Chapter 2: "Feathers and Fury
The shimmering streak of cosmic energy left by Whis's travel cube painted an ethereal trail across the stars. Goku and Vegeta stood in silence, their eyes fixed on the barren planet below. The cube descended through thick, swirling clouds, landing softly on cracked terrain. Jagged mountains loomed in the distance, and strange blue lightning danced across the dark-red sky.
"This is the planet Lord Beerus picked for us?" Goku asked, scanning the area. "Looks kinda dead."
"Exactly why he chose it," Whis replied, arms folded behind his back. "There's no one around for you two to accidentally obliterate during your training. How considerate."
Vegeta scoffed. "Tch. Beerus probably just wanted to nap in peace."
As they stepped down from the travel cube, a flicker of movement caught Goku's eye. He tensed. "Wait… do you see that?"
In the distance, a silhouette emerged from the mist. It was tall, muscular, and carried a familiar, overwhelming energy. Slowly, the figure stepped forward, and the wind whipped his cloak aside, revealing a wild mane of green-tinged black hair and fierce, confused eyes.
"Broly!" Goku shouted, grinning wide.
Broly's brows furrowed as he approached. "Goku? Vegeta? What is this place?"
Vegeta's fists clenched, but he didn't power up. "What the hell is *he* doing here?"
Whis floated in calmly, as if he had been expecting this all along. "Ah, Broly! What a fortuitous coincidence! Or should I say… divine timing."
Broly's expression was guarded. "I felt a pull... like something was calling me. Then I woke up here."
Whis twirled his staff with a faint smile. "Remarkable. Lord Beerus truly is a genius. You are perfect for what's to come."
"Come?" Broly repeated, tilting his head.
"Training," Whis said simply. "Not ordinary training, of course. The kind that will test not just your strength—but your mind and spirit. You see, a war is approaching. A war across dimensions. One that could unravel everything."
Broly's gaze hardened. "A war?"
Vegeta stepped forward. "What kind of war, Whis?"
Whis's tone grew more serious. "A threat beyond any of your past foes is moving. Your universe may not stand alone for much longer. If we're to stand a chance, all of you must surpass your limits… together."
Broly looked down at his hands. His fingers trembled slightly. "I… I want to help. I want to control this power. I'll do it."
Goku beamed. "Heck yeah! This is gonna be great!"
Vegeta gave a reluctant nod. "As long as he doesn't go berserk again."
Whis's staff pulsed once. "Then let us begin."
---
They followed Whis across the cracked landscape until they arrived at a peculiar setup: an open plateau marked by a giant circle drawn in glowing white light. Floating above it was a massive, shimmering balloon—thin as silk and shaped like a volleyball.
Goku blinked. "Uh... what's this?"
Whis smiled. "Your first training phase: Featherball."
Vegeta's brow twitched. "You're joking."
"Not at all," Whis said lightly. "This balloon is made from the hide of an extinct starbeast—so delicate that even the tiniest excess energy will cause it to burst."
"So... we're playing volleyball?" Goku asked.
"Not just volleyball," Whis corrected. "You must pass the balloon among yourselves for an hour each day without breaking it. No power spikes. No sudden movements. You must move with absolute control. This will train your mental focus, precision, and emotional regulation."
Broly's eyes widened. "That... that sounds hard."
"Oh, and one more rule," Whis added with a playful grin. "If you burst the balloon... no food for three days."
"What?!" Goku cried, horrified.
"You can't do that!" Vegeta barked. "That's inhumane!"
Broly, already determined, took a deep breath. "I'll do it."
The game began.
Day one: the balloon burst within twenty seconds.
Day two: Goku tried to use Instant Transmission mid-tap—balloon popped.
Day three: Vegeta shouted at Goku and powered up slightly—pop.
Day four: Broly smiled too hard—pop.
Each failure was met with grumbling stomachs and grumbling warriors. But slowly, they improved. Goku began focusing his energy inward. Vegeta suppressed his anger through gritted teeth. Broly meditated at sunrise and sunset, learning control like never before.
Day twelve: they managed two full rounds.
Day twenty-one: they reached twenty minutes before the balloon burst.
Day thirty: the balloon never popped. They finished an hour-long match, sweat dripping from their brows, hearts pounding—but their ki perfectly in sync.
Whis clapped softly. "Remarkable. I must admit, I had my doubts."
The three Saiyans sat down on the rocky ground, exhausted but triumphant.
"I haven't felt this calm in forever," Broly said, smiling gently.
Goku grinned. "I'm starving."
Vegeta crossed his arms but didn't hide his smirk. "Tch. It was stupid... but it worked."
Whis landed beside them, eyes twinkling. "Congratulations. You've completed phase one."
Goku sat up. "Phase *one*?"
Whis nodded. "Indeed. Now begins phase two."
The sky above them cracked with thunder as a strange portal began forming in the clouds.
To be continued...
The shimmering streak of cosmic energy left by Whis's travel cube painted an ethereal trail across the stars. Goku and Vegeta stood in silence, their eyes fixed on the barren planet below. The cube descended through thick, swirling clouds, landing softly on cracked terrain. Jagged mountains loomed in the distance, and strange blue lightning danced across the dark-red sky.
"This is the planet Lord Beerus picked for us?" Goku asked, scanning the area. "Looks kinda dead."
"Exactly why he chose it," Whis replied, arms folded behind his back. "There's no one around for you two to accidentally obliterate during your training. How considerate."
Vegeta scoffed. "Tch. Beerus probably just wanted to nap in peace."
As they stepped down from the travel cube, a flicker of movement caught Goku's eye. He tensed. "Wait… do you see that?"
In the distance, a silhouette emerged from the mist. It was tall, muscular, and carried a familiar, overwhelming energy. Slowly, the figure stepped forward, and the wind whipped his cloak aside, revealing a wild mane of green-tinged black hair and fierce, confused eyes.
"Broly!" Goku shouted, grinning wide.
Broly's brows furrowed as he approached. "Goku? Vegeta? What is this place?"
Vegeta's fists clenched, but he didn't power up. "What the hell is *he* doing here?"
Whis floated in calmly, as if he had been expecting this all along. "Ah, Broly! What a fortuitous coincidence! Or should I say… divine timing."
Broly's expression was guarded. "I felt a pull... like something was calling me. Then I woke up here."
Whis twirled his staff with a faint smile. "Remarkable. Lord Beerus truly is a genius. You are perfect for what's to come."
"Come?" Broly repeated, tilting his head.
"Training," Whis said simply. "Not ordinary training, of course. The kind that will test not just your strength—but your mind and spirit. You see, a war is approaching. A war across dimensions. One that could unravel everything."
Broly's gaze hardened. "A war?"
Vegeta stepped forward. "What kind of war, Whis?"
Whis's tone grew more serious. "A threat beyond any of your past foes is moving. Your universe may not stand alone for much longer. If we're to stand a chance, all of you must surpass your limits… together."
Broly looked down at his hands. His fingers trembled slightly. "I… I want to help. I want to control this power. I'll do it."
Goku beamed. "Heck yeah! This is gonna be great!"
Vegeta gave a reluctant nod. "As long as he doesn't go berserk again."
Whis's staff pulsed once. "Then let us begin."
---
They followed Whis across the cracked landscape until they arrived at a peculiar setup: an open plateau marked by a giant circle drawn in glowing white light. Floating above it was a massive, shimmering balloon—thin as silk and shaped like a volleyball.
Goku blinked. "Uh... what's this?"
Whis smiled. "Your first training phase: Featherball."
Vegeta's brow twitched. "You're joking."
"Not at all," Whis said lightly. "This balloon is made from the hide of an extinct starbeast—so delicate that even the tiniest excess energy will cause it to burst."
"So... we're playing volleyball?" Goku asked.
"Not just volleyball," Whis corrected. "You must pass the balloon among yourselves for an hour each day without breaking it. No power spikes. No sudden movements. You must move with absolute control. This will train your mental focus, precision, and emotional regulation."
Broly's eyes widened. "That... that sounds hard."
"Oh, and one more rule," Whis added with a playful grin. "If you burst the balloon... no food for three days."
"What?!" Goku cried, horrified.
"You can't do that!" Vegeta barked. "That's inhumane!"
Broly, already determined, took a deep breath. "I'll do it."
The game began.
Day one: the balloon burst within twenty seconds.
Day two: Goku tried to use Instant Transmission mid-tap—balloon popped.
Day three: Vegeta shouted at Goku and powered up slightly—pop.
Day four: Broly smiled too hard—pop.
Each failure was met with grumbling stomachs and grumbling warriors. But slowly, they improved. Goku began focusing his energy inward. Vegeta suppressed his anger through gritted teeth. Broly meditated at sunrise and sunset, learning control like never before.
Day twelve: they managed two full rounds.
Day twenty-one: they reached twenty minutes before the balloon burst.
Day thirty: the balloon never popped. They finished an hour-long match, sweat dripping from their brows, hearts pounding—but their ki perfectly in sync.
Whis clapped softly. "Remarkable. I must admit, I had my doubts."
The three Saiyans sat down on the rocky ground, exhausted but triumphant.
"I haven't felt this calm in forever," Broly said, smiling gently.
Goku grinned. "I'm starving."
Vegeta crossed his arms but didn't hide his smirk. "Tch. It was stupid... but it worked."
Whis landed beside them, eyes twinkling. "Congratulations. You've completed phase one."
Goku sat up. "Phase *one*?"
Whis nodded. "Indeed. Now begins phase two."
The sky above them cracked with thunder as a strange portal began forming in the clouds.
To be continued...