Before starting this chapter, I want to thank @BallistaballGaming, @Lord_Hastur, @StoneSaysHi, and @Magn0lia. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to correct all the mistakes I made in the previous chapter.
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The next morning, Zaiko was the first to open his eyes.
Broly was sound asleep, resting with her head comfortably leaning against his broad chest.
A soft smile of relief and total satisfaction adorned her face as she held him in a tight hug, breathing peacefully.
Zaiko, seeing this, couldn't help but smile.
He remained silent, staring at her for a few moments, appreciating the calm of the moment.
With utmost care, he began to gently move her arms away, moving slowly so as not to make any noise that might wake her, until he finally managed to get out of bed.
However, once he was on his feet, he saw Broly frown almost immediately.
Still deep in sleep, her hands began to move over the sheets, groping the empty space beside her as if she were desperately looking for him to hug him again.
Laughing softly at her reaction, Zaiko muttered to himself.
"How cute she is."
Quickly, he grabbed one of the pillows from the bed and left it between her arms. Broly clung to it instantly, rubbing her cheek against the fabric and relaxing her expression, subconsciously believing she was still hugging him.
While looking at her, Zaiko thought that this whole scene could look somewhat weird and out of context.
Just the night before, they had both gone to bed, and now, the next morning, he was sneaking out without even waking her to say goodbye.
But he simply wanted to spend the morning alone testing a few things and putting his ideas in order before the Cell Games started, in just a few hours.
Approaching the bed again, Zaiko said goodbye by giving her a soft and warm kiss on the cheek.
At the same time, his characteristic green Gi appeared materialized directly over his body, turning his back to the bed as he silently left the room.
Without realizing it, Broly muttered his name in a low voice, with a smile on her face, snuggling closer to the pillow.
...
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many people won't like this scene, but it's necessary to explain which Dragon Ball AF transformations I think are trash and won't appear.]
Zaiko was sitting on a wooden stump in the middle of the forest, at a safe distance, not too close to make noise, nor too far from his new house, where Broly was still sleeping peacefully.
He maintained a meditative posture, sitting on the stump with his legs and arms crossed, his eyes closed, and a deep, thoughtful look on his face.
Even though he was already strong enough to utterly annihilate absolutely all competitors in the Tournament of Power, and even capable of facing and defeating the weakest Gods of Destruction, Zaiko couldn't stop thinking about how to get even stronger.
Stagnation was not an option for him.
The first obvious step would be to unlock the rest of his hidden potential, something he planned to do at another time, surely after the Cell Games concluded.
But then, what?
Having spent over a week immersed in the pages of the book he asked Zen-Long for, he knew perfectly well how to get stronger.
The problem was that the methods weren't that easy, much less convenient.
For starters, there was what was known as Super Saiyan 6... and Zaiko considered this transformation as absolute trash.
SSJ6 wasn't a natural evolution like the other phases, but was obtained after the artificial assimilation of Evil Ki.
And look how curious, he was an Evil Saiyan who, besides Divine Ki, naturally possessed Evil Ki.
But it still wasn't that easy.
To reach SSJ6, an individual had to completely renounce their humanity, exchanging it for this great power, and as a consequence, their soul and body would be sent eternally to a dark and empty universe.
A place in which only other beings of the same twisted nature were found, beings who did everything in search of power.
A chaotic realm plagued by entities that had given up their freedom in exchange for power...
For an instant, Zaiko wondered if the Elder Kai, just like in Dragon Ball AF, would be the only one in the entire universe who knew about this transformation, since it was he who told Goku about it in the first place.
After that thought, Zaiko slowly shook his head, dismissing the idea.
He thought that was impossible in this reality, since in Dragon Ball Super the Void Dimension and the Evil Supreme Kais shouldn't exist.
Anyway, Super Saiyan 6 was completely ruled out.
Only then, Zaiko mentally moved on to the next transformation he read about in the book... Super Saiyan 7.
While SSJ6 was based on Evil Ki, SSJ7 was born from Negative Ki.
The problem with this one?
He would have to visit the Realm of Nothingness to transform into Super Saiyan 7, having to absorb and control enormous amounts of Negative Ki.
And once he left the Realm of Nothingness, he would need to implant a seal connecting him constantly with said energy to transform back into this state, allowing him to use said power outside that dimension.
Furthermore, he would run the immense risk that, if the seal were ever to break, his soul would be lost forever.
Just thinking about it, Zaiko realized that Super Saiyan 7 also had to be ruled out.
His thoughtful expression, while still remaining in the same position with his eyes closed, changed drastically, showing a deep and marked frown.
It was better if he skipped straight to Super Saiyan 8, Zaiko thought with irritation, since the previous ones had turned out to be a tremendous disappointment.
Super Saiyan 8, unlike the previous transformations that required stupid sacrifices, didn't depend on a different type of Ki nor did it involve strange dimensions.
This transformation was simply obtained from the fusion of SSJ3 and SSJ5.
Thinking about this, Zaiko's thoughtful expression, still sitting cross-legged, completely broke.
He lost his composure, snapping his eyes open and grabbing his head tightly with both hands, as if he suddenly felt an intense headache from thinking so much.
In reality, he, Zaiko, the "Ultimate Warrior" as he liked to call himself, was physically incapable of transforming into Super Saiyan 1, 2, or 3.
The plain and simple truth is that his one and true transformation was Super Saiyan 5.
Anyone would think this is impossible, a sick joke, but it was the truth... he simply couldn't do it, he had already tried.
His base power was so absurdly huge that the conventional forms of SSJ1, SSJ2, and SSJ3 couldn't contain it.
Trying to compress his Ki into such a low-level transformation could cause his body to collapse or simply explode from the pressure.
It was like... Like a 260-pound adult trying to forcefully dress in baby clothes!
The clothes were so small and tight that they would simply tear and burst.
That was the best explanation Zaiko could find for his situation!
That is why, although theoretically he could transform into SSJ1, SSJ2, and SSJ3, he didn't do it.
And that only meant one thing... Super Saiyan 8 was also completely ruled out.
Even so, Zaiko refused to give up and quickly remembered Super Saiyan 9.
However, the very instant Zaiko thought of Super Saiyan 9, he immediately became depressed, dropping his shoulders and letting out a heavy sigh of lament.
Isn't Super Saiyan 9... his damn base form?
Basically, Super Saiyan 9... completely copied his appearance!
From what he remembers, in Dragon Ball AF, Goku obtains this transformation only after absorbing the essence and immense power of Zaiko himself upon defeating him in Hell, in collaboration with Vegeta to be able to face the final threat of Cellbuzer.
Thinking about all this and seeing his options dwindling, Zaiko simply clasped his hands in front of his face, looked up at the sky, and prayed internally, asking that please at least Super Saiyan 10 wouldn't disappoint him.
And just as he hoped, Super Saiyan 10 had not disappointed him!
This form represented the true apex of Evil Ki, being the basis of the transformation.
But, of course, there had to be a drawback.
And it wasn't a small one.
The one and fatal drawback of reaching this state was that, if its use was exceeded for more than one minute in combat, the user would permanently disappear, being erased from existence itself without leaving a single trace.
Zaiko felt his last hope of finding a transformation more powerful than Super Saiyan 5 slip through his fingers as quickly as it had arrived.
«Why the hell do all Dragon Ball AF transformations have these kinds of drawbacks or consequences?!», Zaiko asked himself mentally, clenching his fists in evident frustration.
It was simply ridiculous.
None of these options was remotely viable for someone who valued his own life and freedom as much as he did.
Zaiko let out a deeply heavy sigh, laden with disappointment and resignation, slowly opening his eyes.
Zaiko thought that, to manage to get stronger, all that was left for him was to follow that path...
...
Meanwhile, far away, in the Cell Games arena, countless television cameras and reporters pointed directly at the bio-android, broadcasting the event live all over the planet.
Billions of people watched their television screens with bated breath.
The first combatant to arrive at the scene to face humanity's greatest threat was none other than Mr. Satan, cheered by the crowds and followed by his own camera crew.
He is currently the Champion of the World Martial Arts Tournament, considered by the general public as the most powerful martial artist on all of Earth and their only salvation.
Planting himself arrogantly right in front of the arena, Mr. Satan simply mocked Cell to his face.
With a big boastful smile, he began making exaggerated combat poses, calling him a weakling and a phony who used cheap tricks.
"Look at this, people all over the world!" Mr. Satan yelled toward the cameras, pointing at Cell with his thumb while laughing out loud. "This monster has gone completely mute! He doesn't even dare to look at me! He's trembling with fear before my overwhelming power!"
But the reality of the situation was completely different.
Cell, standing in the center of the arena, with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, felt no fear, much less intimidation.
He was simply being patient, completely ignoring the pathetic yells of the human in front of him while he waited in absolute silence for the last twenty minutes to pass before the official start of his games.
The next to arrive was Vegeta, who descended from the sky kicking up a small cloud of dust.
Without uttering a single word, he simply stood a few meters from the arena, crossing his arms and fixing his cold gaze on Cell.
However, Cell didn't move at all at the presence of the Prince of all Saiyans.
In fact, he didn't even flinch.
Cell only broke his posture when a new figure descended from the sky... Android 16, looking completely repaired and without a single scratch thanks to Bulma's brilliant intellect.
Seeing him, Cell averted his gaze toward him.
"I must admit I am surprised by your presence," Cell told him, with a tone laden with arrogant curiosity. "Honestly, I didn't think you were still alive after all the damage I caused you."
Number 16 didn't answer, keeping his stoic and silent gaze fixed on Cell.
Only then, Cell sensed multiple familiar energies approaching at high speed.
He looked up at the sky and a broad smile formed on his face.
"Finally... the games shall begin," he announced. "I was waiting for you, Son Goku."
At that precise moment, the Z Fighters, led by Goku and his son, Son Gohan, descended quickly, landing in front of the arena, next to Vegeta.
"Hello, Cell, it's been a while." Goku raised a hand and greeted him, although his face remained completely serious.
While all this was happening... on the other side of the planet, Zaiko had finished his business.
After mulling it over a lot, his mind had cleared, finally finding the true and only path to get even stronger than he already was.
With a confident smile on his face, Zaiko took off at breakneck speed, flying straight toward the Cell Games.
The moment he had waited so long for had finally arrived...
He was going to meet all the Z Fighters in person!
Cell had absolutely not been completely relegated to the background in his mind...
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