"Frieza really thinks of himself as one of Earth's comrades now?"
No one dared say it out loud. They only muttered it in their hearts as all eyes gathered on Frieza.
"This king merely wishes to take a stroll in Universe 6 and clear his head."
With that, Frieza started toward the ship.
Levos was a little surprised. "Your Majesty, you're not going to train on Earth for a while first?"
But Frieza had a different calculation in mind.
He'd finally grown a tiny bit taller, yet none of these people noticed.
He'd wished to get taller, but if nobody could tell, then wasn't that wish basically wasted?
But if he went to Universe 6 and took part in a cross-universe level battle, in front of countless allies and enemies, his "growth spurt" might finally be noticed. Then word would spread.
And while he was at it, he could contact that Frost and see whether the man had any use.
Most importantly, last time he and Shisami had matched height.
This time, he'd win. Cleanly.
Of course, Frieza would never say any of that out loud.
Still, he needed to give Levos an explanation, just in case Levos grew suspicious.
Frieza cleared his throat and sent a telepathic message in a slightly reproachful tone.
"Levos… that wish you made was… far too considerate. Considerate to the point that, for at least two months, I won't even be in the mood to enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."
Levos was speechless. That had been Shenron no, Toronbo no… Ao Debiao's idea. How could Frieza blame him for it?
"Don't misunderstand, Your Majesty. That wish was entirely Ao Debiao acting on his own. Sigh… you've truly been wronged," Levos clarified, then called a few subordinates over. "Second Kid, Neiz, Dore, Salza go with him."
After thinking it over, Levos still didn't feel reassured.
Cell Max's tail snapped out and pulled Second Kid into his body.
Ever since the battle with Ozotto, Cell Max's strength had surged again. Now what Levos needed to do was "re-smelt" the early-born little Cells, so they could gain [Power of Time] and [Power of Light].
A moment later, more than twenty upgraded little Cells stood neatly in a row.
Levos stepped forward and gave them a stern lecture.
"Out there, you are not allowed to cause trouble. You will listen to Uncle Piccolo and Uncle Frieza. If you don't, I won't let you out to play ever again!"
He had no choice. Back in the Time Nest's Time House, the little Cells who stayed with him always slacked off and fooled around instead of training.
Levos couldn't manage them, so he could only place his hopes on someone else.
He split the little Cells into two comparison groups one for Piccolo, one for Frieza.
One had trained Gohan. The other had trained Tagoma. Their results spoke for themselves.
You could say they were the perfect choices for "childcare."
As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind. As long as the little Cells weren't at his side, Levos wouldn't have to suffer headaches over their education.
Piccolo and Frieza both twitched at the corner of their mouths, looking like they had something to say but didn't dare.
Make the two of them babysit?
Babysit this pack of mischievous little Cells?
Was this a joke?
Frieza nearly lost his composure. He, the great emperor of the cosmos… reduced to a nanny?
If word of that got out, how was he supposed to show his face in the universe again?
Just as both of them were about to refuse with righteous indignation, Goku scratched his head and wandered over, pure curiosity written all over his face.
"Wow! These little Cells are already this strong without training. I wonder, after Piccolo and Frieza teach them, whose group will end up stronger?"
The moment the words fell, Piccolo and Frieza's gazes collided in midair.
Even from a distance, everyone could practically see sparks flying.
Piccolo glanced at Gohan his child, raised by his own hands, now ranked among the universe's top-tier fighters.
A fierce pride swelled in his chest.
There was no way he'd lose to Frieza.
Frieza, on the other hand, let out a cold laugh and began calculating.
With talent like the little Cells', he could train them into an elite strike force one that would help him conquer the universe.
Their strength would also make them superb sparring partners.
When you looked at it that way… training the little Cells actually sounded interesting.
And more importantly, how could he ever admit his teaching ability would lose to a mere Namekian?
"Hmph. Isn't the outcome obvious?" Frieza folded his arms and shot Piccolo a sidelong glance. "Under my guidance, the strongest elite in the universe will be born."
Piccolo stayed expressionless, merely snorting as he walked to the little Cells and took the fourteen that looked the most well-behaved.
The remaining thirteen along with the First Kid far away in another star sector were assigned to Frieza.
And just like that, thanks to a single careless sentence from Goku, a contest of teacherly pride officially began.
Levos silently applauded Goku's accidental assist.
"Not bad, Kakarot. You really know how to play people," he muttered under his breath.
"Frieza, good luck!"
"Your Majesty, may you win brilliantly!"
Amid everyone's blessings, Frieza boarded the Cube Shuttle bound for Universe 6, bringing Salza, Neiz, Dore, and thirteen little Cells.
The hatch sealed.
The interior wasn't large, and the thirteen little Cells were like a pack of wild monkeys that had slipped their ropes leaping, bouncing, and shrieking nonstop, turning the cramped space into pure chaos.
A vein throbbed at Frieza's temple. He forced himself not to explode.
"Salza. Come here," he ordered coldly.
"Yes, Lord Frieza!" Salza hurried over, respectful as ever.
Frieza clasped his hands behind his back and stood beside Salza as if it were casual. His eyes seemed to stare ahead, but his peripheral vision was working at lightning speed.
Good. Very good.
The top of his head was already higher than Salza's eyebrows.
Before long, his height would surpass this man entirely.
Then Salza wouldn't be able to pretend not to notice.
And Frieza could openly tell everyone that he was still in a developmental phase, that growing taller was simply an unavoidable, perfectly normal phenomenon.
Frieza's mood brightened instantly. The faintest curve tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He was already imagining the day Salza and Neiz suddenly exclaimed, "Your Majesty… you seem taller!"
Especially Salza the subordinate whose height he was about to surpass.
That reaction would be delicious.
"Nothing else. Go manage those brats," Frieza waved him off, humming in high spirits.
Up on the Lookout, Levos watched the Cube Shuttle vanish into the sky, but unease refused to leave his chest.
Letting Frieza leave Earth…
Was that the same as letting a tiger back into the mountains?
If Frieza joined hands with Frost and stirred up trouble in Universe 6, Levos's reach might not extend that far. He might truly be unable to stop it in time.
Compared to Instant Transmission, the Cube Shuttle was slow. If something urgent happened, it might be too late.
He needed a way to move freely between universes instant, clean, under his own control.
Suddenly, inspiration flashed in Levos's mind.
He thought of the "all-knowing" Zuno from the original story.
"I have to visit that guy immediately!"
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