Dragon Ball: I Became Cell in a Doomed Future-Chapter 202 - 202: Universe 6’s Fighters

Out in deep space, a streak of rainbow light tore across the void.
Wrapped inside that colorful glow, a purple, cat-like god was furiously scratching his own head.
"Damn it! That guy called Son Goku is way too annoying! He just had to drag Universe 7 into this mess!"
"How is anyone from our universe supposed to beat that brat Levos' team?!"
When he'd first heard that the fate of the universes would be decided through a martial arts tournament, Champa had actually felt a glimmer of hope.
But the reversal came too fast.
Before he could even digest the news, Universe 7 had joined in, and he'd been left completely dumbfounded.
He'd originally been prepared to thank Levos. The instant he realized they were now enemies on opposite sides, his heart went cold.
He grumbled and cursed the whole way until his throat went dry.
"Lord Champa, have a drink to cool down your temper~"
Vados lightly waved her staff. A glass full to the brim appeared out of thin air.
"Glug, glug…"
Champa snatched it and downed it in one go.
Pffft—
"Vados! Why is it bitter melon juice again?!" Champa shrieked.
Vados's lips curved slightly.
"Didn't Lord Champa just promise the Grand Priest that you'd work hard and lose weight properly?"
"I don't care! Universe 6 is doomed anyway, all I want now is to chug as much soda as I can!"
Vados blinked, then asked mildly,
"Shall I relay that to the Grand Priest as your official stance?"
Champa instantly wilted.
But just bringing it up made his anger flare again.
"Damn it! You're terrible too, Vados! You've been badmouthing me behind my back to the Grand Priest this whole time!"
"That is a guide angel's duty, Lord Champa," she replied primly. Then she chuckled softly. "Besides, I did praise you in front of Zeno and the other gods afterward."
Champa was speechless.
Thinking about Universe 6's fate only made his head pound harder.
"Is there really any way to beat Universe 7's fighters?"
"Am I supposed to hire assassins to kill that brat Levos?"
He gritted his teeth and muttered,
"No, just taking out him alone wouldn't be enough. Universe 7 has too many monsters… that Namekian is a headache too…"
In the end, Champa ground out,
"It's all that Saiyan, Son Goku's fault!"
"Saiyans are such a pain. First there was that pink Broly, and then that mountain of fused Saiyans Zamasu cooked up!"
As he complained, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Wait. We've got Saiyans in our universe too, don't we? Vados, get in touch with them. Now!"
"As you wish, Lord Champa."
"And have the Supreme Kai bring the other candidates to them as well."
"And then?" Vados asked.
"I'm going to personally put them through special training and crank up their power."
The rainbow trail shifted direction and streaked toward its new target.
Before long.
Champa and Vados arrived at Planet Sadala.
"Lord Champa, this is Miss Caulifla, one of the fighters I found. The one beside her is Miss Kale, her junior," said a lanky, short-haired Saiyan boy, stepping forward to introduce them.
Looking at the three Saiyans in front of him, Champa's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
"Why do you all look so scrawny? Cabba, you couldn't find anyone tougher than this?"
Before Cabba could speak, the spiky-haired female Saiyan next to him spoke up, clearly annoyed.
"You fat cat, did you just look down on Saiyans? Let me tell you, I've mastered a super amazing transformation!"
"Miss Caulifla, mind your manners. This gentleman is a being of very high standing," Cabba reminded her, sweating buckets.
He hurriedly turned back to Champa and bowed repeatedly.
"I'm terribly sorry, Lord Champa, please don't be offended. Miss Caulifla's talent has been recognized by the former captain of our Sadala Defense Forces. She's definitely a qualified warrior."
"Oh?" Champa wasn't angry at all. In fact, his eyes lit up with interest. "She can transform and she's talented?"
Caulifla crossed her arms over her chest.
"Of course. My power when I transform is so strong it scares even me. I'll definitely give you a huge shock."
Hearing that, Champa gave her a more serious once-over.
The girl wore a revealing pink tube top and loose purple pants, looking every inch the delinquent.
But the more he stared, the more suspicious he felt. He secretly asked Vados,
"Hey, doesn't this kid look kind of familiar to you?"
Vados narrowed her eyes slightly.
"So you noticed too, Lord Champa? Among the Dark Ones in Universe 7, there was one who looked exactly like her."
"I knew it! If Zamasu had his eye on her body, there's no way she's all talk. She must have something special…"
Champa's spirits soared. He immediately circled around the delinquent Saiyan called Caulifla several times.
As he moved, his gaze shifted to the other female Saiyan.
This girl wore her hair in a high ponytail.
She had on a fiery red short top, matching mini-skirt, and black tights that showed off a slim waist. Her build was just as petite as Caulifla and Cabba's.
But she seemed extremely shy, clinging nervously to Caulifla's side the whole time.
Champa also thought she looked a little familiar.
"Lord Champa, this is Miss Kale," Cabba explained again when he saw his gaze. "When she heard Miss Caulifla was going to fight, she refused to stay behind and came along. I actually wasn't planning to choose her as a tournament fighter."
"Kale does have some ability," Caulifla added, slinging an arm over her junior's shoulder, "but her strength's still way off. And I could never bear to throw my precious junior into a fight like this."
"I'm sorry… it's my fault for being so useless…" Kale bowed her head, voice barely above a whisper.
"It's fine, Kale. It'll be good for you to get out and see the world a little."
"O-okay, big sis…"
Champa's eyes widened.
"What, this one can't transform?"
"Of course not. Even I, the super genius among Saiyans, haven't been transformed for very long," Caulifla said, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"What color is your transformation?" Champa asked.
"Golden! My whole body shines golden. I even gave it a super badass name: Golden Saiyan!"
Caulifla puffed out her chest proudly.
Champa's face fell.
"Tch. That sort of transformation barely counts. I thought you meant pink or green."
"Other than your naming sense being just as bad as Zamasu's, you're way behind him in every other way."
"Zamasu?" Caulifla's brow arched. "I don't care who that is. If you're going to look down on my transformation, then I'll just show you how strong I really am!"
She blitzed forward, throwing her fists at Champa in a flurry.
Champa didn't even bother to hide his contempt. He casually raised a hand, blocked the blows, and flicked her aside.
Boom!
Her body smashed through a wall and crashed into the rubble.
Caulifla clambered out of the debris, looking extremely bedraggled.
"Miss Caulifla, you mustn't attack this esteemed guest!" Cabba cried, horrified.
Caulifla ignored him completely. Her eyes were locked on Champa alone.
"Hey! I'm going to get serious now!"
She focused, calling up her ki.
The air around her began to surge, a wild aura slowly rising.
"Lady Vados, please stop Miss Caulifla!" Cabba begged.
Vados simply shook her head.
"It's fine. Since she wants to test Lord Champa's strength, let her try."
Champa watched Caulifla with great interest, adding fuel to the fire.
"Too weak. Way too weak. At this level, you wouldn't even match one of the other fighters' fingers."
"Haaaaaaaaa—!!"
Caulifla roared. Her power climbed higher and higher.
In the next moment, a torrential aura erupted from her body. Golden light blazed, wrapping her form in a shining cocoon.
"Her power's gone up a lot," Champa squinted, "but…"
"Is this really all our universe's most 'talented' Saiyan has?"
"Don't get cocky, you fat cat!"
Caulifla's golden aura suddenly flared even higher.
Then her whole body turned into a streak of dazzling light as she hurled herself straight at Champa like a thunderbolt.
Champa remained where he was, not even bothering to move.
The two collided in an instant, a deafening boom ringing out.
The golden radiance shattered.
Caulifla crashed to the ground, clutching her stomach in agony.
Champa clicked his tongue.
"Little brat, with this kind of strength, you dare call yourself the most gifted Saiyan?"
He was just about to keep hammering her confidence when he suddenly sensed a faint hint of danger.
He froze.
Someone's trying to sneak attack me?
He spun around sharply, but there wasn't a single enemy in sight.
Champa's guard went up. He swept the area with his eyes.
Still nothing. It felt like he'd imagined the whole thing.
A false alarm?
Champa frowned and turned back to check on Caulifla, only to realize she was no longer lying where she'd fallen.
"Where'd she go?"
"Over there," Vados prompted.
Following the line of her staff, Champa spotted a figure carefully laying Caulifla on the ground.
"Huh? Lady Kale is that fast?" Cabba said in disbelief.
Champa couldn't figure it out at all either.
Vados tapped her staff lightly. A glow swept over the injured Saiyan girl.
Caulifla's wounds healed in an instant, and her energy returned.
The hostility between both sides quietly melted away.
Caulifla walked right up and patted Champa on the shoulder.
"Fat cat, you're pretty strong. But I got a lot stronger just now too. How about we spar again?"
A vein twitched in Champa's cheek. He slapped her hand away.
"You're still too weak. I'm not interested."
His gaze shifted to Kale. He opened his mouth, ready to ask about her.
Right then, several figures instant-transmitted in front of him.
"Lord Champa, I've brought the fighters," said Universe 6's Supreme Kai, Fuwa.
Champa focused and saw two unfamiliar men beside him.
The shorter one, with two small horns on his head, stepped forward and bowed politely.
"I am Frost. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
The other stood with his hands in his pockets, aura cold and sharp.
"Hit."
Champa sighed.
"Just two?"
"There wasn't enough time," Fuwa explained. "I could only invite the two most famous warriors in the universe."
"Whatever, it'll do. We're short on people anyway. Two is two."
"Aren't you going to test their strength first?" Fuwa asked.
"Test what? We should be using every single second we have to power them up!"
Champa turned to Cabba, smiling in a way that made everyone's skin crawl.
"You three Saiyans will have to do for now."
Everyone stared in confusion.
"Lord Champa, what are you planning?" Cabba asked.
"Grind passives!" Champa declared proudly.
"Grind… passives? What does that even mean?"
"No idea what he's talking about…"
Vados sighed softly.
"It seems Lord Champa really has gotten a little smarter after that trip to Universe 7."
"Don't talk nonsense, Vados! I've been smart since I was a kid!" Champa huffed. Then his tone flipped, a sly grin spreading across his face. "But I did learn quite a lot from that brat Levos."
"Levos? Who's that?" Cabba looked puzzled.
"He's the main opponent you'll be facing in this tournament," Champa said solemnly. "Your greatest enemy."
Hearing that, everyone perked up with curiosity.
"Don't you dare underestimate him," Champa raised his voice. "He's strong enough to barely last a few moves against me."
Fuwa's jaw dropped.
"A mortal who can fight Lord Champa head-on?"
Vados chuckled.
"Lord Champa isn't describing things very precisely. If Mr. Levos is in his base form, that might be about right. But he has several other transformations that are quite extraordinary…"
"Hey! Don't just say whatever you want, Vados!" Champa cut her off immediately.
Hit's eyes narrowed, his gaze turning even sharper.
"In any case, whether he's as strong as you say or not, since this match decides the fate of our universe, it's only right that we use every possible method to raise our power."
Frost nodded.
"Agreed. The most practical thing now is to boost our fighters' strength as quickly as possible."
He paused, as if remembering something.
"Actually, I have a few capable subordinates under me. Their strength is somewhat higher than the others here…"
"Really?" Champa was tempted.
"Lord Champa, I believe the Saiyans will make fine fighters on their own," Vados suggested with a gentle smile.
That reminder made something click for Champa.
"You're right. Even though I'm not satisfied with their current strength, Saiyans have enormous room to grow."
His expression twisted into something vaguely wicked.
"In the whole of Universe 6, no one understands Saiyans better than I do."
Cabba and the others suddenly felt a chill.
Champa's grin only grew more sinister.
"Let's get started on grinding those passives…"
In the next instant, he personally moved.
He blitzed all three Saiyans and beat them straight into a heavily wounded, near-death state.
"Big sis… this is all my fault, for not being strong enough to protect you…" Kale whispered weakly.
"Damn it… don't drag my junior into this without asking me first…" Caulifla groaned through the pain.
Frost and Hit stared, completely stunned.
Vados immediately began healing the wounded Saiyans, all while calmly explaining the "passive grind" method to everyone…
"This approach is far too extreme… too brutal…" Fuwa muttered under his breath.
Champa's ears twitched. He scowled.
"You, stop standing around! Go find me some Saiyans with a strong sense of justice!"
"W-what? You mean you're going to torment even more people?" Fuwa looked stricken.
"Why are you complaining? Move it!" Champa roared.
Fuwa could only sigh and fly off at full speed.
A short while later, the Supreme Kai returned, breathing hard, with a small group of Saiyans in tow.
Champa never stopped swinging. Without even looking back, he kept giving orders.
"You're not done yet. Get over to Planet Namek and borrow their wish orbs…"
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