Frieza's body trembled, the corner of his eye twitching nonstop.
He clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palms.
Piccolo immediately picked up on it.
"Frieza! What are you doing here again? Planning to secretly blow up Earth?"
"That's not it, Piccolo. Frieza just finished protecting Earth. Again."
Krillin rubbed his chest as he spoke. That spot always ached a little whenever he faced Frieza.
Both Frieza and Piccolo froze for a moment, as if they couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"And he helped Goku regain his senses."
"To put it bluntly, Frieza's our teammate now."
"His acting was so good he even fooled us for a second."
Everyone took turns explaining to Piccolo, one line after another.
Off to the side, Levos quietly watched the kaleidoscope of expressions flashing across Frieza's face and said nothing.
They weren't just shameless. They were downright vicious with how hard they were selling this.
No idea who'd been corrupting Earth's little group like this, but not a single one of them seemed interested in walking the proper path anymore.
He strongly suspected the problem started with those "mentors" who never acted their age King Kai, Whis, Vados and the rest of that unserious bunch.
"You worked hard, my king," Levos said sincerely.
Frieza forced a smile.
"Levos… you're too kind…"
Piccolo's gaze shifted to the red-furred "monkey" beside them, his eyes full of interest.
"Goku… that's Super Saiyan 4?"
"Yeah."
"This transformation is on a whole different level. Your eyes look a lot sharper, and your personality isn't quite the same either," Krillin said, giving a serious review.
After a bit of small talk, everyone remembered the actual problem at hand.
"So basically, you all think Frieza's the better actor, and want him to help Gohan snap out of it?" Piccolo frowned.
"That's right."
"Some things are just inborn, Piccolo. You don't really have that Demon King aura anymore."
A flicker of loneliness crossed Piccolo's face.
"…How do I need to cooperate with you, Frieza?"
Frieza's expression stiffened.
Right then, a streak of rainbow light slammed down from the sky.
"Have you idiots finished saying your last words yet? Time's about up. Get ready to move."
Beerus walked out from behind Whis, picking at his teeth.
Everyone jumped.
"But… Lord Beerus, Gohan still hasn't broken through."
"What are you talking about? I never said we were changing fighters. Levos, the Namekian, the pink fat one, the blue-haired girl, and Frieza Universe 7's lineup is decided."
"But don't we at least need substitutes?"
"Substitutes?" Beerus let out a disdainful snort. "You think anyone can just walk into Zeno's palace?"
"This preview tournament won't be public," Whis added with a gentle smile. "Aside from the fighters, only the gods of the twelve universes are allowed to spectate."
"Then what about Goku?" someone asked.
Beerus glanced at him.
"This idiot has finally made some decent progress."
"As Lord Zeno's friend, of course we'll be taking him along," Whis said.
A lot of people suddenly understood.
So that's why Beerus didn't give Goku a fighter slot from the start he'd already thought this far ahead.
When it came to a battle over the very survival of their universe, Beerus had taken no chances. He'd even slipped in a little trick.
Universe 7 effectively had one extra substitute.
Which meant that even if Gohan did manage to achieve Super Saiyan 4, there was still no way he'd get into the official lineup.
Frieza secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"Everyone, if you have anything left to settle, do it now," Whis said solemnly. "There's a chance you won't be coming back."
Levos frowned.
Earth's safety was a problem.
All the main fighters who could actually hold the line were leaving for the tournament. You could basically say the planet was wide open.
Sure, the Masked Saiyan Super Squad was around, plus the two little Cell Jrs as high-end combat power.
But Levos didn't fully trust them.
If other forces in Universe 7 set their sights on Earth, things would get very troublesome very quickly.
"Frieza, can I trouble Lord Cooler to keep an eye on Earth for us?" Levos asked.
Frieza narrowed his eyes.
"My brother is handling an important matter right now. He can't break away at all."
Levos could only sigh inwardly.
So in the end, the responsibility of protecting Earth could only fall on the two little Cell Jrs.
Which was… not ideal, given their personalities.
He called Big Jr and Second Jr over and started giving them a lecture.
"You two listen up. The safety of Earth is the most important thing. You must protect it."
"Ji-ji?"
"And no causing trouble. No harassing people. No random destruction, either."
"Zhi-zhi?"
The two little Cell Jrs stood there looking very respectful on the surface, but their sly little eyes were darting everywhere.
Judging by the way they kept sneaking glances at Frieza's tail, they were clearly more interested in that than in their actual assignment.
Levos felt his blood pressure spike.
"If anything happens to Earth…" he growled, "I'll have Uncle Piccolo absorb the both of you."
"Ji?!"
The two Cell Jrs' eyes went round as they stared at Piccolo.
Piccolo shot them a lazy glance before turning his eyes back on Levos and sending him a private message.
"Levos, this kind of tirade isn't going to work. They're just kids, not your subordinates."
Levos replied in frustration.
"I don't have a choice. They're rowdy and mischievous. If I don't put some fear into them, they won't take a word I say seriously."
"So you do have things you're bad at," Piccolo said, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Leave it to me."
Levos's face twisted a little. Since when did Piccolo look this confident dealing with kids?
"Piccolo, if they aren't disciplined properly, they will cause trouble sooner or later."
"They're children. Being naughty isn't strange at all. Everyone starts out as a kid, don't they?" Piccolo raised an eyebrow.
He squatted down in front of the two little Cell Jrs.
"Hey, you two. If Earth runs into danger, will you protect it for us?"
"Gu-ji, gu-ji!" Big Jr and Second Jr blinked their big eyes and nodded enthusiastically.
Levos stared.
No way. Did Piccolo just… hack their brains? The little Cell Jrs actually listened to him?
"Oh, and if you don't know what to do, or you feel bored," Piccolo added, smiling faintly, "go find your mom and listen to what she says more often…"
Levos was stunned.
Piccolo, what nonsense are you teaching them?!
"All right, everyone. Hold hands and form a circle. Wait for the Grand Priest to summon us," Beerus said impatiently.
They all did as they were told.
When it came to Frieza's turn…
He realized that on one side of him was Goku, and on the other side was Piccolo.
"What kind of joke is this? You expect me to hold hands with a wild monkey and a Namekian?!"
"Hurry up, Frieza. You're the last one," Beerus snapped.
Piccolo's face went a bit green.
"Levos, switch places with me."
But Levos was busy talking a mile a minute as he rattled off last-minute instructions to his people.
"Vice Captain Ginyu, Nez, Drey… do your best. There are squads in the other universes whose battle power and teamwork are just as strong as yours…"
"Lord Kikono, Dr. Bulma will support your research. If you run into any academic issues, you can discuss them with her, Dr. Hedo, or Pilaf and his gang."
Piccolo's eye twitched again. In the end, he had to swap positions with Puar instead.
In the final formation, Frieza managed to avoid both Goku and Piccolo, and wound up between Buu and Puar.
As the figures of the chosen fighters began to fade from view…
Those staying behind on Earth shouted their support for the warriors heading off to war.
"Levos, Goku, Piccolo… everyone, do your best!"
"You have to win!"
"We'll be waiting here on Earth for your good news!"
"Please… all of you, come back safe!"
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