Xiao Wu's Plan

"Reporting to King Pilaf! I've got a clear view of them!"

"That's right! They're riding on the back of a pterodactyl!"

Clutching a walkie-talkie to her chest, the ninja Ashu hurriedly reported in while holding a pair of binoculars.

"They're flying too high. We weren't prepared, and our shoulder-fired rocket launchers can't reach them. The plan to shoot them down has failed!"

"You two are a pair of idiots! Even pigs are better than you!"

When Pilaf heard that something had gone wrong again, a nameless fury surged through him. He launched into a tirade over the walkie-talkie!

"I don't care what method you use. In the end, I want to see the remaining six Dragon Balls! If I don't, you know what I'll do to you!"

After issuing a vicious threat, Pilaf flung the walkie-talkie aside.

"If you screw this up again, I'll stew Ashu and eat him like dog meat. Hmph, useless fool!"

"..."

Ninja Ashu waited until the signal on the other end had stopped blinking before he dared mutter under his breath.

"And the king has the nerve to criticize us. You'd think he'd actually managed to accomplish anything himself!"

"Hey, Xiao Wu, what do we do now? We can't beat them, but we can't retreat, either. Please, think of something! Otherwise, the king really will make us pay for this!"

Xiao Wu had heard every word Pilaf said, of course. She wasn't made of clay, after all, and she had a temper too.

But as one of King Pilaf's subordinates, she couldn't openly defy him.

As she gazed in the direction Son Gohan and the others had gone, a new plan began to take shape in her mind.

"Ashu, King Pilaf said that as long as he gets to see the six Dragon Balls, that's enough, right? He also said he didn't care what method we used."

"So how about we deliver him this wonderful gift ourselves?"

"Xiao Wu, what are you talking about?"

Ashu scratched his head in confusion, looking at her curiously.

"I'm just thinking of a way to reunite King Pilaf with the six Dragon Balls."

Without discussing it further with Ashu, Xiao Wu took the binoculars and checked the pterodactyl Ribut's direction of travel. Then she piloted her single-person mech into the sky.

"Hey, wait for me!"

Seeing his partner take off first, Ashu hurriedly clambered onto his own mech.

Feeling the two little tails following behind them, Son Gohan curled his lip in disdain.

"Just a couple of jokers, and they think they're somebody."

As they drew closer to the location shown on the Dragon Radar, he patted Ribut on the neck and said softly,

"Ribut, find somewhere to land for a bit. We've got two guests following us."

They were trailing a long, long way behind, but to Son Gohan, who had just begun to sense ki, they were like two bright lamps in the dark, glaring white lights that stabbed at his eyes.

As for Son Goku, who was beside him, frolicking on the Flying Nimbus—well, his ki was on the level of a huge, colorful LED billboard.

After a long while, Xiao Wu watched as the three of them made camp. She landed her mech and lingered near their campsite for a long time.

"Xiao Wu, what's going on?"

"I think they may have spotted us."

Xiao Wu answered honestly when Ashu asked.

"I see. So what's your plan, exactly? Can we put it into action? They're about to reach our home!"

"Mm. I've made up my mind!"

She gave a calm reply, then climbed back into the cockpit.

"Are we going in? I knew you had it in you, Xiao Wu. You won't let King Pilaf down!"

Watching Xiao Wu's bravery, Ninja Ashu couldn't help sighing with admiration. He'd been criticizing her for being timid just moments ago. He really shouldn't have.

"They're coming!"

After meditating with his eyes closed for a long time, Son Gohan sensed two faint ki signatures moving rapidly toward them. He immediately got to his feet and prepared to fight.

He had no intention of getting entangled with the Pilaf Gang again, nor did he plan to go to Pilaf's castle. If he was going to act, he'd do it quickly and decisively.

If he hadn't been waiting for a full moon to make absolutely sure everything went smoothly, he would have had Ribut hurry along at full speed long ago, leaving those two hangers-on behind.

As they were about to reach Son Gohan and the others, Ashu grew uneasy when he saw Xiao Wu still wasn't slowing down.

"Could she have a secret weapon from the king?"

"Otherwise, how could she be so bold? This really isn't like her!"

"So King Pilaf really does trust her the most. I'm nothing but a dispensable tool!"

Ashu had no choice but to keep going. Xiao Wu was already piloting her mech face-to-face with Son Gohan, so he could only follow.

Son Gohan studied the so-called single-person mech without expression. After a careful look, he realized he'd been worrying too much.

A machine like that, with so little technology behind it and no heavy weapons, would be easy enough even for Son Goku to handle!

That was precisely why he hadn't attacked first. He wanted to see what they would do.

"If you don't have a good reason for being here, then you can go straight to King Yama and report in!"

"After all, you've been following us for quite a while, ever since the Evil Desert, haven't you?"

Son Gohan calmly stepped forward twice, putting Bulma behind him.

Only then did Bulma and Son Goku, both rather slow on the uptake, realize that these two were enemies!

"Not just in the Evil Desert! Boss, I saw them before, too, when Boss Big Bro and I went back to Dragon Valley to hunt wolves!"

After taking a closer look, Ribut quickly added.

"Boss Big Bro..."

Son Gohan had been looking cold and stern, but Ribut's words threw him off completely. After "mother-man," that naming genius was showing off its talent again!

He put that aside for the moment and turned his attention back to the two mechs.

He was silently gathering ki throughout his body, ready to strike!

"Click!"

Unexpectedly, just then, a sharp sound came from the robot, and the cockpit door swung open.

"Honored and powerful sir, I apologize for our earlier offense. I'd also like you to know that we came here with no ill intentions."

She placed one hand over her chest and gave a gentlemanly bow.

"???"

Xiao Wu's move left Ashu staring in shock behind her.

"W-what! Is this crazy woman on something?"

He suddenly regretted following her without asking what she was up to first!

"This is bad. If she doesn't have some hidden trump card, we've walked right into a trap!"

"Tell me what you're here for, or..."