The Metamoran—originally, a unique race that taught Goku the Fusion Technique.
Taro wasn't aware of this detail from the original work. He couldn't even remember the name of the race. All he knew was that Goku had suddenly learned the Fusion Technique in the afterlife during the Cell Saga. Precisely because he had no idea what this race was called, he had previously discussed the concept of Fusion with the new Holy Mage on Planet Yardrat.
But the two of them had made little progress.
Yet today, unexpectedly, he discovered them on this planet. Why could he recognize them at a glance? Because the Metamoran's outfits were exactly the same as those worn by Gotenks, Gogeta, and even Gotenks Buu after using Fusion!
Their upper bodies wore black, sleeveless vests with rolled yellow trims at the collar, shoulders, and sleeves; light blue sashes tied at the right hip, with a long tail hanging down the right thigh; their lower halves wore loose white pants, the cuffs bound by foot guards matching the sash; black flat shoes, fabric or maybe leather.
There were about twenty to thirty people in the small tribe, men, women, young and old—all wearing the same uniform. With such a distinct style, how could Taro not recognize them?
The Metamorans on the ground had noticed Taro too. They all looked up, whispering among themselves.
Oh?
They've spotted me?
Thinking this, Taro descended rapidly. The Metamorans showed no fear at all—one after another approached him, chattering curiously in their language, asking who he was. Taro couldn't understand them, so he simply used mental magic to communicate telepathically.
"I am a traveler from beyond the stars, passing by. I've heard your noble people possess many wondrous secret arts... which greatly interest me." Taro pointed up at the sky. "As it happens, I've also learned a few small tricks of my own. Might I exchange some insights with you?"
The tribe of twenty to thirty Metamorans looked surprised. They glanced at one another—Taro's voice had echoed directly in their minds, which was quite the miracle. An elderly man among them said something in their native tongue, which Taro couldn't understand—but he could catch the intent from the mental fluctuations:
"A guest from afar—we would be pleased to help you…"
Taro nodded with a smile.
The Metamorans led Taro back to their village and treated him warmly. Thus began the exchange between one man and one race.
---
Two days later.
"The Fusion Technique... so that's how it works." Taro's expression lit up with realization. He had already learned all the essentials of the Metamoran Fusion Technique, with the key elements carefully explained to him by the tribe's elder.
"Fuuu—sion!"
Two Metamoran children of similar build adjusted their ki to be perfectly synchronized, then stood a distance apart, facing the same direction. They began to perform the Fusion Dance—a routine that, in Taro's eyes, wasn't exactly graceful. At the final syllable "—sion!", both children lunged into mirrored lunges, and the index fingers of their four hands collided precisely—
Taro's eyes flickered, and the Nine Tomoe Rinnegan immediately manifested. His sensory perception expanded, focusing intently on the two children.
In a burst of light, the outlines of the two children overlapped and merged. Simultaneously, their equally matched ki levels fused together—like two water spheres of identical size and shape colliding and seamlessly blending, the inner energies undergoing some kind of qualitative transformation in an instant!
As the light faded, a boy now stood where the two children had been. His build was similar to the fused pair, and because he wore traditional Metamoran attire, his clothes remained unchanged. On his face, traces of both original children's features could be seen.
But his ki had soared—ten times higher than each of them individually!
"Roughly tenfold… yes, this is a very successful fusion," the Metamoran elder nodded approvingly, seemingly satisfied with the outcome. He then turned to Taro and asked, "Guest, what do you think? Do you intend to use the Fusion Technique with someone?"
"No, I won't be using it myself," Taro shook his head. Who in this world could possibly fuse with him using the Fusion Dance?
It had to be remembered—unlike the Potara Earrings used by the Supreme Kais, the Fusion Dance required the two users to have nearly identical builds and ki levels. That's why, in the original story, only pairs like Goku and Vegeta or Goten and Trunks were able to perform it.
But as for Taro... his body shape might still be manageable, but when it came to his ki, ever since he had been cultivating the divine nature of natural energy for so long, he had gradually surpassed all others in the world. There was simply no one left, in heaven or on earth, whose ki even remotely resembled his. So how could there be anyone he could perform Fusion with?
A figure flashed through Taro's mind—Hathaway—but he quickly chuckled and shook his head.
"This technique... better to be prepared, just in case. Maybe I'll teach it to one of my disciples one day," Taro said. Over the past two days, he had also shared a lot of magic with the Metamoran people—transformation spells, barrier arts, and even the ki-sensing techniques he had learned on Planet Yardrat.
"Pretty awesome, right?!" The fused Metamoran child came bouncing over to him, his voice a blend of the two children who had fused earlier. "Mister! I want to challenge you!"
The little brat pointed fiercely at Taro.
"Oh?" Taro couldn't help but smile. How many years had it been—how many years since someone had openly challenged him? He stretched out a hand. "Come on then, kid."
The other Metamoran villagers gathered eagerly to watch.
The village elder discreetly used the ki-sensing technique that Taro had taught them. First, he glanced at the fused child and nodded in satisfaction—his ki was quite formidable. Then, he turned his gaze toward Taro...
In an instant, the elder's entire body trembled, his expression filled with confusion and disbelief.
Under the ki-sensing technique, Taro's presence appeared as nothingness. Misty, chaotic—there was nothing visible where he stood. Nothing but a vague humanoid aura flowing gently in place, as if he were not even there, as if he were simply part of the surrounding air.
"He... is he not human?" the elder muttered to himself.
By then, the fusion child's challenge had already ended. The boy was suspended mid-air, arms pinned behind him by a swirling white mist, flailing helplessly. Below, Taro stood smiling faintly, one finger lifted as if controlling a puppet.
The fused child screamed and struggled, but no matter how much he thrashed, he couldn't break free from Taro's binding.
The other Metamoran people all looked up in awe. Taro's techniques had far exceeded anything they could comprehend. Eventually, the fused child wore himself out, dangling limply in the air. He had no choice but to beg for mercy. With a flick of his hand, Taro released the child, gently placing him back on the ground. He dissipated the ki mist and gave the boy a light pat on the head.
"Mister, you're amazing!" the child said with deep admiration.
"This man... he is no ordinary mortal…" the village elder sighed quietly behind him.
With everything concluded, Taro bid farewell and took his leave.
Soaring into the sky, a sudden thought struck him. Hovering in the air, he focused. Two streams of white ki split from his body, condensing into two humanoid forms of pure jade-like energy. Because the manipulation of ki was so refined, the features and contours of the two figures were indistinguishable from real people.
With a flick of his finger, the two identical ki clones began performing the fusion dance mid-air. Finally, their index fingers touched—
Nothing happened.
Taro fell silent for a moment, then shook his head and waved his hand. The two streams of white ki returned to his body. Just as he was about to teleport away, he suddenly furrowed his brow. Once again, there was that faint, inexplicable premonition.
He raised his head and looked skyward, then glanced down at the earth. His cold eyes scanned in every direction.
"What is this... this vague feeling, like something has shattered…" Taro murmured to himself, frowning.