After calling Majin Buu over to patch Yamcha up, Levos went to find Champa and Vados and quietly told them where the last Super Dragon Ball was.
"Pff ha!"
Champa downed his sugar-free cola in one gulp and smacked his lips in satisfaction. "Not bad, kid! You really pulled it off!"
"A promise is a promise. I'll take you all to Universe 6 to live. Get your people ready and gather everyone you want to bring."
Levos shook his head and sighed. "Most of them probably won't agree to leave. And I still don't know whether, when the Omni-King uses his Erase, he'll lock onto people by universe ID or just wipe everything connected…"
"That really is a pain…" Champa's smile stiffened.
"So that means," Vados said, thinking it through, "the only real solution left to save Universe 7 is to persuade the Omni-King."
"If we want to keep Universe 7, that's the only way." Levos gave a bitter smile. "The good thing is Lord Beerus is back now. If he can say something in front of the Omni-King… we might still have a turnaround."
"Oh, right!" Champa slapped his thigh. "The Omni-King got mad in the first place 'cause the God of Destruction disappeared. If Beerus is alive again, then the Omni-King won't have a reason to blow up the universe."
"I'm afraid it won't be that simple, Lord Champa," Vados said, her tone far less optimistic.
"Huh? What now?" Champa frowned.
"You forgot about Lord Beerus's… relationship with the other Gods of Destruction?"
Levos's heart skipped a beat.
Right. Beerus and the other Destroyers didn't "not get along." They practically had grudges. Fighting between Gods of Destruction was forbidden, yes, but taking cheap shots behind the scenes? That was practically a sport.
If the Omni-King was really angry because of a Destroyer's disappearance… then anything linked to Beerus could get dragged into it.
Which meant Universe 7 really might not escape erasure.
"We can only take it one step at a time."
When it came to the Omni-King, Levos honestly had no perfect plan. All he could do was throw the problem toward Goku and hope that idiot savant luck of his worked again.
"In that case," Champa huffed, "Beerus is toast this time. And Universe 7 is as good as gone."
Then he suddenly panicked. "Vados! Fill your staff with Earth food! Hurry up! We might never get to eat this stuff again!"
"That might not be very proper, Lord Champa," Vados said pleasantly.
But she still lifted her angel staff and, smiling, just… started sweeping all the unfinished food from the banquet tables straight into the inner space of the staff.
Levos's face darkened.
Champa kept pointing around like a foreman. "That table, that table, and that one over there pack it all up! And tell those chefs to cook faster!"
Vados's eyes curved like crescents. "But Lord Champa, all the things you're choosing are high in calories. They're not exactly suitable for you."
"Vados! Now's not the time to nag!" Champa yelped. "I'll work out later, okay? I'll burn it off!"
"Mr. Levos, can I store these too?" Vados asked, eyes sparkling. "Earth really does have the best food."
Levos waved weakly, totally deflated. "Go ahead. Knock yourself out. Just… Miss Vados, when the Grand Priest calls you back, don't forget to take me."
"Of course. I won't forget you, Mr. Levos," Vados said with a bright smile.
The laughter from the courtyard gradually faded behind him as Levos walked off alone, still turning over plans against the Omni-King in his mind.
Without realizing it, he wandered into a quiet grove.
A cold little snort cut through the silence.
Levos looked up and found himself staring at a familiar, beautiful, emotionless face.
Android 18 stood there like a sculpture, gorgeous as ever, but with a hint of loneliness in her eyes.
"Didn't expect you to be Earthling too," 18 said suddenly. "Back then I really thought you were some kind of monster."
"I'm Earthborn through and through, 18," Levos shrugged.
"I know. Even when you were in a monster's body, everyone still trusted you. But me? I was the 'monster' humans wanted gone." 18 let out a chilly laugh.
"Human, monster, alien… it doesn't matter," Levos said calmly. "As long as you don't go around hurting people for no reason."
18 snorted. "I've hurt so many people I lost count. Why don't you just kill me?"
"Why would I kill you?" Levos asked back. "There are a lot of ways to punish someone. Death is just the easiest one. It's over too fast."
"Letting villains work as slaves their whole lives as repayment…" He smiled faintly. "That's way more satisfying than just killing them."
"So…" 18 narrowed her eyes, a mocking look flashing through them. "You planning on making me do something cruel to 'atone'? If it's that kind of thing, I'd rather die."
Levos blinked then immediately got her meaning. "What? No! Where did your brain go?! Do I look that pervy to you?"
"And besides," he added, "most of the people you killed in this world have already been revived. Just… living here, in a world where everyone you killed is alive again… that's already punishment enough."
"Assuming," he said slowly, "that you really do feel guilty now."
18's voice was flat, but there was something tightly wound inside it. "Yeah. It is punishment. I never felt it before… but now I know what it is."
"That feeling is called… loneliness."
Levos sighed. "If you really want to wipe the slate clean and take responsibility, then live. Live properly. One day… people will accept you."
"Will they?" 18's tone got even colder. "I can take responsibility. I can bear the guilt. But I won't change my personality to please anyone. I don't need anyone's approval."
That actually hit Levos a bit.
Yeah. Everyone has their own shape. 18 was never someone who would bow her head. She had her own line, her own way of being.
"Alright," he said, exhaling. "If you already have your answer, then I don't need to say more."
He was about to leave when
"Wait."
18 stopped him. "One more thing."
Levos paused.
"I'm sure there's something… special between us." 18 folded her arms, those sapphire eyes never leaving his face.
Levos's heart gave a guilty little jump. "W-what kind of special?"
"This is the weird part." 18 frowned slightly. "Maybe I shouldn't ask. But I keep feeling those two little monsters are… connected to me."
"I just don't know how."
Levos's lips twitched. "You're… imagining things. The two little Cells are just skill-duplicates of Cell Max."
"Really?" 18's gaze was pure suspicion now.
"Of course!" Levos said way too fast. "I've still got things to do gotta run!"
And with that, the man who had just bullied Frieza, tricked Ginyu, dug out a chunk of Super Dragon Ball and stared down the Omni-King's future…
chose the most ancient, most masculine, most Saiyan method of dealing with awkward questions.
He fled.
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