Once I Had No Choice, but Now I...

Although the woman before him was quite alluring, Son Gohan had no kind words for her.

Being gentle to the enemy was being cruel to your own side. Since she had chosen to stand against him, he saw her only as an enemy. Her gender made no difference!

However, in the face of Son Gohan's threat, Xiao Wu didn't prepare to fight. Instead, she stepped forward twice and bowed again.

"Please accept our surrender. The two of us are willing to take you to the last Dragon Ball!"

"??!"

"Surrender?!"

Ashu looked utterly stunned.

"Could it be?! Could this be Xiao Wu's plan? She actually came up with the brilliant idea of pretending to surrender!"

"Exactly! As long as we can lower their guard, then lure them into King Pilaf's castle, which is full of traps, the rest will be up to us!"

Ashu's shrewd eyes swept over Xiao Wu as he hurried forward to play along.

"Right! Please accept our surrender. King Pilaf has been squeezing us far too hard. Please save us!"

"..."

"What is this supposed to be?"

Son Gohan awkwardly pulled back the arm he'd already reached halfway out, then scratched his head.

"I know you're looking for the last Dragon Ball, and we know where it is."

"I'm sure that with your considerable abilities, you could get it on your own."

"But wouldn't it be much easier if you had two helpers who know the other side inside out?"

Xiao Wu spoke to Son Gohan with an air of humility. She had thought it all through. Whether they were pretending to surrender or were sincere, both sides ultimately wanted the seven Dragon Balls.

That meant their conflict was irreconcilable.

And the two of them, working for King Pilaf, were no match for him.

At this point, the only thing that mattered was staying alive!

King Pilaf, I hope you won't blame me. If you blame anyone, blame yourself for pushing us too far!

They'd die whether they tried to take the Dragon Balls or not. All they could do was take a gamble!

Son Gohan gazed calmly at two members of the Pilaf Gang, silently weighing the pros and cons.

As for the possibility that there was some hidden scheme at work, Son Gohan wasn't too worried. Schemes were usually a desperate choice when neither side had a decisive advantage, or when one side couldn't overwhelm the other.

With his battle power in the dozens, and the full moon's boost on top of that, there wasn't much on Earth that could stand against him!

"Can we talk alone?"

"..."

After glancing at the sky, Son Gohan, who had remained silent, finally chose to accept their offer—for now.

"Lead the way. Just make sure we reach Pilaf Castle by nightfall."

"Thank you for understanding. I'll lead the way with all sincerity!"

Relieved that her request had been accepted, she dropped to one knee to show her loyalty. Then, without looking back, she climbed into her mecha and flew toward King Pilaf's great castle...

Ashu, who was always a beat slow, gave Son Gohan an awkward smile before scrambling after her!

In the skies above Pilaf, two mechas streaked across the night.

Inside the communications channel, Ashu was still praising Xiao Wu.

"Hey, I have to say, Xiao Wu, you're amazing! You even came up with a scheme like this!"

"Now we can lead them into the castle without lifting a finger. Once they're not paying attention, all we have to do is cut off their escape route..."

"Then we just need to coordinate with King Pilaf, and we can take them down!"

"Hmph, idiot!"

"Do you really think they trust us that much?"

Whenever Xiao Wu thought of the playful look in Son Gohan's eyes when she'd offered to surrender, a strange fear gripped her.

"Once we reach the castle, don't you dare do anything stupid."

"I'll find a way to bring that lord the One-Star Dragon Ball."

"Ashu! You need to understand: this is probably our only chance to stay alive."

Xiao Wu looked grave.

"But King Pilaf has treated us well, after all. And we've followed him for years..."

Perhaps sensing that Xiao Wu was in a bad mood, Ashu's voice grew quieter and quieter.

"We have no right to choose between heaven and hell. All we can do is accept the fate chosen for us!"

For some reason, Xiao Wu suddenly remembered something Son Gohan had said when they spoke alone.

"Ashu, the weak have no choice. It's either life or death. What will you choose?"

"I had no choice before. But now that I have this chance, Ashu, I want to be a good person!"

"..."

With Pilaf Castle just ahead, the two of them tacitly ended the heavy conversation.

After a long while, only Ashu's somber voice echoed through the communications channel.

"No matter what, Xiao Wu, I'll support any decision you make!"

His doglike face was resolute. For the goddess in his heart, he was willing to do anything!

The night was pitch-black, and all was silent. Only Pilaf Castle was still brightly lit in the wilderness, standing like a mighty fortress on the desolate land!

The landing platform on the top floor of Pilaf Castle.

Pilaf watched the two return with eager anticipation. This time, those two useless idiots hadn't contacted him ahead of time to request backup. That meant the mission must have gone well!

He was already imagining himself summoning Shenron and ruling the world!

"Hey, Ashu, Xiao Wu, nice work!"

He had to show some consideration for his subordinates. It cost him nothing to put on the right airs. It was the least he could do!

As she looked at Pilaf, Xiao Wu's eyes darkened for a moment before she hid her feelings.

She hurried forward and respectfully dropped to one knee.

"King Pilaf, I'm sorry. This subordinate failed to take control of them directly and recover the Dragon Balls!"

The bright smile on Pilaf's face vanished at once, and his expression darkened.

Ashu felt a chill crawl over him, and his legs began to tremble.

But Xiao Wu wasn't affected. She continued her report calmly.

"However, Your Majesty, you needn't worry. I've already gained their trust. I told them I'd help them get the last Dragon Ball and lured them here to our castle."

"They're already on their way. They should arrive in about fifteen minutes!"

"Once they're here, all you need to do is activate the castle's traps. No one will escape your grasp!"

"Hmm... You didn't take them down directly, so there was a minor flaw in the plan. But given how reliably you've handled things, I'll let it go this time!"

Pilaf coughed, pretending to be magnanimous as he reassured them.

"Then all we have to do now is wait patiently for our prey to arrive!"