Age 732.
The Seventh Universe, outer space.
A brilliant beam of light, like a shooting star, tore through the darkness at a speed beyond all reason.
The two figures within it were Whis, the angel of the Seventh Universe, and Beerus, its God of Destruction.
Beerus kept yawning, his eyelids drooping as he nearly fell asleep in midflight.
Whis, by contrast, remained completely composed, wearing his usual pleasant smile.
"Whis... are we there yet?" Beerus yawned widely again, squeezing out a few sleepy tears. He impatiently wiped them away with a claw, his voice heavy with drowsiness. "That planet you mentioned, the one with the incredible food... what corner of the universe is it hiding in? My patience—no, my sleepiness—is almost at its limit."
"Oh my, Lord Beerus, please be patient just a little longer." Whis turned his head, his smile unchanged. "At our current speed, we'll be there in no time. The unique flavors on that planet will make this trip worthwhile, I'm sure."
Just as they were speaking—
"Whoosh!"
A streak of light that wasn't a star flashed past from far ahead to the side, leaving a brief, conspicuous trail against the pitch-black backdrop of space.
It was a spaceship traveling at high speed.
"Hm?" Beerus barely lifted his eyelids, lazily glancing over. "A spaceship? Judging by its round shape, it's one of those spherical mini models the Frieza Force uses in bulk, right? The kind that can only fit one person."
"That's right, Lord Beerus. You have a keen eye." Whis smiled and nodded, raising the staff in his hand.
The crystal sphere at the top of the staff instantly displayed a clear image of the inside of the ship.
A baby in a Battle Suit, fast asleep.
The baby had a thick head of black hair, and even in his sleep, his brow seemed to carry a hint of defiance.
"Let's see... Oh, a Saiyan baby, not even a year old." Whis smiled. "Judging by his flight path and the fact that he's traveling alone, he was most likely exiled by King Vegeta to some remote planet. That isn't unusual among the Saiyans."
"Hmph, Saiyans..." Beerus gave a dismissive snort, showing little interest. He seemed to have asked only in passing, and his attention was already drifting back toward sleep.
"However," Whis continued, his tone carrying a trace of surprise, "this sleeping little fellow has a remarkable amount of latent energy within him. Though his body is still so small, the energy he's unconsciously giving off right now, when converted to the Battle Power readings commonly used by the Frieza Force, would probably... already exceed one million."
"Tch. A mere one million Battle Power." Beerus curled his lip in disdain, his tail flicking idly. "Someone at that level isn't even qualified to entertain me."
"Heh heh heh... That may be true, but considering his age, his potential is quite astonishing." Whis chuckled, his eyes gleaming with insight. "Given enough time to grow and the right opportunities, this baby might one day reach heights that are difficult to measure."
"Hm?" Beerus's half-lidded eyes suddenly opened a fraction, a sharp glint flashing in his pupils. "Whis, are you saying... you think this little runt might one day become stronger than me, the God of Destruction?"
"Heh heh heh... Well, the mysteries of the universe are endless, and anything is possible. Wouldn't you agree, Lord Beerus?" Whis kept smiling, neither agreeing nor entirely denying it.
His ambiguous answer was like a stone tossed into a still lake.
Beerus fell silent, and the lazy look on his face faded visibly.
A brief silence.
"Whoosh!"
Without warning, Beerus shot away from Whis, becoming a streak of fierce purple-red light. As if tearing through space, he caught up in the blink of an eye with the spherical spaceship that was about to disappear beyond the edge of their vision.
Whis stopped and hovered gracefully in the void, tapping his staff as he watched with interest.
"Tap!"
Beerus merely extended one finger and casually pressed it against the front of the speeding ship.
The ship's furious momentum vanished as if swallowed by the sea. In an instant, it went from moving at full speed to coming to a complete stop before the God of Destruction's fingertip.
There wasn't even any inertia. It was that miraculous.
Tilting his catlike head, Beerus peered through the ship's observation window, studying the baby still fast asleep inside.
Broly was sleeping soundly, a glistening thread of drool at the corner of his mouth. His chubby cheeks were flushed from sleep.
At the sight of him sleeping so peacefully and defenselessly, Beerus felt his own forcibly banished drowsiness rising again. He couldn't help yawning widely once more.
This little thing, fast asleep and drooling...
Could he really threaten me in the future?
Beerus found the thought rather amusing. The corner of his mouth lifted in a teasing, disbelieving smile.
"Smack!"
But at that very moment—
Broly, who had been sleeping inside the ship, suddenly opened his eyes, as if sensing the oppressive gaze from outside.
His eyes were clear and pure. Without a trace of fear, he looked straight back at Beerus. His expression held a newborn's bewilderment, but deep within it lurked a hint of a beast's instinctive wariness.
"Oh? You're awake?" Beerus was a little surprised, but quickly returned to his condescending air and chuckled.
Broly only stared at him blankly, his little face full of confusion. He still couldn't understand what the purple creature with a cat's face was.
"You want to surpass me, the God of Destruction? You're a million years too early!" Beerus snorted.
Then Beerus casually flicked a finger.
"Boom!"
An invisible force struck the ship's hull. The entire vessel shot off in a new direction, like a baseball hit with all its might by a bat.
The next instant, the ship spun and streaked away toward the distant depths of space, far off its original course, with a piercing roar.
Inside, Broly was tossed about by the sudden force, colliding with the cabin walls as everything spun around him.
"Let's go, Whis." Beerus clapped his hands and returned to Whis's side.
"Of course, Lord Beerus." Whis nodded without another word.
But just as the two were about to set off—
"Click!"
A faint mechanical unlocking sound rang out, especially clear in the silent universe.
The hatch of the spherical spaceship, now far away in the distance, had opened!
Then a mass of intense, dark green energy flames surged out of the hatch, quickly enveloping a small figure.
The flames formed a thin energy shield, barely protecting him from the vacuum of space.
In the next instant, Broly became a streak of dark green light, shooting toward Beerus and Whis like an arrow released from a bow!
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