship descending through the clouds.
"Kakarot. He's already here."
Goku followed his finger and felt the same ugly presence he had sensed across space.
"Yeah. That's him."
Moori's relief disappeared.
"What's happening?"
Goku quickly explained Moro's escape from the Galactic Prison, his ability to consume planetary life energy, and the likelihood that he had come for New Namek's Dragon Balls.
By the time he finished, Moori understood why they had arrived in such a hurry.
Inside the approaching ship, Moro had already spotted them.
"The one who observed me earlier is waiting below."
His companion peered toward the planet.
"That fast?"
"I don't know what technique he used, but he crossed the distance almost instantly. There's something of the Supreme Kai about him as well." Moro's smile widened as he sensed Goku and Vegeta more carefully. "And both of them came here to capture me."
The escaped prisoner swallowed.
"So they really are with the Galactic Patrol? They must have a death wish if they think they can fight you."
Moro was interested in something else.
"Their energy is excellent."
"Grand Elder, take the Dragon Balls and get everyone as far away from here as possible," Goku warned. "We'll keep Moro busy."
"I understand. Please be careful."
Moori immediately ordered the village evacuated.
Namekians hurried from their homes with whatever they needed, taking the Dragon Ball with them as Vegeta remained behind and studied the ship.
Moro's ki was not particularly impressive.
The sensation surrounding it was another matter.
"It's disgusting."
Goku knew exactly what he meant.
"Yeah. I felt the same thing earlier."
"But his actual power doesn't seem like much." Vegeta had expected something far more intimidating after hearing Merus's warnings. "Why would an Angel be wary of this old monster?"
"Maybe Moro really is difficult to handle if Merus can't use Angel power." Goku kept his attention on the ship. "Still… something about him feels wrong. Don't underestimate him."
The spacecraft settled onto New Namek's blue grasslands.
Its ramp extended.
Moro emerged slowly, each measured step making his age impossible to ignore. His thin body looked worn by millions of years, and the enormous horns above his head only made the rest of him seem more skeletal.
Vegeta had expected the terror of the Galactic Prison to look considerably more threatening.
"That's him? He can barely walk."
"He has been alive for over ten million years."
Moro stepped off the ramp and drew a long breath of New Namek's air. A deep, goat-like cry escaped him before his ancient features relaxed in pleasure.
"After ten million years in prison… breathing the air of a living world again almost feels like being reborn."
His companion remained inside the ship, where he suddenly recognized the other Saiyan waiting beside Goku.
"That's Vegeta! Why is he here?"
Goku stepped toward Moro.
"So you're Moro. We heard about everything you've done." He thought for a moment and offered what seemed to him like a perfectly reasonable solution. "How about going back to prison quietly?"
Vegeta resisted the urge to ask whether Kakarot had suffered brain damage.
Moro regarded Goku with much the same disbelief.
Who escaped after ten million years only to agree to go back because someone asked nicely?
Instead of answering, Moro turned toward one of the nearby houses and extended a hand.
Magic reached through the wall.
Goku and Vegeta sensed the movement but did not understand his target until part of the building exploded outward and a small Namekian came flying through the debris.
The child had stayed behind during the evacuation because he had been hiding from his friend.
Moro caught him by the throat.
Eska kicked desperately in the air, unable to break the grip.
Goku's entire demeanor changed.
"Put him down!"
"Relax." Moro looked almost amused. "I haven't eaten in a very long time."
"You're going to eat him?!"
Goku started forward, but Vegeta was faster.
His kick slammed into Moro's arm and broke his grip on Eska. Before the child could hit the ground, Vegeta caught him against his chest and carried him clear.
"Eska!" Moori called from the retreating villagers.
Vegeta set the boy down.
"Go."
Eska sprinted back to the Grand Elder and clung to him.
Moro flexed the arm Vegeta had struck.
"I was about to have my first meal in ten million years."
Vegeta's expression hardened.
"I caused the Namekians enough trouble a long time ago. I'm not letting some bastard eat another one in front of me."
He looked toward Goku.
"Kakarot, I'm taking him first."
Goku had heard that before.
"You went first against Zamasu too."
Vegeta ignored the complaint.
"All right, fine." Goku knew arguing would accomplish nothing. "Just be careful. Merus was worried about this guy for a reason."
"A simple Super Saiyan will be enough."
Golden light erupted around Vegeta.
Moro watched the transformation without concern.
"You truly believe you can defeat me? Your ignorance is almost impressive."
Vegeta lowered into his stance and attacked.
His first punch carried enough force to tear the air apart, but Moro slipped aside before it landed.
Vegeta changed direction immediately and accelerated through another combination.
Moro refused every direct exchange, moving just far enough to keep each strike from reaching him.
From inside the ship, Moro's companion noticed the Galactic Patrol emblem on Vegeta's clothes.
"Vegeta joined the Galactic Patrol? That doesn't sound like him…"
Outside, Moro landed near the ship and drew Vegeta after him.
His hands moved once.
An invisible pressure slammed down on Vegeta.
The Saiyan hit the ground chest-first, his entire body suddenly too heavy to resist the force pinning him there.
Moro reversed the pressure and launched him high into the air, then swept one arm sideways.
Vegeta flew into a stone cliff hard enough to bury himself in it.
Goku studied what had happened.
"That doesn't feel like God ki. It's more like telekinesis… or maybe that magic Merus was talking about."
A violent burst of energy tore through the cliff.
Vegeta emerged in Super Saiyan 4.
Goku almost commented on how quickly "a simple Super Saiyan" had been abandoned, but decided that Vegeta was already angry enough.
"Let's try that again."
Moro showed the first hint of genuine curiosity.
"So you can take that form as well."
Vegeta blurred left, then right, constantly changing his approach while closing the distance. Moro tried to catch him with the same magical pressure, but Super Saiyan 4 gave Vegeta enough speed to slip around each attempt.
He finally broke through.
Moro crossed both arms in front of his body and absorbed Vegeta's punch on his guard.
Vegeta grinned.
His foot came up immediately afterward and crashed under Moro's jaw.
The old wizard flipped backward through the air before landing on all fours. Blood stained the corner of his mouth when he stood again.
Vegeta enjoyed the sight.
"You had the whole galaxy terrified of you? I expected more."
Moro answered by turning his magic on the landscape.
A nearby tree snapped cleanly through the trunk and shot toward Vegeta like a spear.
Vegeta blasted it apart with a casual wave.
Rocks, trees, and chunks of earth followed from every direction as Moro seized more of the environment, but Vegeta shredded everything before it could reach him.
"We've fought plenty of freaks with strange abilities," Vegeta said. "Throwing scenery around isn't going to impress me."
That finally stripped some of the amusement from Moro's face.
He tore away his cloak and tossed it behind him, exposing the emaciated body beneath.
"Then perhaps you're ready to see what my magic can actually do."
"Stop talking and show me."
Goku called from farther back.
"We already know you absorb energy! That's what you were going to do to Eska, right?"
Moro smiled.
"You know more than I expected. But consuming life directly is only one use of my power."
Vegeta's earlier confidence gave way to a little more caution.
Moro spread his arms.
Magic surged through New Namek.
The ground shook violently enough to split open beneath them, and deep red light poured through the widening cracks.
Then fire erupted from the planet itself.
Pillars of flame blasted into the sky one after another, carrying enough force to make even Vegeta reconsider standing still.
"What the hell is this?"
Moro crooked one finger toward him.
The ground beneath Vegeta exploded.
He escaped just before a column of fire swallowed his position, the flames grazing past his body as he shot upward.
Even Goku was startled by the scale of the attack.
Vegeta landed farther away, his earlier contempt now gone.
Moro savored that change.
"This technique has almost nothing to do with my current strength. I'm drawing the planet's own life energy out and turning it against you."
He looked around at New Namek with obvious hunger.
"And this world possesses exceptionally rich energy."
Another curl of his finger sent a fresh eruption beneath Vegeta.
Vegeta launched into the sky before it reached him, climbing higher in an attempt to escape Moro's reach.
Goku immediately saw the trap forming around him.
"Vegeta, watch out!"
The flames rising from New Namek changed direction in midair.
They twisted like enormous dragons, curling around Vegeta from several sides until fire filled the sky around him.
Vegeta reacted before the streams could close completely, throwing up an energy barrier around his body.
The inferno crashed against the shield and swallowed him from sight.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]