Outside the tent, by the extinguished campfire.
Mu Yang and the others sat in a circle beside the campfire. Only Whis stood expressionlessly next to Mu Yang.
"So you're here to intercept the Ginyu Force?"
"That's right."
"Do you need my help?"
"No. You absolutely mustn't even think about helping! The Ginyu Force is terrifying. Only the elite of the Galactic Patrol can stand against them."
"You're so weak, you'd better not try to show off."
Jaco didn't want his fan to charge in and get himself killed, so he raised a finger and warned him with a solemn expression.
"Fine, then. Good luck."
Mu Yang chuckled and shook his head, making no attempt to persuade him further. It wouldn't matter if Jaco failed; Mu Yang would be there to bail him out.
Having watched Dragon Ball, he knew all too well how powerful the Ginyu Force was and what they could do.
There was no way Jaco, with a battle power of only 3,000, could match them!
"Don't worry. Leave everything to me."
Jaco patted his chest and promised. He wasn't about to embarrass himself in front of his fan.
Merus and Tights, the only ones who knew Jaco inside and out, exchanged glances, their eyes filled with wry smiles.
Here he went again.
Jaco and his vanity.
With a smile, Mu Yang looked at Jaco. "I believe in you, Jaco."
"Hahaha, don't worry."
Jaco's vanity swelled even further. "I, Jaco, the strongest elite of the Galactic Patrol, will capture the Ginyu Force and keep you all safe."
"So when will the Ginyu Force arrive?"
"Tomorrow."
Merus was the one who answered.
Mu Yang trusted the words of this familiar yet unfamiliar trainee Angel.
"Then let's do it another day."
The next day.
Mu Yang and the others got up early and hid on a hillside, watching the open rocky ground not far away.
According to Merus, this was where the Ginyu Force would land.
"Will the Ginyu Force really land here?"
Jaco still wasn't convinced. "How can you be so sure Merus is right? Sure, he's one of our elite, but he's not always right."
"I trust Merus's judgment."
Though Mu Yang said this, he knew that the main reason he trusted Merus was because he was a trainee Angel.
Angels didn't lie.
"But we've been waiting here for an hour."
Jaco sighed and looked at the clearing ahead. "We haven't even seen a glimpse of the Ginyu Force."
Jaco didn't know Merus's true identity.
"They're here."
Merus's expression turned solemn as he gave them a warning. He could sense the Ginyu Force's ship rapidly descending toward them.
"Boom!!!"
Five spherical ships crashed down from the sky, hitting the ground with a tremendous roar.
"Click!"
The ships' hatches opened, and five figures of different shapes emerged.
"They really came!!"
Jaco exclaimed, unable to hide his excitement. "Great! Now we can capture them."
"Idiot, Jaco! Don't be so loud!"
Merus said worriedly, "What if they notice us?"
The Ginyu Force was powerful enough that Merus couldn't afford to let his guard down. If he used his true power, the Ginyu Force would be mere ants.
But right now, he couldn't use his true power at all.
"Relax, Merus."
Jaco cheerfully patted his chest and assured him, "There's no way the Ginyu Force will notice us."
"Besides, we're still pretty far away from them."
One of the Ginyu Force, Jeice, twitched his ear and abruptly turned his gaze toward Jaco's hiding place. "Who's there?"
"Whoosh!"
A ball of energy shot over and smashed the rock shielding Jaco to pieces.
Boom.
Dust and stone fragments flew everywhere, revealing Jaco to the Ginyu Force.
"Hi, everyone!"
Jaco waved, sweat beading on his forehead. "Nice weather today, isn't it?"
"Jaco, get ready to fight."
They'd all been hiding behind the same enormous boulder, so Merus, Mu Yang, and the others appeared in front of the Ginyu Force as well.
"Locals? Natives?" Guldo guessed.
"Idiot! Can't you see their uniforms? Those are the Galactic Patrol's clothes."
Jeice scolded Guldo angrily, frustrated with his stupidity. Ginyu, meanwhile, sneered as he stared at Jaco and the others.
"King Frieza often says the Galactic Patrol gets in his way. Today, we'll personally kill these two Galactic Patrol members and make King Frieza happy."
"Jeice, check the battle power of those two Galactic Patrol members."
As Ginyu sneered, Jeice activated the Scouter over his left eye and began checking the battle power of the two Galactic Patrol members.
As for the two girls and the child, Jeice didn't think they were worth checking.
He ignored Mu Yang and the others and focused on Jaco instead.
The numbers on the Scouter fluctuated.
100... 500... 1,000... 3,000...
At last, the reading stopped at 3,000.
Jeice sneered and reported to Captain Ginyu, "Captain Ginyu, one of the Galactic Patrol nobodies has a battle power of 3,000."
"Hmph. With battle power like that, he doesn't even qualify as a Galactic Patrol elite. He's just a nobody. Check the other one."
A Galactic Patrol member needed a battle power of at least 5,000 to qualify as an elite. As their longtime rival, Ginyu knew this well.
So he didn't think much of Jaco!
"You're calling me a nobody?"
Jaco flew into a rage and hopped up and down on the spot. "Damn it, I'm an elite member of the Galactic Patrol!"
The arrogant members of the Ginyu Force didn't even spare the hopping nobody a proper glance. Instead, they turned their attention to Merus.
The numbers fluctuated again.
3,000... 10,000... 18,000...
At last, the reading stopped at a battle power of 18,000.
Merus was only pretending, to conceal his true identity. After all, Angels didn't give off the aura of mortals.
The Ginyu Force had no idea who Merus really was. They all thought this was his true battle power!
"An elite of the Galactic Patrol with a battle power of 18,000? If we kill him, the Galactic Patrol will suffer a severe blow."
Ginyu had crossed paths with the Galactic Patrol countless times, but even so, this was the first time he'd encountered a Galactic Patrol elite with such a high battle power.
Ginyu guessed Merus must be the Galactic Patrol's trump card.
Before you continue