Dragon Ball: I Became Cell in a Doomed Future

Champa's absolute confidence made Levos uneasy again.

A recipe granted by the Super Dragon Balls had to be top-tier there was no doubt about it.

After all, this was the Super Dragon capable of granting any wish, even restoring a universe erased by Zeno himself!

Sure, "fried rice" sounded simple enough, but the preparation was probably intricate and nearly impossible to perfect.

Levos was starting to doubt whether instant noodles could stand up to such a heavyweight dish.

Unfortunately, the capsule Bulma had been saving for her rarest delicacies… Levos had given it away to a little girl adopted by Pilaf.

Now, the only food he had left to offer was instant noodles.

Suppressing the killing intent toward Zamasu that kept leaking out, Levos forced himself to think calmly, working through possible strategies.

After a while, he spoke slowly.

"By the way, Lord Champa… I imagine preparing such a dish would require a top-tier culinary team, wouldn't it?"

Champa snorted.

"Quite the opposite. The process is actually very simple. But I'm not giving you the recipe!"

Vados narrowed her eyes slightly.

"I'm the one who's always taken care of Lord Champa's meals including his fried rice."

Hmm?

Levos felt like he'd just caught onto something important… but he couldn't be sure.

"So Lord Champa is extremely picky about his food, I take it?"

"That's right!" Vados' tone softened, almost in agreement.

"He's not just picky before he obtained the fried rice recipe, he constantly complained about my cooking!"

She sounded… genuinely aggrieved.

Levos could tell Vados had endured serious humiliation in the kitchen.

Which meant… her cooking skills probably weren't great.

That thought alone eased his mind.

At least now, he didn't have to worry about the instant noodles being a complete disaster.

Right then, Bulma spoke up.

"The noodles are ready. Our guests may eat."

"Hmph!" Champa crossed his arms.

"Hurry up and eat, Vados. Once you're done, we're leaving."

Vados accepted the cup from Bulma, inhaled the aroma, and her eyes lit up in quiet delight.

"It smells… quite good."

She picked up the chopsticks with refined elegance, lifted a bite of noodles, blew gently, and slurped them up with unhurried grace every motion like a practiced art form.

Her eyes half-lidded.

Champa leaned toward her, waiting.

"Well? Is it awful?"

Slurp slurp slurp…

The only answer he got was the sound of noodles disappearing.

Everyone from Earth turned to watch Vados.

She seemed aware of the attention, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.

Her bites became smaller, her chewing more deliberate.

Before long, she'd finished all the noodles.

"Done? Then let's go," Champa urged.

Vados didn't answer she was sipping the broth.

Then, to everyone's surprise, she lifted the entire cup and drained it in one go.

Levos had never seen anyone make instant noodles look like a five-course royal banquet before.

Champa stared at her in disbelief.

"Vados… how was it?"

Her eyes shifted slyly.

"I forgot to savor it properly. I'll need a second cup."

She reached for the other one.

"Wait!" Champa snatched it away before she could touch it.

"This one's mine!"

"Oh? I thought you didn't eat Earth food," she teased.

"Who said that?" Champa huffed.

"I haven't eaten all day and now I'm hungry!"

Vados hid her smile behind her hand, stepping aside.

Less than a minute later, Champa had devoured his portion, broth and all, licking the rim of the container.

"Mm… the taste is… tolerable, I suppose."

He tossed the empty cup aside with feigned calm. But his eyes kept darting toward the supply pile where the noodles had come from.

"Lord Champa, we should be going," Vados reminded, though there was a hint of mischief in her tone.

"Hold on, Vados. There should be a similar planet in our universe, right? Check first."

Champa's voice was suddenly serious, like he was handling urgent official business.

Vados' eyes glinted almost imperceptibly.

She tapped her staff and peered into the crystal sphere.

A moment later, she said evenly:

"Unfortunately, Lord Champa, in our universe the humans on Earth have already gone extinct."

"What?!" Champa's eyes went wide, disappointment flashing deep within them.

That was when Levos knew the time was right.

"Lord Champa, are you satisfied with this little… token of appreciation?"

"It's acceptable." Champa glanced at him.

"This stuff is called… instant noodles?"

"That's right."

"How much of it do you have? Count it all up and give it to me. If it's enough, I'll even pay for it."

Levos sighed with a show of regret.

"You misunderstand, Lord Champa. This is incredibly rare now. Unless Earth is restored to its original state, this delicacy will never exist again."

"Hmph!" Champa frowned.

"So you're just worried I'll take your Dragon Balls? Fine. I don't need them just make your wish and restore Earth already."

"But if we restore it now, those enemies will just destroy it again." Levos shook his head gravely.

He couldn't openly point out Champa's role as a God of Destruction, so he had to guide him there, step by step.

So, he explained Zamasu's background and the current crisis facing Earth in broad strokes.

The Earthlings immediately caught on to what he was trying to do.

"I believe our distinguished guests have the means to protect Earth!" Dende said earnestly.

"And there are countless dishes here far better than instant noodles," Bulma added.

Champa's eyes lit up but then his expression dimmed, as if remembering something.

Vados' tone grew more serious.

"So that's the kind of opponent we're dealing with… No wonder even the Supreme Kai of Time got involved."

"Hey! You're not thinking of helping them, are you?" Champa blurted.

"You can't just step in whenever you like!"

Vados smiled slyly.

"I can't. But you, Lord Champa… you can."

"What?!" His eyes bulged again.

"No way! I'm not getting beat up again. That Rose Gogeta guy was already strong enough and now there are three of them."

"That's what happens when you go too long without training," Vados teased, covering her mouth as she chuckled.

"No wonder you got thrashed so badly at the start."

Champa practically jumped in protest.

"And I don't want to get punished by the Grand Priest for going all out in this universe!"

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