AGE 790: 10 Years after the Tournament of Power

When Goku awoke that morning, he didn't expect it to be due to Kibito materialising above and crashing into his bed.

Chi Chi stood up with a scream, piercing enough to awaken Goten from his room across the hall, as well as Gohan and his family a house over. Kibito hastily floated to Goku's side of the bed, who was about to raise a hand in greeting only to be roughly grabbed by the shoulders by the very large and very frazzled looking pink alien

"Hey, Kibito! What's…"

"No talk! Our world now! Grand Minister waiting! Very, very bad!"

Still thoroughly confused and groggy, Goku stood up, practically having to force Kibito to let go of him. He looked out the nearby window, finding that it was barely after dawn. He turned ready to question Kibito further, only to find the Kai attendant in the grasp of his predictably furious wife, who had somehow managed to haul the giant alien above her head. Within moments she was attempting to force him out the window, Kibito grasping at the frame with all his might.

"Unhand me, mortal! I must speak with, Goku! The fate of the cosmos is at stake!"

"Your fate will be at stake if you don't get out of this bedroom this instant!"

With Chi Chi still pushing and Kibito still resisting, Goku could only let out a quick chuckle before gently taking hold of his wife and allowing Kibito to drop to the floor. The attendant was heaving, but in a single rapid motion was on his feet again and facing Goku.

"We have wasted enough time already!" His hands curled into fists at his sides. "The Grand Minister demands your presence at the Sacred World of the Kai's, by order of Grand Zeno himself! You must come with me Goku! Now!"

The fifty-three year old Saiyan, slightly more alert but still very confused, raised his palms in a calming motion to his pink acquaintance. "Alright, Kibito, if Whis's Dad wants to see me I'm more than happy to, I just need to get changed and have some breakf…"

Kibito's hands glowed and a second later Goku was clad in his usual orange gi. "You're changed, we have food there." He grabbed Goku's wrist and immediately they vanished, leaving Chi Chi staring into space.

Her youngest son Goten then burst into the room, hoping in with on pant leg on and a shirt dangling around his neck. "Mom! What happened? Where's Dad?"

Chi Chi was still staring, let out a big sigh, then rubbed her forehead and picked herself up. "Go get changed, Goten, I'll make breakfast." She looked back to his disrupted bed with evident annoyance.

I get the feeling things are about to get quite complicated.

- DB DBZ DBS DBGT -

Unprepared for the suddenness of the teleportation, Goku stumbled out of Kibito's grip and onto unsteady ground while the large man stood firm. Bright grass and a shining sky overtook Goku's vision as he found himself within the familiar landscape of the Land of the Kai's. Under a large tree nearby he spotted the small forms of the Supreme Kai Shin and his millennia's old ancestor. Opposite stood the angel Whis and a particular angry look God of Destruction Beerus. As Goku approached he could make out snippets of a conversation taking place.

"I should have destroyed that blithering Saiyan when I had the chance!"

"Destroying anything won't help us right now! And the Grand Minister has not had a chance to fully explain himself yet! It may just be a simple friendly matter!"

"Your optimism is sickening, Kai! You heard what he said plain as day!" Beerus grabbed Shin by his potara. "Tournament! Tourn-a-ment!" He threw the Kai to the ground and clutched his own ears in anguish. "We're doomed! Dead! As good as erased!"

At the word Tournament, Goku had allowed excitement to overcome him as he began to run over.

At the word erased, he fell on his face.

The God's looked to the downed Saiyan, all but Whis startled. They'd been so engrossed in arguing that they hadn't noticed his approach. Beerus was ready to pounce on the Saiyan and belittle him as he routinely did so, only to halt and fall to a knee with the rest of the God's when a familiar figure appeared from above, his voice imposing despite his small stature.

"Thank you for the quick assembly, my Lords. I aim to be just as quick in my explanation for why you have been gathered." The Grand Minister descended from nowhere, slowing to halt meters from the ground in front of his audience.

Beerus was visibly sweating and Shin had a firm but weary look. While they held nothing but respect for the Grand Minister, his presence alone was almost as intimidating as the Zeno's combined. Not because of who he was, but because in their experience him showing up had never been a sign of anything good.

Having recovered from his fall and as casual as ever, Goku waltzed up to the line of kneeling God's and waved at the God of All's personal attendant. "Yo, G. M.! Long time no see!"

In truth it had been quite a few years since Goku had seen the Grand Minister and the twin Zeno's. Ever since the famed Tournament of Power, outside of Beerus, Whis and the Kai's, his groups interactions with the God's had become something of a rarity. So to see the Grand Minister reappear now was as surprising as it was foreboding.

"Greetings, Goku. As tactful as ever I see." He said with a smile, apparently genuine. The angel then turned to the group as a whole, addressing them equally. "I apologise for giving such short notice of my arrival, I am currently attending to the preparations for the upcoming Tournament, had I known-"

"So there is another Tournament!" Goku interrupted, his voice a strange mix of glee and horror. He would have spoken further had Beerus not clamped his mouth shut.

"Goku, in the name of all things holy, keep your damn mouth shut! Just this once! The absolute last thing I want to hear right now is your voice!"

Goku squeaked out a cry of affirmation, nodding vigorously when he realised Beerus was now choking him, likely not by accident. The God released Goku and once again fell to a bow with an exaggerated smile. "Please continue, Your Highness."

"Thank you, Lord Beerus," if the Minister was amused by the God's antics, he hid it well. "And the answer is yes, Goku. The two Grand Zeno's have decided together to host another Tournament not unlike the ones you are acquainted with." Even Whis rose an eyebrow at the small smile that then grew on his father's face. "Although Grand Zeno aims for this Tournament to be slightly more… radical."

In a sudden bout of might, Beerus rose to his feet, standing as tall and firm as he could muster. He had to do it; he had to ask the question that was on everyone's minds.

"Do we face erasure if we lose?"

Fear quickly overcame the group as they awaited the answer.

The Minister was prompt. "You'll be relieved to hear that the answer is no. There is no penalty for losing the Tournament." His smile returned. "Of course that all depends on your perspective I suppose."

It appeared that no one seemed to hear anything beyond him saying 'no' as Shin had collapsed to both knees, Old Kai let out a deep breath, Kibito was heaving once again and Beerus himself was pumping a fist at his side. Even Goku couldn't help but relax at that; of course he was confident they wouldn't have been erased anyway seeing as they would win the Tournament, but seeing as the threat was no longer there at all, any lingering doubts of fear crumbled under his mounting excitement.

Another Tournament under Grand Zeno, just imagining the fights that would take place and the warriors he would meet was enough to make Goku almost salivate.

"The Grand Zeno's wished to once again experience the thrill they received at the previous Tournament of Power; what better way to do that than to simply arrange another Tournament?" The Minister's gaze drifted to the sky. "And they did not deem it necessary to have the prospect of Universal erasure be a condition of the Tournament, it would only undo your Universe's wish upon the Super Dragon Balls to restore the erased Universes in the first place."

Giving out a chuckle, Goku walked past the Gods, who, now knowing that their lives did not immediately hang in the balance, rose to their feet also. "So this Tournament…" Goku began, hands now on his belt. "Another battle royale between Universes?" His thought's quickly drifted to green haired Saiyans, moustached superheros and grey aliens.

The angel's smirk returned. "As I said, the Zeno's decreed for something more radical. Beyond even our multiverse." The Minister's expression remained unchanged even as his audience reared away at his words. They were silently begging for him to elaborate.

"The Tournament will only involve Universe 7. Sixteen contestants will engage in one-on-one matches, rising through the brackets in up to four rounds including the finals. Fifteen matches in total. When victorious, the champion will be offered one wish upon the Super Dragon Balls."

Goku was somewhat surprised to find his enthusiasm had deflated slightly. "Only Universe 7 is participating? If that's the case over half the Tournament's going to be just me and my friends!" His disappointment was more than evident. It wasn't that Goku didn't want to engage in battle against his lifelong comrades; in fact that would be rather enjoyable to him. But half the fun of Tournament's in his experience was meeting new and unpredictable opponents, so to limit the matches to only his small group of friends was a bit of a downer.

"You're mistaken, Goku." The Grand Minister said, interrupting the Saiyan's wandering thoughts. "I said only Universe 7 is participating." He grinned wide. "You're under the impression there is only one Universe 7."

His slump gone, Goku voiced his shock and wonder. "More than one Universe 7?" He scratched his chin. "How many are there?"

"Countless. Limitless. Such an impossibly high number to comprehend that it's not even worth trying."

Once again the group were on there knees, all out of some form of shock. "You mean alternate Universe 7's. Alternate realities! Timelines!" Shin gasped. "Grand Zeno wants to hold a Tournament between different timelines? Is that even possible?"

The Grand Minister appeared to almost tut in reply. "Of course, while it's admittedly a little more difficult to facilitate than a Tournament within our own Multiverse, it is indeed quite possible. The Zeno's have spent quite a bit of time simply scouting for the ideal timelines to offer participation. Of course some timelines are more cooperative than others… it's a good thing they are in infinite supply!"

Goku, though not nearly as naive as he had once been, was still very much lost. "So by different timelines, do you mean like people from the past and future? Like how the other Zeno came from a different timeline?" He was scratching his head again. "I mean I've met guys from other timelines before… but I never really understood what was going on."

"It may be rather difficult for you to understand, Goku, but I'll try my best to explain." It was Whis who spoke, his expression as unreadable as ever. "Every action, decision or path taken results in a branch in the timeline, all based on the different outcomes of any and every event. You are aware of the timeline the Future Trunks came from? In that timeline you died from a heart virus, in yours you did not, in another you may not have gotten the virus at all, in another you may not have even been born to get the virus." Whis paused to check Goku was listening, and was rather pleased to see that he had his arms crossed in thought.

Thinking on his words, Goku began to reply. "So you mean there are whole other timelines out there different like Trunks' time? Like a timeline where Frieza never blew up Planet Vegeta? Or Beerus never came to Earth?" Goku was perplexed, but was starting to understand.

"That is correct, Goku," Whis replied with a knowing smirk. "And it is more than possible that the timelines in this Tournament could feature opponents even stronger than yourself."

Whis knew Goku too well, the squee that he heard was just what he was expecting.

"I doubt there could possibly be a timeline where Goku's not a lunatic…" Beerus muttered to himself.

Clearing his throat, attention was brought back to the waiting Grand Minister. "I do hope you all have an understanding of what the Tournament will entail now, because I must be off soon to continue with the necessary preparations. Communicating with so many timelines is rather strenuous." Placing his hands behind his back, he decided to finish his explanation.

"As I said, sixteen contestants will fight in this Tournament, but they will not all be from different timelines." With a sudden flash from his eyes, a tournament bracket suddenly appeared before the group, displaying the path to be taken through each round to the finals. "Six timelines have been chosen to participate, four of which will provide three contestants each, the other two will provide two." He turned to Goku with a smile. "I doubt you'll have any trouble finding two others to join you, Goku?"

Goku grinned again. Vegeta was a certainty, and he already had a few ideas for the third participant.

I wonder if Monoka's still alive?

"The rules are as follows; there are no ringouts, you lose if you give up, are down for more than thirty seconds, or you are killed."

Suddenly the group was uneasy again, but the Grand Minister left no time for questions. "Certain participants requested killing be allowed so that they may be able to fight to their full potential. Rest assured, any who are unfortunate enough to perish in the Tournament shall be promptly revived by Grand Zeno."

Fears once again alleviated, the group again gave the angel their undivided attention.

"Items are permitted for use during matches, and there is no set time limit. Matches will simply commence for however long Grand Zeno deems appropriate. If a stalemate is reached, Grand Zeno will declare the winner." The Minister opened his eyes and the illusion before him dissipated. "Grand Zeno will also consider any additional battle conditions if agreed by any two matched opponents." He looked to the standing God's. "Any questions at the present?"

None appeared to have any, all in a different state of thought. Old Kai however stepped forward after several moments with a contemplative look. "Just one; how in the world did Grand Zeno narrow down the infinite number of timelines to choose from to just six? I can't even begin to imagine how different they might be from our own. It simply boggles the mind."

"It was indeed difficult, but the Grand Zeno's decided on a method to narrow their search for the ideal timelines." The Minister held up one finger. "Each timeline must have, or at some point, possessed a warrior resembling this Universe's Son Goku."

Beerus could not suppress his groan as he looked back at the smiling Saiyan. "Of course it's because of you," the God almost growled.

Goku simply shrugged. "What can I say? Guess Zenni just can't get enough of me, so he's got to go to other timelines to-" Goku's gaze turned into a sudden stare, before he quickly directed it towards the still floating angel. "Hey does that mean there's going to be other me's fighting in this Tournament?!"

To Whis' amusement, his father gave an uncharacteristic shrug. "As I said, Goku, anything is possible." He turned his back to the group. "I can't spoil everything before we begin can I?"

Accepting the answer, Goku clenched his hands into fists and shivered in excitement. A whole Tournament with an infinite number of potential fighters to choose from. Goku was honestly surprised he hadn't passed out from delight.

The Grand Minister suddenly faced the sky, before turning back to the group with the small smile he always seemed to wear. "It seems I am required elsewhere. At present the Tournament of Time will take place in 61 Earth hours, I will instruct Whis in due course of where to bring you. You are welcome to bring as many spectators as you desire, they will be suitably catered for." Floating further back he gave one last glance at the only mortal present. "Remember, Goku, three contestants are required! Choose them well, because I can say now, the competition from the other timelines will be fierce!"

With that last word, the small man disappeared in a flash, and the God's were able to breathe a little easier.

Goku stood tall and firm, his grin having shrunk, but still more than evident. A new Tournament; The Tournament of Time. He was getting an itchy feeling just imagining the battles that were going to take place.

Beerus broke Goku from his trance when he smacked him on the arm. "Just so you know, I'll destroy you if you lose this Tournament."

Goku laughed. Guess some things never change.