Dragon Ball: I Became Cell in a Doomed Future

Levos furrowed his brow in thought, then closed his eyes, focusing entirely as he recalled the sensation of guiding an energy blast.

In the darkness, a flicker of light sparked in his mind, like a faint beam piercing through the void.

A subtle white glow emerged in his vision, faint and fragile, as if it could vanish at any moment.

He opened his eyes and turned toward his left.

Sure enough, Mr. Popo stood there.

"You locked on to my energy that fast?" Mr. Popo's eyes widened. "That wasn't even ten seconds!"

"Mr. Popo, could you move a little farther away?" Levos asked calmly.

This time, with his eyes shut again, it took him slightly longer to locate Popo, probably due to the increased distance.

But that could be improved with training.

Levos didn't bother opening his eyes. He charged straight toward the spot where he sensed Popo's presence.

Smack.

Mr. Popo caught his punch with an open palm.

Levos had intentionally suppressed his strength, keeping it lower than Popo's level.

Popo could no longer hide his astonishment. "Your talent... is truly surprising."

Levos simply responded, "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Popo. Let's resume our match."

The two figures clashed again.

Popo kept dodging with fluid, guiding movements. He never struck back, only moved defensively.

And with his eyes shut, Levos noticed something incredible. His awareness of his surroundings had grown sharper.

Even more so than with his eyes open.

He channeled all his focus into predicting Popo's movements.

But every time he was about to land a hit, Popo would slip away by a hair's breadth.

Again and again, the same result.

"I don't get it. Why am I always just a little too slow?" Levos finally asked, frustrated.

"Because you're not reading the battle," Popo replied softly. "That's why you can't predict where I'll dodge."

Levos pondered this, then asked, "How do you 'read' a battle?"

Popo paused before explaining gently, "Let's say I'm about to attack. Your instincts would probably tell you to block or evade. But sometimes, attacking the opening in my defense can cancel out the threat entirely."

"I see," Levos nodded, a look of clarity beginning to form in his eyes.

Once more, he charged.

Popo didn't move.

Levos approached, then launched a simple, clean punch.

Popo shifted slightly and raised his hand to intercept. With perfect timing, he used Levos's own momentum, redirected it, and tapped his chest with seemingly no force at all.

Levos flew backward, digging a shallow trench across the stone floor.

He clutched his sore arm, stunned, then broke into a grin.

"Soft force to deflect strength. Four ounces to move a thousand pounds. Brilliant!"

Mr. Popo's martial mastery was beyond impressive.

"That's right," Popo nodded. "Learning to borrow your opponent's power is just as important."

"Any more questions?" he added kindly.

Levos shook his head. "No need. I know how to beat you now, Mr. Popo."

His eyes remained calm, but his body burst forward like a bolt of lightning.

Popo remained serene. With a flick of his toe, he soared into the air like a swallow skipping across water.

But Levos had anticipated the move.

His knee rocketed upward, aimed squarely at Popo's exposed midsection.

It was too fast. Too sudden. There was no room for Popo to dodge in midair.

Whoosh.

Smack!

Direct hit!

Levos grinned in triumph and opened his eyes, only to find it wasn't Popo he'd struck.

A hand had caught his knee. Firm. Powerful.

A stranger stood in front of Popo.

His crab-shaped hair. The halo floating above his head.

No mistaking him.

"I'm Goku. And you are?"

Levos calmly withdrew his leg. "Name's Levos."

The two shook hands.

"Yo, Mr. Popo! Long time no see!" Goku waved cheerfully.

Then his eyes widened. "Wait, is that Bulma?! You look so young!"

They hadn't seen each other in decades.

Bulma smiled through her tears. "Son-kun... you're finally back."

Mr. Popo was moved too. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his eyes. "Son Goku, how's life in Other World?"

But Goku's expression remained bright and carefree, just like always.

Levos stood silently, watching the long-lost friends reunite. Emotion stirred deep inside him.

Bulma and Goku had known each other since childhood.

They'd grown up side by side. Childhood friends. Perhaps more.

And yet, tragedy had torn them apart. Goku had died of illness more than twenty years ago, leaving Bulma to wander a broken world, utterly alone.

But now wasn't the time for nostalgia.

Levos stepped forward. "I hate to interrupt, but the situation is urgent."

He quickly filled Goku in on Earth's current crisis.

Goku's expression turned serious. "Baba told me the basics already. So Frieza's back, causing trouble again. I won't let him get away with it this time."

Levos squinted slightly. He suspected Frieza had already achieved his Golden form.

If so, even Goku might be in danger.

"Goku, what's your current Super Saiyan level?" Levos asked cautiously.

In this timeline, Goku had died long before the Cell Games. He didn't even make it to the Android saga.

At best, his power back then was somewhere below Full Power Super Saiyan.

Still, Levos had no doubt Goku had continued training in the Other World.

But how far had he really come?

Super Saiyan God? Probably impossible. That required six righteous Saiyans performing a ritual.

And judging by his lack of a tail, Super Saiyan 4 was out of the question too.

Levos even tried counting on his fingers the number of surviving Saiyans in this timeline.

Yeah... not happening.

"Are you talking about that form beyond Super Saiyan?" Goku asked.

"No. That's Super Saiyan 2. I mean the one where your hair grows longer and your eyebrows disappear. Can you go Super Saiyan 3?"

"Ohhh, that one! Yeah, I can. But it's pretty draining. My body doesn't handle it too well," Goku admitted with a frown. "Wait... how do you even know about that form? I was saving it as a surprise for Frieza!"

"I know a lot of Saiyan secrets," Levos said coolly.

Goku looked at him with fresh curiosity. "Want me to transform now?"

Levos immediately shook his head. "No need. I've got a good sense of your power already."

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Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.