Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Moro?
Goku's eyes open slowly, blinking a bit to re-focus. For some reason, all he could see was empty white. The more his senses came back to him, the more familiar his 'lack' of setting came to be. He shifts his body and sees that he's sitting on someone's comfy couch. When he looked over, the Saiyan's eyes widened to see his wife lying unconscious next to him. But it wasn't just her, the rest of his family were also sitting on this long couch too. Chi-Chi, Goten, Ox-King, Gohan, Videl (With a baby Pan in her arms), Piccolo, Hercule, and Buu were all with him.
His senses tingled, prompting Goku to turn around and see that the rest of his friends, even Broly, Cheelai, and Lemo were here too. All of them were grouped together on separate couches similarly to him.
"What is going on?" Goku wondered.
"So, you were the first to awaken."
"Huh? Whis!" Goku exclaims, smiling at his current master and the God of Destruction sitting next to him. "You guys are here too! Where is 'here' anyway?"
"You should recognize it, Goku. This is the room of spirit and time." Whis answered.
"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" He blinks, then screams. "Wait, but if we're in the time chamber how is everyone else okay?! Not many of us can handle the intense gravity in this place!"
Beerus lets out a yawn, leaning back in his seat to cross his legs. "The foolish brat that arranged this little get-together brought the gravity down to what you Earthlings are used to. Which is the only reason why your friends aren't pancakes."
"Brat?" Goku tilts his head.
"A young demon named Fu. Very suspicious indeed, but he promised a fun-time, so we happily agreed." Whis chuckled.
"Only, because he promised an infinite all you can eat buffet! Otherwise, I would have destroyed that brat for disrupting my fishing time!" Beerus huffed.
Goku crosses his arms, unsure of what was happening. "So, this Fu guy wanted to bring us all here? Why?"
"To watch the future." Whis answered.
…
…
…
"EH?!" Goku cried. "We can watch the future?! But wait… I thought you two were against time travel?"
"True, time travel is illegal, but simply observing it is another matter. What you all do with what you're going to see depends on you." Whis replied.
"I don't get it."
"It's a loop-hole, don't overthink it." Beerus snapped.
"Okay!"
Whis stood up. "If we have all of that out of the way, then it's time to wake up the rest of our audience." He taps his staff into the floor, a pulse of energy vibrating through the pocket dimension. Slowly, everyone started to wake up, genuine confusion and worry coursed through them upon waking up in an unfamiliar place.
"Ah hem, everyone, settle down." Whis advised, gaining their attention.
Vegeta crosses his arms, realizing they were all in the time chamber. Seeing Bulma, Bulla, and the other humans in here had him terrified for a few seconds. None of them would be capable of withstanding the intense gravity, yet they were all fine. Which means there was more going on than need be. He turns to his mentor. "Whis, Lord Beerus, can you explain what is going on?"
Whis re-explains everything that he and Beerus had told Goku. The reactions were mixed, some were excited to see the future, worried of what they might see, or irritated to be pulled here against their will.
Dende raises his hand. "And what about the outside world? What if something happens on Earth while we're all stuck here watching the future?"
"I do have some work that needs to get done tonight." Gohan mutters. There were similar murmurs from Bulma, Tien, and Krillin.
"Worry not, currently time outside is frozen for everyone. Time will resume once we exit this chamber." Whis eased their worries.
"And what exactly are we going to be watching?" Piccolo asked.
"I hope it includes some nice lookin ladies, hehe!" Roshi leans back in his seat, giggling.
"Hopefully not for the children's sake." Chi-Chi scoffs, the other mothers in the room agreeing with her. "This better be appropriate."
"At the very least, be entertaining." Cheelai said. Broly looked a bit lost, barely following the conversation. Lemo pats his arm, letting him know that it was okay.
"Our host promised that what we'll be watching would be entertaining enough to keep us all enthralled." Whis replied. "So, I would recommend everyone stock up on food now, so that we can decrease wait time during the viewing."
"Oh yeah! Lord Beerus did mention an infinite buffet!" Goku yelled.
"INFINITE BUFFET?!"
Whis aims his staff over to the main area of the time chamber, where a delicious looking spread of food could be found. Within an instant, all of the gluttons in the group bolted towards the buffet table to scarf down on the meal. In that same instant Chi-Chi managed to beat them all there, holding out a hand that stopped the men cold.
"HOLD IT!" She shouts. "Not a single one of you are to take any of this food until the rest of us get our share first! And you'll be taking reasonable amounts for this first round! If you scarf everything down before we have a break, then that's on you! Am I understood?!"
"B-but mom-" Goten and Goku whine, then stop when Chi-Chi shoots them a glare.
"Am I understood?!"
"Yes, ma'am…" The hungry Saiyans and Buu mutter, while Vegeta just clicks his tongue.
Seeing that they were all willing to listen, Chi-Chi motions for everyone else to come over.
It took almost an hour, but every member of the audience was able to get their meals figured out. Though it was taking a lot of effort on the gluttons' parts to not eat everything right at that moment.
Appearing in front of their eyes was a large screen you'd usually find in a movie theater. Whis steps in front, gesturing to all. "Are we all ready to go?"
"YES!"
"U-uh, yes!" Broly adds a bit late.
"In that case, we shall begin." Whis floats back over to Lord Beerus, then taps his staff on the ground. The pulse activated the screen, beginning the glimpse into the future none of them were ready for.
The viewing begins with a shot of Capsule Corp, Vegeta found standing in the middle of the grassy field.
"Papa!" Bulla claps her hands, happy to see her daddy.
"Yes, baby, it's your daddy!" Bulma giggles.
"Are you training, dad?" Trunks asked, looking up at his usually grouchy father.
"Perhaps." Vegeta responds.
Vegeta's eyes turn to see Goku teleport into the field. "Where have you been?"
"Oh, y'know…" Goku refuses to elaborate, giggling to himself.
"And, of course you're there." Chi-Chi sighed, realizing this would involve her husband spending more time training with Vegeta rather than working.
Gohan looks over to his dad. "Do you know where you had gone, dad?"
"Hm…maybe." Goku shrugs, though his thoughts drift to Broly's group. He had been planning to visit them once things had calmed down. Seems his future self had gone and done that.
Goku begins stretching. "Anyway, we gonna train or what?"
"Not here. The neighbors would complain. Let's use the gravity room." Vegeta responds.
The scene changes to Goku and Vegeta engaging in a relatively calm sparring session in the gravity room. The prince counters a punch before opening his mouth. "So what happened with your Ultra Instinct?"
"Nothing much…haven't pulled it off since the tournament." Goku answered.
"Right, that Ultra Instinct form Gohan told me about." Videl remembers everything Gohan told her after he returned from the Tournament of Power. "I still haven't gotten to see it for myself."
"Yeah, I still don't have control over it just yet. I was lucky enough to pull it off during my fight with Jiren." Goku said, thinking back to the epic finale of the TOP.
"It was a super intense battle." Krillin adds.
"But Goku's inexperience with the form was why he couldn't finish off Jiren without the help of Seventeen and Freeza." Piccolo adds.
"We did get lucky, I admit." Seventeen agrees.
"So, is this viewing going to show us Goku mastering Ultra Instinct?" Dende asked.
Goku frowned at the implication. "What?! Really?! Oh man, that blows! Isn't that like cheating?"
"Not necessarily, my boy." Roshi speaks up. "How your future self achieves it won't be the exact same as you right here. Take what you learn here and apply it to continue getting stronger."
"I see, thanks Master Roshi!" Goku smiles.
Lemo leans over to look at Yamcha. "Hey, so what is this Tournament of Power they're going on about?"
"Right, you guys are new here." Yamcha realized as Broly and Cheelai turned to listen in. "The Tournament of Power was this big battle that involved all 12 universes battling for the sake of survival. The winning universe would be granted a wish on the Super Dragon Balls. In the end, our universe won and Seventeen over there." The ex-bandit points to the cyborg. "Wished for all universes to be restored."
"A multiverse tournament…something like that actually happened?" Cheelai muttered, finding it hard to believe. But considering everything that happened with Broly, she had no choice but to believe it.
"A big battle…" Broly thought about it. He wondered how fun it would be to fight in that tournament. But he probably would have lost control and killed everyone, so probably for the best he wasn't there.
"Hmph! So you can't tap into it at will? What a useless technique!" Vegeta scoffed.
"Vegeta, are you jealous that you couldn't use it?" Whis giggles, making the prince blush.
"P-preposterous! As if!"
"Guess so. No shortcuts in training, huh? Just gotta keep grinding away."
Goku nodded his head, agreeing with his on-screen self.
"Especially because I never intend to fight side by side with you again." Vegeta swore.
"Fine by me, cuz I prefer to take on enemies by myself." Goku agreed with the sentiment.
Everyone in the audience gave the two Saiyans a dead stare. The two noticed the looks and didn't understand why.
"What?"
"They'll never learn…" Chi-Chi and Bulma pretty much gave up.
Their training is interrupted by Bulma's voice coming through the intercom. "Vegeta! Goku! We've got an urgent call from Hercule."
"M-me?" Hercule blinked.
"Daddy, what did you do this time?" Videl sighed.
"Why do you think I did something wrong?!" Hercule cried.
"Because you always cause some kind of trouble."
The two Saiyans exit the room to ask Bulma what was wrong. She begins to explain that some mysterious gang has shown up at his mansion trying to kidnap Buu. Vegeta doesn't take it seriously considering just how strong Majin Buu is.
"Trying to take Buu?! I won't let them!" Hercule hugs his best friend, earning a confused noise from the pink creature.
"Looks like something serious might be going down." Piccolo grunts.
Goku questions if it's some new group of villains. Bulma wasn't sure herself, and Vegeta didn't feel any powerful energy other than Buu's. Either way, it would be best for them to check it out in case it was something bad.
Holding out his hand, Goku prepares Instant Transmission. "C'mon, Vegeta."
The sheer implication of holding another man's hand, especially Goku's, infuriated the prince. "Get going on your own! I can fly to Herculopolis in five seconds!"
"Harsh."
"That was mean, Vegeta!"
"Shut up, you idiot! I'll never hold your hand again!"
"Wait, you held his hand?" Seventeen raises a brow.
"Something you want to say, Vegeta?" Eighteen smirks.
"Both of you can shut the hell up too!" Vegeta hisses, grumbling with a small blush.
A quick scene change shows them what exactly was going down at Hercule's mansion. A ship of the Galactic Patrol is parked right at the entrance, while several officers are carting a sleeping Majin Buu into the ship. One of them is a young humanoid. He has greyish colored hair and purplish skin. He wears a dark jumpsuit which consists of stripes on the sides of his arms, torso, and legs, a jacket that covers his chest and shoulders, and the Galactic Patrol insignia on the left chest side of his jacket while being equipped with Bluetooth like devices on both ears, which have antennae.
"The Galactic Patrol?! They're the ones who are kidnapping Buu?!" Bulma gasped.
"I guess it makes sense Hercule wouldn't point it out. He wouldn't know a thing about the Galactic Patrol." Gohan said.
"What do they want him for anyway?" Trunks wondered. "He's strong as heck, but he just sleeps all year now."
Whis recognizes one of the officers apprehending Majin Buu. "To think you'd appear in this viewing Merus. I do wonder what importance you'll be carrying here."
Hercule, angry, pulls out a gun from his GI. "No choice. This counts as self-defense…" He fires the gun, however, Merus pulls out his gun with blinding speed. The laser destroys the bullet before it could even get close to him, terrifying Hercule.
"Daddy!" Videl exclaimed.
"They're taking Buu, Videl!" Hercule defends his actions.
"Yes, but that isn't an excuse to start shooting a gun at them. We're lucky they're the good guys who won't actually harm you." Videl responds.
"But it's nice to see that you're willing to go far for Buu, Hercule." Gohan nods, earning a smile from the champ.
Merus puts away his gun. "Hercule, as I just attempted to explain, we are…"
Goku appears before he could finish explaining, earning a joyous shout from Hercule. The Saiyan from Earth glares at the officers. "What're you people up to? And what do you want with Buu? You're definitely bad guys, right?" He assumes when Vegeta lands right next to him.
"Wait, how do you not recognize their uniforms? You two have met Jaco!" Bulma looks at the two idiots.
"Jaco is with those guys?" Goku tilted his head.
"Did you think I actually paid attention to that fool?" Vegeta scoffs.
"Of course, you two completely forgot…" Bulma sighs.
Surprise dawns on Merus' face. "Goku and Vegeta? The Goku and Vegeta?"
"Hm? They know about us?" Vegeta narrowed his eyes.
"Maybe Jaco bragged about you two?" Krillin assumed.
"I wouldn't be surprised." Bulma said.
"Please! You gotta save Buu!" Hercule begged.
"I'm on it!" Goku reassured the champ. He flickers out of sight, taking out the Galactic Patrolmen before they even realize it.
"It seems you leave me no choice." Merus decides, turning the dial on his gun. He blinks out of sight and appears behind Goku. He wasn't given a chance to defend himself before Merus fired his gun. The energy bullet zaps Goku, knocking him out in one hit.
"GOKU/DAD/KAKAROT?!" The audience cries, shocked to see the strongest of their group taken out so easily.
"K-Kakarot?!" Vegeta gasped. And to a continued level of shock, Merus incapacitates Vegeta as well.
"VEGETA TOO?!"
"Okay, I didn't see that coming." Cheelai admits. She didn't know someone in the Galactic Patrol would be able to take down Goku and Vegeta so easily, especially since they could go toe-to-toe with Broly.
"Now that I think about it…this guy looks familiar!" Lemo exclaimed.
"You know this person, Lemo?" Broly asked.
"Not personally, but there were talks throughout the Freeza Force about dealing with the Galactic Patrol. And most of them always ended with warnings to avoid the number one elite of the GP, Merus." Lemo explained.
"So, you're saying that this guy is that elite?!" Goku asked.
"Until the showing proves it, yeah."
Merus advises his fellow officers to carry Goku and Vegeta into the ship. He then turns to Hercule with a reassuring smile. "Worry not. They will aid our cause. I'll explain everything back at HQ."
There was nothing Hercule could do as Goku, Vegeta, and Buu were taken away into space by the Galactic Patrol.
"I'm really starting to have a bad feeling about this." Chi-Chi worried for her husband's safety.
"Don't worry, Chi-Chi, I'm sure things will be fine." Goku reassures her, calming the matriarch down.
Goku and Vegeta awake, greeted by the face of Jaco. When Goku winces at the bit of lingering pain, Jaco mentions that their stun guns pack a lot of punch.
"And there's that useless cop!" Bulma said. "Clearly he knows about whatever is going on."
Vegeta clicks his tongue. "Tch! To think their measly weapons were enough to take us down."
"That's what happens when you let your guards down. I've warned you both about that." Whis chuckles.
"Oh! Hey, Jaco!" Goku happily greets him.
"I don't know why he brought you two when Majin Buu would have been enough." Jaco sighs.
"Brought? Where are we?" Goku asked.
A shot of the floating space station is shown. "This is the headquarters of the Galactic Patrol."
"Galactic Patrol, you say?" Vegeta huffs.
"I apologize for getting rough with you, but you didn't seem to be in the mood to listen to reason." Merus appears, apologizing to them.
"Who're you?" Goku asked.
A patrolman next to Merus decides to answer. "This is our number one elite, Merus. He manages 104 sectors."
"104?!" Krillin cried.
"I guess he really is a super elite." Tien muttered.
"So cool!" Goten and Trunks shouted. "He sounds like some kind of big superhero! Can we be just like that?!"
"I'll think about it." Bulma shrugs.
Chi-Chi wasn't sure. She didn't want her son putting himself into danger, but the GP was a legitimate business, so it could be considered an option. "I'll think about it too."
Jaco tries to brag. "That's a few more than me."
"How many do you manage?" Goku asked.
"Uh? Three."
"…"
"My sister did say he loved to brag pointlessly." Bulma sighed.
"If he's so elite, then why does he need Buu?" Vegeta got straight to business.
Merus begins to explain. "Right…due to our negligence, a dastardly criminal has broken out of Galactic Prison. To recapture this villain, we require assistance from a certain individual."
"And who is that?"
"Spit it out already!"
"Someone who slumbers within your Majin Buu! The Grand Supreme Kai." Merus revealed.
"HUH?!" Beerus speaks up for the first time since the viewing started. "What do you mean the Grand Supreme Kai is inside of Buu?!"
"Oh yeah!" Goku recalls. "I think Supreme Kai did mention that Buu absorbed the other Supreme Kais when he was first going on a rampage."
"Goddammit! That useless twit didn't mention that to me!" Beerus shouted. "I assumed they had all been killed!"
"I knew, Lord Beerus." Whis smiles.
"Why didn't you say anything?!"
"You never asked."
"DAMMIT, WHIS!"
"Um? Who is this Grand Supreme Kai?" Cheelai asked.
"One of the few Gods of creation that exist within our universe. The Supreme Kais are the opposite to the God of Destruction. Their role is to help maintain order and balance by observing the universe and prevent any catastrophic events that may bring an end to it." Whis explained.
"There's only two left, because Majin Buu defeated the rest." Piccolo added.
"Hm? Buu doesn't remember." Buu shrugged.
"Nobody asked you to speak, tubby!" Beerus barked.
"HAH?!" Buu glared back.
"C-chill out, Buu!" Hercule acts quickly to keep his friend under control.
"Well, now I'm concerned about why the Galactic Patrol would need help from the Grand Supreme Kai of all people, if it's even possible to get Buu to cooperate." Dende said.
"I have a guess, but I'll let the viewing answer." Whis smirks.
TEN MILLION YEARS AGO
"A flashback? Boo! Those are boring!" Trunks whined.
"Quiet!" Vegeta huffed, silencing his son.
Long ago, a destructive battle for the fate of the universe took place. The Grand Supreme Kai and the South Supreme Kai battled against a mysteriously powerful foe, their identity covered by a tattered cloak. The villain utilized their magic abilities to absorb the life energy of the surrounding planets, killing millions to make themself stronger.
Everyone was unsettled at the sight of the villain's powers. Watching so much beautiful life meet such a swift, merciless end was horrifying. The mothers covered their children' s eyes, even though Goten and Trunks loudly complained about it.
Gohan made an observation. "Hey, dad, isn't that sort of like the Spirit Bomb?"
"Similar, yeah, but way worse. With the Spirit Bomb, I don't take all of the pure energy from the planet or life on it. I even ask for permission first, just for a bit of energy. What this guy is doing is stealing energy without a care for who dies in the process." Goku explained. His eyes narrowed at the villain on the screen, already not liking him.
The villain's powers grew to enormous levels, throwing the tides of the battle into their favor. Even the Grand Supreme Kai realized that winning may be impossible.
Off in the distance, members of the Galactic Police (The predecessor of the Galactic Patrol) were watching the fateful battle. "Planet Eater Moro. He's been charged with the destruction of the Iragi Star System and bringing about mass extinction on 320 planets."
"Destroying an entire star system and 320 planets?! This Moro guy definitely sounds bad!" Oolong shivered.
"Now that I think about it, wasn't Majin Buu similar before he was sealed away? His master Bibidi was sending him out on a path of mass destruction." Krillin remembers.
"At the very least, Buu was stopped by his own master, which likely lowered just how far his destruction spread." Piccolo said.
"What about Freeza? I know that jerk never minded blowing up planets." Bulma brings up their old/recent enemy.
"He and his father were running a business. Planets that were designated for 'cleaning' were only done so if the civilization living there refused to submit to them. They didn't actually destroy planets on a whim like Buu and Moro." Vegeta explained.
"The fact that we can sound so casual about literal genocide on a universal scale is really unsettling." Yamcha sighed.
The Galactic Police accepted that they were completely useless in this situation and maintained a safe distance. South Kai grumbles as Moro descends to put an end to them, wishing that there was a way to disable the monster's magical abilities.
"I've got no choice. I'll use my god power to steal his magic." Grand Supreme Kai said.
"Steal his magic? That's actually possible?" Gohan asked.
"Anything is possible if you have the power to achieve the impossible." Whis responds.
"I created this technique, since I had a feeling it may come in handy one day. It's far too dangerous to teach to anyone else." Grand Supreme Kai explained. The large Kai begins to generate a massive amount of energy in his palms, bringing his hands together.
"Grand Supreme Kai! You mustn't put so much of your strength into it!" South Kai warns.
His superior didn't listen, believing the risks to be necessary. "KAIKAIMATORU!" The beam hit Moro, who didn't even see it coming in time. The attack sealed away all of Moro's powers, defeating the dangerous criminal for good.
Merus' voice over is heard, while the GP locks Moro away in a cell. "And so, the Grand Supreme Kai gave up most of his godly power in order to seal away Moro's magic. Unable to fight back, Moro was locked away in the Galactic Prison."
"Tch! No wonder he lost to Buu. The idiot sacrificed his own powers." Beerus scoffed.
"Hehe…perhaps if you were awake, Lord Beerus, then you could have tended to he matters yourself?" Whis smirks, earning an embarrassed shout from his lord.
"Quiet, Whis! It's not a destroyers' job to meddle too much in the affairs of the universe. If those idiots can't handle someone like that, then they're worthless." It really pissed him off how weak the Kais were, especially since his life was tied to theirs.
THE PRESENT
"Well, Moro was still a capable fighter, even without magic, so he was sentenced to death. Unfortunately, nobody could actually kill him, so he was instead given life imprisonment." Merus explained.
"So, is he immortal?" Eighteen asked.
"Less immortal, and more too strong for normal means to kill him." Whis explained.
"And this Moro is still alive after ten million years?" Vegeta asked, receiving a confirmation from Merus.
"Woah! This guy is old."
"He's older than Master Roshi!"
"Why me specifically?!" The turtle hermit smacks his star pupil over the head with his staff.
"So he managed to escape, huh?" Goku inquires.
"Correct. It's likely that Moro has regained his magic, so we require the Grand Supreme Kai's power to capture this criminal once again." Merus answered.
When Vegeta questions why Buu is necessary, Merus explains how the Grand Supreme Kai had been absorbed by Buu five million years after Moro's defeat. "Our only hope is to somehow extract the Grand Supreme Kai's ability from within Buu, or so we hope."
"Why not just remove the Grand Supreme Kai from Buu?" Videl asked. "Sounds like it would be easier than betting on Buu waking up."
"Unfortunately, the Grand Supreme Kai has been fully assimilated inside of Majin Buu after being absorbed for so long. It is impossible to separate them at this point." Whis answered.
"And so everything falls onto Buu." Piccolo didn't seem hopeful.
Vegeta felt the same as the audience, mentioning how it could take days before Buu wakes up. When one of the Patrolmen tries to wake up Buu, the Majin just throws him across the room. Merus accepts that this does cause a roadblock in their plans.
"Oh, I know! How about we help you catch this guy?" Goku suggests, smiling.
"And after hearing how dangerous this Moro is, you're excited to go meet him. I shouldn't expect anything else." Chi-Chi sighs.
"Well, yeah, they need help to catch this guy, and it sounds like he's pretty strong. There's no way I could resist!" Goku laughs, earning another headshake from his wife.
"Sounds fun, right, Vegeta?"
"Tch! First they drag us here, now they ask us for a favor?" Vegeta scoffs.
"Rumors of you two have reached us, you're supposedly quite powerful." Merus said.
Goku laughs humbly. "I dunno about that, since there's still stronger people out there in the universe. We even ran into another Saiyan recently."
"Another Saiyan…wait, you're talking about Broly!" Cheelai explained. Her big friend blinked, realizing he's the topic now.
"So, this is a very recent future." Vegeta grunts. It makes him wonder just how dangerous the situation with Moro might become if he and Kakarot were to lose, not that he thought they would.
"Maybe we'll get involved?" Lemo wondered.
"Nah!" Goku shakes his head. "Broly can't control his power, so bringing him along would probably cause more harm than good."
"And having to deal with that again is the last thing we need." Vegeta added.
"You don't have to sound rude about it!" Cheelai yelled.
Vegeta kept his eyes on Merus. "This Merus… I couldn't read his KI, but he's far from weak. He didn't just exploit an opening-he was agile enough to get the drop on us in an instant! That speaks to his skill…"
Whis smiled to himself since he was the only one in the room aware of Merus' true identity. Maybe interacting with him will help progress Goku and Vegeta's training just a bit.
Merus directs Goku and Vegeta to an auditorium where the Galactic King would be waiting. Goku didn't remember him, but Jaco responds by saying that the king was there during the tournament against Universe 6.
"A Galactic King? Did we meet someone like that?" Vegeta asked.
"Maybe we just forgot about him." Krillin shrugs.
"Oh yeah! The octopus!"
"I am no octopus…" The green octopus wearing a golden crown responds to Goku's rude comment.
Goku grabs a tentacle. "Heya! Haven't seen you in a while!"
"As I've mentioned before, that's not a tentacle."
"OW!" Goku whines when Bulma and Chi-Chi smack him on the head. "Why did you hit me?!"
"Can you show a bit of respect for once?!" His wife yells.
"Can you stop touching people in inappropriate places?!" Bulma yells.
There was a very long and boring ceremony to welcome Goku and Vegeta into the Galactic Patrol. Nobody really paid attention to it. Jaco shows the Saiyans the standard GP uniform. "Check it out, Goku! Vegeta! We've got official uniforms for you two!"
"I don't want to wear that." Goku's rejection was instant. "Looks hard to move around in."
"And it looks lame too." Cheelai adds. At least the Freeza Force uniforms could be customized to have style.
"Merus' uniform looks a lot cooler." Goten would rather wear that than what Jaco was wearing.
"We won't force you. But the rules do state that you need to bear our symbol." Merus informed them as two officers came up to scribble the symbol onto their clothes.
"It's kind of embarrassing…" Goku groaned.
"Tch!" Vegeta tried to scratch it off.
"I can't believe I just watched Goku and Vegeta become space cops…" Chi-Chi should feel proud that her husband technically just got hired for a job, but not for the reasons she would have liked. "You better get paid for this, Goku!"
"But does space money work on Earth?" Her husband wondered.
"Welcome to the team! As your Galactic Patrol Superior, I'll be showing you the ropes! First, our victory pose goes like this…" Jaco poses.
"Can we skip the poses?" Neither Saiyan wanted to do that.
"Do you have something against poses, dad?" Gohan narrowed his eyes.
"Uh…" Goku didn't know how to respond.
"I'm joking!" Gohan smiles, earning an awkward laugh from Goku.
Suddenly, some officers are seen rushing off in a hurry. One of them enters the room to inform Merus that the Macareni siblings have stolen some valuables once again. Goku asks about them, and Jaco explains that they're a bunch of punks who have constantly violated Galactic Law. Merus decides to go resolve the matter himself.
Before he can leave, Vegeta decides that he will be coming to observe Merus' abilities. Goku likes the sound of that and follows after them. Jaco comes too, saying that as the overseer of Earth, it's his job to monitor Goku and Vegeta.
Bulma rolls her eyes. "He didn't want to be left behind."
"It was a good idea for Vegeta to suggest watching Merus. The universe is vast, yes, but coming across someone who manages to take out Goku and Vegeta so easily isn't common. We should pay close attention to how Merus handles this situation." Piccolo advised everyone.
PLANET JUNG
The scene changes to an alien world where the Macareni siblings (Pasta the oldest brother, Penne the sister, and Ghetti the youngest brother) have hijacked a mining train, transporting carts of rich minerals to be sold off. The Galactic Patrol's ship arrives to apprehend these western outlaw-designed criminals.
"I'll shoot them outta the sky. Keep a close eye on the hostages, Ghetti." Pasta said.
Merus opens the hatch, staring down at the stolen minerals. "So they're after Blue Aurum."
"What's Blue Aurum?" Goku asked.
"A fuel source for all sorts of machines. Like how, on Earth, you've got… Sky Gold, I guess." Jaco explains. "It's pretty valuable, so it'll be really bad if criminals get their mitts on it."
"Blue Aurum… I wonder if I could get my hands on some?" Bulma thinks of all the possible inventions she could create with these minerals.
"With as much as they've got down there, they could build a planet busting bomb."
"And that stuff isn't more securely guarded?!" Yamcha cried.
"Even if it were, criminals always find a way to get through defenses." Krillin sighed.
Leaping off of the ship, Merus lands on one of the carts. He picks up a piece of Blue Aurum. "Stealing a whole train's worth of Blue Aurum… This is their most audacious caper yet."
Pasta fires his gun at Merus, who easily tilts his head to dodge. "If it ain't Merus? It's been too long, friend."
"Pasta… I'm not punching out today until you three are locked up in Galactic Prison." Merus promised.
"Woah, there. That was just me saying 'hi'. I'd never actually go toe-to-toe with you."
"Then throw down your firearm."
Pasta does as told, but not in the way Merus expected. He sneakily charged his gun with energy then tossed it towards Merus, where it landed between the train carts. Pasta snaps his fingers, blowing his gun up, separating his one cart from the rest where Merus was. Pasta looks back at his siblings. "Penne! Our friend's changing tracks!"
Penne smirks, using her stretching ability to switch the tracks to ensure the elite patrolman wouldn't be able to follow. Pasta then took out a shotgun and blew apart the tracks in front of Merus to send him on a one-way trip down the pit.
"Gotta say that was a pretty smart stunt Pasta pulled. Reminds me of old cowboy films." Yamcha said.
"Considering how often they seem to cause trouble; it makes sense they'd be prepared to deal with Merus if they have so much history." Tien adds.
"But I doubt it'll be enough to fully stop him." Chiaotzu said.
Merus prioritizes stopping the line of Blue Aurum he's on from being lost. Activating the jet boosters in his boots, he slows their momentum to a halt. Merus then requests for Jaco to secure the Blue Aurum while he goes to cut-off the Macareni siblings.
Vegeta blinks and gasps, realizing that Merus had vanished in the blink of an eye.
"He's over there!" Goku points to the distance.
"What?!" Vegeta cries.
True enough, Merus was in high pursuit without stopping. He easily leaps over the tunnel to land on the conductor's car but finds that the siblings had ditched the train while Merus was distracted.
Jaco appears, carrying each cart of Blue Aurum effortlessly. "Ah! The Blue Aurum is gone too!"
"I gotta hand it to them, these criminals aren't your run of the mill." Krillin notes. As a police officer himself, he's had to deal with a few tricky cases here and there. These guys likely would have given him the slip too.
The Macareni siblings are seen escaping in their ship with the cart of Blue Aurum tied underneath. Just when they are believed to have made a clean escape, a certain Earth-raised Saiyan slams himself against the windshield.
"Pfft! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Laughter echoes in the chamber, Goku's friends and family found the entire thing hilarious. If there's one thing people never expect, it's Goku's unpredictability.
"Hey, Merus! I caught the bad guys!" Goku waves.
"I appreciate the assistance." Merus smiles.
Vegeta, who had been watching from the GP ship, looks up at the siblings' vehicle. He notices that one of the engines had been nearly torn out and that Merus was holding a piece of it in his left hand. "Merus… He'd already tampered with their spaceship, ensuring they wouldn't get far. So even if Kakarot hadn't caught them, it wouldn't have mattered. Stopping the train took priority because he wanted to save the conductors. Tch! So how'd he have time to sabotage their ship? Dammit! I somehow missed that!"
Just like the on-screen Vegeta, everyone in the audience was insanely impressed by Merus' adaptability and quick thinking. All of their eyes had been on the patrolman, yet his speed and skill still caught them by surprise.
"He ensured that the criminals wouldn't get away, while also keeping the hostages safe the entire time. Merus' skills are next level." Gohan was highly impressed.
"He's so cool! I wanna be just like that!" Trunks bounced in his seat.
"Yeah! Merus beat them without even having to kick their butts!" Goten added.
Piccolo grunts softly. "There's something off about him, but I can't figure out what it is."
With the Macareni siblings apprehended, the heroes left Planet Jung. Jaco arrogantly laughs at the crooks. "Ha ha ha! This is what happens when you mess with us elites!"
"But you didn't do anything though." Goku reminds him.
The prince approaches Merus. "You could've saved the day quicker, couldn't you? You're hiding your power, right? My eyes don't lie."
"Hardly! Yes, I wanted their spaceship too, so I let them flounder a bit longer, but hiding my power? No." Merus replied.
"Man…this guy really is an elite." Krillin sighed, feeling a bit inadequate. Eighteen puts a hand on his shoulder, and Marron hugs his leg, helping him feel better.
"I suppose you aren't capable of capturing this Moro on your own then?" Vegeta assumed.
"I'm afraid not. I may be number one in the Galactic Patrol, but Moro is another league altogether." Merus said. "Moro's power knows no limits."
"What? You mean he's getting stronger and stronger?!" Goku exclaimed.
"Yes. So if we don't capture him soon, things will go from bad to worse-" Merus is interrupted by the communication system. "A report? From where?"
The pilot answers. "Kusaya Squad was out scouting, and they got a lock on Moro's location!"
"Alright! They found him!" Puar cheered.
"Is that really a good thing? This Moro guy sounds like a menace!" Oolong cried.
Merus read the report. "Passing through sector KT40… He didn't get as far as expected."
"Which way is that?" Goku asked Jaco.
"Like, which direction? That way." The friend of Tights points behind them.
"Okay, lemme do a search of my own." Goku puts his fingers to his temple, sensing out Moro's powerful KI.
The audience waits with bated breath for the big reveal of the dangerous criminal. But that anticipation slowly morphed into shock, and even fear for a few of them.
Moro, an old cosmic creature with the appearance of a goat, smiles slowly. His eyes turn to their direction, alerting Goku that he was aware that someone was watching him.
Chapter End