Half a year passed in silence. Finally, a faint red light flickered above the glass pods containing Lazuli and her brother, Lapis.
With two crisp beeps, the pods opened. The transparent culture fluid drained away, leaving the siblings inside free at last.
Lazuli's eyelashes trembled slightly before her eyes fluttered open. Her gaze was hazy, unfocused, as though she were still drifting between dream and reality.
She subconsciously whispered a name, "Chiga..."
But the voice that answered her was her brother's.
"Lazuli, you're awake too?"
"Mhm…" she nodded softly.
Her body was still stiff from the long stasis, but her sharp eyes quickly noticed a neatly folded outfit prepared nearby—a black and white short-sleeved shirt paired with light blue jeans.
The corners of her lips curved into a small smile. He thought of everything… Lazuli dressed herself, then stepped out of the chamber, the dirt wall that had shielded them from outside interference crumbling away as she moved.
Lapis emerged shortly after, brimming with excitement. He clenched his fists and exclaimed,
"Lazuli, I feel like I'm invincible now!"
She raised an eyebrow, her tone laced with teasing danger.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Clenching her fists, she let a spark of power leak out. The detector built into Lapis's eyes immediately went wild. The numbers climbing on the display proved her combat strength still surpassed his.
And even if it hadn't, the instinctive pressure of an older sister was enough to make him shrink back. He scratched his head sheepishly and muttered,
"Of course, I mean aside from you… and Brother-in-law, I should be invincible."
"Hmph." Lazuli rolled her eyes, unimpressed, before issuing an order.
"Go open the door."
"Oh, right!"
Lapis quickly found the switch near the lab's main gate. But when he tried it, the system rejected him. The lock required Dr. Gero's biometric data—no one else could open it.
In the past, this obstacle might have left them anxious. But now, they weren't so easily contained. Lazuli gave her brother a pointed look.
He smirked, already understanding. Raising his palm, he charged a sphere of brilliant blue energy and hurled it at the door. The reinforced alloy cracked under the blast, and the gate crumbled to smoking debris.
Brushing his hair back with exaggerated pride, Lapis grinned. Lazuli ignored his theatrics and walked calmly through the smoke.
On the other side stood Chiga, waiting with a faint smile.
"Well? How do you feel? Are you satisfied with this new strength?"
Lazuli froze for a moment, then her eyes lit with relief and joy. She leapt into his arms with surprising force.
Her strength was frightening. Any ordinary person struck by her embrace would have been crushed into pulp, but Chiga merely tightened his hold around her, unfazed.
Raising her face with a pout, she muttered,
"I thought you'd left."
Chiga stroked her golden hair gently, his smile soft.
"I've been here the whole time, watching over you both. When you woke up, I knew instantly. I only wanted you to experience your own power first before stepping in. So? Doesn't it feel like you've become a superhero?"
Lazuli gave a small shrug, feigning indifference.
"It was Lapis who destroyed the door. Honestly, I don't think too much about power. I only agreed to become an android because I wanted to age slower. And besides—who told you to be a God?"
Chiga chuckled.
"Then don't burden yourself with worries. As long as I'm here, nothing will trouble you."
"Mhm. A God should be omnipotent. From now on, I'll be your most devout believer!"
"Oh? Then let me see some proof of that devotion," he teased, his voice low.
Lazuli smiled softly and leaned upward, rising onto her toes to meet his lips.
But before they could close the distance—
Cough, cough. "Brother-in-law, Lazuli… Am I interrupting something?"
Her body stiffened. She turned sharply and glared at Lapis, her voice dropping like ice.
"What did you just say?"
He shrank back, muttering pitifully,
"I was waiting in the smoke for a while, but it was bound to clear up eventually. You really can't blame me…"
Chiga stepped in smoothly, defusing the tension.
"Enough, Lazuli. Lapis isn't an outsider, there's nothing to hide."
But this time, a slip of the tongue betrayed him.
"After all, Android 17 is family too."
Lapis blinked in confusion.
"Huh? Did you just call me… Android 17?"
Lazuli's lips pursed into a pout.
"Chiga, another nickname? And why does Lapis get to be 17 when I'm clearly the older one? Shouldn't my number come first?"
Chiga froze. He obviously couldn't tell them the truth—that these numbers came from the Dragon Ball story itself. Instead, his mind spun quickly, and he gave his answer with absolute calm.
"It's precisely because you're the older one that Lapis received the smaller number. Isn't that perfectly reasonable?"
Lazuli stared at him for a long moment before letting it slide, though still visibly dissatisfied.
Meanwhile, Lapis frowned, his curiosity piqued. He activated the detector in his eyes, focusing on Chiga. He wanted to see just how strong this so-called "Brother-in-law," this God, was.
But to his shock, nothing registered. The display stayed blank, as if Chiga wasn't even there. Thinking it was a malfunction, he quickly turned it on Lazuli instead, and the device responded instantly with a proper reading.
Confused, he muttered aloud,
"What's going on? I tried reading Brother-in-law's combat power, but… nothing. It's like he doesn't exist."
Lazuli frowned and activated her own detector, scanning Chiga. She too came up empty-handed.
Chiga only smirked.
"There's no point trying. A God's Ki is restrained by nature. If I could be measured so easily, I wouldn't be worthy of the title."
As he spoke, a golden glint flashed in his eyes, and for a moment he released the faintest trace of Ki.
Instantly, their detectors went haywire. Bright red warnings filled their vision, sirens blaring in their minds. Lapis swallowed hard, his voice barely a whisper.
"Damn, how strong are you…"
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