Chapter 4: Supreme Kai Shows Off His Creation; Whis Arranges For a Teacher

"Yo." Beerus reclined in his chair as he waved at the staff's orb.

"You're calling instead of just coming over?" Shin asked.

"Hello to you too."

"'Yo' isn't exactly a greeting, is it?"

Whis sniggered from the side.

"Fine." Beerus cleared his throat for effect. "Good day to you, my kai, how are you on this fine day?"

"Well, thank you for asking. And yourself?"

Beerus rolled his eyes. "Smashing. Enough of the bullshit. You're over your little sad spell from the other day?"

"Yes. We had a discussion about it, as you suggested. I've come to terms with it. But…have you destroyed it yet?"

"I only just got rid of the saiyans yesterday. You're free to go and look at it all you like, but don't be there at three in the afternoon, local time, in two of their weeks from today."

Beerus just caught the way Shin frowned for a moment. He really liked that expression on Shin, but he had to tell himself that it wasn't something he should try to see.

"Lord Beerus, why have you called today?"

"Can't I check up on you?"

"While you have managed to make me believe you do care for your life-links, I have a hard time believing you care about this sort of thing. As long as I'm alive, I feel like that's enough for you."

"Some species die from sadness, loneliness, et cetera, and I have no idea if kais fall into that category. Best not to find out." Beerus twirled the staff in his hand before realising that probably looked really weird on Shin's end. "I also called because I thought I'd come over to see you for work purposes. I've shown you how I do my half of the job, but I, uh, I've never really learned about your side to be honest. Of course, I know the basics, but it would be good to see what you do while we're feeling all up to the job and motivated."

"Oh… Well, in that case, come whenever you feel like it."

Ooo

"Gotta say, I've always imagined that your half of the job sucks," Beerus said as he munched on a peach. "Must take you ages to create while it takes me seconds to destroy."

"Yes. Exactly." There was a note of annoyance in Shin's reply.

"What? I can't help that this job exists and someone has to do it."

"You could…"

Beerus cocked his head. "Let me guess, you were going to say I could take less joy in doing it?"

Shin said nothing.

"If you don't enjoy your job, you should probably think about doing something else, right? Anyway, let's get down to whatever business you've got prepared."

"I thought I'd take you to the planet I most recently created."

Beerus's ears perked up. "Oh? Another trip? I'm excited!" He got up and held out his hand to Shin. "Whis, you can have fun with Kibito while we're gone." He wondered if Whis felt like he was being ditched, but Shin would know best where this planet was anyway.

The pair of gods disappeared and reappeared within a lush field of green.

"This is nice," Beerus said. "Just the kind of planet I'd expect you to make."

Shin flew up high and began giving his tour of the place, pointing out forests and mountains, rivers and islands.

"Looks like you know how to make a good-looking planet," Beerus said. "But where are the people? The animals?"

"…In the sea." Shin realised this might not be to Beerus's liking after their discussion about Planet Tiburon. "But there's a lot of plants! So many kinds!"

"What exactly have you got in the sea?"

"Nothing feral and horrible," Shin said. "Just some little microorganisms going about their peaceful business."

"That's all?"

"Yes, they'll evolve eventually."

Beerus sighed. "Have you got a planet you've made with something a bit bigger than a microorganism?"

"Not yet."

Beerus's confusion was evident all over his face. "Not yet? What does that mean?"

"None of the planets I've personally made have got anything more complex than single-celled organisms that aren't plants."

"You know it takes millions, even billions of years to make that jump from single cells to people like us, right? At this rate you'll be long dead before you even get anything remotely fish-like." Beerus looked back at the trees in the distance. "And it's all wrong. Your plant life is all properly developed…it's all at different stages in the evolutionary timeline! Who taught you all this? Or did you just want a planet full of nothing but plants? Is this why we don't even have 30 planets with advanced civilizations? Because this is all you create?"

Shin shrunk back and Beerus felt just a bit bad that he'd gone off like that.

"No one taught me," Shin said, and Beerus felt a little worse. "Grand Supreme Kai used to do all of the creating, and the rest of us just maintained things within our quadrants. I had an interest in plants, so I learned more about them than creatures. It wasn't important for me to do more than that, because we all thought that South Supreme Kai would be the one who became the next Grand Supreme Kai. I was just there to help out and do small things in my section of the universe. So, yes, it would seem that all I do is create plants."

Beerus nodded along. "I'm sorry. But at the same time, it's been, what, 5 million years? Maybe you should have spent the time learning something new."

"And who was going to teach me?" Shin asked, a harder edge to his voice than Beerus was expecting. "You weren't offering to find me a teacher. What was I supposed to do? Beg another universe's Supreme Kai to teach me? I'd rather just do what I can and wait it out than let everyone know I'm useless at my job."

"You're not useless."

Shin was taken aback, not expecting that to be the thing Beerus picked to talk about.

Beerus gestured to everything around them. "You made all this, and it's really fucking impressive, don't you think?" He walked a few steps and plucked a flower from a bush. "Look at this. It's got intricate layers of colourful petals and it grew on that bush, part of a larger organism. It's no simple feat to make something like this." He pointed over at a tree. "That tree's what, four times my height? And I saw taller ones earlier too. There's a whole system of roots for nutrients and water, and a complex system for gas exchange in those leaves, right? Just like what we saw on Yadrol that was so important. You made all of that."

"And?" Shin asked. "They don't move and speak, which is what you want, right?"

"My point is that if you can create something as complex as a tree, you certainly have the ability to create a little fish or a mouse or something. Just because no one taught you, doesn't mean you can't apply what you know about plants to animals."

Shin was starting to feel like this was going to be a motivational speech, but then it was ruined.

"Lord Beerus, I appreciate the sentiment you're trying to deliver here, but it doesn't work like that. Plants are just alive – they grow towards nutrients, towards sunlight, and that's it. They don't have free movement and thought. I've tried, I really have. Every complex organism I've tried to make just…it has no life. The components are there, but… I just don't know how to create life without taking it from elsewhere."

Beerus cocked a brow. "You… Tell me what that last bit meant."

"I don't want to talk about it. It was cruel."

"Fine. I'll talk to Whis. He'll probably know how to help." And he'd talk to Kibito too, to find out how those other attempts went. "You should have told me sooner."

Shin shrugged. "Until now you've never seemed interested in working together outside of what was necessary."

There was no refuting that. "I think we're done here then. I can see you're good enough at making nice-looking hospitable planets."

Shin took him by the wrist this time, and Beerus could feel that meant he wasn't very happy with how the day had gone. With that in mind, Beerus excused himself as soon as they returned to the Sacred World of the Kais.

ooo

"How did it go?" Whis asked as they flew through the universe.

"He doesn't know how to create life," Beerus said. "He'll make you the funkiest flower you've ever seen, but as soon as it needs to move on its own, he's out."

"Oh dear."

"I never really thought about the number of civilizations we have, because we've always had less than other universes, but they're good quality. We've got planets churning out people like Goku and Vegeta after all. But now I know it's because our Supreme Kai doesn't know how to make people…well, I feel different about it. Especially as we're about to lose Yadrol."

Whis hummed. "You could always take back your opinions on Yadrol."

"No. It's a shit hole, and I've convinced him of that already." Beerus huffed. "If I take it all back, I'll look bad, and he won't have learnt anything. Whis, you know how to help him, right?"

"Give me a few hours and I'll have a solution for you."

"Oh? You're not going to offer to teach him? I thought you'd know."

Whis laughed. "I'm flattered you believe I would know such things. I do have a vague understanding of the theory behind it all, but, at the end of the day, as an angel it is expressly forbidden for me to go around creating life of any kind. For that reason I've never given it a go."

"Fair point. So, what's the plan?"

"My lord, I did ask you give me a little time," Whis sighed. "But I think I will find him a teacher."

Beerus wondered if Whis had any candidates in mind already, but he didn't question further. For a few moments he just watched the universe speed by.

"Did you have fun with Kibito? What do you guys talk about when we're not there? I'm curious."

"Oh yes, we had a lot of fun," Whis said. "You don't have an appreciation for tea, but I do. I only wish you'd been gone longer so I could have sampled more."

"Why don't you just go then?"

"Because infringing on the Supreme Kai's time is completely different to infringing on a mortal's time. It wouldn't be proper, especially when we can't get away with excuses like me going to get you dinner or snacks. Besides, I wouldn't want to exhaust all of the fun so quickly when there will be more opportunities in the future. It's not like the kais are going anywhere soon, unlike the humans."

Beerus hummed in agreement. "So, do you talk about us?"

"Of course."

"Like?"

"Why are you so curious?" Whis asked. "It's just idle chatter between attendants. Old Kai was elsewhere."

"Wait." Beerus paused and thought about it some more. "Why hasn't he taught Shin to create life?"

"Presumably he is either in the same position as the current Supreme Kai, or he is not aware of this problem. That was my first thought, but I intend to make inquiries discreetly."

"Oh yeah, and while you're there, ask Kibito about Shin's previous life-making attempts." Beerus explained to Whis what had been discussed earlier. "You know, seeing as you talk about us, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for you to subtly get it out of him - if he knows, which he should seeing as they were once fused."

"Actually, Lord Beerus, we did talk about something interesting earlier. Perhaps you'd like to tell me a bit more about how things are going between you and the Supreme Kai?"

"Eh? What are you talking about? I think we're doing good, don't you?"

Whis nodded, and focused on touching down on Beerus's planet. "Yes, I think it's wonderful you're working together like this. I don't think you've been so involved since you first got the job. But, you know, it was you who was boasting not too long ago that the Supreme Kai liked you. It's been a while since you've said anything about that, and you've been off together, alone, twice recently. It does make one wonder…"

Beerus made a noise somewhere between a scoff and a laugh. "You think we've been slacking off instead of working?"

"Of course not. I'm merely suggesting…" Whis let Beerus complete that sentence in his mind however he wished.

"You know, it's harder to make fun of him and tease when he's the only fast way home. I've gotta tread carefully when we're alone."

Whis decided not to push any further as it was clear Beerus didn't want to talk about it; unfortunately that meant he wouldn't be able to speculate much further with Kibito for the time being. Still, when it came to getting information from Beerus, Whis found that patience was key. "Worry not, my lord, for I will always come and fetch you from wherever you run off to. Now, seeing as you visited a place with no mortals, meaning no interesting food, you must be starving."

ooo

"My lord, I have made arrangements for the Supreme Kai's mentor," Whis said as he sat down for dinner the following day.

"Oh? Who'd you find?" Beerus started to pile his plate high.

"As feared, neither Old Kai nor Kibito could fill the role, but I have high hopes the Grand Kai can."

Beerus paused, a chicken wing centimetres from his mouth. "The Grand Kai? Uh…"

"Big bushy white hair, more often seen in denim than his official uniform."

"That guy?" Beerus didn't have trouble remembering him, rather he had a hard time believing he was the answer to this problem.

"Yes, he was once an apprentice Supreme Kai. You probably don't remember. Maybe you didn't even know. He wasn't there for very long, deciding the role wasn't for him."

Beerus nodded. "Yeah, the Grand Kai position is a bit…useless. Essentially a messenger for the lower kais to send messages to the Supreme Kai. What else does he do?"

"He holds tournaments in Other World for the deceased I'm sure you remember, and I hear he scours the universe for interesting motorcycles."

"That's not really a job is it?"

Whis shrugged. "You asked what he does, and that's what he does to my knowledge. He gets to delegate to the lower kais, and I guess most things they can't handle are usually sent higher to the Supreme Kai? It's a middle-management position."

"Well, if he can teach Shin, then I suppose he's good for something." Beerus licked his chicken wing clean. "How old is this guy anyway? He's been Grand Kai for so long I can't remember the last one."

"The Supreme Kai has been sending manfruits to all the kais for a long time. I'm sure they're helping to lower the turnover of new staff. Anyway, the Grand Kai assures me that he knows a bit about life creation, seeing as it was essential to the thing he's most interested in, which is culture."

"So, why'd he give up on being a Supreme Kai?"

Whis offered Beerus some curry before taking his own share. "You've seen what he's like. He's not exactly suited to being a Supreme Kai, is he? And luckily he realised his limits on his own. But also, he was not born of the golden fruit. It would have taken incredible dedication to maintain the power needed to perform as a Supreme Kai, and in the end it wasn't worth it."

"I guess I take Shin's disposition for granted sometimes," Beerus said as he remembered the last time he'd seen the Grand Kai. "So, have you already sent him?"

"I've put him in contact with Kibito to make arrangements, yes. Did you know the Grand Kai has to request an audience like everyone else?"

Beerus laughed. "Everyone except Goku, right? Wasn't that rule put in place a couple of generations ago when we had that really needy Grand Kai? Used to annoy whichever kai was willing to listen? I think they could give the current Grand Kai privileges again."

"Maybe you can suggest that. After all, as far as the current Supreme Kai is concerned, this is the way it's always been."

"And while you were talking to Kibito, did you ask about the thing?"

Whis nodded, clearing a few more plates of their contents before answering. "To understand how to give consciousness to something he had created, the Supreme Kai took the consciousness of a currently living being and transferred it to what he'd created. This resulted in the death of the original creature's body, and then it was stuck in the newly created body. Apparently it was not a pleasant experience for the test subjects, and some of them died through shock or stress, it's not quite clear."

"So he couldn't reverse it? Put the creature back in its original body?"

"Remember that Supreme Kais lose the ability to heal when they get promoted to the position, so he would have been unable to revive the original body. Mortals are delicate creatures; you can't just go moving their souls around and not expect to run into problems. Since then he's been very reluctant to experiment further on his own."

Beerus frowned. "Yeah, fine, I get it. He's a fragile little shit after all. Never thought I'd miss other kais before him, but here we are."

"At least he's cute?"

"I'd rather have an ugly bastard that can actually do everything on the job description, but yeah, at least he's easy on the eye."

A/N: *holds up Grand Kai* I just think he's neat.