Dr. Gero stumbled and hit the ground hard, lying there face-down, feeling like his whole world had gone sideways.
Did someone catch up to me already?
Did they throw something down from the sky just to smash me?
His expression kept shifting as he crawled out from under the heavy door, scanning the area warily.
And then he froze, even more confused.
There was no one around.
Dr. Gero turned back to the thing that had crushed him.
It looked… familiar.
Why does that look exactly like the entrance to my lab?
Am I dreaming?
How does my lab door fall out of the sky and land on me?
Who did this?
Is it really my door?
He was about to step closer to inspect it when he suddenly sensed a surge of energy racing this way.
Startled, Dr. Gero ducked behind a boulder and hid.
Vegeta streaked past overhead.
Dr. Gero blinked. "Vegeta… that damned pest."
Was he the one who dropped that on me?
But… where would Vegeta even get a door like that?
It looked exactly like the lab's entrance.
Wait.
Where is Vegeta even going?
He's flying the same direction I am…
Is he headed for my lab?
No. It has to be a coincidence.
There's no way Vegeta knows where it is.
Only a handful of scientists do.
Then Bulma's face flashed through Dr. Gero's mind.
Was that woman Bulma?
Capsule Corporation's heiress.
Maybe she heard about me from her father.
Beep.
His energy radar screamed again—multiple power signatures closing in fast.
A moment later, Piccolo, Gohan, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha flew past.
Dr. Gero's face went gray.
So it's true.
They're heading for my lab.
They're planning to destroy Android 17 and Android 18 before I can activate them.
No. Absolutely not.
I never told anyone the exact location.
It's not easy to find.
Even if I take the long way, I can still get there first.
…But before that, I need to figure out what's going on with this door.
He hurried over and checked the door that had pinned him down.
One look, and the blood drained from his face.
It really was the lab entrance.
And that only made it worse.
How did my door end up falling out of the sky and crushing me?
It didn't even look damaged—more like it had been… moved. Whole. From nowhere.
Dr. Gero felt a chill crawl up his spine. He immediately picked up speed and headed straight for his lab.
…
Dr. Gero's laboratory.
Ken stepped inside and immediately spotted Android 17 and Android 18 lying in their pods.
Especially Android 18—sleeping there like a fairy-tale princess, beautiful enough to make your heart skip.
Ken raised his staff and pointed.
In an instant, the pod door vanished, revealing Android 18's figure.
…
Dr. Gero got smashed again—this time by a pod door dropping straight out of the sky.
He toppled over, then scrambled up. When he saw the pod door marked with the number "18," his mind went blank.
Then his face twisted.
Someone robbed my house.
This is… this is a disaster.
Who's in my lab?
Not only did you steal my lab—you're dropping my own doors on my head.
You're going too far!
Panic slammed into him.
It's over. It's over!
Android 17 and Android 18 are going to be destroyed by that thief.
But how is he doing this?
Is it… magic?
That had to be it.
I have to get back—now!
Dr. Gero sprinted toward the lab.
Another pod door dropped out of the sky and nailed him right on the head.
He staggered, crashed to the ground again, rolled several times, then forced himself back up and checked what hit him.
Even though he'd already braced himself, seeing the number "17" still made his face go ugly.
So 17 got hit too…
This is bad.
What do I do?
Do I even go back?
…No. I have to see it with my own eyes.
He gritted his teeth and pushed himself faster.
Another pod door slammed down onto his shoulder.
He nearly fell. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the number "16."
This time he didn't even bother checking it properly.
No time. Just get back.
…
Dr. Gero's laboratory.
Ken had already relocated the pod doors for all three Androids. Then he raised his staff and gently pointed at Android 18.
Android 18's eyes snapped open—bright, alluring, locked on Ken without blinking.
"Android 18," Ken said with a smile. "You're awake."
"You are… Dr. Gero's new assistant?" she asked softly.
Ken offered his hand.
Android 18 took it and stepped out of the pod, then immediately scanned the room, searching for her surroundings.
She didn't see Dr. Gero anywhere, and a small frown flickered across her face.
"You look kind of familiar," she said, studying Ken. "I swear I've seen you somewhere."
"You've grown up, Lazuli," Ken said, smiling.
Her expression changed for a split second—then she relaxed.
Someone at the lab knowing her real name was normal.
"You even know my real name," Android 18 said, smiling with a seductive edge, glancing toward Android 17's pod. The urgency in her eyes didn't fade.
I need to wake 17 up as fast as possible.
"Where's Dr. Gero?" she asked, not really thinking too hard about who Ken was.
Right now, all she cared about was destroying the remote.
That remote was the worst thing in existence. As long as it existed, she and 17 could be forced back into sleep.
"He's outside," Ken said. "Might already be dead."
Android 18 froze.
For a second, it felt like happiness had dropped out of the sky.
Is this handsome guy Dr. Gero's enemy?
She asked him.
"Not really," Ken said. "I just don't like him. That's all."
Android 18 went quiet.
"Then do you know where Dr. Gero keeps the remote?" she asked.
"Right there." Ken pointed his staff at a worktable.
Android 18 looked—and saw nothing.
She turned back to Ken, confused.
"Why are you looking at me?" Ken said, smiling. "Look at the remote."
"There is no remote," Android 18 huffed, though she glanced back at the tabletop again anyway.
This time, a remote was sitting there like it had always been.
As if it had appeared out of thin air.
"Are you… a magician?" Android 18 asked, giving Ken a deep, wary look as she snatched the remote and examined it.
The whole thing felt unreal.
Is this even real?
"Is it?" she asked, still half-suspicious. It felt like he'd conjured it.
"You press a button and it stops you, right?" Ken asked.
"Yes… How do you know that?" Android 18's guard instantly went up.
Then her finger slipped and hit a button.
Android 18 went rigid on the spot, completely motionless.
Ken stared.
He didn't even need the remote. He lifted his staff and pointed at her.
Android 18 rebooted. The blankness in her eyes cleared, and life returned.
"I… I feel like I just crashed," she said, stunned.
"You hit the shutdown button," Ken said, pointing at the remote in her hand.
Android 18 stared down at it.
So it's real.
Destroy it. Now.
She tossed it to the floor and stomped down hard.
The moment her foot came down, a button triggered.
Android 18 froze again, eyes going dull.
Ken looked like he'd aged ten years.
Back when Ken watched this in anime form, he'd always worried Krillin might step wrong and accidentally shut Android 18 down.
Now that he was actually here, he'd just watched it happen in real life.
He pointed his staff again and woke her up.
This time, Ken also removed the emergency shutdown mechanism inside Android 18—an extremely small chip tied to her central control system. Once it was gone, the remote could no longer control her.
Then, with a casual gesture, he relocated the bomb inside her body as well.
…
Dr. Gero raced through the mountains.
After a short distance, something felt wrong.
He looked down.
A bomb was strapped to his chest.
Dr. Gero jumped like lightning struck him.
Where did this bomb come from?
Wait.
Why does it look so familiar?
He slowed, squinted—then saw the number stamped on it.
"18."
That's the bomb inside Android 18.
How is that possible?
How did it end up on me?
It felt like he'd stepped into a nightmare.
"Detonation countdown: 3… 2…"
A voice came from the bomb.
I never installed a countdown voice.
And even if I did, it would be ten seconds!
Who counts down from three?!
"Y-you… you're cheating!" Dr. Gero panicked and threw it away as hard as he could.
The bomb detonated almost the instant it left his hand.
The blast hit him.
One of his legs was blown clean off.
When the smoke cleared, Dr. Gero was a wreck.
He'd reduced his pain response by more than a hundred times long ago, so even with a leg and half an arm gone, he barely felt it.
Still, the explosion was loud enough to draw attention immediately.
Vegeta and the others shot over at top speed and surrounded him again.
Dr. Gero's face twisted darker.
"This time you're not getting away," Vegeta said with a snort.
"Did you step on a landmine?" Piccolo said thoughtfully. "One of yours, I'm guessing. Nothing else would blow your leg off like that."
"That's what you get," Krillin said with a grin.
"Serves you right," Yamcha added.
Dr. Gero stared.
…It kind of does.
I put bombs inside 17 and 18, and now one shows up on me and explodes.
What am I even supposed to say?
"Take us to your lab," Vegeta said coldly.
"Don't play innocent," Dr. Gero snapped, dizzy with rage. "You already cleaned it out! What's the point of saying anything now?"
"Huh?" Krillin blinked. "Cleaned it out? We haven't even found your lab!"
Dr. Gero froze. "It wasn't you?"
Then who was it?
I haven't made enemies with anyone else.
All my work has been aimed at Son Goku and his friends.
So what is happening?
Right as he spoke—
A second bomb appeared on his body, out of nowhere.
"Look!" Yamcha yelled. "Something just appeared on him!"
"Looks like a small bomb," Krillin said, stunned.
Dr. Gero looked down and nearly passed out from pure fury.
That's… that's Android 17's bomb.
So 17 too…
He didn't hesitate. He grabbed it and tried to hurl it at Vegeta.
The instant it touched his hand, it exploded.
Krillin and Yamcha dove away and hit the ground. Vegeta simply raised an arm to shield his head, frowning.
What is going on? Where are these bombs coming from?
Even Piccolo looked completely lost.
When the smoke cleared, Dr. Gero lay there in even worse shape.
His remaining leg was blown down to a stump. His shoulder was torn up, and oil leaked from his body.
He could feel his life draining away fast.
I'm going to die… from my own bombs?
This is… pathetic.
"Looks like if we just leave him, he'll die on his own," Vegeta said, smirking.
"Bastards!" Dr. Gero screamed, voice cracking. "Who is it?! Who stole my lab?!"
"Tell me the exact location," Vegeta said with a grin. "I can go take a look for you."
Dr. Gero hesitated for only a moment before blurting out the precise location.
Whoever stole my lab and reduced me to this—I won't forgive them.
"Vegeta… get revenge for me!" Dr. Gero snarled through clenched teeth.
"Revenge for you?" Vegeta laughed. "You're dreaming. I just want to see what this 'Android 17' and 'Android 18' of yours actually look like."
He shot into the sky and flew toward the location Dr. Gero gave.
"Piccolo, what do we do?" Krillin asked urgently.
"If we leave him, he'll die soon anyway," Piccolo said, deciding instantly. "We move. We can't let those Androids activate."
"Yes!" Krillin and the others nodded.
"Take me with you…" Dr. Gero begged. "I want to see what happened to them."
"In your dreams!" Yamcha shouted. "You murdered innocent people and you still want us to carry you? What kind of trick are you trying to pull?"
"Not killing you on the spot is mercy," Tien added sharply.
"Move," Piccolo said, and launched himself into the air.
The others followed at full speed.
"Don't leave me behind!" Dr. Gero gritted his teeth. "Even if I have to crawl, I'm getting back to my lab!"
He dropped to the ground and started crawling toward it like a zombie.
…
Dr. Gero's laboratory.
"Why do I feel like I just crashed again?" Android 18 said, sweat beading on her face.
"You stepped on the remote and hit a button," Ken said with a sigh. "That's why you froze."
Android 18 went silent, then looked down at the shattered remote.
"Wait—if the remote's broken, how did you restart me?" she demanded. "I wasn't in my pod when I woke up. The pod has the activation system."
"Ever heard the story about a prince and a princess?" Ken asked, smiling.
"What are you talking about?" Android 18 blinked.
"There was a sleeping beauty," Ken said, waving it off. "And then… well. It's a very moving story. The prince and sleeping beauty went on to live a shameless life together."
Android 18 stared.
"…Are you saying you kissed me?" She touched her lips, eyes blazing with embarrassment and rage.
"I considered it," Ken said thoughtfully. "Then I remembered you've been asleep for ages. No brushing. So I decided against it."
Android 18's face flushed bright red.
What's that supposed to mean?
You think my breath stinks?
The humiliation lasted half a second before it turned into fury. She lunged at Ken.
"Brush first, fight later," Ken said, raising a hand.
An electric toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste appeared in his palm.
Android 18 froze, eyes wide.
Where did those come from?
"You really are a magician?" she asked.
"Doesn't matter," Ken said, shoving the toothbrush into her hand. "Also, look how considerate I am. It's electric."
Android 18 stared at him, completely baffled.
What does that have to do with anything?
"Go on," Ken said, dead serious. "Build good habits."
Android 18 stood there holding the toothbrush, brain short-circuiting.
Then she squeezed.
The toothbrush crumpled in her hand like cheap plastic.
"Enough!" she snapped. "You think you can toy with me? I'll kill you!"
She rushed Ken again.
Ken sidestepped smoothly, caught her motion with a light hand—and then slapped her hard on the backside.
A sharp smack echoed through the lab.
Android 18's face turned red with rage and shock as she fought to pull away.
Ken loosened his grip and she jumped back, glaring like she wanted to tear him apart.
Ken continued like nothing happened, sounding almost nostalgic. "Someone once told me boys' and girls' toys are really something. When we're kids, girls like dolls, boys like electric toys… and when we grow up, it flips."
Android 18 stared at him.
She did not understand a single word.
"Who are you?" she demanded, stunned.
And why does it feel like I can't beat him?
I'm an Android.
"Still not recognizing me?" Ken sighed. "Your IQ is about on par with Bier, that idiot angel."
"Bier?" Android 18 frowned. The name meant nothing to her.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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