"Hmph," Vegeta said. "Kakarot isn't here, so you're the one giving orders now, Piccolo?"
Piccolo stayed calm, saying nothing.
19 got up, glaring at Vegeta—then hesitated, as if remembering something. He turned to 20 at once.
"Android 20, permission to eliminate Vegeta!"
"Granted," 20 said.
19 raised his stance and faced Piccolo and Vegeta.
"That cheap shot doesn't count," 19 said lightly. "Come on—both of you."
"Vegeta," Piccolo said flatly, "he's my opponent."
"Your pace is terrible," Vegeta scoffed. "So slow I couldn't watch anymore. That's why I stepped in."
"Tch," Piccolo grunted.
"Three seconds," Vegeta said coldly. "Give me three seconds to finish this."
"Three seconds?" Piccolo frowned. "You're saying you'll beat him in three seconds?"
"Three seconds is generous," Vegeta said with a grin. "I already saw enough from his movements. These androids aren't as terrifying as the rumors—just don't let them absorb energy through their palms."
"You've been under surveillance the whole time," 19 said, voice hard. "We know your fighting style inside and out, Vegeta."
"Do you?" Vegeta said. "Then tell me—have you ever seen this?"
Golden light erupted around him.
Vegeta transformed into a Super Saiyan, power roaring outward in waves.
19 froze.
20 went rigid.
That energy… it's enormous.
Piccolo blinked. Even he hadn't expected Vegeta to reach Super Saiyan.
"He went Super Saiyan!" Gohan gasped.
"What—Vegeta can do it too?" Krillin blurted. "Is it that 'calm heart' thing Ken talked about? Or… Vegeta, did dating Emily give you a calm heart?"
Vegeta: "..."
His face went black.
"Get lost," he snapped. "I'm not talking to you."
"If I date someone, do I become a Super Earthling?" Krillin sighed.
Ken was right, Vegeta thought with a snort. My mindset is calm enough. From there, all it takes is a massive emotional spike.
Out loud, he said, "Yeah. Calm heart, big surge—Super Saiyan. But don't misunderstand. I didn't do it for some pure reason."
His grin sharpened. "I did it out of spite. I wanted power. I trained like hell. Then one day, my own rage snapped me awake. I broke through. Super Saiyan."
He laughed, riding the high of it. "I was so pumped I thought I'd explode. Kakarot won't be ahead of me for long!"
Vegeta kept talking, getting more and more excited.
Piccolo and the others fell silent.
Does he realize Goku can become Super Saiyan God?
He's this smug over Super Saiyan?
"No time for your nonsense," 20 said coldly. "No matter what you become, you're still not our match."
"Vegeta," 19 said with a smile, "you shouldn't have stepped in. But fine—let's start by absorbing your energy."
"You want to absorb my energy?" Vegeta said, smirking. "Be my guest."
He raised his right hand.
A purple-red sphere sparked into existence above his palm—about the size of a grapefruit, radiating pure death.
"Go on," Vegeta said, grin turning vicious. "Absorb it if you dare."
He flicked his wrist, and the sphere drifted toward 19 at an almost leisurely speed, like he was offering it up.
Tien stared blankly. "Th-what is that?"
"Hakai…?" Krillin choked. "Isn't that Hakai?"
"You can condense it that big now?" Piccolo said, shocked.
"Surprised?" Vegeta said, even more pleased.
Four years ago, I could barely make a speck.
Four years of grinding, and now I can condense it to this—twenty centimeters across.
Kakarot, you bastard… when are you coming back? I'm still waiting to beat you senseless.
Android 19 hesitated, staring at the sphere drifting toward him.
Every instinct screamed danger.
One touch and I might die.
It's small, but the energy inside feels bottomless.
If I absorb it…
Would I become ridiculously strong?
He wanted it—and feared it—standing there frozen with his expression twisted in conflict.
"Absorb it!" 20 barked. "19, what are you doing? Don't let him scare you!"
19 clenched his teeth.
He's bluffing. He has to be.
You think I'm scared to absorb this?
Is there any energy I can't absorb?
He thrust out his hand toward the incoming sphere.
The sphere wasn't fast. It met his palm easily.
Pop.
In the next instant, Android 19's entire body ruptured—like a soap bubble bursting.
Then he vanished completely. No scraps. No fragments. Nothing.
The purple-red sphere kept drifting, unchanged.
Android 20 stood there, mind going blank as terror crept in.
What…?
19—just disappeared?
That wasn't an explosion. He didn't "break."
He got erased.
When did Vegeta learn a technique like this?
Back when we monitored Vegeta's fight with Goku, our robot suddenly malfunctioned… was that the moment something happened?
For the record, the "malfunction" happened because Ken appeared. Ken wasn't about to let a spy robot observe him; a flicker of angel power was enough to erase it.
The robot's remote data still made it back to Dr. Gero.
But anything related to Ken never did.
"What a shame," Vegeta said, clicking his tongue. "I was hoping to see an android's face twist with fear."
He beckoned with his hand.
The destruction energy sphere shot back into his palm.
Vegeta absorbed it back into himself, then smiled at Android 20.
Android 20 stared at him, frozen, fear and wariness flooding his eyes.
"You're next, you old fossil," Vegeta said with a cold grin.
Android 20: "..."
Old fossil?
This little brat…
"I underestimated you, Vegeta," 20 said, voice low. "But you still have no chance."
"Oh, I'm not letting you die quickly," Vegeta said. "I want to watch you crumble."
"No matter how strong you are," 20 said evenly, "you can't defeat androids."
"Come on," Vegeta said, curling two fingers at him.
"W-what? 19, you're still alive?" 20 suddenly cried, looking behind Vegeta.
Vegeta's expression shifted. "What did you say?"
He turned his head—
And immediately knew he'd been played.
There was nothing behind him.
Vegeta snapped back around.
Android 20 had already fled into the stone forest nearby.
"Damn it!" Vegeta roared. "You're not getting away!"
He shot after him, but Android 20 had no ki signature. Vegeta scanned the rocks—nothing.
"Piccolo-san, what do we do?" Gohan asked.
"Follow," Piccolo said. "We find him."
"I'll check," Tien said, nodding. "See if Vegeta already finished him."
"I'm coming too," Krillin said.
"I hate this," Yamcha muttered, "but I'm coming."
"I'm coming," Gohan said. "I've trained too long to just stand here."
"All right," Piccolo said, stern. "But don't fight him. None of you can handle him. He's an android—no ki to track. He'll hide in the rocks."
He pointed. "If you spot him, signal me or Vegeta immediately."
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
They rushed into the stone forest, fanning out to search.
"Come out!" Vegeta shouted into the rocks. "Coward! Weren't you saying androids can't lose? Get out here!"
Android 20 crouched behind a boulder, eyes tight with caution.
I'm not coming out.
What are you going to do about it?
"Damn it," Vegeta snarled. "He's using the terrain. Fine. I'll force him out!"
He flew up, raised his right hand, and formed another purple-red sphere of destruction energy.
Android 20's face drained.
That thing is terrifying.
One hit and I'll be erased.
And I can't absorb it.
"Come out," Vegeta barked, "or I'll flatten this entire area! You'll vanish with it!"
Android 20's eyes filled with panic.
"Vegeta! Don't!" Krillin shouted from below. "We're down here!"
Vegeta: "..."
He ground his teeth. "Damn it, you little cue ball—why are you even here?! Move! I'm turning this place into a crater!"
"Vegeta," Piccolo said, flying up to him, "if you fire that… are you going to destroy Earth too?"
Vegeta fell silent.
It's too strong.
If I lose control even a little, Earth's gone.
I'm just trying to scare him.
"Tch. Fine," Vegeta said.
He dispelled the purple-red sphere and swapped it for a normal golden energy ball.
"Everyone, get back!" Vegeta shouted, then hurled it down at the ground.
Android 20's eyes lit up.
That one… I can absorb.
He flashed into place beneath it, raised both hands, and swallowed the energy easily.
"Hahaha!" 20 laughed. "Thanks, Vegeta! You're a real nice guy!"
"Damn it!" Vegeta's face changed. He lunged—
Android 20 vanished.
By the time Vegeta reacted, he was gone again.
"Crap," Vegeta hissed. "He's faster than I thought."
Android 20 hid behind another rock, face twisted with fury.
Vegeta's stronger than our data suggested.
Then there's no choice.
I have to get back and activate 17 and 18.
His eyes flicked—and he spotted Gohan standing on a rock in the distance, with Tien, Piccolo, Krillin, and Yamcha nearby.
Android 20's thoughts shifted.
If I absorb all of them and stack their energy into myself, I can beat Vegeta.
Just avoid that purple-red sphere and I'm fine.
Who do I take first?
Piccolo.
He's close to 19 in strength. His energy alone will carry me for a while.
Vegeta… wait for me.
Android 20 slipped behind Piccolo and hooked him from the back—one hand clamping over Piccolo's mouth, legs locking tight around his body.
Piccolo's whole body jolted. He couldn't speak.
"Heh-heh-heh," 20 whispered. "Now you can't call for help. I'm draining you dry. They won't find us—I know exactly where each of them is."
Piccolo didn't hesitate. He reached out with his mind and linked to Gohan.
Gohan flinched. "Piccolo-san!"
He focused, locked onto Piccolo's ki immediately, and shot over.
Bang!
Gohan slammed a heavy strike into Android 20's head.
Caught off guard, 20 tumbled out of the air.
He stopped himself mid-fall, staring at Gohan in disbelief.
How did this kid find me?
"Piccolo-san, are you okay?" Gohan asked, alarmed.
"I'm fine," Piccolo said, breathing hard. "Thanks… you saved me, Gohan."
He was clearly down a lot of energy.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Vegeta and the others appeared in a loose circle around Android 20.
Android 20's expression turned darker.
"Krillin-san, give Piccolo-san a Senzu Bean!" Gohan said quickly.
"Catch!" Krillin tossed one over.
Piccolo caught it and ate it immediately.
He dropped down and landed beside Android 20.
"Vegeta," Piccolo said, "19 was supposed to be mine, but you got involved and erased him."
"And?" Vegeta said with a faint smile.
"This one's mine," Piccolo said coldly. "Don't interfere."
"Do whatever you want," Vegeta said, confident. "Even if you hand him all your energy, I'm not scared."
Piccolo didn't respond. He drove a knee up into Android 20's jaw.
Android 20 flew back, nearly falling.
Furious, he lunged at Piccolo with clawing hands.
Piccolo met him with a brutal elbow, smashing him out of the air and into the rocks below.
Android 20 stared up from the rubble, shock flooding him.
How am I still losing?
I absorbed so much of his energy!
Why is he this strong?!
…
Far away, a red jet plane flew toward the battlefield.
Three people and a baby sat inside.
"Hey—if you were going to watch the androids, you could've told me earlier…" Yajirobe whined, face miserable.
"Stop complaining," Bulma snapped.
"We're just taking a quick look and leaving," Emily said with a giggle.
"What's there to look at? It's dangerous—" Yajirobe looked like he was about to cry.
These two women have guts.
Do they not understand how dangerous this is?
…
Rip!
Piccolo swung his hand like a blade and cleanly severed Android 20's arm.
Android 20 recoiled, eyes wide with horror.
"Listen," Piccolo said with a scornful smile. "In battle, we can increase our ki in a single burst—what you'd call energy multiplication. That means the energy you stole from me earlier wasn't much at all."
"Yes!" Gohan cheered, thrilled for Piccolo.
Piccolo followed with a flying kick and smashed Android 20 down into the stones again.
Android 20 lay there, wrecked and furious.
Bastard…
I never expected Piccolo to have this kind of power.
"In the original history, we were supposed to die to these two androids," Piccolo said lightly. "But because of Ken—and because Trunks appeared—everything's changed."
He narrowed his eyes. "So tell me: were you never that strong, or did we just become stronger?"
"Thank goodness," Krillin breathed. "Even without Goku, we can beat them."
"Yeah," Gohan laughed. "Dad's going to come back and have nothing to do."
Tien smiled faintly. "I don't love how overwhelming Piccolo and Vegeta feel… but I'm relieved."
"This is great," Yamcha said, smiling.
"Piccolo," Vegeta said with a snort, "finish him already. I can't stand your slow, drawn-out fights. Or are you trying to spare him?"
"I'm ending this," Piccolo said firmly. "No mercy."
Android 20's face twisted.
What do I do?
I need to escape.
But how—
Beep-beep-beep…
The red jet arrived in a blur.
"Idiots! Don't get closer!" Yajirobe panicked, shouting from inside.
"It's fine," Bulma said with a grin. "Everyone's alive. That means the fight's basically over."
"She's right," Emily agreed.
Yajirobe started tearing up.
Why are you two this fearless?!
"Oh—Bulma and Emily?" Krillin blinked.
They waved down at everyone.
"Hey!" Yajirobe suddenly spotted Android 20 from the plane. "Look! That guy's an android! He's still down there!"
Bulma froze, then recognized him.
That's… Dr. Gero.
"Perfect timing!" Dr. Gero bellowed. "I told you you'd never win! Android 17 and Android 18 will awaken any moment—and they'll come kill you all!"
Vegeta and the others froze.
Dr. Gero thrust out his hand and unleashed a powerful blast toward the plane.
A violent storm of wind and debris rolled through the area.
When the smoke finally cleared, Dr. Gero was gone.
Bulma had thrown herself forward, shielding Emily and baby Trunks.
"Emily—are you okay?" Bulma asked, worried.
"My best friend," Emily breathed, patting her chest. "Protecting me and my baby in a moment like that…"
"It's fine," Bulma said with a smile. "I've got an invisible suit refined from cosmic essence. The defense is at a God of Destruction's level."
Vegeta: "..."
Emily: "????"
Emily clearly had no idea what she just heard.
"Damn it," Vegeta snarled, scanning for Dr. Gero. "We can't let him get away!"
"Vegeta!" Emily stomped up, furious. "Did you not see I was in danger just now?"
"Hmph," Vegeta snapped. "If you hadn't shown up, he wouldn't have had an opening to escape."
"So it's my fault?" Emily's face hardened.
"Not now," Bulma said, cutting in. "First—was that old man the android?"
"Uh… yeah," Krillin said, nodding.
"He might be Dr. Gero himself," Bulma said, thinking. "I've seen his photo in scientific journals. So he turned himself into an android… poor guy."
She sighed. "If only he had cosmic essence. He could've built something even stronger."
"Nobody cares about me…" Yajirobe groaned, sprawled among shattered rocks, on the verge of tears.
"That android was Dr. Gero?" Vegeta blinked.
"He was a famous scientist," Bulma said. "A genius. Maybe he wanted to live forever, so he modified himself."
"Huh," Krillin said, scratching his head.
"My future son said Dr. Gero gets killed by his own androids," Vegeta scoffed. "I don't buy it."
"History already changed," Piccolo said, voice low. "Goku went to the future. And according to Trunks, his future world didn't even have Ken."
He narrowed his eyes. "So maybe Android 17 and Android 18… the ones Dr. Gero mentioned… are the real androids from Trunks' future."
Everyone fell silent.
So… we fought all this and it was basically a warm-up?
We still haven't faced the real threat.
"Too bad Trunks isn't here," Krillin said with a sigh. "We don't even know what 17 and 18 look like."
"Where's Dr. Gero's lab?" Vegeta demanded. "He must've run back there."
"Somewhere in the mountains near North City," Bulma said, thinking. "I heard he turned a cave into a lab. No idea if it's still there."
"Then we destroy it before he wakes 17 and 18," Piccolo said.
"Hmph. No need," Vegeta said, disdainful. "I want a real fight. Those two earlier were boring."
Whoosh!
Vegeta shot into the sky as a streak of gold.
"He left," Tien said.
"Vegeta's completely confident again," Piccolo said, staring after him. "As a Super Saiyan, his energy is already far beyond what Goku had on Namek—and he can condense destruction energy to that size."
Piccolo's gaze hardened. "Maybe he really can beat them. But we shouldn't gamble on it. Everyone—search for Dr. Gero's lab. We need to destroy it before the androids activate."
Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha all nodded.
"Bulma, Emily—you can get back safely?" Krillin asked.
"Yeah," Bulma said. "This invisible suit can fly. My defense is already God of Destruction level, but I don't like fighting. Emily and I are heading back."
"Let's go," Piccolo said.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
They shot into the sky.
…
Dr. Gero's laboratory.
Ken appeared at the entrance.
He looked at the thick metal door sealing the cave, then casually lifted his staff and gave it a small wave.
Pop.
The entire metal door vanished on the spot, revealing the pitch-black tunnel beyond.
Deep inside, Dr. Gero was hurrying through the rocky passage when he suddenly felt something was wrong.
Slam!
A heavy metal door dropped from above and crashed down onto him, pinning him to the ground.
Dr. Gero: "????"
What the—?
Who just dropped a door on me?
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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