Because they already knew what the androids looked like in advance, Goku and the others didn't wander aimlessly like in the original timeline—nor did they fail to recognize their targets when they found them.
Crossing a single street, Goku immediately locked his gaze onto two figures—a fat man and an old man.
"Found them! The androids!"
Goku grinned, then flew straight toward the androids' position. At the same time, he released his aura, signaling the others to gather.
Those spread throughout the city—Krillin and the others—immediately sensed Goku's sudden surge of ki and instantly understood he had located the targets.
Without hesitation, they abandoned their searches and shot through the sky toward Goku's location.
Within seconds, everyone had gathered together, surrounding the two androids.
As for the androids themselves, the moment Goku released his energy, they sensed it as well. Yet they made no attempt to flee and simply stood there, waiting for him to arrive.
Because Goku had discovered them early, the androids hadn't yet begun indiscriminate slaughter in the streets.
The nearby citizens, unable to sense danger, instead watched the scene curiously.
"So you're the androids, huh? Finally decided to show yourselves."
Piccolo stared at the two men before him—unable to sense even a trace of ki from them—and prepared himself for battle.
"How strange," the old man said coldly. "How did you know we were androids? And how did you know we'd appear here?"
"You don't need to know that. All you need to know is that we came here to destroy you."
"Oh? Destroy us? If you think you can!"
The old man leading them sneered, clearly not taking Piccolo's threat seriously.
The atmosphere immediately grew tense. But before either side could make a move, Goku's voice broke the silence.
"Wait! If we fight here, innocent people will get hurt. Let's move to an uninhabited area first!"
"An uninhabited area? That's easy."
Without any change in expression, the old android's eyes suddenly fired twin energy beams that swept across the surrounding streets as his head moved side to side.
Goku and the others didn't have time to stop him. The streets erupted with deafening explosions, accompanied by the terrified screams of civilians.
"Stop it!"
Goku's face twisted in fury as he clenched his fists and punched straight at the old android.
The blow landed squarely, striking the android's head and stopping his rampage on the city.
"You bastard! I'll destroy you for this!"
...
Everything happening in the city was displayed on the light screens, causing Bulma to tense with worry for the people there.
As for Eriri and Arifureta, they didn't react at all. For them, such small-scale explosions meant nothing— even if the entire city were reduced to rubble, their hearts wouldn't stir.
At that moment, a black dot appeared in the distance, flying rapidly toward the mountainside—it was Gohan, carrying Yajirobe, whom he had just rescued from the water.
Since Yajirobe didn't know how to fly, Gohan had no choice but to drag him through the air.
"Bulma, Aunt Bulma!"
Landing on the mountainside, Gohan set Yajirobe down and greeted Bulma, who was still completely focused on the light screens.
"Oh, Gohan, you're back."
Because Gohan's feed on the light screen was uneventful, Bulma had only glanced at it a few times before losing interest—especially now, when Goku and the others were clashing with the androids.
"Yeah, but I'm heading back to help my dad now."
"Alright, but be careful!"
"I know! See you later, Aunt Bulma!"
Floating in midair, Gohan waved to Bulma before turning and speeding toward the city below.
As for Eriri and Arifureta, Gohan only stole a few quick glances at them without saying a word—after all, they weren't acquaintances.
Naturally, the two women ignored him as well, even if he was just a child.
After Gohan left, Bulma immediately turned her gaze back to the light screens, completely ignoring Yajirobe.
Yajirobe, left standing on the mountainside, remained silent as he stared down toward the city below, looking every bit the bystander.
On the screen, Goku and the others were still fighting the androids—the situation unchanged despite Gohan's return.
Without Eriri's intervention, events unfolded almost exactly as they had in the original story.
Goku led the two androids away from the populated areas, then transformed into Super Saiyan mode to battle the fat android—Android 19.
As before, Goku's heart disease suddenly struck during the fight, causing him to collapse and lose to Android 19.
"Son-kun!"
Seeing Goku fall, Bulma cried out, her beautiful face filled with worry.
But soon, with the arrival of the ever-second-place but swift Vegeta, Bulma's expression of worry was replaced by relief.
"Vegeta! You finally made it!"
Watching the proud Saiyan ruthlessly pummel Android 19 on the screen, Bulma couldn't help but smile in delight.
At this point, Eriri lost interest in watching further. She planned to reach Dr. Gero's lab—the old android's base—before he could awaken Android 18.
"Bulma, Yue-chan and I are going to leave now. I'll leave the screens up for you so you can keep watching."
Eriri turned her head and spoke to Bulma beside her.
Bulma blinked in surprise, quickly tearing her eyes away from the sight of her husband on the screen.
"Eh? You're leaving already? I was hoping to invite you two to stay at my house for a few days!"
Bulma's face showed clear reluctance.
"There's no need to rush that. We'll definitely have the chance later."
"Well... alright then."
Seeing that Eriri had already made up her mind, Bulma reluctantly agreed.
Eriri smiled softly at her, then disappeared together with Arifureta from the mountainside. Along with them, their magnificent throne also vanished into thin air.
...
Several hundred kilometers away from the battlefield, near a northern city, a cave was hidden deep within the mountains—Dr. Gero's research lab, where he created the androids.
Inside the lab, it was eerily quiet, with no signs of life. The cave's ceiling was lined with bright lamps, illuminating the space as brightly as the outside world.
At that moment, two slender female figures suddenly appeared inside the lab—Eriri and Arifureta, fresh from their departure beside Bulma.
"Wow, so this is the android research facility? It looks kinda plain~"
Arifureta looked around the lab's interior curiously, letting out a playful sigh as she explored, poking here and there like an inquisitive child.
Eriri, meanwhile, walked straight toward the section containing the stasis pods. She stopped in front of the one labeled with the number '18.'
Through the round window of the pod, she could clearly see the flawless, beautiful face of Android 18.
Without hesitation, Eriri placed her hand on the pod. In the next instant, the entire capsule containing Android 18 vanished as if deleted from existence.
The sleeping woman inside—Android 18, or rather, Lazuli—was caught completely off guard by the sudden fall. She toppled backward toward the ground.
But before her back could hit the floor, Eriri caught her gently in a princess carry.
"Good morning, Lazuli~"
Gazing at the perfect face before her, the just-awakened Lazuli froze in dazed surprise. Her azure eyes sparkled with awe.
"How is it? Did you fall for me already?"
Eriri smiled faintly.
At her words, Lazuli snapped back to her senses, quickly averting her gaze with a faint blush on her cheeks.
"You can put me down now, can't you?"
Perhaps because her first impression of Eriri was unexpectedly good, Lazuli didn't display the usual arrogance she had shown toward others.
"If you don't want to leave, I don't mind holding you a bit longer," Eriri teased.
Eriri's smile didn't fade. Instead of directly answering Lazuli's question, she teased her lightly.
Lazuli pressed her bare lips together without replying, then straightened up and leapt gracefully out of Eriri's arms. Eriri didn't stop her, simply letting the girl slip free.
Lazuli's gaze swept across the laboratory, pausing briefly on Arifureta before quickly assessing her situation.
"You're the one who released me?"
"Isn't that obvious? Besides me and Yue-chan, do you see anyone else here?"
"Yue-chan..."
Lazuli turned her eyes once again toward Arifureta, who was still curiously examining the equipment in the lab. It was clear that this cute little girl was the one Eriri referred to.
"Exactly. That one running around is Arifureta. As for me..."
"My name is Eriri Spencer Sawamura. You can just call me Eriri. Of course, if you'd prefer to add 'nee' at the end, I wouldn't mind~"
As she spoke, Eriri leaned back, and a luxurious throne appeared once more beneath her.
Resting her left hand casually on the armrest and crossing her smooth right leg over her left, Eriri exuded the aura of a noble queen—despite her youthful appearance.
Perhaps hearing Eriri state her name, Arifureta stopped exploring and came over to stand beside her.
"Hello, Number 18—or rather, Lazuli."
Arifureta smiled and waved lightly at her.
"It seems you know quite a lot about me, Eriri. You even called me by my human name just now. Then tell me—what's your relationship with Dr. Gero?"
At the mention of Dr. Gero, Lazuli's expression darkened.
Ever since being captured and transformed into an android, she had harbored deep hatred for him. If not for the control he held over her, she would have gladly torn him limb from limb.
She and her brother had tried to resist once before, only to be forcibly shut down by Gero's remote control.
Thinking of her brother, Lazuli's eyes drifted toward the final unopened pod nearby. Inside slept her twin brother—Lapis, known as Android 17.
In her heart, she truly hoped Eriri had no connection to that man. The last thing she wanted was to stand opposite someone she instinctively felt goodwill toward.
"Dr. Gero? That worthless thing isn't even qualified to associate with us."
Arifureta's face showed open disdain, and Eriri's calm smile confirmed she felt the same way.
Hearing that, Lazuli let out a soft sigh of relief, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"Then why did you release me?"
"Why else? To help you, of course~"
"Help me?"
"That's right, Lazuli. Don't you want greater power? Don't you want to be free from Dr. Gero's control? Don't you want the bomb inside you removed?"
Eriri's voice was sweet yet brimming with temptation—and those three questions completely stunned Lazuli.
"Y-You... can really do that?" she asked hesitantly.
Eriri didn't respond with words. Instead, she casually raised her right hand and snapped her fingers.
"Done. From now on, you are no longer under Dr. Gero's control—and the bomb inside your body has been completely removed."
"Eh? That's... it?"
Lazuli swallowed nervously, her voice filled with disbelief.
She couldn't sense the bomb inside her body, so she had no way to confirm if Eriri's claim was true. But it sounded far too unreal—just a single snap of her fingers?
"Of course. It's nothing but a trivial matter. As for your strength—I've temporarily increased your 'infinite energy' output by tenfold. Which means you're now ten times stronger than before."
Eriri hadn't boosted Lazuli's power too much; she wanted to see how the story would unfold with her strength increased tenfold.
Even so, Lazuli's power now far surpassed anyone currently on Earth—even if Gohan were to break into Super Saiyan 2, he wouldn't compare.
Hearing this, Lazuli couldn't help but swallow again. Then, as she focused inward to feel her energy, she was astonished to discover an overwhelming change within herself—her power had transformed completely!
—
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