Dragon Ball: I Became Cell in a Doomed Future

"How long were we inside the modification pods?"

Bulma held up a single finger. "Just some minor adjustments to our cells, but it took us a whole year."

"A year? I thought it was just a couple of weeks."

A year inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber was equivalent to just one day in the outside world.

They'd already spent one year and two months in this space.

That meant there was less than a day and a half left before Babidi's Martial Arts Tournament would begin.

Levos couldn't help but worry. Had anything major happened during the short time outside?How were Merus, Jaco, and Fortuneteller Baba's people?Had any new crises emerged on Earth?

"Let's head outside and test our physical stats."

The two of them left the lab, walking a bit away from the entrance of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

Levos clenched his fist, feeling the surge of power coursing through his body.

The veins on his arm bulged as he punched the ground.

Boom.

Stones shattered and dust exploded, leaving a sizable crater.

But Newton's Third Law still applied.Levos frantically shook his hand, gritting his teeth in pain.

Bulma chuckled apologetically. "Pain suppression is part of the second-stage modification. For now, we should try to avoid getting hurt."

Seeing Levos's situation, Bulma only tested her raw physical strength briefly. She seemed quite satisfied with the results.

"We can try flying next."

Flying was humanity's ultimate dream. Levos had been looking forward to this part the most.

But how exactly did one use internal energy to fly?

Levos focused, picturing himself as a bird soaring across the sky.

He imagined his body becoming lighter and lighter, as if gravity could no longer hold him.

"Ah, how did you do that? Your feet actually left the ground!" Bulma's surprised voice echoed in his ears.

Her sudden interruption broke his concentration. Levos glanced down and nearly screamed.Bulma had shrunk into a tiny black dot in his vision.

How did I get this high?

Panicking, Levos completely forgot the feeling from just moments ago and plummeted.

Crash.

He hit the ground face-first, hard.

Clutching his aching cheek, Levos couldn't help but feel thrilled.

So flying was actually this simple.

A little more practice, and he'd surely master it in no time.

"Bulma, flying's super easy. You should try it! Just imagine yourself as a gentle breeze."

Levos grinned to himself, eager to see Bulma make a fool of herself.

But Bulma's attempt went perfectly.

Having already learned from Levos's mistake, she floated just a meter off the ground and stayed there, steadily moving around at low altitude.

"This is really easy. So this is what flying feels like."

The two of them practiced flying together for a while and quickly got the hang of it.

Next up: energy blasts.

Since Levos had no close-combat training whatsoever, ranged attacks would likely be his primary fighting style going forward.

"Bulma, let's put some distance between us. I'm worried I might lose control and accidentally hit you. This stage is still really dangerous."

Waiting patiently for Bulma to disappear from sight, Levos felt his blood pumping with excitement.

This was the moment he'd been waiting for.

Even more thrilling than flying.

The energy blast poses were already etched into his soul. He was ready to make this legendary moment happen.

Planting his feet firmly, Levos struck a dramatic pose, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Kamehameha!"

Next one.

He pressed two fingers to his forehead.

"Special Beam Cannon!"

And then another.

Raising one hand high, palm flat.

"Destructo Disc!"

And another.

Standing on one foot, body twisted, cupping his hands.

"Galick Gun!"

Levos went through Masenko, Ki Cannon, Final Flash, Solar Flare…

Each time, he roared with overwhelming passion.

Result?

Not a single blast came out.

What the hell? What went wrong?

Levos collapsed onto his back, completely defeated.

Suddenly, boom.

A loud explosion echoed from the distance, making Levos jump in surprise.

Did Bulma actually pull it off?

How could she succeed before me? I'm a veteran anime fan. I can't let this slide!

He quickly flew toward Bulma's location.

Smoke was still rising from the crater, and Bulma was standing nearby, looking at her hands in disbelief.

She really did it. Levos's heart sank.

"Levos, you were shouting so loudly just now. I couldn't quite hear you. Were you trying to tell me something?"

Bulma gently smoothed her tousled hair, genuinely puzzled.

"Ahem, no, nothing important. If you couldn't hear it, that's perfect." Levos nearly choked on his own spit.

Even from that distance, she could still pick up on his voice?Do Androids come with enhanced hearing?

Thank goodness she didn't catch what he was actually yelling, or Levos wouldn't know how to face her ever again.

He quickly got back to the point. "Bulma, you really made it work?"

"It was really simple. Not nearly as dangerous as you made it sound." Bulma looked at him with honest confusion.

"Guess I overcomplicated it. Can you teach me the easy method?"

Is this woman secretly a genius at this too?

Levos was bitter, but he had to admit she'd beaten him fair and square.

"To fire an energy blast, you need to channel the power flowing through all your cells and guide it using your body's meridian system. Try focusing on the energy circulating around your cells and consciously gather it in one place."

Bulma's explanation instantly made things click for Levos.

Unlike flying, launching energy blasts required tapping into the body's internal circulatory system.

Apparently, his understanding of Android physiology was still only surface-level.

Following Bulma's method, Levos soon gathered a glowing orb the size of an egg in his palm.

He tossed it, and it exploded on the ground, leaving a small crater.

Even though he finally succeeded, Levos wasn't exactly thrilled.

He needed to refine his control further. There was still a lot to learn before leaving the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

But their second-stage modifications weren't done yet, so he couldn't fully immerse himself in training just yet.

The second-stage modifications would include pain suppression, emergency shutdown mechanisms, and other controversial features like implanting bombs. These were functions Bulma had deliberately postponed.

One more thing: Android energy couldn't be sensed by others.

That was because Android cells could perfectly block any leakage of internal energy.

This was great news for Levos. He wouldn't need to spend time learning how to suppress his energy signature.

"Levos, I think the second-stage modifications would make us less and less human. Most of the remaining changes are unnecessary anyway."

They'd gone over this topic many times, but Levos had his reasons.

The dark wizard Babidi's most dangerous ability was his mind-control magic, his signature skill.

As long as a person harbored even the tiniest trace of evil in their heart, Babidi's magic could seize the opportunity to corrupt their mind.

In the Majin Buu arc, Dabura and Vegeta were both far stronger than Babidi, yet they were still enslaved by his magic.

That was something Levos absolutely could not ignore.

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