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*****
"What terrifying Ki!"
Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and the others stared in disbelief at the energy surrounding George, which had become so dense it appeared nearly solid.
"Is that really George?"
"It seems," Beerus said, a wide, joyful grin spreading across his face as he sensed George's power, "you are the one who can truly give me a fight worth having!"
Beside him, the ever-smiling Whis turned slightly serious. He could see that the strength of the human before them had likely reached a level approaching that of Beerus himself.
"To think someone could push the Kaio-ken—a technique invented by King Kai—to such an extent."
Whis was naturally familiar with the move; it was an excellent technique for a mortal to multiply their power. However, it was generally considered a mortal skill with a limit of ten or twenty times the base power. This man had pushed it beyond all rational bounds, reaching a staggering ten-thousand-fold multiplier that even an Angel found incredible.
"He is quite the prospect!"
A thought flickered through Whis's mind. Pushing a technique like the Kaio-ken to ten thousand times spoke of a terrifying innate talent. With such potential, there was a chance he could master the divine technique: Ultra Instinct. Even if he couldn't, the power he displayed now was more than enough to qualify him as a candidate for the position of God of Destruction.
In every universe, powerful warriors are scouted and trained as reserves. Should anything happen to the sitting God of Destruction, a successor is ready to step in. However, in Universe 7, Whis had struggled for eons to find a warrior with sufficient talent. He had considered Frieza once, but ultimately passed; Frieza had the talent, but his temperament was too vile to meet the standards of a deity.
Now, on Earth, he had suddenly found three promising candidates. The two Saiyans were impressive, but George possessed even greater potential.
"Let's fight to our hearts' content!" Beerus shouted, his purple aura exploding outward as excitement took over.
George, however, did not immediately engage. He simply smiled and said, "Lord Beerus, I'm not particularly fond of fighting. How about we skip the battle? We could sit down, enjoy some gourmet food, have a few drinks, and just chat?"
"Gourmet food? What kind of 'gourmet' could a place like this possibly have?"
At the mention of food, Beerus's aura flickered for a second, and Whis's ears perked up instantly.
"If you want to talk about food, where do I even start?" George began, sounding like a culinary narrator. "There's Takoyaki—soft batter balls filled with springy octopus; one bite and the aroma fills your senses. Then there's ice-cold, creamy ice cream in every flavor: strawberry, banana, grape, vanilla, melon... and smooth, silky pudding..."
George listed over a hundred types of delicacies in one breath. Beerus was practically drooling, and even Whis couldn't help but lick his lips. Whether the food was actually that good was secondary; George's descriptions were so vivid they felt like they couldn't possibly be bad.
Two total foodies, George thought, a slight smirk playing on his lips.
He knew that Beerus and Whis shared a massive passion for food, often traveling to various planets just to sample local cuisines. Frequently, their judgment on whether a planet was worth preserving or destroying rested solely on whether the local food satisfied them.
Earth in this world—and across many universes—had the widest variety of cuisines. Even if he couldn't satisfy Beerus through combat, using food as a lure was enough to save the planet.
However, those were ultimately "side paths." To truly ensure Earth's safety, one had to rely on strength. Furthermore, George's goal was to let Beerus and Whis see his true potential; otherwise, food alone wouldn't get him a ticket to learning Ultra Instinct.
In the original story, it seemed like Vegeta bribed Whis with food, but in reality, Whis had long since recognized Vegeta's potential. The food was just a convenient excuse. Similarly, George's diplomatic approach showed that while he was powerful, he wasn't a mindless or evil person. While a God of Destruction might destroy a planet on a whim, their primary role was maintaining universal balance, not being "evil." If they were purely malicious, the universe would have collapsed long ago. Whis's role was also to monitor the God of Destruction—ensuring they did their job, but also ensuring they didn't overwork or abuse their power.
"If the food on this planet is truly as good as you say, I can spare it," Beerus said, elegantly wiping his mouth as he gave a new ultimatum. "But you still have to fight me. If the food isn't as good as you claim, even if you entertain me in battle, you and this planet will turn to dust."
"Somehow, that feels like a worse deal than before," Krillin muttered, scratching his head.
Piccolo said calmly, "At least if George's strength doesn't satisfy him, we still have one final hope."
"The real question is: will Earth's food actually satisfy him?" Krillin asked, looking doubtful. The universe was vast; surely a God of Destruction had eaten everything. What if Earth's food was beneath him?
"We should ask Vegeta about that," Piccolo said, turning to the Saiyan Prince. As a Namekian raised on Earth, Piccolo didn't know much about other planets. Vegeta, however, had spent years under Frieza selling planets and knew the cosmos well.
Vegeta, back in his base form, took a moment to reflect. "In all the planets I've known, not a single one has as much variety in food as Earth."
He wasn't a gourmet, but he had basic taste. Other planets might surpass Earth in technology or raw power, but they lacked culinary creativity. Their cooking was usually just roasting or boiling with a bit of salt. Back when he and Nappa were conquering worlds, they'd just blast an animal with a Ki beam and eat it. Since living on Earth, Bulma sent him a dizzying array of different dishes after every training session. Part of the reason he had softened and grown attached to Earth was likely due to this comfort.
Hearing this, the group felt a wave of relief.
"I wonder if George will be in danger," Gohan worried. George was strong, but Gohan didn't think he could compare to a God of Destruction who had easily toyed with his father and Vegeta at Super Saiyan 4.
"Don't worry, I don't think George will lose," Goku said, walking over. His eyes were fixed on the two powerhouses in the sky. "I need to train harder... the gap between us is way too big!"
The fact that George had developed the Kaio-ken to a ten-thousand-fold level showed incredible potential. Goku decided he needed to put more effort into his own techniques as well.
"Very well. In that case, please!"
Knowing the battle was unavoidable, George didn't delay. He wrapped his body in Ki and blurred forward, throwing a punch at the God of Destruction. When the gap in power isn't astronomical, simple Ki blasts are a waste of energy; the most effective method is close-quarters combat. One waits for an opening to condense their Ki into a finishing move.
"Good!"
Sensing the speed and power behind George's punch, Beerus's eyes lit up. He met the attack with full focus.
The two became a blur of motion. Energy rippled out, causing the very space around them to oscillate. These vibrations traveled at incredible speeds, reaching the far corners of the universe and causing minor tremors on every inhabited planet.
"I... Is it just me, or does it look like George has the upper hand?" Krillin rubbed his eyes, stunned.
Goku and Vegeta spoke simultaneously: "George definitely has the advantage."
"Hahaha! Excellent! I haven't fought like this in ages!" As George blocked every strike, Beerus grew more excited, and his power began to surge significantly.
This is Ultra Instinct—the incomplete version, George noted. He felt the sudden spike in Beerus's combat efficiency. Beerus was considered one of the top-tier Gods among the twelve universes largely because he had mastered an incomplete form of Ultra Instinct. Had he not been so lazy and prone to napping, his talent might have allowed him to master the completed version and reach the level of an Angel.
"George! Stop! If you keep going, the universe will be destroyed!"
The voice of the Supreme Kai suddenly rang out from the Sacred World of the Kai. Both fighters were so powerful that even while trying to contain their energy, the aftershocks were destabilizing the cosmos.
"Lord Beerus, I concede!" George shouted, immediately deactivating the ten-thousand-fold Kaio-ken.
Even with Beerus using incomplete Ultra Instinct, George wasn't truly outmatched—he hadn't been using his full power either. He chose to concede for two reasons: First, the Supreme Kai was right; they were risking the integrity of the universe. He knew Whis would have stepped in eventually, but George, in his current role, wasn't supposed to know about Whis's true power and had to act cautiously. Second, his goal wasn't to defeat Beerus, but to show enough potential to be recruited and learn the divine techniques. He had shown enough; being any stronger would have been suspicious.
"Why did you stop?" Beerus asked, looking annoyed. He was just getting into the rhythm when George suddenly powered down.
George shrugged helplessly. "I can only maintain the ten-thousand-fold Kaio-ken for so long. If I go any further, my body will break apart."
"Is that so?" Beerus asked, eyeing him suspiciously. George still looked quite relaxed.
"Absolutely!" George flipped his hand, manifesting a giant plate of oversized pudding and holding it out to Beerus. "Rest for a moment, my Lord, and have a snack. If you still want to fight, I'll join you again once my body recovers."
"That actually looks quite delicious..." Beerus's eyes were immediately glued to the pudding.
Before he could decide whether to accept George's excuse, Whis floated over, took a spoon, and had a taste. "It's wonderful!" Whis's eyes lit up with pure enjoyment.
Beerus didn't hesitate any longer. He grabbed another spoon and began to dig in. Soon, his face mirrored Whis's expression of pure bliss. The two of them made quick work of the entire plate.
"Not bad, not bad at all. This must be the best food on Earth. For the sake of this... 'pudding,' I won't hold it against you that the fight was cut short," Beerus said, elegantly wiping his mouth.
Everyone on the ground let out a collective sigh of relief.
"The best? On Earth, this is just ordinary," George laughed. "There are many things much better than this. If you gentlemen wouldn't mind, you are welcome to try them all."
"This isn't the best?! There's better?!" Beerus and Whis's eyes lit up like lightbulbs. Pudding was already one of the best things they'd ever tasted; the idea of even better food made them salivate.
They really are two peas in a pod, George thought as he landed. With a wave of his hand, a massive table appeared, laden with hundreds of different dishes, snacks, desserts, and drinks.
"They say a fight makes for the best introductions. It's lunchtime, everyone—let's eat!"
Three days later, George, Goku, and Vegeta followed Beerus and Whis to the Planet of the God of Destruction to begin a new era of training. To ensure Goku had no worries at home, George used a touch of his "Fate" pathway abilities to ensure Gohan won a lottery jackpot of 50 million Zeni.
(End of Chapter)