At the Lookout.
A dark, unidentifiable lump lying in a shadowy corner beyond the reach of the sunlight suddenly stirred.
Mr. Popo, who had been unconscious for nearly a day, finally woke up.
Mo Yuan still had a conscience.
To keep Mr. Popo from getting sunburned, he had even dragged him somewhere shady and well-ventilated.
Mr. Popo: Some conscience, but not much.
It had to be said that Mr. Popo, lying there, blended perfectly into the shadows.
Unless you looked closely, it was hard to notice that someone was lying there.
Mr. Popo was still a little dazed after waking up.
His round, wide eyes were pure and untouched by worldly concerns.
[Why am I lying here?]
[Did I fall asleep here last night?]
[Wait!!!]
[The Androids!]
Mr. Popo finally recovered his missing memory.
He remembered that the Androids had knocked him unconscious, and that they had gone into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
At the thought, a wave of unease washed over Mr. Popo.
He checked the time. Nearly a day had passed.
That meant the Androids had already spent nearly a year inside.
They had been terrifyingly strong even before entering. Mr. Popo could hardly imagine how powerful they would be after a year of training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
A deep fear gripped Mr. Popo.
First the Androids, and now a monster that ate people had appeared in the world below.
The Androids had even gone into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to train.
Mr. Popo felt as if he were surrounded on all sides.
With wolves in front and tigers behind, was Earth doomed?
And with Kami gone, the Dragon Balls had stopped working, too.
Under these circumstances, if Earth's fighters died, they would be dead for good. There would be no way to bring them back.
For a moment, Mr. Popo felt as if he had lost his anchor. His bell-like eyes grew dull and lifeless.
[No, I have to go tell Kami... Piccolo.]
Mr. Popo thought of Piccolo, who had fused with Kami.
Piccolo was the only one who could fight the Androids now.
At the same time, though, Mr. Popo hesitated.
Piccolo was indeed very strong now, but could he really take on the Androids after they had trained for a year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?
Honestly, Mr. Popo wasn't sure.
After thinking it over for a long time, Mr. Popo decided not to go to Piccolo just yet.
Piccolo was still searching for that monster. It was better not to distract him now.
Then there was only one thing left to do...
Mr. Popo's gaze hardened. He sat cross-legged in front of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber's entrance.
An air of resolve radiated from him.
At that moment, Mr. Popo had put his own life and death aside.
Elsewhere.
Lapis had lost all interest in sightseeing, too.
He just wanted to find Son Goku as soon as possible, then meet up with Mo Yuan and the others.
So he and Android 16 left the car behind and flew straight toward Mount Paozu.
Before long, they arrived at Son Goku's house.
But the place had long since been deserted.
There wasn't a soul inside.
"Android 16, do you know where Son Goku went?" Lapis asked.
Android 16 replied in his usual flat, expressionless voice, "The radar hasn't detected Son Goku's energy. But the places he and his companions visit often are either Capsule Corporation in West City or Master Roshi's Island in the southern sea."
"I see. Which one is closer?"
"Master Roshi's house is about 2,700 kilometers southeast of here."
"Good. Let's go."
With that, Lapis took off from where he stood.
Android 16 followed him into the sky.
At 2,700 kilometers, it would take two or three hours by plane.
But for Lapis and Android 16, it would take just over ten minutes.
And they weren't even using their full speed.
Otherwise, they could have made it in a few minutes.
Soon, an island appeared before Lapis.
It was indeed a very small island.
Master Roshi's little house took up almost a third of it.
[Let's get this over with quickly, then head to the Lookout.]
Lapis thought to himself.
He was quite interested in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber on the Lookout that Mo Yuan had mentioned.
There weren't many people on Kame House Island.
At the moment, only Son Goku's family, Master Roshi, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong were there.
Piccolo, Tien Shinhan, and Krillin were still out searching for Cell.
"Hello. What can I do for you?"
On the beach, a cute little boy was doing his homework.
Seeing Lapis and Android 16 descend from the sky, he greeted them politely.
"Hmm? Are you Son Goku's son, Son Gohan?"
Looking at the little boy before him, Lapis quickly identified him.
The boy was indeed Son Goku's son, Son Gohan!
"Huh!? Yes! I'm Son Gohan. Are you here to see my dad? He's sick, and he still hasn't woken up."
Son Gohan had never met the Androids, so he assumed they were his father's friends.
"Sick?"
Lapis was a little surprised. According to their information, Son Goku was an exceptionally powerful martial artist.
Martial artists often got injured, but it was rare for them to get sick.
After all, medicine was very advanced nowadays.
There were practically no incurable diseases anymore. Besides, martial artists were vastly healthier than ordinary people, so it was almost impossible for them to fall ill.
"Yeah." Thinking about his father's illness, Son Gohan grew sad, his voice dropping low.
"When will he get better?"
Lapis didn't want to fight someone who was unconscious.
That would be no fun at all.
Son Gohan shook his head. "I don't know. Dad took his medicine not long ago, and he looked like he was in a lot of pain."
Whenever he thought of his father writhing in pain in bed, Son Gohan was overcome with grief.
He didn't know if the special medicine Trunks had brought would actually work.
If it didn't...
Tears welled up in his eyes.
He didn't dare think about it any further. He was so afraid of losing his dad.
Son Gohan forced back his tears, sniffed, and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
Then he asked Lapis, "By the way, are you friends of my dad? I don't think I've seen you before."
"Friends? Heh!"
Lapis hadn't expected Son Goku's son to be so naive as to think he was his father's friend.
No wonder he'd answered every question so readily.
"We might be enemies, too~"
Lapis looked at Son Gohan with a teasing grin.
"What!?"
Gohan had never imagined that these two were his father's enemies.
The only enemies he could think of right now were...
"Are you Androids?"
Gohan shouted.
He released all the energy in his body without holding anything back.
He stared warily at Lapis and Android 16.
"Androids? That's an irritating name."
Lapis pursed his lips.
The word "Androids" always brought back unpleasant memories.
"Androids!!!"
Hearing Gohan shout, and sensing the energy coming from him, everyone in the house rushed outside.
They all looked at Lapis and Android 16 as if facing a great enemy.
Lapis looked at this motley little group.
His interest vanished at once.
They were too weak.
He didn't even feel like fighting them.
"Let's go."
Lapis ignored them completely.
He called to Android 16, then took off.
He was going to the Lookout to meet up with Mo Yuan and the other two.
As for Son Goku?
He could come back after he got better.
After all, Lapis had no interest in fighting a sick man.
Android 16 said nothing and followed Lapis away.
Everyone on Kame House Island stared blankly at the two figures disappearing on the horizon.
They were suddenly at a loss.
Weren't the Androids supposed to kill Goku?
Why hadn't they attacked, when they had such a perfect opportunity?
"My Gohan!!"
Chi-Chi rushed over and hugged Gohan, then looked him up and down to check whether he was hurt.
Hearing that the Androids had arrived had terrified her.
Goku was sick and unconscious, and Gohan was still so young.
What would she do if something happened to him?
"Don't worry, Mom. I'm fine."
Seeing how worried Chi-Chi was, Gohan quickly reassured her.
For some reason,
Gohan suddenly felt that the Androids didn't seem so bad after all...
Before you continue