Back on the Lookout, Kami's face suddenly twisted with shock.
"What now?" Piccolo demanded. "Talk!"
"What is that?" Kami's voice sank. "What… is that monster?"
"Monster?" Piccolo frowned.
Kami nodded, trembling.
"What monster?" Piccolo pressed. "Is it connected to the time machine?"
"It… it's heading toward Ken," Kami said, voice tight.
"Heading toward Ken?" Piccolo blinked, confused.
So it's going to die, then.
That means this isn't our problem anymore.
…
Ken had just reached the open sky when a green figure flashed into view, stopping directly in front of him.
Ken recognised it instantly.
Cell.
"Ugh—what a disgusting monster!" Bulma cried.
"Capsule Corporation's heiress, Bulma?" Cell said, studying her, then shifting his gaze to Ken. "And who are you?"
"H-He talks!" Bulma blurted.
"Hey," Ken said, narrowing his eyes at Cell, "you scared my girlfriend. What do you think the punishment should be?"
Girlfriend? Bulma's cheeks went red.
Cell: "…"
Who is this kid?
I show up and I've 'scared your girlfriend'?
Where did Bulma even find a boyfriend like this?
Cell threw his head back and laughed. "Interesting. You can fly, so I'll play with you for a bit. Get down."
Ken carried Bulma down to the ground.
Cell landed calmly across from them.
"Good," Cell said with a lazy smile. "You should know you can't escape right under my nose, no matter how hard you try."
"Mm," Ken nodded.
"You shouldn't have been here," Cell said, cold amusement creeping in. "Bad luck for you."
"Y-you… who are you?" Bulma demanded, then suddenly stiffened. "Wait. That time machine… it has something to do with you, doesn't it?"
"Smart girl," Cell said with a soft chuckle. "But it doesn't matter. Neither of you is getting away." He grinned. "I was having fun in a city not far from here when I spotted you flying up into the sky, so I came over to have a little fun too."
"What do you want?" Bulma asked sharply.
"Watch," Cell said. "I'll start with your little boyfriend."
His tail flicked, stabbing toward Ken—
"Hold on," Ken said.
Cell stopped, slow and deliberate, the grin turning mocking. "If you get on your knees and beg, I might let you go."
Ken pointed at the sky. "Look at that."
"Oh?" Cell sneered. "Trying to get me to look up so you can run?" He chuckled. "Your speed is trash compared to mine. Even if I look away, you're not slipping past me."
He tilted his head up.
And froze.
A dark green streak of light was racing across the sky.
It howled closer in an instant—
then stopped right beside Ken.
"Broly? Ai!" Bulma's face lit up. "You're back!"
"Bulma, I missed you so much!" Ai floated over, her round little body sparkling as she zipped in.
Bulma hugged her with a relieved laugh. "You're finally back from your trip."
Broly let the dark green aura fade from his body, then immediately bowed to Ken.
"Looks like you've grown a lot these past few years," Ken said with a smile.
"I travelled through different universes," Broly said seriously. "I learned a lot."
"You're fast," Ken said, pleased. "When I sensed you earlier, you were still in Universe 7. Now you're already back in Universe 6." He tilted his head. "You came back through Earth's passageway in Universe 7, didn't you?"
"Yes," Broly said, then scratched his head and grinned like an idiot. "I'm not leaving again for now. I'm staying with you."
"Fine. Stay," Ken said.
Having a subordinate like this around solved a lot of problems with a single glance.
As an angel, Ken had a certain image to maintain. Sometimes it was better not to throw the first punch.
Cell: "…"
Are they serious?
Things are tense as hell and they're chatting like I'm not here.
And who even is "Broly"? I've never heard that name. This kid—Ken—I've never heard him either.
Whatever.
What matters is this: Broly's energy feels absurd. If I absorb his cells, my power will skyrocket.
My luck is insane.
I just woke up and I've already run into prey like this.
"Your timing is awful," Cell said smugly. "You reunite after years, and you run into me."
Ken ignored him.
Broly beamed. "Ken, I'm level 59 now!"
Ken smiled. "I could tell. You've passed Beerus. You're the Great God of Destruction in every sense now."
"It feels like levelling gets slower and slower," Broly muttered.
"Keep going," Ken said, expression turning serious. "Last time I saw the Space-Time God of Destruction, he talked about holding a Tournament of Space-Time. If that happens, you might represent our universe."
"Okay," Broly said, nodding without hesitation.
Cell's face darkened. "Are you listening to me at all?"
They really are treating me like air.
Fine. I'll show you what 'air' can do.
First I'll absorb Ken's cells.
Then Broly's.
Broly glanced at Cell, clearly annoyed.
I finally meet my boss again, and this guy shows up to make noise?
Broly raised a hand from a distance.
"Who are you?" Cell demanded, frowning.
"I'm Ken's sharpest sword," Broly said calmly.
Cell: "…"
"Oh?" Cell laughed. "You want to attack me? You think you can beat me?"
Then he saw it—
a burst of green light flared in Broly's palm.
In an instant, the dark green light condensed into a glowing silhouette.
The silhouette rapidly took Broly's shape.
It lunged toward Cell with an explosive rush.
"What the—?!" Cell's eyes went wide.
Bulma stared too. "W-what is that?"
"Condensing ki into a form," Ken murmured. "Not bad, Broly. I didn't expect you to master this already."
Broly scratched his head, embarrassed. "Heh."
Ken was genuinely surprised.
In Dragon Ball Super, this kind of ki-form technique appeared in Goku's Ultra Instinct fight against Moro.
Goku's version became enormous.
Broly's was different—same size as him, like a separate body made of dark green light. A ki-made double.
Cell was completely lost.
What is that thing?
Before he could process it, the ki-double Broly flashed in front of him.
It grabbed Cell by the head and slammed him into the ground.
The impact shook the earth.
Cell's skull rang, his vision swimming.
The ki-double kept his head pinned and ground his face along the dirt.
Cell screamed in pain.
A casual punch followed—hard enough to knock several teeth out.
Then the ki-double grabbed Cell by the tail and whipped him around like a ragdoll, smashing him back and forth.
Broly grinned at Ken. "I only used a tiny bit of ki. It hurts more that way… and he won't die too fast."
Ken felt a quiet satisfaction.
That's my sword.
The ki-double kept battering Cell until his body felt like it was falling apart. He was barely clinging to consciousness.
Bulma sighed. "Poor guy. You really picked the wrong people to mess with."
The ki-double planted a foot on Cell's face and rolled him along the ground like trash.
Broly hooked a finger.
The ki-double dissolved into green sparks and flowed back into Broly's body.
"Bulma, you and Ai go home," Ken said. "I've got something to handle here."
"Okay," Bulma said, strangely obedient—and her cheeks turned pink again as she answered.
Ken blinked.
Why are you blushing?
He didn't bother peeking into her thoughts.
"I'm going," Bulma said softly.
Ken nodded.
Bulma and Ai flew off into the sky.
On the way, Ai kept glancing at Bulma. "Bulma… why is your face so red?"
"Don't worry about it," Bulma muttered.
"Did Ken confess to you?" Ai asked, gossip-bright.
"Ai, we haven't seen each other in years—why do you have so many questions now?" Bulma shot back.
"Hehe… because I've seen a lot," Ai said proudly. She leaned in. "Your heartbeat is way faster. Before Broly and I showed up… did Ken kiss you?"
Bulma: "…"
"Don't talk nonsense," Bulma snapped, turning even redder.
After a brief silence, Bulma spoke in a tiny voice.
"Ken just said… I'm his girlfriend."
Ai's eyes widened. "He already treats you like his girlfriend?"
"He said it himself," Bulma said, nodding hard.
…
Ken walked toward Cell.
Cell lay on the ground, terrified, staring at Broly.
Who is this guy?
How is he this strong?
I underestimated them.
I'm done. I'm going to die.
Pathetic.
I travelled from the future, came to this era, spent four years hatching from an eggshell…
And now, before I do anything I planned, I'm going to die here?
I can't accept it.
I won't accept it!
Broly stepped up beside Ken. "Who is he?"
"Dr. Gero's creation," Ken said with a small smile. "Cell."
Cell's eyes bulged as he stared at Ken.
How does he know who I am?
"The android problem still isn't solved?" Broly asked. "Goku and Trunks didn't come back?"
"Cell, you've never met Goku, have you?" Ken asked, smiling.
"Son Goku? He's still alive?" Cell blurted.
"Then you haven't," Ken said, nodding. "That means you aren't from the same timeline as Goku and Trunks."
Broly: "????"
Broly didn't understand a word of that.
But he wasn't the type to interrogate things he didn't get. If it didn't matter, he didn't need to understand it.
Ken narrowed his eyes at Cell. "You scared my girlfriend. How do you think I should deal with you?"
"I—I won't do it again!" Cell begged, forcing himself upright and kneeling. "Please! Spare me!"
"Since you're apologising properly, I'll give you a small punishment," Ken said.
The crystal ball atop his staff flickered with invisible angel power, which wrapped around Cell's body.
"H-huh? What—what—what?!"
Cell felt his cells twisting, changing violently. Agony ripped through him—so sharp it felt like his soul was shattering.
"Aah—Aah—please! I'm begging you! Let me go!" Cell wailed.
"That's all you can take?" Ken said lightly, slowing the process.
Cell's screams echoed across the empty wasteland.
Ten full minutes.
"Alright," Ken said, withdrawing his staff.
Cell gasped for air, then frantically checked himself.
Nothing looked different.
And yet his body felt… forcibly altered.
What did he do?
Who is Ken?
He changed my cells.
That's impossible.
No way.
But the memory of that unbearable pain made Cell break into cold sweat. He stayed kneeling, hardly daring to breathe.
"Let's go," Ken called to Broly.
Broly nodded.
They vanished in a flash.
Cell stared after them.
That's it?
He's not killing me?
Cell didn't understand—but he wasn't about to wait for Ken to change his mind.
He forced himself up through the pain and fled as fast as he could.
Broly finally asked the question he'd been holding back. "Ken… what did you do to him? It felt like you changed him."
"You can see that clearly now?" Ken said, impressed. "You really have learned a lot."
Broly scratched his head, shy again.
"I did change a small part," Ken said with a smile. "Cell isn't complete yet. He needs to absorb Android 17 and Android 18 to become perfect." Ken's gaze sharpened. "So I adjusted his design a little. I swapped out Android 18… for Android 21."
Broly didn't fully understand, but he nodded thoughtfully anyway.
So this Android 18… Ken's interested in her?
She's a girl, then.
If I meet her, I should treat her with the same respect I show Bulma.
…
A long highway stretched ahead.
A van rolled along at a steady pace.
Inside were four passengers: Android 17, Android 18, Android 21, and Android 16.
17 drove. 18 sat in the front seat. 21 and 16 sat in the back.
21 kept glancing at 16, her expression gentle—like she was looking at her own son.
16 stared out the window, ignoring her completely.
Then, suddenly, 21 shuddered.
"What's wrong, 21?" 17 asked casually, checking the rear-view mirror.
16 turned his head, looking at her too.
"I-I'm fine," 21 said, but her face stayed tense. "I just… suddenly feel off. Like something dangerous is closing in."
"Is it your period?" 18 said flatly.
21: "…"
21 went rigid.
16 said nothing.
17: "…"
17 didn't know what to say either.
Women really are trouble.
And saying that right in front of me—seriously?
…
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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