He raised a hand and swiftly flicked Vitelli on the forehead, the sharp snap ringing out loud and clear!
"Ow!" Vitelli clutched his forehead and glared at him.
"Just count yourself lucky, kid!"
Beerus snorted, wearing an expression that said, "You should be grateful."
"In all these thousands of years, I've never once taken the initiative to seek out an Apprentice God of Destruction! You, Vitelli, are the first! It's an honor!"
He pointed at the divine outfit Vitelli was wearing. "This 'Apprentice God of Destruction' uniform is a symbol of your status! From now on, you're the Apprentice God of Destruction of Universe 7!"
Vitelli: "...???"
He was completely dumbfounded. What Apprentice God of Destruction? Who agreed to this?!
"Lord Beerus, aren't you afraid Vitelli will come after you once he gets over this?"
Whis covered his mouth, smiling as he asked from the side.
"Afraid of him?" Beerus scoffed disdainfully, his golden, slit-pupiled eyes looking down at Vitelli with the unique arrogance of a God of Destruction. "Why would I, Beerus, need to avoid him?!"
He stopped looking at the indignant Vitelli and turned to Bulma. "I heard you promise to treat Whis to a meal just now. When do we start?"
Bulma looked at Vitelli, who'd just been beaten unconscious and was now furious at being forced into a "work uniform," then at the God of Destruction before her, shamelessly demanding a meal as if he were entirely in the right. She sighed deeply.
She couldn't understand how this God of Destruction had cultivated such a shameless personality. You just beat my husband to a pulp!
But still...
Bulma's gaze fell on the divine outfit Vitelli wore. It looked strange, yet somehow carried an air of authority and mystery. Seeing him hopping around in anger, but powerless to do anything about it, she felt her worry for him suddenly replaced by a strange sense of pride and satisfaction that her man had made something of himself.
Oh well...
She resigned herself to taking out her phone and calling the manor.
"Hello? It's me. Prepare a banquet immediately! Yes, use only the finest ingredients! Get the entire kitchen staff ready! Also..."
She paused and glanced at Vitelli, who was still staring Beerus down. A smile tugged at her lips.
"Let's say it's to celebrate Vitelli's, um, 'promotion'!"
She consoled herself: Being the wife of an Apprentice God of Destruction sounded a little strange, but at least she was the wife of a "God." Not a bad deal!
The husband of Bulma, the young lady of the house, was a god! Just imagine how impressive that would sound if she told her young lady!
Though this god... seemed like he really wanted to beat his direct superior to the ground.
Vitelli watched Bulma begin arranging the banquet, then looked at Beerus's smug expression that said, "You got a great deal," and Whis's amused smile. In the end, all he could do was scratch his head in frustration.
He looked down and tugged at the uniform that marked him as the Apprentice God of Destruction of Universe 7, then sighed helplessly.
What was this supposed to be?!
Chapter 22: A Full-Bellied Beerus Takes Off!
The lavish banquet, so sumptuous it bordered on extravagant, came to an end once again in the dining room of Brief Manor.
The mountain of empty plates and bowls on the table silently testified to the ferocity of the "battle" that had just taken place. The devastation was no less impressive than the recent clash between a mortal and a god.
Beerus sprawled without an ounce of decorum in a wide, comfortable chair, his golden eyes contentedly half-closed. His slender tail tapped lazily against the seat, making a soft thump every now and then.
Whis remained as elegant as ever, though the hand holding his teacup seemed especially languid. A satisfied smile graced his face.
"Mm... Earth's cuisine never disappoints."
Whis covered his mouth and let out a comfortable burp, then smiled and said:
"Lord Beerus, Vitelli, we should be heading back now."
At that, Vitelli spoke up at once.
"Beerus, Whis, I may need to stay on Earth for a couple more days."
He paused to explain:
"I can't sense Earth's energy from the God of Destruction Realm well enough to use Instant Transmission directly. I want to improve it. I'll make a wish on Earth's Dragon Balls and see if I can evolve the ability somehow, or set coordinates between the two planets so it'll be easier to travel back and forth in the future."
But... his desire to stay by Bulma's side a little longer was practically written all over his face.
Beerus waved a hand, looking as though it were a trivial matter.
"Earth has wish-granting orbs, too? You're going out of your way for nothing. Once I have time, I'll take you to the Supreme Kai Realm and have the Supreme Kais teach you a more advanced version of Instant Transmission. It'll be much more useful than what you have now."
Vitelli's face immediately filled with undisguised helplessness. He shot back pointedly:
"That sounds great in theory, but reality is another matter. As far as I know, the current Supreme Kais..."
He deliberately stared at Beerus, ready to see the God of Destruction make a fool of himself.
"They probably don't even know you exist, after you've been asleep for decades, do they?"
"N-What?!"
Beerus sat bolt upright as though someone had stepped on his tail. Shock and disbelief filled his golden, slit-pupiled eyes.
"They don't know me? How is that possible?! I'm the God of Destruction! How could the Supreme Kais not know me?!"
Vitelli couldn't be bothered to explain that the Supreme Kais had practically died out—or bring up the fact that Beerus himself had sealed away the Old Supreme Kai.
He merely shrugged and brushed him off. "How would I know the exact reason? I just overheard some rumors on another planet. Apparently, the current Supreme Kai is a pretty young fellow."
Beerus narrowed his eyes and stared at Vitelli for several seconds. He knew full well that the kid was probably making things up to brush him off.
But... he'd just finished eating the carefully prepared feast his girlfriend had made. He, Beerus, the God of Destruction, might sometimes wipe his mouth and turn hostile immediately after a meal—
Well, sometimes he did! But he'd enjoyed the food too much to bother picking a fight with Vitelli for now.
Still, Vitelli's words did make him take notice.
The Supreme Kais were important gods whose lives were linked to those of the Gods of Destruction. Although Beerus had used special means to avoid the risk of sharing his counterpart's fate, the Supreme Kais' existence was essential to the balance of the universe.
If the current Supreme Kai really was as clueless as the kid said, and didn't even know about his theoretical divine partner, that would be a problem.
"Hmph. Nonsense."
Beerus finally just snorted, putting his doubts aside for the time being.
"I'll find out the truth in due course. Anyway, your title as Apprentice God of Destruction is settled. You're not getting out of it."
Hearing that Vitelli was about to leave again, Bulma grew anxious. Tears quickly welled in her sapphire-blue eyes as she hugged his arm tightly and looked at him with teary eyes.
"You've only just come back! Are you leaving again already? How long will you be gone this time?"
Seeing Bulma like this, Vitelli's heart softened instantly.
He hesitated, then looked at Whis and Beerus and pleaded with them:
"Teacher Whis, Lord Beerus, could you take Bulma with us? She can bring lots of delicious food, and her cooking is... really good! (She's rich!)"
To sweeten the deal, Vitelli lied without hesitation.
Whis and Beerus both saw through his insincere words, but neither of them minded.
Beerus had no objection. The God of Destruction Realm was spacious, so one more person or one less made no difference—as long as she brought plenty of food.
Still, he pointed at Bulma.
"Take her with us? Kid, do you want her to die? The environment in the God of Destruction Realm isn't something an ordinary human can withstand. The gravity there alone is at least several hundred times stronger than on Earth, maybe even more! The moment she arrives, her own weight will crush her."
Only then did Vitelli suddenly remember.
He'd been thinking only about staying with Bulma and overlooked the most basic issue of adapting to the environment.
His own strength was immense, so changes in gravity barely affected him. But Bulma was just an ordinary Earthling...
He immediately looked to Beerus for help, his eyes plainly pleading, "Think of something."
Beerus awkwardly scratched his pale-purple cheek and turned his gaze elsewhere.
He knew all about combat and destruction, but when it came to problems that required delicate handling and specialized knowledge, he was completely at a loss. That was an angel's area of expertise.
Watching Beerus look so uncharacteristically flustered, Whis covered his mouth and chuckled.
He gave the Scepter a wave, sending out a gentle, mysterious glow that silently entered Bulma's body.
"There you go, Miss Bulma."
Whis smiled and nodded.
"You no longer need to worry about the conditions in the God of Destruction Realm. This power will protect you, automatically helping you adapt to and counter the effects of abnormal environmental conditions, whether gravity, air pressure, or radiation. You can now live safely in the God of Destruction Realm, just as you would on Earth."
Bulma immediately felt as if her body had grown much lighter, enveloped in a sense of comfort she couldn't describe.
She jumped excitedly, then happily wrapped her arms around Vitelli's neck and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.
"That's wonderful, Vitelli! We can go together!"
Then she remembered something, released Vitelli, and quickly said to Beerus and Whis:
"Please wait just a moment! Just a moment! I'll go get a few things ready! Daily necessities, clothes, and my research equipment and computer..."
Beerus was growing impatient.
"Hmph! Foolish woman, do you have any idea how disrespectful it is to keep a powerful god waiting? Whis, get us ready to—"
He hadn't even finished saying "depart" when Bulma added, as though she'd only just remembered:
"Oh! And I had a whole box of specially prepared, top-grade tuna set aside just for you, Lord Beerus. There's plenty!"
Beerus's words caught in his throat. What he'd been about to say took an abrupt turn, and even his tone changed.
"Get ready to—cough, go... get it! I can wait for you. After all, tolerance and patience are excellent qualities that every great god should possess!"
He spoke with righteous conviction, as if he hadn't been the one complaining just moments ago.
Whis finally couldn't hold back. He covered his mouth with a hand, his shoulders shaking violently.
Vitelli quickly lowered his head and covered his mouth too, but his shoulders were still bouncing, and he couldn't stop a muffled laugh from escaping.
Beerus cast the two of them a disdainful look.
He folded his arms and tried to strike a dignified pose, but his twitching nostrils and the way his gaze kept drifting toward the kitchen gave him away completely.
Bulma moved like the wind as she rushed back to the bedroom and storeroom.
It wasn't long before she came back dragging two large backpacks, both stuffed to the brim and looking seriously heavy.
Vitelli looked at the huge backpacks and laughed in disbelief. "Bulma, you..."
"Better safe than sorry!"
Bulma said cheerfully as she handed Vitelli one of the heavy backpacks.
"Most of what's in here is Hoi-Poi Capsules. They contain my three labs, two houses, all kinds of tools and some food, as well as loads of prepared dishes for you and Lord Beerus and the others! There'll be enough to eat for quite a while!"
Vitelli smiled helplessly and fondly, accepted his fate, and put the heavy backpack on his back. Then he held Bulma's hand tightly.
Whis finally managed to stop laughing and immediately raised the Scepter. "All right, everyone, get ready."
Vitelli held Bulma's hand with one hand and rested the other on Whis's shoulder.
Beerus came over and placed a hand on Whis's other shoulder.
"Let's go, Whis," Beerus ordered.
Whis nodded. The jewel at the top of his Scepter lit up with a gentle glow, instantly enveloping all four of them.
Whoosh!
A flash of light, and the four vanished from the living room, leaving behind a mess of dishes and an empty room.
A few minutes after they left, the crisp chime of the doorbell and a knock-knock sounded at the entrance to Brief Manor.
"Hey! Bulma! Vitelli! I'm here to hang out with you!"
Son Goku stood outside the closed front gate in a slightly worn martial arts uniform, scratching his head in confusion.
"Nobody home?"
He waited a little, then listened again. The manor was completely quiet.
Dr. Brief and his wife weren't home today either. After Vitelli and the others left, only a few patrol robots remained inside the manor.
"That's strange. Vitelli was definitely back..."
Goku muttered to himself, then neatly vaulted over the tall wall and landed on the manor's lawn.