"You guys know me?" Broly asked, scratching his head with a look of pure surprise.
Goku and Broly descended from the sky, landing right in front of the local Goku and Vegeta. The four of them stood facing each other. The atmosphere was tense, but not hostile.
"You guys don't feel like Goku Black or Black Vegeta," Goku said, studying the two of them closely. He didn't sense that oily, evil aura that Zamasu usually carried, and his tone softened.
"Goku Black? Black Vegeta?" The local Goku stood frozen for a second before the realization hit him. "Does your parallel world have a Black Vegeta too? Sounds like Zamasu is causing trouble there as well."
Beside him, the local Vegeta's face went dark at the mention of "Black Vegeta." He clenched his fists tight.
"Yeah, not just Black Vegeta, but a Black Broly too," Goku said with a relaxed nod. "We were actually on our way to the future to deal with them, but for some reason, we ended up here instead..."
"You went the wrong way." The local Vegeta gave them both a massive eye-roll and shook his head in frustration. "In our timeline, it's been at least five years since the Zamasu incident. You've come to completely the wrong time."
"Huh? It's been that long already?" Goku's mouth fell open. Then, a thought struck him, and he whipped his head around to glare at Broly. "Did you turn that dial on the time machine? That's why we're in the wrong place!"
Broly scratched his head sheepishly, his ears turning a bit red. He didn't even try to deny it. He just muttered, "I was just curious and turned it a couple of times. I didn't think it would do all this..."
Goku: "..."
Goku slapped his forehead, feeling totally helpless. It really was Broly's fault for messing with the controls.
"Anyway, where are we? It doesn't look like Earth. The air tastes like sand and dust," Goku said, changing the subject as he looked around the desolate landscape.
"Planet Cereal," the local Vegeta answered shortly. He looked out over the ruins, his expression complicated.
"Planet Cereal?" Goku paused for a second, and then his eyes lit up. "I've heard about this place from my dad, Bardock! He came here on a mission when he was young! And the Vegeta from our world... I think he came here too. Did he visit the Planet Cereal in this timeline?"
"Oh? So that guy made it back? It turns out you guys really are from the same world," the local Vegeta said. A faint smile touched his face, and his tone grew a bit friendlier.
"But wait, if that Vegeta has been back for a long time, have you guys been fighting here this whole time?" Goku asked, looking at the wounds on both of them. It looked like they'd been through a hell of a struggle.
"In my timeline, it's only been about twenty minutes since the other me left," the local Vegeta answered flatly, as if he were talking about something completely unimportant.
"Wow, that's a huge time difference between worlds," Goku said, his interest piqued. He stepped closer to the local Vegeta and grinned. "The Vegeta back home said you were really strong. Is that true?"
"At least that brat has some sense," the local Vegeta cut in, looking smug. He lifted his chin with that classic Saiyan prince pride.
"You both look like you've taken a beating. I brought some Senzu Beans; one of these will fix you right up." Goku reached into his pocket, but then he froze. "Wait... where are the beans? Broly, did you see them?"
"I think Vegeta took them," Broly said, scratching his head.
"Oh... well, never mind then," Goku said, looking defeated.
The local Goku and Vegeta both stared at him in silence. Yeah, right, they thought. Like we'd believe you actually had any.
"So what's the situation here? Who's fighting? Those two from before—the green-haired guy and the blue-skinned one—who are they?" Goku asked, looking toward where Granolah was.
"Hmph. Long story short, there's a guy named Granolah who used the Dragon Balls on this planet to become the strongest in the universe," the local Vegeta explained with a hint of disdain. "Then another guy named Gas made the same wish. They were just fighting, and because Gas was new to his power and hadn't mastered his techniques, Granolah beat him."
"Exactly. Gas has the raw power, but his combat experience is nothing compared to Granolah's. He deserved to lose," the local Goku added, nodding in agreement.
"Okay, I think I get the gist of it," Goku said, scratching his head. He turned back to Broly, his voice urgent. "Try to remember exactly how you turned that dial! If we can turn it back the right way, we might be able to jump to the right time and find Trunks and the others."
"I don't remember... I just turned it randomly. I wasn't looking at the numbers," Broly said with a sheepish grin, his eyes full of guilt.
Goku: "..."
Goku was at his wit's end. He put his hands on his hips, his head spinning. "This is bad! Vegeta and Frieza already went to the future. If they run into four enemies at once, will they be in danger?"
"Uh..." Broly looked down, looking totally guilty. He clenched his fists, not knowing how to respond.
"Try harder! Even if you only remember a little bit—like how many times you turned it, or what number it was near," Goku pushed. "If we can find a pattern, we might be able to fix it."
"I'm thinking! I'm thinking!" Broly nodded, closing his eyes tight and trying to remember. His brow was knit with the effort.
The local Goku and Vegeta watched the two of them, feeling a bit speechless. These two had come to the wrong timeline just because they were messing with their time machine? That was incredibly irresponsible.
"Wait, what did you say before? Black Vegeta?" the local Goku asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Does your world really have a Black Vegeta? Was it Zamasu switching bodies again?"
"Yeah, not just Black Vegeta, but Goku Black and Black Broly too. Along with the original Zamasu, that's four enemies, and they're all incredibly strong," Goku said, his tone turning serious. "That's why we were using the time machine—to go and stop them."
"Is that saucer-shaped thing over there your time machine? It doesn't look like any time machine I know. Trunks's machine doesn't look like that," the local Vegeta said, looking toward the canyon.
"It's a machine the Supreme Kai borrowed from Universe 12. It's supposed to be much better than Trunks's... I didn't think we'd have any problems," Goku said with a bitter laugh. If only I hadn't let Broly touch the controls, he thought.
"That's a Universe 12 time machine?" The local Vegeta looked a bit shaken, his voice turning grave. "Back then, Zamasu used a machine like that to copy himself over and over. It caused us a lot of trouble."
"Copy himself? How? I don't get it," Goku asked, his eyes full of curiosity. He knew Zamasu was immortal, but he hadn't heard anything about cloning.
"He used the machine to jump a few minutes into the future or the past, and then he'd bring that version of himself into the current time," the local Vegeta explained patiently. "He kept doing that until there were thousands of Zamasus, and they were all fused together."
"Vegeta's right," the local Goku added, a look of memory crossing his face. "We'd actually beaten Zamasu, but then suddenly thousands of Fused Zamasus appeared. We almost lost everything."
"That many?" Goku was stunned. "How did you beat them?"
"Grand Zen-Oh stepped in. With just a wave of his hand, he erased the entire universe that Zamasu had corrupted, and all the Zamasus vanished with it," the local Goku said with a laugh, looking relieved. "Luckily, Zen-Oh showed up in time, or we wouldn't have stood a chance."
"Grand Zen-Oh did that?" Goku was amazed, his eyes full of respect.
"If you already know about Grand Zen-Oh, does that mean your world has already had the tournament between Universe 6 and Universe 7?" the local Vegeta asked, catching the detail.
"Yeah, that finished a long time ago!" Goku answered with a grin. "The Vegeta in our world beat all the fighters from Universe 6 by himself! I didn't even get a chance to fight!"
"That idiot. No wonder Zamasu chose him to switch bodies with!" the local Vegeta gritted his teeth, his fists cracking and a vein popping on his forehead.
"Granolah!"
Suddenly, an old voice called out from the distance, sounding urgent. Goku looked over and saw a hunched-over Namekian leaning on a cane, walking quickly toward the battlefield. His green skin shimmered slightly in the sunlight.
"Is that the old man my dad talked about? The Namekian who helped him on Planet Cereal all those years ago?" Goku asked, his curiosity piqued. His father had mentioned the story, but hadn't given a name. Even if he had, Goku probably wouldn't have remembered it.
"His name is Monaito. He's one of the few Namekians who survived the Frieza Force's attack back then," the local Goku explained.
Looking at Granolah, he was now on one knee, gasping for air as he braced himself against the ground. His green hair was soaked with sweat and matted to his face. It was clear that the fight with Gas had drained almost all of his energy. He was struggling just to stay upright.
"Don't come any closer, Grandpa Monaito! It's not over yet!" Granolah shouted, his voice stubborn but his eyes still determined.
Then, Granolah's gaze shifted to the newly arrived Goku and Broly. His brow knit. First Vegeta was playing with clones, and now it's Goku? And there are two of them? One of them doesn't even look like him. But Granolah didn't have the energy to worry about that. He had to defeat Elec and his group to avenge his mother and his people.
Rumble!
Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted from where Gas had fallen. A terrifying amount of energy began to pour out of him, like a volcano erupting and washing over everything.
Whoosh!
Gas's body shot into the air, hovering high above. He was surrounded by a purple-red aura crackling with fine bolts of lightning. The electricity hissed and spread out, sending rocks flying with the sheer force of the shockwaves.
Granolah felt the energy and his pupils shrank. He looked completely shocked. What is that? How can Gas still have that much power?
"Is that Gas? How can he still stand?" the local Vegeta asked, looking up at the figure in the sky with disbelief. He had felt Gas's energy fade to almost nothing just a moment ago. How was he suddenly this strong?
"Hey, did his power just jump again?" the local Goku asked, his fists tightening.
"Not bad. That's some huge energy—stronger than a lot of enemies we've faced," Goku said, rubbing his chin in admiration. Then he muttered to himself, "But compared to Frieza, there's still a bit of a gap, right?"
"Seems like it," Broly agreed.
"Frieza? The Frieza in your world is still alive?" The local Goku was stunned.
"Not just alive, he's gotten a lot stronger," Goku nodded.
"Stronger than this Gas?" the local Vegeta asked.
"In terms of raw energy, he's probably stronger than this guy," Goku said seriously. He thought back to the aura of Frieza's Black form and his expression turned serious.
The local Goku and Vegeta were both stunned. They looked at each other. This Gas's energy was already insane. For the Frieza of another world to be even stronger than him... it was unbelievable.
"AAAAAAAAAH!"
Gas's roar rang out again. His energy was still climbing, and the purple-red aura grew even thicker. Even his pupils lost their color, turning a dead, pale white. It was a creepy sight.
"What's happening to him? He's getting stronger, but it looks like he's losing his mind," Granolah said, feeling a wave of unease as he watched Gas's frantic behavior.
"I saw him like that once before, forty years ago," Monaito said, leaning on his cane as he walked up to Granolah. "When Bardock backed him into a corner back then, Gas discarded his sense of self to unleash power beyond his limits. He became exactly like this."
"Discarded his sense of self? He had a trump card like that?" Granolah was shocked.
"My dad?" Goku looked at Monaito when he heard the name "Bardock." He muttered to himself, "If only I'd asked Dad for more details about what happened on Planet Cereal, I wouldn't be so lost right now."
"Asked your dad?" The local Goku looked at him with confusion. His father, Bardock, had died decades ago. How could this parallel version of himself still be talking to him?
"In our world, my dad is alive again," Goku explained with a smile. "When the Vegeta from this timeline went back, he accidentally opened a time rift. My dad followed that rift back to our world. Raditz was brought back too, and even my mom was reborn."
The local Goku's jaw dropped. He stood there for a long time, unable to process it. This was a massive amount of information to take in! His father was alive? His brother was back? His mother was reborn? This parallel world was absolutely wild!
"By the way, what's Raditz been up to lately?" Goku suddenly remembered something, scratching his head and muttering to himself. "Oh, that's right. Dad said he needs to train hard so he can become a Super Saiyan as soon as possible."
Whoosh!
Right then, Gas suddenly turned into a streak of purple-red light. Ignoring everyone else, he lunged straight for Granolah. He was moving so fast he left an afterimage, and the air around him rippled with heat.
Granolah's face went pale. He tried to gather energy to defend himself, but his body hadn't recovered from the previous fight. He couldn't react in time.
Snap!
Gas's speed was insane. He grabbed Granolah by the ankle, his fingers digging in so hard it sounded like the bone was about to shatter. Then, Gas swung Granolah around and slammed him into the ground below.
"Hey! That's my move!" Broly said, looking a bit annoyed as he put his hands on his hips and frowned. Broly's specialty was that kind of close-quarters slamming, and now someone else was using it.
"Just watch for now. It might just be a coincidence," Goku said quickly to calm him down, his eyes fixed on the battlefield. He didn't want to miss a single detail.
Boom!
A massive explosion of dust and rock erupted as Granolah hit the ground. The earth caved in, forming a giant crater. But Gas wasn't done. He flicked his wrist and tossed Granolah away like a piece of trash.
Granolah tumbled across the ground, rolling several times before he finally managed to stop himself. His feet dragged two long trenches into the dirt until he finally crashed into a massive boulder. He clutched his chest, his head spinning and his breath coming in ragged gasps.
But before Granolah could even catch his breath...
Whoosh!
Gas turned back into a purple-red blur and charged again. He slammed his hand onto Granolah's head, pinning his face directly into the dirt. Then, Gas dragged him along the ground, literally carving a deep, bottomless trench as dirt and rocks flew everywhere.
A moment later, Gas grabbed Granolah by the head again and shot into the sky, letting out a series of piercing, high-pitched roars, as if he were venting all the madness in his soul.
Boom!
Gas threw Granolah again, sending him flying like a kite with its string cut. Granolah slammed into the ground far away, letting out a pained cry as he curled into a ball. It was clear he was completely out of the fight.
Gas still wasn't finished. He charged again, raining down punches and kicks on Granolah. Every strike carried terrifying power, and the ground was being torn apart.
"This is bad! At this rate, Granolah's going to get killed!" the local Goku said, watching the one-sided beating. His voice was urgent, and he was already getting ready to jump in.
"Hey, Kakarot! Let's go! We can't let Gas keep going crazy like this!" the local Vegeta agreed, a faint red aura starting to flicker around him.
"Got it!" our Goku nodded instinctively, starting to gather energy.
"Not you!" the local Vegeta's face went dark. He shot a glare at our Goku, his tone impatient. "This is our world's problem. It's got nothing to do with you. Stay out of it!"
Goku: "..."
Broly: "..."
The two of them looked at each other, both seeing the same look of "what can you do?" in each other's eyes. This Vegeta really was stubborn.
"Gas! Wake up!" Macki flew in from a distance with Oil, landing at the edge of the crater. She shouted at Gas, her voice full of worry. "Don't let the destructive urge swallow you! Get a grip! You're going to hurt your own people!"
"AAAAAH... AAAAAAAH!"
Gas couldn't hear a word she said. He just let out a series of mindless roars. His body was swelling, his muscles growing even thicker, and the purple-red aura around him turned even more violent.
Suddenly, Gas spun around and lunged straight at Macki and Oil. They didn't have time to react before Gas slammed into them, sending them tumbling across the ground. Blood trickled from the corners of their mouths.
After knocking them aside, Gas slammed head-first into the rock wall behind them. The impact was deafening. But it was like he couldn't feel the pain; he just kept ramming his head into the rock over and over. Cracks spread across the wall, and boulders began to fall.
"Great. He's completely lost it. He's even attacking us now," Oil said, scrambling up and rubbing his sore chest, looking totally baffled.
Elec flew in slowly from the distance, landing beside Macki and Oil. He still had that calm, smug smile on his face, as if he wasn't worried about Gas at all.
"What do we do, Elec? If Gas keeps going like this, he'll destroy himself!" Macki said, looking at Gas with desperation.
"It's fine. You have to have faith in Gas," Elec smiled, a flicker of confidence in his eyes. "He's the strongest warrior in the universe. His self-control is naturally the best in the universe, too. He'll get a grip soon."
As he spoke, Elec glanced over at our Goku and Broly. He muttered to himself, "Are those clones of Goku and Vegeta?"
"Vegeta did have a clone earlier, but it disappeared for some reason," Macki remembered, guessing out loud. "Maybe Vegeta is using some new trick to make a different kind of clone this time."
Whoosh!
Gas suddenly stopped ramming the wall. He shot into the sky, the purple-red aura trailing behind him like a long tail. He paused for a split second in the air, then suddenly changed direction and roared toward Vegeta, his eyes full of madness.
Vegeta: "..."
The local Vegeta's expression froze, and his pupils shrank. Why the hell is he coming for me?
Before he could even react, Gas was in his face, delivering a brutal kick right to his jaw.
To be continued…
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