Frieza felt uncomfortable all over.
How was he supposed to say a wish like "I want to be taller" in front of a whole crowd?
But if he wished for something else, would the dragon in front of him really grant it?
And if he broke his agreement with Levos… what kind of consequences would that bring?
Frieza was stuck in a dilemma. A chance to grow taller was incredibly rare, yet he was too ashamed to say it out loud.
"Um… Mr. Levos," Frieza leaned in close and lowered his voice. "Can we… go somewhere with no people, and make the wish in secret?"
"Everyone likes to watch. Kicking them out wouldn't be appropriate." Levos looked troubled, then comforted him. "It's fine, King. You can wish once you've made up your mind. No rush."
Frieza's mouth twitched. He was anxious to the point of misery.
Since the King was being this awkward, Levos could only skip him for now.
"Then the second wish… let's revive the Saiyan, Gine."
Ao Debiao sent a careful mental message. "Lord Levos, I can revive all good Saiyans, including Gine."
"No need. Gine is Bardock's obsession. As for the other good Saiyans… they might prefer living peacefully in the afterlife." Levos thought for a moment. "But what about Raditz? Can you revive him too?"
"I cannot. Raditz has already been reincarnated."
"Alright. Then just Gine."
"Yes."
A red glow flashed in Ao Debiao's eyes.
A gentle light fell onto the center of the Lookout plaza.
Within that glow, a woman slowly formed wearing a plain battle suit, a pink apron tied around her waist, and a monkey tail swaying behind her.
Bardock's whole body trembled. His fists clenched without him even realizing it.
The newly formed figure looked dazed, glancing around.
But the moment her eyes landed on Bardock, she froze.
"Bardock?" Gine's voice shook, disbelieving.
"Gine…" The iron-blooded warrior who hadn't shed tears for a thousand years now had wet eyes.
"It's really you… I'm not dreaming, am I?" Gine reached out and gently touched the scar on Bardock's cheek. Tears spilled down her face too.
"I never once forgot my promise to you." Bardock finally lost control. He pulled his wife into his arms.
"Mom?" Goku stepped closer, curious.
"Kakarot?" Seeing Goku's face so similar to Bardock it was like carved from the same mold Gine lit up with surprise. "You're so big now."
Chi-Chi came over too, dragging Gohan and Goten along. "Call her Grandma."
"Grandma!" Gohan and Goten said in unison.
"That's wonderful… our whole family is reunited on Earth." Gine laughed through tears.
The Son family's reunion played out like a true happy ending, and even the onlookers couldn't help feeling moved.
Frieza clicked his tongue, irritated.
Then he noticed something off.
Just now, after Levos made the wish, the dragon seemed to pause and "wait" a little longer before casting the magic.
Could it be…
Frieza quietly slid next to Levos and whispered so only the two of them could hear.
"Mr. Levos… you can communicate with the dragon directly, right? Could you… make my wish for me in secret?"
So the King had noticed after all.
But Levos wasn't about to make things difficult for Frieza on purpose.
"Sure. Then I'll wish it for you. Grow taller by fi no. Ten centimeters, right?" Levos asked one last time.
Frieza hurriedly stopped him. "Wait. We can't do ten centimeters at once! Can we split it into two times, five centimeters each?"
"Why?"
"If I suddenly grow ten centimeters, everyone will guess my wish immediately!"
Piccolo, who was shamelessly listening in, felt his brain shake.
That's Frieza's wish? The secret agreement Levos made with him was this?!
The tension in Piccolo's chest finally released.
Meanwhile, Levos could only feel speechless. The King's demands were endless.
Ao Debiao's voice sounded in Levos's mind.
"Lord Levos, growing a mere five centimeters is an insult to my dignity as a Shenron, and it doesn't even need to waste a precious wish. Why not broaden the wish a little…"
It could do that?
Levos immediately got interested.
"For example," Ao Debiao continued, "we can greatly enhance the physical quality of all Earthlings. Height would naturally optimize within a normal range. This would also solve the farmers' plowing concern, and satisfy Frieza's tiny wish at the same time."
Ao Debiao, you really know how to play the game.
That idea was genuinely good.
"But Frieza isn't an Earthling," Levos pointed out.
"As long as he acknowledges himself as a resident of Earth in his heart, the wish's effect can include him."
Levos turned to Frieza. "King, your wish… is hard to do in principle."
Frieza frowned. "Meaning?"
"Ao Debiao has a wish that benefits all of Earth. If you're willing to join Earth's 'citizenship,' then height will never be a problem again."
"What?" Frieza's eyes widened. "Join Earth's citizenship?"
He was the emperor of the universe. Becoming an official resident of some backwater planet?
But then he imagined that dreamlike extra ten centimeters…
Frieza fell into a fierce internal battle.
In the end, temptation won.
"Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Levos. It is my honor."
"Welcome to the Earth family!"
Levos immediately made the final wish out loud to Ao Debiao.
"Let every person on Earth… gain Saiyan blood!"
Everyone froze.
What did Saiyan blood mean?
Especially to martial arts masters like Tien, it was like opening a door to an entirely new world of cultivation.
Chiaotzu nearly burst with excitement. "Tien! You have to go Super Saiyan 3!"
"Super Saiyan 3? That's nothing. Super Saiyan 4 is the coolest!" Yamcha shouted. "I, Yamcha, am finally standing up again!"
Levos smiled at the crowd.
Now everyone would have the potential to become Super Saiyan. Plowing fields? That kind of "problem" could be handled barehanded.
Levos felt pretty pleased with himself.
Ao Debiao's eyes flared red again. A far more brilliant light blanketed the entire Earth.
But the very next second, terrified screams erupted from the Lookout.
"AH ! MY ASS!" Yamcha grabbed his backside, face drained white. "Something's trying to crawl out!"
"It… it grew out!" Tien stared in horror at the half-tail pushing its way out behind him.
Even Piccolo reflexively reached back to cover himself, his expression turning unspeakably weird.
Bulma and Chi-Chi looked like they wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground and vanish forever.
Frieza felt something strange behind him. He stiffly turned his head.
When he saw a brand-new furry tail struggling to push out
His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
Even far away in another star region, Krillin and the others on their way to Planet Vegeta felt their bodies changing too.
"Master Roshi… why do you have a tail?"
"Don't say anything, Krillin. You do too…"
Levos went blank.
He'd been so focused on the benefits of Saiyan blood that he completely forgot the tail part!
"Quick! Quick! Fix it!" Levos sent an urgent mental message. "Remove the tails. Keep the abilities!"
The light flickered again.
All the tails that had appeared vanished instantly, and only then did everyone finally breathe again.
Frieza looked traumatized, like he'd just survived the greatest crisis of his entire life.
Then, one after another, people began feeling an unprecedented power surge within their bodies.
"S-So much power!" Tien felt the ki surging through him, his eyes filled with shock.
Goku and Bardock exchanged a glance.
Their auras were actually a little stronger than before.
"As a small bonus gift," Ao Debiao explained to Levos, "I raised the upper potential limit for those who were already Saiyans."
Levos was very satisfied with Ao Debiao.
"What about Frieza's wish?"
"It has been granted. I distributed ten centimeters of growth over a two-month period, ensuring it won't attract attention. However…"
"However what?"
"If he abandons his Earth identity in the future, both his height and Saiyan blood will be reclaimed."
Levos's eyes widened.
This dragon was way too shady. It was digging a pit for the King in secret.
And who taught it that?
Levos couldn't help suspecting Vados had tampered with something during the dragon's creation.
Sensing Levos's gaze, Vados looked over. "What is it, Mr. Levos?"
"Uh… nothing." Levos coughed. "I was just curious how you weren't affected by the wish."
"How do you know I wasn't?" Vados smiled sweetly. "Do you think that just because a tail grows out, I must scream in panic?"
Levos couldn't be sure whether Vados had grown a tail or not.
"All wishes have been granted. Farewell…"
Ao Debiao's body dispersed. The seven petrified giant Dragon Balls turned into streaks of light and scattered throughout the solar system.
"Mr. Levos, my wish "
"Don't worry, King. It's already done." Levos explained the details honestly. "…But be careful about quitting Earth citizenship."
Frieza fell silent.
So… he was tied to Earth now?
He skeptically compared his height to Levos's.
He was still roughly at Levos's elbow, but after confirming he really had grown a tiny bit, Frieza finally relaxed.
On the Lookout plaza, everyone was still basking in the joy of their newfound power.
"I feel like my whole body has endless strength!" Yamcha clenched his fists and excitedly threw out a full Wolf Fang Fist combo.
Tien closed his eyes and carefully sensed the changes inside him. He understood deep down that the door to a new world had opened.
"I'm going to train!"
"Me too!"
"Let's see who transforms into Super Saiyan first!"
Everyone wanted to immediately find a place to go into seclusion and experience what Saiyan blood truly meant.
"Everyone, hold it!" Bulma said coldly. "Earth just recovered, and Levos finally came back. Are you seriously not attending the banquet I'm throwing to celebrate?"
They forced themselves to calm down.
Skipping Bulma's banquet came with terrifying consequences.
Frieza, however, couldn't sit still. He didn't want to waste a single second.
"Mr. Levos," Frieza leaned in again, "could I borrow Earth's Hyperbolic Time Chamber for a while?"
Wow. You're really going to use my planet's Time Chamber to grind in my face?
"Sure," Levos agreed. "You can go in and train with the others later. But the celebration banquet is about to start, King. You must attend."
Frieza froze. He hadn't expected it to go so smoothly.
Capsule Corporation.
The banquet was quickly set up in the courtyard. A long table overflowed with dazzling dishes.
Gine looked at the lively scene, then at Goku and Gohan devouring food like starving beasts, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
Zeno disguised as Monaka quickly found a group of kids like Anzu. He grabbed a toy water gun and chased them across the lawn, laughing and playing to his heart's content.
Levos held a cup of juice and recommended a plate of translucent-looking marinated raw crab to Frieza.
"Try this, King. Earth specialty. Absolutely incredible way fresher than Namekian crab."
"Crunch crunch." Frieza took a suspicious bite.
"Cough, King normally we don't eat the crab shell," Levos reminded him.
Frieza realized and immediately copied Levos's method. The icy-sweet crab meat slid down his throat, and Frieza's eyes lit up.
"Earthlings eat this well every day?"
Levos sighed.
After ruling the universe for so many years… was Frieza's usual diet something like stargazing pie?
Watching Frieza pair the crab with the red wine beside him and demolish an entire plate like a tornado, Levos basically confirmed it.
Vados walked over to Levos.
"Mr. Levos, would you mind telling me what happened in the Time Nest? I'm very curious how you escaped danger."
Levos nodded and gave her the general story about Ozott, and about where Zeno and Goten came from.
Of course, he still "artistically modified" the part about producing the Cell Juniors.
More and more people gathered around them, all curious about Levos's final battle with Ozott.
"So there's an enemy in the universe that cunning…"
"Devouring everything. Hunting gods…" Frieza chewed over Ozott's slogan silently.
Everyone was chatting happily when Frieza's face suddenly turned paper-white.
Cold sweat seeped from his forehead.
"King, what's wrong?" Levos saw Frieza clutch his stomach, looking miserable.
"My stomach… hurts…" Frieza forced the words out through clenched teeth.
Levos glanced up and saw the mountain of crab shells piled in front of Frieza.
One look, and he understood.
He definitely ate too much raw marinated crab.
The entire courtyard sucked in a breath. You could've heard a pin drop.
The King… was about to have explosive diarrhea?
"I'll take you to the restroom!"
Levos grabbed Frieza and teleported to the bathroom entrance.
But standing before the two doors, Levos froze.
One door had a figure in a skirt. The other had a figure in pants.
Levos was suddenly stuck.
Frieza's race seemed to have… no obvious distinction of sex.
Asking whether the King was male or female felt disrespectful.
Which door should he use?
Frieza's face had gone from white to green.
There was no time left. The King would have to decide himself!
"Left is the men's restroom, right is the women's restroom. King, you can pick either."
After saying that, Levos immediately fled.
Back at the banquet, the mood had become… strange.
Everyone's eyes kept drifting toward the restroom like they couldn't help themselves.
After a long wait, they finally saw Frieza emerge, pale as death, one hand braced against the wall, his steps unsteady.
Feeling the odd attention, Frieza lifted his eyes and swept his gaze across the crowd.
But everyone was "perfectly normal" eating, drinking, chatting, laughing without a hint of anything unusual.
Levos deliberately didn't look at Frieza either, afraid of touching a nerve.
Everyone else did the same.
After all, nobody wanted to accidentally offend the newly joined "member of Earth's family" the emperor of the universe
And end up getting Earth blown up again.
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