A Week Later
Kuzuku and 21 were currently doing some training together. Initially, 21 had offered to help Kuzuku test out some new techniques after that fateful sparring match against Krillin. Though she wasn't too happy with Kuzuku going overboard and nearly blew Krillin into dust so getting the chance to knock some sense into her husband was a bonus. This also was an opportunity to satisfy some of those Saiyan urges that stemmed from those cells inside her, making this another added bonus to add. As for how the training been going, Kuzuku was focusing more on 21's overall improvement in holding that transformation of hers. Still don't know what to exactly call it but they'll come up with a name eventually. 21 threw a powerful punch that Kuzuku blocked in Super Saiyan 3, the force generating a powerful gust of wind pushed the Saiyan back . a bit. 21 landed back on her feet, panting heavily as she was reaching her current limit. Kuzuku deformed back to base, not wanting her to push herself too far, "I think that's enough for now 21."
21 deformed and returned to normal before sitting down on the grass. She was gasping for air, only to be startled by a water bottle being offered to her. She took it gratefully and gulped down half the bottle. She let out a cute sigh in which it made the Saiyan chuckled as he sat down next to her. 21 couldn't help but look towards the sky with a giddiness but also frustration, "I don't think I can possibly force you to full power, even if I were to master that form. No matter how hard I try, I can't even beat your Super Saiyan 3."
Kuzuku unconsciously wrapped his tail around hers, comforting her on her frustrations, "Actually, that's not entirely true. I've noticed that while your in that form, your power output tends to fluctuate from time to time. It's as if your attack vary in strength and that may be because of your stamina issue. I think that once you've overcome the stamina problem, you'll be able to be pretty formidable.".
"You always have to try and cheer me up, don't you dear?" 21 teased. Kuzuku let out a soft chuckle until he sensed someone about to appear before them. In a matter of second, Goku teleported in front of the love birds in his typical Gi. 21 and Kuzuku weren't even shock by the sudden appearance since.......well they use the technique as well.
"Hiya, how have you two been!" Goku saluted.
"We've been great Goku but what brings you here? Come to spar again I suppose?" Kuzuku asked.
Goku scratched his head nervously, not sure on how to put this to them, "Not exactly, I've actually come to ask you something very important. I don't think I can really hide this from everyone so I need your help.". Now Kuzuku was feeling worried. If Goku was needing of help and seemed pleading then you know something bad is going on.
"What is it? Did something happen?" 21 feared, not knowing what was exactly going on.
"It's about lord Zeno. He remembered the promise we made back at the universe 7 vs 6 tournament and decided to start another one. The rules are simple, it's a 10 man team for each universe and it will be a free for all. Only the strongest get to battle it out and the winner gets one wish from the Super Dragon Balls but the cache is that the losing universes will be erased!" Goku revealed. Kuzuku's worst fears could never match up with what he had just heard. He got up quickly, knowing what he must do.
"Say no more, I'm in. Who else knows about this?" Kuzuku asked, sounding serious. Goku looked at him, giving him a stern expression before answering his question.
"So far, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, and you two are the only people I've told so far. We need to assemble the strongest team we've got so we can have the best possible chance of winning. As of right now, their will be a Zen exhibition match that will be taking place soon and I have Gohan along with Vegeta trying to recruit Zugo, Hudo and Riley soon, which leads us the remaining to partake in the exhibition match." Goku explained.
Kuzuku turned to 21 who was still processing the news. He hugged her, causing the majin to look up at him as he spoke, "21, I don't know how this will turn out but promise me that you will stay here and take care of yourself. I need you to work on your stamina for now, okay?". Kuzuku let go of her and motioned his wife to head home to get some rest. As she left, Kuzuku turned back towards Goku, letting out a sigh.
"Goku, that only makes potentially nine of us on the team. We still need one more people to join. Who could we possibly add?" Kuzuku asked.
"We'll figure that out later, for now we must meet up with Beerus and Whis. The exhibition match starts in a few minutes now." Goku replied.
Kuzuku was surprised at how fast things were moving along. He grabbed onto Goku's shoulder before they were teleported to where Beerus and the others were waiting.
-Instant Transmission SFX-
The moment the two appeared, Whis, Piccolo, and the god of destruction himself all turned to face the Saiyans that had arrived. The two walked over with Goku curious on how the younger Saiyan was feeling about the whole thing, "Kuzuku, how you feeling? I can imagine a normal person would be shook at this sorta news."
Kuzuku chuckled, "You kidding me? After all this time, I've grown used to this type of pressure though this is on a whole other level. I can't lie that at first, I was scared but my Saiyan instincts have proven to be stronger than ever. A tournament with 10 of the strongest from each universe participating is something that would get any Saiyan pump. I can hardly wait.". Kuzuku expression then shifted into a mixture of seriousness and excitement.
"We're gonna have to win this thing. With everything we've got, alright?" Kuzuku added. Goku nodded and grinned stupidly at his reply.
"You bet, we'll take them all down!" Goku cheered, fist bumping with the Saiyan before Whis took them to the Zeno exhibition arena.
Tournament Exhibition Ring
The participants from universe 7 were the last one to arrive at the arena. Kuzuku looked around to see that the other universes were already there. He couldn't help but notice all the staring they were getting though his attention was later directed towards a short male that looked like Whis but had slick hair. Goku noticed Kuzuku's curiosity and leaned over to whisper in his ear, "That guy right there is the strongest angle and Whis's father. The Grand Priest.". Kuzuku nodded in understanding and looked back up the Priest who was floating just in front of the two Zenos. He cleared his throat and began to speak, "Greetings everyone. I am honored that you mighty warriors will be the first to represent your universe in the Zeno Expo. As you know, the tournament of power will be the deciding factor of your universe's fate but we assemble here today to give our little majesties a taste of what's to come. You see, they were inspired by the tournament between universe 7 and 6 and decided to host a tournament of their own but on a grander scale.". With that said, all eyes were locked onto both universe 6 and 7. Kuzuku could only guess that they now had a target on their back which didn't bother him the slightest. The more challengers the better right? He could only think that his Saiyan instincts are really the dominatrix right now.
"Now, the two universes selected today are two of the lowest mortal levels. Just note that universe 1, 5, 8, and 12 have been excluded from participating in the tournament due to having a mortal level above seven. So without further to do, Universe 7 with 3.18 and Universe 9 with 1.86, please send out your first fighter for today!" Grand Priest announced.
Kuzuku blinked a few times, wondering what he heard was true, "Wait, we are the second lowest? Does that mean......". He looked over to Whis for answers, the angle smiling at his shocked expression.
"No, it's not what you think Kuzuku. Mortal levels are determined by the number of above average warriors and societies in the universe. If a universe have strong warriors and advance societies with suitable living conditions then they will have a high mortal level. The trick is finding a balance in that as not enough strong warriors could lead to low mortal levels and not enough social advancements could lead influence it as well." Whis said. Kuzuku understood what he meant completely. So it wasn't exactly just universe 6, 7 nor Goku's fault that this happened. It was a group effort that lead to them to this predicament. Piccolo step forward, gaining the attention of his team.
"That's good to know then. We'll just have to show them what universe 7 is really capable of," Piccolo said, already stretching in his purple demon clan Gi.
"Yeah, you go get em! But don't go showing all of your trump cards just yet Piccolo!" Goku encouraged. Piccolo gave him the thumbs up before leaping down onto the ring. He looked up to see his opponent already in the ring. A red furred wolf that had a black muffler, black gloves and red shoes on his feet. Kuzuku heard laughter coming from the wolf's team. He could tell they are the nasty and snarky type of universe.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAH! Get ready to be crushed by the renowned member of the Trio de Dangers! He is known for his destructive kicking style which is why he was earned the nickname, Basil the kicker!" Ro, the Supreme Kai of their universe boasted. Piccolo could hear Basil snicker and sighed that this is the opponent that he had to face. He unfolded his arms and took stance that resemble more of the tiger.
Basil put up a guard as well and smirk, unknowing how strong the Namekian really was, "No hard feelings but your universe is sorta the reason why we are in this mess. I'm going to enjoy kicking you around."
Piccolo smirked at his comment, "You know, you and your universe talk a lot. Let's just get down to business so I can give everyone here a taste of what universe 7 has to really offer.". The Grand Priest looked at both fighters and smirked.
"It seems that our fighters are ready to go. The rules for this Expo are as followed. You win either knock out or if your opponent can't continue any longer. The matches with be best 2 out of 3! Now let the match begin!" He declared. With that, Basil disappeared from Piccolo sights and unleashed a flurry of kicks. The Namek dodge each one and deflected some of his strikes to the side. Piccolo took advantage of his taekwondo style of fighting which actually leaves him open for any kind of attack and punched him hard in the face. Basil slid back, his hand hovering over his face as it ached in pain. He looked up to see the grinning Namekian and roared. His speed seemed to increase several times over as Piccolo wasn't able to trace the sudden kick that placed itself in his stomach. He let out a inaudible sound that can only be described as pain before Basil disappeared again. Piccolo tried sensing his Ki but to his surprise, he felt nothing. Not even a hint. The Namekian felt another kick to the back of his head, causing him to lunge over a bit. Basil leapt into the air and smirked sinisterly as he channeled his into his foot.
"Shining Blaster!" Basil roared, unleashing a barrage of energy spheres at Piccolo. Piccolo crossed his arms as the spheres collided into him. He gritted his teeth and decided that he was done holding back. The spheres were dispersed as soon as he raised his Ki, stunning the red wolf in his track. In a flash, Piccolo was already above him before chopping him right into the ground. Piccolo landed on both feet and started to walk up to him slowly, scary him a bit as he tried to pull himself together.
"I'm most certainly not losing this fight!" Basil exclaimed. He started to unleash a desperate barrage of Ki blasts at the Namek but to his dismay, Piccolo deflected each and everyone one of them without much struggle. With it going nearly unnoticed, Piccolo extended his hand out and fired a large energy wave that engulfed Basil's Shining Blasters, shocking the wolf to where he was unable to move. The blast collided with great force, the arena shaking due to the pressure with a large dust cloud covering the arena.
"Well that's all she wrote for that guy. He was interesting though, we couldn't sense his Ki but he nearly push Piccolo into transforming. Perhaps all the guys over their have the same trait," Kuzuku noted.
"Yeah, that only makes things all the more exciting. Think about, if guys from other universes have special abilities that we haven't dealt with before then this tournament will be even more interesting. I can't wait, I am filled with goosebumps right now!" Goku enthused.
Beerus smacked the Saiyan in the back of the head and began to scold him, "This is no time to be admiring the enemies! We have to focus on winning and surviving till the end!"
"I know that Lord Beerus but you didn't have to hit me," Goku complained, rubbing the back of his head as it ached in pain. The smoke cleared, revealing that Basil was indeed unconscious. The Grand Priest smirked before raising his hand in the air to signal the end of the match.
"Basil seems to be unable to continue so the winner is Piccolo from team universe 7!" Grand Priest declared. Piccolo returned back to his teams post as the two similar members of universe 9 went over and picked Basil up and brought them over to their pit. The Supreme Kai, Ro, was left in utter shock that one of his universes best fighters was just defeated so easily. He didn't even have time to give him the power-up. Meanwhile, Kuzuku and Goku were congratulating Piccolo on his victory.
After Grand Priest Repairs The Ring
"Alright, I'm up next!" Kuzuku enthused, leaping into the ring before Goku even had a chance to argue. The hero of Earth let out a defeated sigh as he watched Kuzuku land into the ring. Kuzuku looked up, revealing a calm expression on his face as he looked over at universe 9.
Kuzuku couldn't help but smile, "Hey, bring me your strongest fighter here! It looks to be that guy with the scarf! You looked pretty calm and observant after you watched your friend get demolished!". Sidra and Ro's eyes widened at that statement.
"How dare you! You'll be fighting me, Lavender! You don't deserve the right to fight my bro and I will k---," Lavender was cut off when Bergamo gestured him to back off. He walked up and stared down at the Saiyan calling him out.
"You seem pretty confident. I will honor your request since we are down 1 to 0 against your universe. I'll make you regret your decision in challenging me," Bergamo said, jumping down onto the stage to face off against Kuzuku.
"Good, because your brother wouldn't really make much of a warm-up. I can smell the poison he has inside of him from here and to tell you the truth it wouldn't make much of a difference," Kuzuku commented.
"Quite the observant monkey you are. Tell me your name?" Bergamo asked.
"The names Kuzuku and I would take that they call you Bergamo," Kuzuku answered.
Bergamo got into a wolf like stance, "Kuzuku......I will show you the power of Bergamo the Crusher.....". Kuzuku got into a stance of his own, ready to experience the power of a fighter from another universe. The Grand Priest felt that the introductions had been done and over with and smiled.
"Now that the talking is out of the way, both of our fighters seem to be ready to start. Now, let the second match begin!" Grand Priest announced.
With those words said, Kuzuku was the first one to charge. Bergamo took advantage of the frontal approach and threw a punch right but he was shocked when his fist passed right through an afterimage. In mere seconds, Kuzuku revealed himself to be behind him, kicking the mutt in the side of his ribs. Bergamo could feel his bones crack as he was sent several steps away. Bergamo didn't give up and recovered quickly and charged at the Saiyan once more.
The two began to exchange blow for blow, with Kuzuku landing in strikes in-between exchanges. Bergamo then leapt over a punch and unleashed a barrage of kicks on Kuzuku's right side. The Saiyan blocked each kick which lead him open for a spinning front kick to his gut. Kuzuku slid back a bit from absorbing the blow and watched Bergamo pursue him. Kuzuku narrowed his eyes and saw that he was going for a jab at his face. Cleverly, he stepped into the attack and evaded it by tilting his head to the side, leaving a litle scratch mark on his cheek. He then grabbed his arm and pushed Bergamo's arm downward, disrupting his balance before kneeing him hard in the stomach. Kuzuku could see that he cough out blood before he retracted his knee and kicked him across the face with his opposite leg. Bergamo slid across the ground and groaned in pain. Beerus couldn't help but cheer, "Yes! That's my boy!".
Goku and Whis couldn't help but chuckle at the god of destruction's sudden outburst, causing him to feel embarrass. Beerus snarled at the Angel and Saiyan, causing them to laugh even more. Goku stopped laughing and turned back towards the match, "Kuzuku is simply amazing. It not just his overall ability in terms of power and speed but also his observation and skill in terms of Ki has improved."
"Yeah, the most difficult thing about fighting these guys is the fact that we can't detect their Ki which isn't all that difficult if they are weaker than us. But Kuzuku is able to not only see their movements but know how to trace them without using up his Ki," Piccolo added.
Whis let out a laugh as he knew how Kuzuku was accomplishing such a feat, "You two are catching on quick. He is not relying on his own Ki nor is he relying on his opponents Ki. He is using the Ki that is all around us to track where his opponent may be next. It's the same principle of the instant transmission but to a higher degree. It takes a lot of skill to accomplish something like that but also is a high risk against opponents who know what he's doing. Bergamo's can't exploit this as his Ki can't be detected, giving Kuzuku the advantage.".
Back to the fight at hand, Bergamo slowly got up from the ground and saw that Kuzuku was looking stern. He groaned for a bit until he startled to chuckle, earning him a eyebrow raised from the Saiyan. He smirked once he was fully on his feet, "Amazing, gah! Heheheheh, this power of yours had only made me stronger. HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!". Bergamo let his Ki rage, his hand glowing red as his size grew as well.
"Stressing your power level won't help you win this match. I'll finish you right now!" Kuzuku declared, charging at the wolf with great force that broke the ground beneath him. In a instant, Kuzuku was in front of Bergamo, his fist ready to strike him down. Kuzuku roared before punching him hard in the face, a great shockwave causing a crater in the arena with Kuzuku's Ki blinding the observants. When the light dialed down, Kuzuku's eyes widened in shock as he saw Bergamo nearly unaffected by the blow and tripled in size.
"Bad move, now have a taste of your own power!" Bergamo shouted, uppercutting Kuzuku hard in the gut. The Saiyan spewed out some blood as he was sent hurling into the air. Bergamo was so large that he was able to punch Kuzuku in his back without jumping, sending him rocketing towards the ground. Beerus let out a gasp as he watched his fighter get ragdolled for a moment.
Ro started to laugh, "HAHAHAHAH! That what he gets for be cocky! He should have never underestimated Bergamo the Crusher!". As he was laughing, Kuzuku got up from the rubble, shaking in pain from the two blows he had just received. He looked up at the oversize wolf man and smirked.
"I see, so you can increase your power base on the amount of damage you take. Not only that but due to you increasing in size, you are able to take more hits as well. However.........," Kuzuku paused, clenching his fist at his side as heat began to circulate beneath him. The area started to shake the more his power skyrocketed. Kuzuku eventually let out a powerful roar before transforming, engulfing the area in a golden light. Bergamo was taken back by what the Saiyan had done. The two Zenos made sounds of admiration at the beautiful sight.
"What's that?" the two Zenos asked in union, referring to the spiked up hair Saiyan with hair reflecting to his aura and emerald eyes.
"That is what we call a Super Saiyan my lord. When transformed, they are able to multiple their power level to new heights." Whis answered. The Zenos moaned in excitement at the display. Kuzuku's eyes remained close, his hair flowing ever so elegantly due to the emitted pressure.
"If you are able to increase your strength and size then that's fine by me. You've grown to where my base form would be eventually not be able to match you so let's see if you can take a Super Saiyan on for size," Kuzuku said, his eyes reopening and his aura growing even further. Bergamo bared his fangs at the Saiyan in irritation.
"Don't think that little change would be able to defeat me!" Bergamo shouted, throwing a punch directing at Kuzuku. Bergamo didn't even see him move let alone from the fact that the Saiyan had already kicked him hard in the stomach. He gasped for air as Kuzuku disappeared yet again, only to reveal that he was behind him. The Saiyan kicked him in the back of his neck before dodging a random swat from the wolf. Kuzuku flew back to the ground and kicked the back of his leg, forcing Bergamo to his knees before uppercutting him in his chin, stunning him long enough to follow up with an rolling axe kick to the forehead. While the wolf was complaining about the pain, Kuzuku leaped backwards and charged back in with a barrage of punches that pushed him backwards slightly with each connection. Bergamo continued to slowly grow in size but was unable to defend against the barrages.
"You may grow in size and power but due to that, your speed also drops by each attack! Your size doesn't help either as you now have many openings!" Kuzuku noted in the middle of his onslaught. When he finished his sentence, Kuzuku kicked him away, causing him to stumble a bit before he felt a sharp foot in his stomach. Kuzuku was sent hurling into the sky as Bergamo recovered, extending his hand out.
"I don't need your pity!" Bergamo shouted, firing a barrage of Ki blasts. Kuzuku stopped himself and maneuvered around each of the spheres that were coming at him. It didn't take long for the Saiyan to proceed in flying around and beating the wolf senseless from all sides. Bergamo was defenseless as he was slowly getting pushed off the stage. It didn't take him long to reach the edge to where he nearly fell out of bounce. Bergamo collapse to his knees once more as the Saiyan floated in the air with his arms folded.
(Song Ends)
"Is this your limit? I would of thought that you could still get stronger after all of those attacks." Kuzuku teased.
Bergamo was starting to become enraged, "Damn you!". Kuzuku smirked as he flew backwards to avoid the punch. He unfolded his arms as he felt that his opponent had reached his limit.
"Looks like that is your limit. Let's finish this, shall we?" Kuzuku said, powering up even further. His golden aura flared even brighter, electricity spewing all over the place. Bergamo looked up to see that the Saiyan's hair grew longer and his eyebrows were gone. Kuzuku placed his hands together and began to charge his attack.
"Kaaaaaaaa.........meeeeee.......haaaaaaaaa......meeeee...."
Bergamo grimaced at the amount of power that attack had and extended his arm out to catch what was about to come.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kuzuku roared, unleashing the energy that he had build up into one large Kamehameha. Bergamo caught the energy wave for a second but he was beginning to be overpowered by it until Kuzuku let out a roar to overthrow him. Bergamo slipped, allowing the blast to consume him completely as he screamed in agony. A large blow explosion that resemble a tidal wave covered the arena, shaking the area as both Zenos marveled at the sight. The dust cleared from a sudden gust of wind, revealing the destroyed stage. Kuzuku noticed that Bergamo is still in the ring so he landed back on the ground to confront him. The wolf man looked shocked and distraught by all the damage he had just received.
"What's wrong? That pressure you emitted earlier is all gone now? Can you still continue?" Kuzuku asked, knowing that Bergamo's ability had worn off for him. Bergamo's eyes widen with shock at that question. He couldn't comprehend that the Saiyan was still holding back more of his power and most likely couldn't fathom how strong he was.
"Universe 7! Wh.......What monsters!" Bergamo gasped before collapsing to the ground. Kuzuku reverted back to base and looked back to his team who were proud of his victory. The Grand Priest coughed once before looking around at everyone.
"The match has met its conclusion! With Kuzuku's victory, team universe 7 has won today's Zeno Expo! That will conclude the matches for today as Lord Zeno should wait to experience the real battles in 48 hours from now," Grand Priest voiced. Everyone was silent as Kuzuku began to walk back towards his team until.
"Kuzuku!" A voice called out. Kuzuku paused as he watched a caped man who was rather large in size land in the arena. He turned around as the man took off his cloak. In a mere instant, Goku teleported next to Kuzuku, ready to back him up or better describe "Hey, if this guy gives you problems, let me take care of him since I didn't get to fight!". The man revealed to have brown skin with a large build. His arms seemed oversized and his legs contrasted perfect with his arms. He had slitted eyes and his mustache was pure white. He was bald as his veins on the top of his head were noticeable.
"My name is Toppo, the proud leader of the Pride Troopers of Universe 11! I want to ask you something and I hope you answer truthfully! If not, fight with me so I can see for myself!" Toppo introduced. Goku stepped forward, emitting some of his Super Saiyan Blue Ki but yet he didn't transformed. Toppo noticed this and became intrigued, further urging his desire for his question to be answered.
"Tell me these two things, are you the strongest warrior in Universe 7 and do you have any evil intent?" Toppo asked. Kuzuku turned towards him, emitting his own unique transformation Ki. His amber aura showing him hints of how strong he really is.
"I wouldn't say I am the strongest. In fact, the man right here is definitely stronger than I am right now. Don't let his current Ki fool you, he's stronger when he decides to really go all out. His name is Son Goku and just know that no one on our team showed their true strength," Kuzuku answered as he turned to walk away. Goku smirked and gave Toppo a salute before following Kuzuku. The two paused as Kuzuku remembered to answer his second question.
"Also, I don't know if my intents are evil or not nor do I really care. I have someone who I need to protect despite my desires to fight those who are strong. You can deem me evil under your subjective viewpoint but know that my drive will not change," Kuzuku said before walking back to his universe's post.
Toppo let out a curious hum before calling out to them, "Kuzuku! Son Goku!". The two stopped again to see what he wanted this time.
"For your generosity in answering my question, I shall warn you that despite me being the leader of the Pride Troopers, there is someone out their who far surpasses even me in my universe. He goes by the name of Jiren the Gray, a long time friend of mine," Toppo warned.
"Jiren.....the Gray?" Goku murmured as he watched Toppo return to his universe. Once the two Saiyan made it back, Kuzuku decided to ask Whis a particular question.
"Whis, who is that Toppo guy? It was feint, as if he was suppressing it but he had a hint of a Ki that I most certainly remember," Kuzuku asked.
"That man right there is the next candidate for God of Destruction in his universe. You must of compared his Ki to Kugeki which explains the similarities," Whis revealed. Kuzuku nodded and was now a bit more excited, along with Goku. Someone out there in Toppo's universe is far stronger than him but that feeling of excitement also filled them with a hint of nervousness. Those mixed feelings would stick with them on their way home.
A/N: With the Zeno Expo concluded, our heroes in universe 7 have showed that they are indeed a universe to not be taken light off. But, despite their strength, there are still many unknowns that could take hold. The various abilities and overall strengths will be revealed to be a tough struggle for victory and the potential threat of someone being stronger than a candidate for god of destruction will be their biggest challenge yet.