With the surge of power as evidence, Lazuli immediately understood that Eriri hadn't been lying earlier. The bomb inside her body—one that could control her actions at any time—had truly been eliminated.
This realization filled her with uncontrollable excitement and deep, heartfelt gratitude toward Eriri.
"Eriri, thank you so much for your help! If there's ever anything you need from me, I'll do everything in my power to assist you!"
"There's no need to be so formal. For me, this was merely a small favor. Oh, by the way, the command Dr. Gero implanted in you was to kill Son Goku, right?"
"That's right. But now, I'm completely free from his control, and there's no need to carry out that order. Of course, if you want me to deal with Son Goku, I'd be more than happy to."
Lazuli smiled brightly at Eriri, her beautiful eyes filled with sincerity.
"I hold no grudge against Son Goku. However, soon, his allies will arrive here with Dr. Gero—they might end up clashing with you."
Eriri spoke casually, as if discussing the weather.
Lazuli didn't doubt her words. Instead, she asked seriously, "Then how should I handle them?"
Eriri grinned, extended her right hand, and lifted Lazuli's delicate chin with her slender finger.
"Just follow your instincts. Think of it as putting on a show for us—one worth watching~"
The teasing gesture made Lazuli blush, but she didn't immediately pull away. Instead, she averted her gaze awkwardly.
To change the subject, Lazuli turned her eyes toward the stasis pod where her brother was still sleeping.
Remembering his condition, she suppressed the restless feeling in her heart and looked back at Eriri with a pleading expression.
"Um... Eriri, my brother has the same condition I did. Could you help him too?"
At her words, Eriri withdrew her hand and crossed her arms, leaning back comfortably on her throne.
"In principle, I only lend my aid to girls who catch my interest. However... since you've managed to charm me quite a bit, I suppose I can make an exception and help your brother~"
With that, Eriri snapped her fingers once again.
"Alright, your brother's issue has been resolved too. But I didn't enhance his power—just removed the control device."
"That's more than enough! Thank you again for everything. As I said before, whatever you need me to do, I'll do my best!" Lazuli said with joy.
"Now then, Dr. Gero and his group are on their way here. It'll take them a bit of time to arrive, so... why don't we chat for a while~?"
Eriri shifted slightly to the left, pressing herself closely against Arifureta, who was sitting beside her. The movement created an open space on her right—just enough for another girl to sit.
She then motioned playfully toward Lazuli with her finger, gesturing for her to come closer.
Lazuli didn't hesitate. She stepped forward and sat beside Eriri on the throne.
However, feeling Eriri's soft body and the alluring scent lingering around her, Lazuli's heart began to race even faster. As for her brother, still resting in the pod, she had completely pushed him out of her mind.
...
Hundreds of kilometers away, above the mountain range, the one-armed Dr. Gero was fleeing in panic, pursued closely by the Z Fighters.
Among them, the Super Saiyan Vegeta and the time-traveling Trunks were leading the chase—and they were precisely the two he feared the most.
In terms of speed alone, Dr. Gero had no hope of escaping their pursuit.
Fortunately, as an android, he had no detectable ki. Relying on the complex terrain of the mountains, Android 20—Dr. Gero—managed to momentarily evade Vegeta and the others' energy sensing.
Meanwhile, he planned to return to his lab, intending to release Android 17 and Android 18 to fight against the Z Fighters.
From his understanding of 17 and 18, Vegeta and the rest would stand no chance against them. After all, those two were his greatest creations.
Fortunately, Trunks' arrival provided the Z Fighters with crucial intelligence—including the approximate location of Dr. Gero's lab.
Without that information, they would have had little hope of catching up to him.
After learning that the true culprits behind the future's destruction were Android 17 and 18, who had yet to be activated, the Z Fighters made their decision. Rather than wasting time chasing Dr. Gero, they would head straight for his lab.
If they eliminated Androids 17 and 18 ahead of time, Dr. Gero would no longer pose a threat.
Roughly half an hour later, both sides arrived almost simultaneously at the northern mountains where the lab was hidden.
However, the Z Fighters didn't know the exact location of the lab and had to search the mountainous region carefully. Meanwhile, Dr. Gero landed directly in front of the cave that concealed his facility.
He glanced cautiously at the sky. Seeing no sign of pursuit, he quickly input the access code for the lab's massive door.
"Haha! In the end, I'm still the superior one! Once I release 17 and 18, those fools are doomed!"
Excitement filled Dr. Gero's face as the heavy metal door began to open. The humiliation of being hunted down by the Z Fighters melted away instantly.
However, before he could step inside, he suddenly heard a series of lively, playful voices echoing from within the lab—two of them clearly belonging to young women he had never heard before.
His expression darkened instantly.
There was no time to wonder why strangers were in his lab. He hurriedly rushed inside—and what he saw left him completely frozen in shock.
There, standing gracefully before the now-opened stasis pod, was Android 18—wide awake and very much alive.
Beside her were two petite blonde girls, their hands busily tugging and adjusting the clothes on 18's body as they exchanged amused remarks with each other.
18's attire was completely different from before. She now wore a tight black camisole that accentuated her curves, with a casual blue-and-white denim jacket draped loosely over her shoulders, revealing her right shoulder and toned midriff.
Her lower half was clad in matching blue-and-white denim pants that perfectly showcased her shapely legs, completed with a pair of black high-heeled boots.
The new look gave her an air of fierce confidence—elegant yet undeniably alluring.
Of course, Dr. Gero cared nothing for her fashion choices. What truly alarmed him were the identities of the two unfamiliar girls—and the fact that 18 wasn't resisting their playful teasing.
"Eighteen! What are you doing!?" he shouted, furrowing his brow as he strode toward her.
...
When the lab's main gate opened, Eriri and the others immediately noticed it. But neither she, Arifureta, nor Lazuli—now completely free from Dr. Gero's control and possessing ten times her original power—paid him any mind.
To Lazuli, Dr. Gero was already a dead man.
During the half hour it took for Dr. Gero to arrive, Eriri and the others hadn't just been chatting idly.
Eriri had decided Lazuli's outfit was far too plain and took it upon herself to host an impromptu fashion show.
JK uniforms, maid outfits, dresses, camisoles, pencil skirts, cheongsams—cute styles, sexy styles, everything from skimpy bikinis to dazzling kimonos—they tried them all.
Every outfit she wore was imbued by Eriri with special properties: the ability to change form freely, never tear, and always stay clean.
Naturally, it was Eriri herself who changed Lazuli's outfits, as most of these styles were entirely new to the android.
When Dr. Gero finally entered the lab, Eriri and Arifureta were still critiquing Lazuli's latest look. Only when he stormed forward and barked at Lazuli did the three of them turn their eyes toward him.
"What are you barking about, old dog?"
Eriri raised an eyebrow and shouted back at him, her tone dripping with disdain.
The sudden retort left Dr. Gero stunned for a moment, but he quickly recovered.
"Who are you, brat!? Did you release 18? And how did you get into my lab!?"
Dr. Gero didn't immediately attack Eriri. Instead, he questioned her suspiciously.
"Take a guess~"
Eriri's playful reply left Dr. Gero speechless.
As a brilliant scientist, his passion lay in research rather than beauty. Though Eriri's appearance was striking enough to impress him, it didn't stir any desire in him—only an urge to transform her into one of his android creations.
The same applied to Arifureta, standing beside Eriri—she too seemed like excellent raw material for modification.
However, Dr. Gero wasn't sure of the relationship between Lazuli and Eriri, and this wasn't the right time to provoke Android 18. After all, both she and her brother had always defied his orders, and while he possessed a remote control capable of forcing them into shutdown, he didn't want to risk using it with Vegeta and the others nearby.
He still needed the siblings to fight the Z Fighters for him.
As for Eriri and Arifureta, he could deal with them after taking care of Vegeta's group.
Thinking this, he regretted having shouted at Android 18 moments ago.
He quickly averted his gaze from Eriri and forced a stiff smile as he turned toward Lazuli.
"It's been a long time, Eighteen."
As he spoke, he gripped the remote control tightly in his only remaining left hand, ready to force her into sleep at any moment. His eyes darted toward the stasis pod of Android 17—still sealed shut—and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing only 18 awake had made him fear that 17 had already escaped, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.
"Good morning, Dr. Gero~ I didn't expect you to turn yourself into an android too~"
Lazuli smiled sweetly, greeting him with a playful tone that sent a chill down his spine.
Still, Dr. Gero couldn't imagine she had broken free from his control, so he brushed off the strange feeling and gave a forced laugh.
"Yes, I wanted eternal life."
"Anyway, Eighteen, Son Goku's companions are outside searching for our lab. Go and deal with them."
He didn't wait for her response and immediately walked toward Android 17's pod, intending to awaken him as well.
But before he could take more than a few steps, Lazuli's cold voice stopped him.
"I refuse."
Dr. Gero froze mid-step and turned to her, his grip tightening around the remote.
"That's not funny. This isn't the time to fool around, Eighteen. You wouldn't want to be forced into shutdown again, would you?"
"You can try if you want~"
Lazuli crossed her arms, looking at him with open disdain.
Eriri and Arifureta watched from the side, clearly amused by the scene.
Faced with Lazuli's defiant confidence, Dr. Gero hesitated, unable to decide what to do. Threats were useless now—if he forced her into sleep, he would lose the very help he came here to get.
He had no choice but to switch tactics.
"Eighteen, listen to me. I promise that if you and Seventeen take care of Son Goku and his friends, I'll never again issue orders you dislike. That's fair, isn't it?"
"You must remember—it was I who gave you and your brother immense power and eternal life!"
"Don't make it sound so noble," Lazuli sneered coldly. "You kidnapped us and forced us to become androids. Don't act like we volunteered."
"Ever since you captured us, we've dreamed of killing you. So now, are you ready to face your death?"
As she spoke, Lazuli extended her right hand, her palm aimed directly at Dr. Gero. A powerful energy sphere began to gather in her hand.
Seeing this, Dr. Gero forgot all about the Z Fighters outside. In a panic, he pressed the button on the remote in his hand at lightning speed.
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