Chapter 42: A New Teammate

Frieza's eyes narrowed, though his tone remained composed. "Father, if what Mr. Levos says is true, that grandson is extremely cunning. Rushing to find him might only alert him."

He gave a soft cough and turned his icy gaze toward Levos. "Mr. Levos, why are you only telling me such crucial information about this grandson now?"

Levos's heart jumped. He immediately answered with earnest sincerity, "That grandson… the creature he's creating is too terrifying. I didn't want Your Majesty's army to get dragged into it. Besides, if we engage them directly, the casualties will be massive. It could completely derail your plans."

Frieza gave a cold snort. A bloodthirsty smile curled on his lips. "Once my army arrives, I'll send someone to track that grandson down. As Father said, our race will never tolerate such an insult. Even if it costs us dearly, that grandson and his monster must be utterly annihilated!"

"Hmph…" King Cold stroked his chin with satisfaction. "In the meantime, Levos, keep a close eye on his movements. If you discover anything, report it to me at once."

Levos and Bulma both nodded in agreement.

Frieza then retracted his golden form and, hands clasped behind his back, descended into the spacecraft.

Berryblue approached calmly and asked, "Lord Frieza, shall we send soldiers to capture the ones who attacked you?"

"No need," Frieza replied coldly as his gaze lingered on the floating arena above the city. "That sneak-attacking Saiyan… and the Red Ribbon Army… they'll both be participating in the tournament. I'll deal with them personally during the matches. Honestly, I'm beginning to look forward to this little competition."

Less than three hours remained until the tournament began.

A crowd of survivors had already poured into West City to register.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in Levos's mind.

[Good morning, everyone. I am the universe's greatest warlock Babidi.]

[Hee hee hee… Earthlings, your long-awaited martial arts tournament is about to begin!]

[See that arena floating above West City?]

[Only those who pass the preliminary rounds will earn the right to battle in that airborne arena.]

[Due to the overwhelming number of applicants, I've added several more registration points eight of them, scattered around the city.]

[Hee hee! To save time, the preliminaries will be held as team battles.]

[Each team can have up to three members. If your team defeats three other teams, you'll advance to the knockout stage.]

[Oh, and by the way the entirety of West City is your battlefield. When the time comes, fight to your heart's content!]

[Don't worry. I'll be watching everyone's performance and projecting names and scores into the sky with my magic…]

[Hee hee hee hee! And remember if this tournament ends, I'll destroy Earth. So if you want to live, then fight with everything you've got! Hyeh heh heh…]

Inside the spacecraft, everyone looked at each other in confusion.

Gicho wiped a bead of sweat from his cheek. "What kind of sorcery is this? It's talking directly into my mind…"

Frieza's eyes narrowed. "Just a petty trick. This clown will soon meet his end."

King Cold's expression twisted in anger. "Indeed. I'll make sure this loudmouth dies without even a grave to mark his bones."

Frieza casually picked up a wine glass and took a sip. Then he looked toward Levos and said, "Mr. Levos, you and your team may go register for the tournament now."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Levos raised an eyebrow and gave a small nod.

"Oh, by the way," Frieza added as he swirled the wine in his glass, "it seems your team is one member short. You're welcome to choose anyone from my army."

A watchdog, huh?

Levos maintained a calm expression, but inwardly began weighing how to refuse.

"No need. Actually, we already have a third member."

Apparently Bulma didn't want a babysitter either. She stepped forward and declined.

"Oh?" Frieza looked intrigued. "Where is this teammate now?"

"We've been carrying him with us the whole time," Bulma replied.

Who is she talking about?

Levos followed her gaze to the bulging pouch at her waist her capsule kit.

"You mean Android 16!" Levos suddenly recalled and gave Bulma an approving look.

As a non-living machine, Android 16 could be stored in capsule form while deactivated.

"Is he as strong as you two?" King Cold asked with a skeptical frown.

"Yes," Levos said with absolute certainty.

Back in the Cell Saga, Android 17 once said that 16 was stronger than him.

Though 16 hadn't fought much, and Levos didn't have many vivid memories of him, he was still a powerful asset.

If not for Bulma's reminder, Levos might've completely forgotten he had someone like that on his side.

Whether 16 would agree to team up was another matter…

Outside the ship, Bulma took out the capsule containing 16 and tossed it onto an open patch of ground.

With a bang, a burst of smoke filled the air and when it cleared, a large stasis pod now rested on the dirt.

Inside, a tall, muscular man lay with his eyes closed.

"Levos, should we wake him now?" Bulma turned to ask.

Levos paused, then nodded. "Yeah, let's bring him online."

Bulma stepped forward and pressed the activation button.

Psssshhh

With a hiss of pressure release, the pod slowly opened.

The man inside opened his eyes and quietly climbed out, standing silently in place.

"Android 16, welcome back," Levos greeted him. "Dr. Gero never intended to activate you… but he's long dead now."

"How does it feel, seeing the world again after all these years?"

16 said nothing, calmly scanning his surroundings.

Bulma leaned closer to Levos and whispered, "Can he talk at all?"

"He can," Levos replied with a frown. "He just… doesn't, most of the time."

Now he had to figure out how to convince 16 to join their team.

Levos thought carefully, then asked, "You were created for one purpose: to kill Son Goku, right?"

A flicker of emotion crossed 16's face. He turned to Levos and answered plainly, "Yes."

"Well, unfortunately, Son Goku is already dead," Levos said, feigning regret. "As androids, it's time for us to take on a new mission."

16 looked at him, confused.

Levos pointed to the arena above the city. "Join me in this tournament. Let's enter as a team."

"I refuse," 16 said bluntly, without hesitation.

Levos's expression stiffened. "Don't you love nature?"

"What does that have to do with fighting in a tournament?" 16 asked flatly.

"It's complicated," Levos muttered. "Just come register with us for now. I'll explain everything on the way."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.

"Want to stay ahead of the game?Advanced chapters are up on my Patron. If you're enjoying the ride, swing by and check them out."

p@treon.com/_theon

Change @ to "a"