Dragon Ball: I Became Cell in a Doomed Future

Chapter 305 305: Broly and His Father

At that moment, Fu's figure appeared high in the air, his face openly brimming with excitement and admiration.

"Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent!"

"So this is it... the power of bonds?" Fu adjusted his glasses, and behind the lenses shone the light of a researcher who had just discovered an entirely new continent. "Anger, protection, trust. When those emotions intertwine, they can push an experimental subject far beyond their natural limit! This discovery is incredibly valuable!"

He spread his arms, and his voice echoed through every experimental arena.

"I've decided. In order to make my experiment even more interesting, and to witness the birth of even more miracles, I am changing the rules of the game!"

"From this moment on, all experimental fields will be merged in pairs. Contestants will be matched in teams of two according to their respective factions!"

"Two-person battle mode officially begins! Fight hard, everyone. I am very much looking forward to it!"

The moment his words fell, Beijitena and Trunks were enveloped by teleportation light.

...

Elsewhere, in the arena where Levos and Android 21 were located, Fu's voice rang out as well.

"Because of the temporary rule change, Levos' attempt to sway his opponent will not be punished this time."

"Now then, congratulations. You are officially teammates and will advance directly."

The violent aura flaring around Android 21 faded at once. She glanced nervously at Levos.

The next second, teleportation light wrapped around them both.

When their feet touched solid ground again, they found themselves in an entirely new place.

It was a gigantic circular coliseum, ringed by towering spectator stands that rose so high their tops were lost from sight.

Android 21 still looked a little dazed. "We... actually became teammates just like that?"

"That's right."

"I'm sorry. When I heard that man accusing you just now, I almost lost control again."

Levos felt something was off. Android 21 seemed a little too attached to him.

"No, no, no. This definitely isn't what I think it is. It has to be one of those classic life misconceptions. Besides, 21 wasn't even in the harem disaster scene shown in the Time Crystal."

Levos pretended to scan the surroundings. "Looks like this is the so-called Ultimate Experimental Arena."

Up in the stands, Cooler and Moro were already sitting back as if they had been there for some time.

The moment they saw Levos and 21 standing together, both of their expressions darkened.

"Levos, it seems you and this beautiful lady have formed a team."

"Hmph. Prey is still prey. I'll just devour both of you together when the time comes."

Even so, Moro was secretly surprised that Levos had advanced this quickly.

"In that leaked tournament video, this guy didn't look all that strong. He was only around Toppo, Frieza, and Son Goku's level."

A would-be God of Destruction's level was nothing in Moro's eyes.

After all, he had obtained Merus' abilities, and in battle had already beaten that angel apprentice until he vanished completely.

After speaking, Moro fired a blast that slammed into the ceiling barrier.

"Hey! Whoever you are, hurry up and arrange the next fight!"

Fu's figure quietly appeared in the sky above the coliseum. He pushed up his glasses, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Ultimate Experimental Arena. Congratulations. Out of countless experimental subjects, you have proven your worth."

"Your advancement speed exceeded even my expectations, so before my grand plan is officially revealed, you may take this opportunity to rest a little and wait for the remaining contestants."

"In the meantime, why not enjoy the battles of the other experimental subjects?"

Fu snapped his fingers.

Buzz!

In an instant, hundreds upon hundreds of giant monitoring screens appeared above the coliseum. Every screen displayed a different experimental arena in real time.

"As for your opponents, I still need a little time to prepare them, so that they may appear before you in a more perfect state."

"Soon, those people will be revived, and thanks to this successful experiment, their strength will increase dramatically. I promise they will not disappoint."

Leaving behind a meaningful smile, Fu vanished again.

Everyone looked up, immediately drawn to the scenes on the screens.

...

In one poisonous swamp arena, shrouded in toxic mist:

"Hey! Nappa, close your eyes!" Krillin shouted at the top of his lungs while bringing both hands to his forehead. "Solar Flare!"

A blinding burst of light erupted instantly, freezing the movements of the two Cooler Force mechanical soldiers in front of him.

"Ah! My eyes! Damn you, bald little Earth runt! What did you do to me?!" Nappa clutched her eyes and screamed.

Krillin sighed. "I told you to close them. We're teammates now. Can't you trust me just a little?"

As he spoke, he fired off a Destructo Disc in each hand, slicing off the two mechanical soldiers' heads.

As her vision gradually recovered, Nappa looked irritated. "I still can't understand why a random Earthling got assigned to me as a teammate..."

Krillin did not understand it either.

"If only I'd been teamed up with Goku. We'd definitely make it to the end."

By common sense, he was always the one assigned as Goku's sacrificial teammate so Goku could unleash his full power afterward...

Wait.

Krillin suddenly had a new thought.

If he got paired with Nappa, didn't that mean he no longer had to be the one who died first?

"So that's it. After getting Saiyan blood, I've finally become a main character too..."

A teleportation glow appeared, transporting the two into a new experimental arena.

Crunch. Crunch.

To their left and right stood a mechanical Cooler each, slowly entering their line of sight.

"Cooler..." Krillin swallowed hard. "Looks like we're dropping back down to the lower arena again."

For some reason, his luck was awful. He kept bouncing between beginner and intermediate arenas, always winning one match and then losing the next...

And even with Nappa as his teammate, he still couldn't see any chance of victory this time.

"If only I could master Super Saiyan transformation..."

Krillin's mind worked furiously.

"Nappa, do you still have any of that medicine that turns you into a Super Saiyan?"

At those words, Nappa's heart immediately twisted.

She was the real Saiyan, yet her bloodline wasn't even as pure as some bald Earthling's...

"I wouldn't give it to you even if I did," Nappa said sourly. "Your bloodline potential is way above mine, and you still want to rely on outside tools to transform?"

Krillin choked on his own words.

He really couldn't argue with that. He was just an ordinary Earthling. Yet because of Shenron's wish, he now had the purest Saiyan blood imaginable, miles ahead of Nappa's starting line.

"But we're teammates!" Krillin tried to reason with her. "If I get stronger, then our team gets stronger too. That's the only way we can beat Cooler!"

"Hmph. Easy for you to say. We don't stand a chance in this match anyway." Nappa curled her lip, but her mind had already turned to Beijitena and Raditiss' situation.

They had only recognized some cheap Earth father and son relationship, and just like that they gained the thing she had dreamed of all her life.

Why?

Why did they get to surpass her so easily?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

Wasn't it just about forming a connection with an Earthling?

If they could do it, why couldn't she?

Wasn't it just Cooler?

If her bloodline got strengthened too, she could beat Cooler and charge straight into the ultimate arena!

Suddenly, a bold thought formed in Nappa's mind.

But after turning over every blood relation she knew of, she realized she had no such connection to Earth at all.

No. There had to be another way.

She looked Krillin up and down, her gaze becoming increasingly strange.

This guy might not look like much. He was short, bald, and didn't even have a nose. But his status as an Earthling was absolutely real.

Then, all at once, Nappa's cheeks turned red.

If she could become his... become his girlfriend, then would it work?

Wouldn't that make her half an Earthling too?

Then her bloodline would definitely be strengthened!

Thinking that, Nappa slowly stepped closer to Krillin.

"Hey, baldy."

She bent down and lightly pecked his cheek.

At the very least, he was way easier to accept than that greasy creep Zuno.

The comparison made her feel much better, and she quietly kept telling herself this was only a temporary measure to defeat Cooler.

Krillin froze.

T-this...

Did that mean what he thought it meant?!

Had he finally found love after all these years?!

But Nappa was Nappa's reincarnation!

No.

Strictly speaking, she wasn't the same Nappa who had killed Yamcha and Piccolo...

She was Nappa.

A completely new and independent girl!

Yes. That was it!

Happiness had come too suddenly!

Faced with an enemy he should not possibly be able to defeat, Krillin suddenly felt the courage to fight.

"Nappa, get back. I'm about to... transform."

His fighting spirit had never burned this fiercely before.

Unlike Levos, Goku, and Piccolo, he had never possessed monstrous natural talent or potential.

He was just an ordinary Earthling. No matter how hard he worked or how lucky he got, he could never really keep up with his companions.

In every battle, he was always the first one to go down.

In every crisis, all he could do was watch his friends fight for their lives and cheer them on from the sidelines.

He was sick of that helplessness.

And now, behind him, there was someone he needed to protect.

"Haaahhh!"

Nappa stared blankly at his back.

That weak, unremarkable little bald man she had found almost laughable was now stirring some strange feeling in her heart.

She immediately shook her head and threw the thought away.

"My bloodline, my power, why hasn't it changed at all? Did this guy reject me?"

Nappa felt unwilling to accept it. Beijitena and Raditiss had both succeeded...

So how was she supposed to fight now?

At that very moment, Krillin realized his transformation attempt had failed again.

"Nappa! Close your eyes!"

At the critical moment, Krillin fell back on the same trick, activating the Kaio-ken once more.

A blinding white flash engulfed the entire battlefield.

But this time, Nappa obediently shut her eyes.

"Destructo Disc!"

Krillin's figure appeared behind one of the Coolers.

Hum!

The spinning golden disc, razor-sharp, sliced across Cooler's body.

Clang!

Sparks flew. The metal body actually tanked the attack, leaving behind only a shallow mark.

"What?!" Krillin's pupils contracted. This was the first time he had ever met an opponent who could endure a Destructo Disc head-on!

"My turn now."

Cooler sneered and vanished from sight.

Boom!

A metallic fist slammed into Krillin's chest.

Then a Death Beam pierced straight through him from the side.

Thud.

Krillin collapsed in front of Nappa.

"K-Krillin..."

Nappa stared blankly at the bloody hole in his chest.

"That idiot... why did he stand in front of me..."

Slowly, Nappa rose to her feet.

"What a fool."

Golden energy exploded from her body.

She transformed.

Not by medicine.

This time, it was completely natural, a true breakthrough born from bloodline potential.

She raised her head, eyes bloodshot.

"You... should not have killed him first."

...

High above the coliseum, among the thousands of screens, Krillin and Nappa's battle was only one of countless ongoing fights.

Fu watched them all with sick delight, the smile on his face growing more twisted by the second.

"Wonderful! Truly wonderful! Bonds, anger, protection... these emotions really are the finest catalysts for power!"

His gaze moved across the other screens.

On each one, the two-person teams had already been formed, and battles were raging across all the arenas.

When Levos saw Nappa's bloodline evolve and her transform into a Super Saiyan, he was dumbfounded.

Did she actually accept Krillin for real?

And of course it had become another case of Krillin dying so his teammate could break through?

Fortunately, Levos could see the details clearly. Krillin wasn't in real danger.

His eyes shifted at once to the other battlefields.

There, Whis and "Monaka" had formed a team, yet the two of them were still lingering in a beginner arena.

Their opponents, meanwhile, already looked ready to collapse from exhaustion.

After all, Whis had been doing nothing except carrying Zen-Oh around and dodging attacks, making no effort at all to actually defeat anyone.

Whis sighed helplessly. "My, my. I only came to Earth for a little vacation, and somehow I'm still stuck babysitting."

The other Earth teams were quite interesting too.

Son Goku and Raditiss. Bardock and Gine. Puar and Yamcha. Android 18 and Bulma...

At the same time, it seemed Fu had deliberately arranged many teams in a one-strong, one-weak format.

Because of that, Earth became the biggest beneficiary. Even Oolong and Yajirobe, once paired with Cell Juniors, no longer had to worry about dying.

In fact, they were rampaging through their arenas and steadily making their way toward the Ultimate Experimental Arena.

...

In one advanced arena, a barren desert:

Two golden Coolers were reduced to dust beneath a shockwave.

"Puar, we're way too strong!" Yamcha declared proudly.

"But Yamcha, you didn't even fight..." Puar sighed, though she still wore a smile.

It felt like they had gone back to the old days in the desert.

Only now, the one doing the fighting had changed.

...

In another advanced arena, inside a Spirit Tree forest:

"Broly! Kill them! Kill every last one of them!" Paragus commanded his son.

"If I kill you, you won't suffer anymore."

Broly grinned wickedly and punched two opponents into blood mist.

With his father regained, his mood had clearly become much better.

...

Teleportation lights flashed again and again.

Very quickly, more and more familiar faces began appearing throughout the coliseum.