That day, Beerus was lounging on a beach chair, napping in the warm sunlight. Suddenly, he sensed a burst of energy hurtling straight toward his head — a ki blast!
His eyes snapped open.
Crack!
The ki blast instantly disintegrated before it could touch him, its energy completely erased by the overwhelming aura of destruction radiating from his body.
"Lord Beerus, is using Destruction Energy the only thing you're good at? If you're so mighty, fight me fair and square!"
Gran appeared beside him in a flash, his little leg whipping out and shattering Beerus's beach chair with a clean kick.
Beerus, of course, easily dodged the attack. He looked down at his ruined chair, the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
Don't get angry… He's your own disciple. He's talented. Don't get angry…!
"Lord Beerus, come on! Fight me!"
Gran beckoned to him with one hand, his tone full of challenge. Then, just to push it further, he stomped twice on the broken remains of the beach chair.
"You're asking for it, brat! I'll grant your wish!"
Beerus finally snapped. Suppressing his power to match Gran's current level, his body twisted — and in the next instant, he vanished.
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions echoed in the sky as the two collided, shockwaves rippling outward like waves crashing against the heavens.
"I swear, these two will be the end of me…"
Whis sighed from the other side of the lake, setting down his teacup. With a flick of his staff, a transparent barrier spread around him in a ten-meter radius, shielding his afternoon tea from the storm of energy.
"Lord Beerus! Take this!"
Using the recoil from their last clash, Gran spun counterclockwise and launched a ferocious kick toward Beerus.
It had been a year and a half since he'd arrived in the Realm of Destruction. His power had grown tremendously — by his own measure, his battle power now reached 700,000.
This kick carried every ounce of his strength!
"You're still too green, brat."
Beerus raised a hand and gave a gentle push to the side.
Though he had lowered his strength to match Gran's, the movement was utterly bizarre — elegant, effortless, and precise.
There was no deafening crash this time. Instead, Gran's momentum was absorbed completely by some invisible force.
"This—this is what battle technique and experience mean. Without countless fights, you can't begin to understand them."
Beerus stepped back, one hand clasped behind him, smiling faintly. "Come on, use everything you've learned in this past year and a half."
In Beerus's eyes, Gran had already grasped the Half-Selfless State — the precursor to true Ultra Instinct.
Although Gran's power, reflexes, technique, and battle awareness were still immature, that state alone allowed him to unify his instincts and body, giving a faint taste of Ultra Instinct's early form.
"Damn it, Lord Beerus!!"
Gran gritted his teeth. It was clear Beerus wanted him to use his "Half-Selfless" form — while Beerus himself would rely on pure, unenhanced strength.
Fine then.
Gran took a deep breath. His expression calmed.
Buzz!
A silver light enveloped him, his hair turning faintly silver as a serene, transcendent aura swept across the heavens.
Whis lowered his teacup, his previously calm face growing serious.
"Lord Beerus, be careful."
"Come at me!"
Gran's silver aura flared as he darted forward — faster than sight.
Every punch, every swing, every movement flowed with perfect, natural rhythm: strikes, sweeps, palms, and kicks — all merged into one seamless dance.
Beerus, meanwhile, didn't empower himself with any divine state or rule. He simply met Gran's attacks with raw strength equal to his own.
To say he was responding would be generous — he was feeding Gran experience.
If Beerus truly fought back, even at this matched level, Gran would be beaten into the ground within seconds!
Gran's body instinct was still too weak; it couldn't yet keep up with the demands of his Half-Selfless state.
Within mere seconds, the two had exchanged hundreds of blows, the air trembling with visible ripples of energy.
Fortunately, this was the Realm of Destruction — Gran's current level of power couldn't possibly damage it.
Twenty seconds later
Gran's movements began to slow.
"It seems… that's about as long as he can sustain it."
Whis shook his head lightly.
After all, Gran had only recently gained mastery over his own energy and heart-state. In this year and a half, he had focused almost entirely on spiritual cultivation rather than raw power.
Given that, lasting twenty seconds in that state was already impressive.
"Let's end it here. Get down!"
Beerus caught Gran's tiny fist mid-swing — then drove his foot into the boy's stomach.
BOOM!!!
Gran crashed beside the lakeshore, sending clouds of dust and water flying.
"Cough, cough!"
He clutched his stomach and staggered upright, glaring resentfully as Beerus descended. "You're so strong — can't you go easy on me just a little?"
"…"
Beerus's face darkened. "So weak yet still picking fights — you really do ask for it!"
"You! Fine! No dinner for you tonight!"
"Don't you dare!"
A vein throbbed on Beerus's forehead. The kid's talent was terrifying, his cooking divine — but his attitude was infuriating!
"Honestly, can you two stop arguing for one day?"
Whis floated over, exasperated.
"Hmph!"
"Hmph!"
Both turned away at the same time, arms crossed.
Whis sighed. These two were practically inseparable — like two sides of the same coin.
And yet… why did they argue all the time?
Perhaps this was their way of bonding. How peculiar.
"Gran," Whis asked gently, "after this battle, what did you learn?"
Gran glanced at Beerus, then replied, "Even though I can control my energy well, I still make too many unnecessary movements in battle. They waste stamina."
Whis nodded. "And what else?"
"I haven't fought enough. Compared to Lord Beerus, my battle instinct, technique, and experience are far too lacking."
"At least you're self-aware," Beerus interjected.
Gran scowled. "Lord Beerus, can you not interrupt me for once?"
"…"
Whis rubbed his temple. "Alright, enough bickering. Anything else?"
Gran thought for a moment. "My power itself is still too weak. I can't sustain this form for long."
He fell silent, deep in thought.
Half a year ago, he had already asked Whis whether he should start training his power.
But Whis had told him then that his second-stage heart-state wasn't stable enough — he needed to deepen that first.
"Excellent," Whis said approvingly. "I didn't expect you to realize so many flaws after just one spar with Lord Beerus."
Even Beerus nodded slightly. This kid's comprehension was monstrous.
Whis continued, "Indeed, your power isn't strong enough yet. But between strength and heart-state, the latter is more important — that's why I had you spend another six months stabilizing it."
"Now that you've reached your current limit, it's time."
Whis smiled faintly. "You can finally begin training your power."
It was all part of Whis's plan:
First, help Gran master his own energy.
Then, refine his heart.
Next would come power, combat technique, awareness, and instinct
and finally, mastery over dimensions and laws.
Beyond that lay even deeper levels of training… but that would have to wait until Gran reached Beerus's realm.
"Then… how do I train my power?" Gran asked eagerly.
Though his current strength was already impressive — roughly 700,000 in battle power — even that wasn't enough to touch Frieza.
And Frieza was only the first boss in the original Dragon Ball story!
"It's simple," Whis said with a small smile.