Goku's friends crowded around him with congratulations and backslaps.
When the excitement ebbed, Goku glanced over at Frieza's camp.
"Frieza, we might be allies for now but once I'm stronger, I'm coming for a real fight."
"Hmph." Frieza's smile was glacial. "Anytime. My hatred for you will never fade. When the day comes, life or death no quarter."
King Cold frowned and turned to Levos with sober weight. "Lord Levos, this is a private grudge. I hope you won't interfere."
Levos lifted a brow. "Fine."
Goku might only be at Super Saiyan 3 right now, but boosting him wouldn't be hard. Whether Super Saiyan 4 or Super Saiyan God, given enough time, Levos had ways to get him there. By the time Goku challenged the Emperor, their power should be on the same rung.
Super Saiyan 4, though, came with a prerequisite a Saiyan tail. Levos' gaze slid to the Elder Kai. In GT, it was the Elder Kai who came up with that pliers trick to yank Goku's tail back out…
With King Cold here, Levos wasn't about to reveal SSJ4 early. He didn't even know if this timeline's Saiyans could reach it. Best to test it himself first, then guide Goku and the others.
As for Super Saiyan God, that required six righteous-hearted Saiyans. Counting himself, they were still one short.
slurp, chomp
Someone was mowing through desserts.
Levos turned to see Champa plopped on the floor, blissfully sampling what sweets remained.
glug, glug
"Pah! That hits the spot!"
Champa upended a massive bottle of cola and sighed like a man reborn.
"Lord Champa, you're nowhere near today's exercise quota," Vados said, brows knitting.
"Enough nagging! After a hard workout you're supposed to feast. Quotas, schquotas I don't care!"
Vados flicked Levos a look a silent plea.
Levos could only return an apologetic one. He had stocked all these calorie bombs; he was, frankly, an accomplice. Besides, anyone who knew Dragon Ball's lore knew Champa's 'diet' was a cosmic joke. Convincing him to slim down? A miracle on par with rewriting causality.
And with the Omni-King poised to erase Universes 7 and 10, Levos had no bandwidth for calorie counting.
He saw two possible outs.
One: help Champa find the last Super Dragon Ball and, per their deal, relocate himself and his companions to Universe 6. But that plan came with a massive unknown would the Omni-King's erasure target people across universes? If yes, uprooting to U6 wouldn't save anyone. And even if Champa gathered the set, would he dare use it to resurrect a universe the Omni-King had erased? Annoying Zeno meant one more flick of that tiny hand and the wish would be wasted.
Two: find a way to make the Omni-King rescind the erasure order. Also risky, with giant roadblocks. First: how do you even meet Zeno? Without Vados' help, all of it was just talk.
With that in mind, Levos went looking for Vados to hash out a save-U7 plan
and Champa's panicked shout knifed across the plaza.
"Vados! Wh-what's happening to you?!"
The cake slid from his fingers and splatted on the floor.
"Miss Vados! You're even more transparent!" someone gasped.
Everyone stared, baffled.
Levos froze, then understood. Vados had revived the Elder Kai and Kibito both and the price was burning through the angelic "neutrality buffer." That had to be why her body looked like glass.
It happened too fast. Levos had no counter ready.
"Forgive me, Lord Champa," Vados said, voice mild, eyes a shade tired. "I may not be able to serve you any longer."
"W-what do you mean?" The onlookers buzzed; they had no idea what that implied.
Levos had no time to explain. He stared, speechless. Champa truly panicked.
"Vados! I never told you to revive those two! What was that supposed to be? That's not like you at all!"
"My, my so Lord Champa does care about me," Vados teased, then sighed. "When I'm gone, please watch your diet. Eat less, move more."
"This is not the time! You're about to disappear think of a fix!" Champa spun in helpless circles.
Vados let her gaze rest on Levos. "Mr. Levos, I hope you'll supervise Lord Champa in my stead especially when he's enjoying Earth cuisine. Moderation…"
For a heartbeat, Levos could've sworn he saw mischief flash in her eyes. He frowned, but nodded. "All right."
"Are you abandoning me?" Champa yelped, half hurt, half furious.
"What a thing to say. Angels who break the rules are punished. I won't be able to remain your attendant," Vados replied, perfectly solemn.
Levos' expression tightened. "Lord Champa, Miss Vados is about to fade. Grant her last request. When you finally slim down, she'll be able to rest easy… in the great beyond."
Vados blinked at Levos, studying him for two or three seconds.
Champa wilted. "F-fine. I promise, Vados! I order you find a way to fix this. Now."
Vados turned away and dabbed delicately at her eyes. "Whenever you eat, remember me… sniffle."
Watching her retreating back, Levos felt a stubborn wrongness. Even if she wanted Champa to diet, this price was absurd. She was hiding something.
He had to honor her bit and still worry for her safety.
"Um… Miss Vados," Levos ventured, "how long do you have before you disappear?"
Vados paused, still turned away. She didn't answer immediately as if weighing how much truth to share.
At last she faced them, and a sly smile curved her lips. "So long as I don't keep breaking the rules, I won't disappear."
Levos' face went strange; his cheek twitched.
"What?!" Champa squawked. "I thought you were actually dying!"
"In any case," Vados said, smiling sweetly, "a God of Destruction who makes a promise in public must keep it."
She let that hang, then looked to Levos. "Mr. Levos, I'll count on you as well. Keep a close eye on Lord Champa's dining while you're on Earth."
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