"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?"
As Zuke prepared to leave with Garou, Tatsumaki couldn't hide her concern as she looked at him.
"Even if we're not as strong as you, at least we can keep an eye on this guy so he doesn't try to escape halfway or something."
As she spoke, Tatsumaki shot a fierce glare at Garou—she had absolutely no goodwill toward him and certainly didn't want to see him get off easy.
"Tch, I'm not running away."
Garou clicked his tongue in response—he was an adventurer at heart. If there was a chance to grow stronger, he didn't mind taking risks.
Zuke's condition sounded simple enough: defeat anyone in a certain area, and he'd awaken a Stand. But no matter how he looked at it, something felt off.
Still, Garou didn't care. Even if he ended up half-dead, as long as there was a chance to obtain that "Stand," he was willing to take the gamble.
Besides, the condition didn't seem entirely impossible—even if he were surrounded by a group of A-Class heroes, Garou was confident he could break through.
Zuke's requirement was just to defeat one person. If he couldn't take them all down, surely he could at least find a weak link?
"There's no need. If this guy can escape from that place, I'd actually be impressed."
Zuke glanced at Garou, who seemed full of confidence, and smiled meaningfully.
Garou clearly had no idea what he was about to face—if he could escape from Planet Vegeta, Zuke would genuinely praise him.
Of course, there was another important reason he wasn't taking Tatsumaki and Fubuki along.
"This is the first time I'm using this ability to take someone with me, so I'm not sure if there'll be any negative effects on you."
Zuke smiled as he explained to Fubuki and Tatsumaki why he wasn't bringing them this time.
"Let this guy be the test subject. If everything goes smoothly, there'll be plenty of opportunities later."
"...Huh?! You bastard!"
Only then did Garou realize Zuke was using him as a lab rat.
But he no longer had a chance to resist—before he could finish his sentence, the surroundings around him and Zuke suddenly transformed into an entirely different scene.
Tatsumaki and Fubuki, who had been beside them, had completely vanished. Clearly, Zuke hadn't brought them along.
The floor beneath them had turned into rough, pockmarked concrete, clearly weathered by countless battles.
The previously cramped living room walls were gone, replaced by an open street—surrounded by buildings in a style Garou had never seen before.
Many of the structures were dome-shaped, resembling something out of a sci-fi comic. Garou had seen similar designs in manga as a kid.
But what shocked Garou even more were the pedestrians walking on the street.
They wore peculiar outfits—tight bodysuits covered with thin armor, some with shoulder pads.
More importantly, every single one of them had a tail—monkey-like tails, from adults to children, without exception.
"Th-this place… is…?"
Garou's pupils trembled. He quickly looked up at the sky and saw something terrifying.
It seemed to be nighttime here, the sky dark with a massive moon hanging in it—far larger than any moon he'd ever seen on Earth.
"This isn't Earth?!"
Garou had already realized Zuke had likely taken him to an alien planet, but Zuke paid no attention to his shock.
With a wave of his hand, golden ripples appeared beside him as a scouter emerged from the Gate of Babylon and landed in his palm.
After becoming the king of Planet Vegeta, Zuke had obtained a specialized scouter—equipped with a unique communication signal that allowed him to broadcast messages to all Saiyans.
After exchanging a few words with some Saiyans who greeted him, Zuke activated the scouter's communication function and sent out a message to all Saiyans:
"Listen up, Saiyans. A tailless individual will be roaming Planet Vegeta, challenging people. Your task is to ensure he doesn't win. As long as you don't kill him, anything goes."
The reason Zuke didn't impose stricter restrictions was that he knew many Saiyans had sadistic tendencies.
Just like how Nappa and Vegeta in the original series could've quickly ended battles but chose to toy with Earthlings using Saibamen, Garou's challenge would likely involve many Saiyans messing with him. He hoped Garou had high stress tolerance.
"Hold on a second!"
Seeing the surrounding people all turn to stare at him after Zuke spoke into that strange device, Garou suddenly felt uneasy.
This development defied all logic, leaving his mind struggling to process it. He shouted at Zuke:
"Who the hell are you?! Where is this…?!"
"This is Planet Vegeta. The people living here are Saiyans, the universe's most renowned warrior race."
Zuke looked at Garou and spoke calmly.
"I'll give you a few days. During that time, you can challenge any Saiyan here. If you win even once, I'll awaken your Stand."
Then, as if remembering something, he added:
"Babies in incubation pods don't count."
Though some infants in incubation pods were geniuses—like Vegeta or Broly, born with immense power—most were weak.
Cases like Kakarot, whose battle power was pitiful at birth, couldn't be exploited by Garou.
"I'd never stoop so low as to bully a baby!"
Hearing Zuke's words, Garou reacted as if deeply insulted, roaring at him in fury.
Then, without hesitation, he turned and left, clearly intending to find a Saiyan to fight.
There had been some Saiyans nearby, but they looked relatively slim—including a few women—so Garou completely dismissed them as opponents.
He was probably planning to challenge someone who looked stronger… Zuke could only wish him luck.
Hopefully, when he returned in a few days, he wouldn't find Garou getting stomped by a five-year-old Raditz.
To be continued…